Opinions about the iPhone 3G and 2.0 software update are still rolling in more than a week after its announcement. Not to miss an opportunity to sell more reports, Gartner's even weighing in on how the iPhone will fare with business. While all of us debate the merits of the iPhone 2.0 software's Microsoft Exchange sync, downloadable third-party apps through the Apple Store (only, btw), and whether the iPhone is secure enough for the enterprise, meeting enterprise requirements doesn't really matter. Apple's got their sights on a whole different target. Consumers.
Ever since back in the day when I was an Apple fanboy myself (and I'm certainly not one now), I've always believed one thing about Apple that couldn't be truer today. Apple is a consumer company. It doesn't want to be anything else, and it doesn't have to be. Consumers are what Apple does well. Apple tried the business shtick back in the 80's and 90's and it's just not Apple's gig. A saucy round peg trying to fit in a boring square hole. And the company is just not good at IT, so why fight it. To Apple, IT is boring, un-sexy and fraught with nasty gotchas that just aren't a lot of fun to solve. Jacking up the latest Coldplay tune in front of the billing server just doesn't do much to help bills go out faster.
Serve consumers with cool, trendy, innovative new products and do it well, that's Apple. Ergo the overwhelming popularity of the iPod and the iPhone. Even the Mac is enjoying a resurgence, in part thanks to all those Windows and Vista bashing "I'm a Mac" commercials. Let BlackBerry and Microsoft slug it out in the enterprise, with all the integration mess that can entail. Apple's target isn't the enterprise, not directly anyway.
The Apple game in the business market is to be such a compelling consumer product that Apple users will bring their iThings to work and IT will just have to deal with it. Apple doesn't have to meet all the requirements on IT's punch list. Apple's strategy is to be "just good enough" when it comes to IT, so iThings won't get stopped at the office building entrance. IT will just be expected to provide iPhone support because of their numbers. Apple doesn't want to wait for IT's blessing. It will let its passionate customers demand support from IT.
And you know what? Apple's strategy is working, despite what Gartner, Microsoft, RIM, the media, or bloggers like me have to say about it. Apple is a consumer company who needs to be "just good enough" for business.
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Mitchell Ashley is principal consultant at Converging Network LLC where he provides product, technology and social media consulting to emerging technology companies. A successful CTO and product innovator, Mitchell has created many successful, award winning products in the networking, security, convergence, Internet and IT industries. In addition to blogging for NetworkWorld, Mitchell regularly blogs at TheConvergingNetwork and co-hosts the widely popular StillSecure After All These Years podcast.
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Amazingly good analysis
You are funny on your analysis of the success of the iPhone/iPod Touch. You have gone from the iPhones imminent doomed failure to a reluctant success.
You look at the iPhone as just an iThingy. It is far more than that. It is the first truly mobile and flexible computing platform. From games to email to communications (you know, like VoIP) to business it does them all. Blackberry's don't, WM never has, Palm didn't. It may not be the best at all of them but it is a solid contender in the areas it does not dominate such as being a rad MP3 player with no peer or simply the best mobile internet access device out there.
It provides solid email,great web surfing, the keyboard is very good (I use the iPod Touch all the time for email/blogs), decent calendar, OK contacts (with new V2.0 being exceptional in its look-up ability), 3D graphics hardware acceleration, great screen (even though a 200 ppi upgrade would be nice. But they are currently much smaller, darker and use more power) and an exceptional interface.
But what is more important is the strong SDK. For the first time doing mobile/embedded programming (what I do), it feels like I'm programming a desktop. The tools are simply sweet.
I understand that you see the iPhone as a threat to your religion of the IT world. Apple can not do business and don't want to. Except...
That is what V2.0 is all about. The rich web browser is great for getting access to many internal IT web-sites. This is a great business feature ignored in mobile devices before the iPhone came along. From doing time sheets, tracking bug reports and doing CM, the iPod Touch lets me do those things.
Blackberrys don't. Current WM don't. But my iPod does???
Because the iPod Touch/iPhone platform does most things well and a few things exceptionally, it is posed to be the next major platform. WM 7.0 it too far out (what late 2009 and a late 2009 at that) to have any impact and Blackberry is tied to being "just a business phone". Palm is out of the game (too bad because I always like Palm). Android? That is a huge wild card but might be doomed by lack of hardware conformity.
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