Microsoft Says iPhone Is Irrelevant To Business 435
An anonymous reader writes "A Microsoft exec has turned attack dog, lashing out at Apple's iPhone by saying the device isn't good for business. Why? Because the iPhone is 'a closed device that you cannot install applications on.' Specifically, he's talking about Microsoft Office. 'While the entry of the iPhone (with its cut-down version of Mac OS X) into this market offers new options for consumers, Sorenson believes user familiarity with the Windows Mobile interface — and the ease with which companies can buy and develop applications for the platform — will sustain its increasing popularity and help keep the iPhone out of the lucrative corporate market.'"
When you can't... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I smell a ZunePhone... (Score:3, Interesting)
http://news.google.com/news?q=zune%20phone [google.com]
MS and PDA (Score:3, Interesting)
I had no problem using my PDA for writing. I would enter it as plain text, and then format it in MS Word when I got the big computer. The PDA was to keep contacts and appointments, and jot down drafts. I saw no one complaining that theri franklin planner was inadequate because it did not include a typewriter. Same thing.
I suspect the problem with the iPhone is that it is not going to fit in with the MS workcylce, specifically exchange. Of course blackberry is not a problem because I believe it does have an exchange component. Apple, OTOH, is just uses standard protocols, and does nothing special. Therefore, when the executives get their iPhones, which they will, it is conceivable that at some point MS will have to open up exchange. This means the MS should be scared because the iPhone is the thin end of the wedge. MS lucked out that the there were enough hacks to maintain the monopoly with the PDA threat, but they may not be so lucky with the phones. Just look at what the iPod is doing to the precious WMP formats.
Microsoft doesn't get it (*shock* *surprise*) (Score:2, Interesting)
Microsoft can continue to enjoy the business cell market for a while. If the iPhone proves to be successful with the personal market, then SJ will get more leverage to strongarm more networks to accept the "apple way". Then Microsoft will have legitimate reason to worry.
And everybody I know absolutely hates their windows mobile device, be it a phone, pda, or personal computer. The network service is spotty (not Microsoft's fault) but combined with the shoddy OS for these devices, some days it's a freaking miracle they work at all. My MDA frequently won't get email, refuses to sync, and sometimes corrupts messages such that the sync spreads the corruption to outlook on the laptop.
And it's not just a geek thing. Every higher up type hates it and will admit so when asked. That's where the illusion is. These people are used to frustration with technology so they just accept it. Ergo, we don't hear it as often.
If I were a multi-billionaire, I would give nearly all of my wealth to Apple so they could form their own network service and do phone service right. I don't need much: a snappy, reliable phone and service would be worth it.
Re:Blackberry made it (Score:4, Interesting)
There is also a consumer oriented version which can access any imap server, but this version is intentionally crippled.
Also, the "enterprise server" only runs on windows, so your still tied in... I wonder if this will change now that microsoft are competing head on with blackberry, after all it would be incredibly stupid of them to have their primary product dependant on their biggest competitor.
Re:Not Irrelevant, But Limited in Appeal (Score:1, Interesting)
I would gladly pay $600 for it in spite of the phone functionality. I have been waiting for a OS X based Newton for a long time.
Re:iPhone is a silly gimmick (Score:3, Interesting)
From what I remember reading (no links sorry), the iPhone will not support the installation of unsigned applications and plug-ins. However, everyone expects this to be simple to disable or override at the cost of invalidating your warranty.
Also there was some discussion that suggested that 3rd parties can request that their code be signed...
Apple just wants to prevent people from turning their iPhone into a spambot or worse, and they also want to keep support calls to a minimum.
I suspect that most Mac users, like myself, will not be inconvenienced by these restrictions in the least... in fact, unknowingly we will probably welcome them as they help ensure that our phone "just works" whenever we need to use it.
Besides... if the iPhone attracts as much interest as is expected... it'll be hacked in a week just like the AppleTV was.
Re:Umm, no. (Score:5, Interesting)
He's right. Sorta. (Score:3, Interesting)
Apple's market is the same as the market for things like the Motorola RAZR. I'm sure it will be sell well just from the cool factor, no matter how impractical it is.
Re:Microsoft are correct (Score:3, Interesting)
Microsoft is about to get their ass handed to them again and they know it. Consumer device or not, gimmick or not, the iPhone is already having a huge impact on the moble market - AND IT'S NOT EVEN OUT YET!!!
Next up: "One time software giant Microsoft files suit against Apple, Inc. for monopolizing the mobile business device market"... well, it wouldn't be the first time someone snatched the pretzels out of Ballmer's mouth.
ewwww... I just grossed myself out.
Re:WiFi (Score:3, Interesting)
Prestaging for this phone comes among other things in the form of Cingular finally offering an unlimited SMS package; devices like Blackberry now can get "unlimited everything but out of network voice" service for about $90 a month. If you didn't notice, the iPhone demonstrated features are loudly absent any IM application other than SMS, which, wifi or not, only operates on the GSM/UMTS network. I would not be surprised if the whole $49.98 data nut was completely comulsory with the iPhone purchase, and became part of the associated two year contract.
So no, I don't think the built in wifi will have any adverse impact on the carriers whatsoever. Err, not on Cingular anyway. It will, in all likelihood, be used as compensation for the lack of 3g, which on the GSM network in the US is actually less widely deployed than wifi. AT&T does in fact own a more extensive wifi hotspot network than t-mobile, and I have never heard of such an offering from Verizon. So maybe Apple's assistance to rapidly deploy a wifi-GSM hybrid onto the Cingular network will help achieve a new and chilling level of market dominance.
Re:They might be right (Score:2, Interesting)
What you really need to consider is this move _historically_. Years ago Microsoft were giving away (or very cheaply selling) the tools and documentation required to get developers up and running on their platform which helped them further dominate their competition. Credit where credit is due, people go where the applications are and given that Microsoft was the cheapest (and nastiest) platform of the day with some of the cheapest developer costs (as well as a killer marketting team) and they've thrived since then. Now the cost for other systems are coming down (like Linux, and to a lesser extent Mac) people are realizing there is life outside of Microsoft again.