Thu, Nov 29, 2007 12:54 EST

AT&T Says 3G Apple iPhone Coming in '08; Corporate E-Mail to Soon Follow?

Topic: Infrastructure

Current Rating: Comments: 4

One of the gripes many U.S. iPhone users have had since Apple first launched the uber popular smartphone in late June is that it's currently a 2.5 generation (2.5G) device, and it does not run on a newer, faster 3G cellular network.

Today, AT&T, the leading wireless carrier in the United States by subscribers and the country's only carrier that offers the Apple phone, quelled the issue when its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Randall Stephenson announced that a 3G Apple iPhone will become available in 2008. Stephenson spoke at a Churchill Club event in Santa Clara, California, according to Bloomberg.com. He did not, however, comment on pricing details, saying only that Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, will decide how much the 3G iPhone will cost. The 8GB 2.5G iPhone now retails for $399.

the Apple iPhone

Stephenson's announcement is relevant to IT departments and corporate smartphone users because it brings the iPhone a step closer to becoming a viable business device. Corporate users will increasingly need powerful devices to run complex enterprise applications and to transfer content, and 3G phones are better suited for such tasks than 2.5G or less powerful devices.

One major challenge Apple faces in bumping the iPhone up to 3G is that it will require more battery power to operate, and the iPhone already has significantly shorter battery life than many comparable smartphones. (Jobs called 3G chipsets "real power hogs" in September when addressing the challenge of making a 3G iPhone.) So the company will need to improve the device's battery life before it sends a 3G version to market. Currently users who employ the device frequently need to recharge every day.

One feature that has largely kept the iPhone from infiltrating the enterprise is the lack of a secure corporate e-mail client with "push" mail support. But it seems very plausible that Apple will soon wade into corporate waters with the iPhone. Shortly after the iPhone's release, Steve Jobs told USA Today in a joint interview with AT&T's Stephenson that corporate e-mail support "would not be a big issue" and that pilots were already underway with notable companies—though that was five months ago and no related announcements have been made to date.

If Apple does release an enterprise e-mail client for the 3G iPhone that can integrate with Microsoft Exchange environments and offer push e-mail, I think it's only a matter of time before the device becomes accepted by CIOs and IT departments as a truly valuable business smartphone. (Push e-mail is currently available only to iPhone users with Yahoo Mail accounts.) I know a number of executives who currently use iPhones as personal smartphones, and they sing the device's praises. I even know a technology executive who forwards corporate e-mail to a Gmail account so it's accessible via iPhone. Were a secure mail client available, I'm sure he and others would go the safer route. And consumers plan to use their iPhone for business and play over the coming year, according to a recent IDC poll.

What else besides a lack of 3G support and a secure corporate mail environment with push mail is keeping the iPhone from becoming an acceptable business device?

Would you trade your BlackBerry or Treo or whatever business smartphone you're currently using for a 3G iPhone with such a mail environment?

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All Comments Comments

Wed, Dec 12, 2007 18:09 EST

Posted by: Anonymous
Rating:

Sure we will trade our other devices - but until it is available via my local Apple store at a reasonable price - with 3G and corp email - it is like the hydrogen car, consumer space travel, etc.... Still just a concept....

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Tue, Dec 18, 2007 14:47 EST

iPhone and the 3G Update

Posted by: Anonymous
Rating:

I currently have the iPhone and I feel that there is no need to upgrade to the 3G iPhone that is said to be released sometime in 2008. I use my iPhone every day, not all day and at all times, and the EDGE network is very fast. I have used a PDA that is a mock of the iPhone and it has 3G. It was not much faster. In fact, I had my iPhone next to it and I asked the Maps application on both phones to go to my home address. The EDGE got to my house about 0.5 seconds after the 3G. EDGE is not nearly as fast as WiFi but it comes close to 3G. I don't think that I will be updating to the iPhone with 3G when and IF it comes out in '08. ?

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Sat, Dec 29, 2007 19:30 EST

Using iPhone for business

Posted by: Anonymous
Rating:

I have been using my iPhone for real estate. I love the Google maps feature as it quickly lets me find addresses to properties for my customers. Using iPhone on WiFi is easy, and of course faster. So far, I have not had any considerable delays because of speed. (My battery life shortens on Edge, vs WiFi. So I like hotspots, even my home wireless network connects with encryption via the wireless router, and I love it.)

I use gMail, and have no problems with email up to this point. Actually, I have multiple email carriers, and more than one account set up on this iPhone. No problem managing multiple accounts. (Since I use other carriers and I'm not dependent on a corporate based Blackberry type service, I don't see a problem in my business, but the articles mentions on email security are valid for that type of setup.)

Email, text, maps, and weather are features I use daily, even hourly. I have grown to depend on this device for my business and don't have plans on changing.

Now do I see the need for improvement? Yes, here are the things I would like to see changed:
* Price: I bought the cheaper 4G when the price went down. I agree that this should be more competitively priced. Otherwise, Apple will be losing out in business.
* No copy/paste. Seems so basic, but it's not there.
* Cannot text to multiple phone numbers. Yep, a pain when texting to people and you have to repeat (with no copy/paste as mentioned above).
* Improved battery life would help. I charge mine every night. If I am using it heavily, maybe more than once a day.

But would I trade my iPhone to anything else because of the lack of these features? No. I am thinking in 2 years when I can upgrade, what is there to upgrade to? :) Hopefully, a better iPhone.

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Tue, Aug 5, 2008 23:32 EDT

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Posted by: Anonymous
Rating:

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Display Type 16M colors
Size 480 x 320 pixels
Camera Resolution 2MP
Video Yes
Flashlight No
Connectivity GPRS Yes
HSDPA No
EDGE Yes
3G Yes
WiFi Yes
Bluetooth Yes
A2DP No
USB Yes
Ringtones Type yes
Memory
Card slot no
Internal user memory 8gb
Battery
Stand-by time Up to 250 hours
Talk time Up to 8 hours
Features Messaging SMS, Email
FM radio No
Games No
Speaker phone Yes
Operating System OS X v10.4.8
Touch-screen Yes
General Network GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Announced 2007, January
Status Available
Size Dimensions 115 x 61 x 11.6 mm
Weight 135 g
Display Type Touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Multi-touch input method
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Ringtones Type Polyphonic, MP3
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
3.5 mm headset jack
Memory Phonebook Advanced, Photocall
Call records Yes
Card slot No
4/8 GB shared memory
Data GPRS Yes
HSCSD No
EDGE Yes
3G No
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0
Features OS Mac OS X v10.4.8
Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser HTML (Safari)
Games Yes
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video
Google Maps
Widgets support
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PIM including calendar, to-do list
Photo browser/editor
Voice memo
Integrated handsfree

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Talk time Up to 5 h

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