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After hearing, for many years, so many IT or computer "experts" scuffing at Apple products, and their focus on accommodating everyday users with silly things like simple Graphical User Interfaces… the mix of attention for the iPhone, and especially now with Exchange support and the SDK, is particularly interesting and, I bet, satisfying for Apple.

Searching for "iPhone" anything on the web returns a bunch of articles in publications like "Linux World",  "PC World", "ITwire", SYS-CON",  and many others. Not that they are all advocating the iPhone, but many are. And even among the ones who aren’t in favor of it, some are preparing for it.

The Blackberry phase has seen it’s time, I suppose. But I still believe that RIM is most likely to release a somewhat honorable competitor for the iPhone, really, in the next year… and that will make the iPhone’s move towards redefining the mobile enterprise… even more fun to watch.

To me, the idea of the strength of today’s managed corporate network and infrastructure, with the iPhone in the field… the device… the ultimate remote control… goes well beyond push email or shared information. The iPhone will be pushing "content" to everyone, including professional people of all types.

Gartner analyst group has already given their initial blessing to Apple’s new iPhone features for the enterprise… Microsoft ActiveSync, Cisco IPSEC and wifi WPA2 security. These features will let the iPhone access corporate Microsoft Exchange email servers and create secure Virtual Private Network links into the office - two features which most businesses would consider essential for road warriors.

I’m not very familiar with their analysis "style", but there’s no doubt about their belief in the iPhone… "Expansion of the iPhone into the enterprise could mean that Apple will become a mainstream supplier of client platform development tools. This could mean that other Apple
products begin to appeal to end users."

The iPhone will certainly be deployed in the corporate network. I believe… consistently, increasingly, as an alternative to the very well established Blackberry, for basic communication, and well established expectations.

But the huge story here is… that the way Apple provides great tools, that feel like amazing toys… continues to be recognized, and utilized, in additional markets, again. And being able to really merge what you have to do, with what you want to do, is very powerful.

I’m not sure I’ll buy Gartner’s $95 report
(ok…yeah, I’m sure.. I won’t), even though the teaser is good… "The
iPhone will soon be tailored for enterprises. Gartner recommends
"appliance-level" support status once firmware 2.0 and improvements are
released. iPhone will become a popular tool alongside BlackBerry and
Microsoft devices."

Corporate users make neat things, and markets, and then test them to the 9’s…. and with new tools on the way, for certain, allowing them to completely rev up their capabilities for training, presentations, publishing, RMA’s (field applications), multimedia, network community… we will really be seeing a leap in the path of the professional mobile device.