3G iPhone not ready for the enterprise?

Business users are complaining they have little idea of what the new iPhone will offer them, other than the fact that the low price is going to see every middle manager toting one while their IT departments fret about the lack of encryption and security on the phone. Analyst J.Gold reckons businesses should be nervous of a …

[Anonymous Coward]

slOw2 '3G'

"but cheapskates who saved a tenner a month on the contract are now being asked to pay £99 to get up to 3G speeds."

...but it's slOw2 - their capped 128kbps '3G' is actually slower than their 135kbps EDGE data. Or are they changing this now?

Don't forget they are also liars about their data allowance - it's 200Mb but they swear blind it's 'unlimited'. Only when pressed and confronted with print outs from buried pages on their site stating it's 200Mb will they conceed that yes it's 200Mb but 'you will never hit that'.

While I will admit it will be more difficult to rack up 200Mb on their SLOOOOW 3G 'service', it's a possibility I'm not willing to be subjected to.

[Kenny Millar]

Even without encryption

Its a far superior device.

And before you shoot me down, if you've never used one, and never had the chance to compare one to any other 'smart'phone then shut up until you can put up.

I've been using smartphones for a while, and can tell you, the iPhone is years ahead of the competion in terms of usability.

I got OUT OF THE WAY to avoid using my current, Windows Mobile based device, but I love using the iPhone.

[Anonymous Coward]

the lack of encryption and security on the phone

Perfect for the Goverment to hand out to save us tax payers money on lost laptops, cheaper and much easier to lose in the pub/on train etc also the perfect size for your Al-Qaeda type mugger wanting the latest gossip on movements in Iraq.

[Rob McDougall]

who needs encryption...

...when you've got remote wipe?

actaully, that sounds like a labour saving device for new parents...

...mines the one with the pockets full of wet wipes...

[Anonymous Coward]

several O2 customers

so it's only a couple of freetards on the O2 website who have been paying the cheap rate and now figure that if they kick up enough noise, they'll get given a free iphone.

and it's not even as if they've got to pony up the ton for the upgrade, they've saved 80quid so all they need to scrape together is 19quid.

people like that do not deserve to use Apple kit

:-)

[Joe K]

HAH! Security

This in the country that leaves Top Secret documents on trains, and posts CDs of everyone details around willy-nilly.

Hilarious.

Compared to the useless meatsacks IT bods have to deal with, the iPhone is fort-knox.

[Dave Ashton]

arg

"I entered into a contract and spent vast amounts of my own free will and now something shinier has come along and now I want that one! Its not fair. I hate you all. Cant you make this all go away please daddy please?".

Is there anything worse than people whining about the contracts they entered into, blindly signing anything thrust under their noses, eyes transfixed on the shiny stuff?

£45 is fucking insane for a mobile contract IMHO. Reap what you sow.

[Wonderkid]

iPhone market confusion

As per an earlier posting of mine on the day the 3G iPhone was announced, Apple have created a device with no obvious market. a) The iPhone's most amazing feature is the way one can browse though photos with the swipe of a finger - and pinch to zoom in - it has to be seen. Yet the camera is useless, so unless you have time to sync with iPhoto to get pictures from your 'other' camera, you're out of luck. b) The lack of a mechanical keyboard option is a no no for corporate types who bash away emails. c) If it's an iPod, then why no stereo bluetooth? And again, why no decent camera (that music loving youth like) or an FM radio so people can actually discover NEW music to then download from iTunes? d) And you cannot even purchase tunes from the phone anyway - unless from WiFi. My more ugly and multi-touch less Nokia N95 8G actually does almost everything - and I don't need to even sync it with a PC. I can take great photos, download music over HSDPA, send and receive email and more. By nothing thinking about any specific market, Apple have put themselves in a very difficult position. Watch what happens with Android where by the nature of the platform, custom solutions can be created for target markets. What is that expression? "Know your customer" Apple should have focused on the market they know best: The consumer. The perfect customer TODAY for both iPhone models is the technically hopeless mother, aunt or grandparent thanks to it's friendly operation. For corporate use, the new Nokia E71 seems not only brilliantly executed but quite sexy too. (BTW, I would buy a 3G iPhone if it has a 5MP auto focus camera with flash, over air music downloads and stereo Bluetooth. I could stream radio over the HSDPA so not so bothered about that omission.

[Graeme Hill]

eBay will be flooded.....

..... with the first gen Jesus(tm) phones. Prepare for the second coming, and throw out your old idols for steve has made them obsolete (although some would say lack of 3G, and restrictions on 3rd party apps, made them obsolete before release)..........

[r76]

Ready for something

"a device which offers no local encryption, and unknown central management systems"

Now approved for use in all government departments...

[CrackedButter]

Holy hell! Those Crybabies!

The comments included in the article have the people commenting like they HAVE to buy the 3G iPhone! Holy shit those people should count themselves lucky, some people don't have electricity in this world never mind a jesus phone!

Steve icon because the irony quite isn't apparent yet!

[saltyknob]

@ Bill Ray

So JesusPhone 2.0 isn't read for business because handset security is poor or it's too cheap???

If the former, then that's a fair point. However, there has been no detailed public announcement regarding this [typical Apple]. So, unless you have access to the latest beta firmware, you don't know what is/isn't being implemented. Seeing as the Gold Master of the firmeware hasn't been released it may yet have more [better] handset security features. You'll have a pretty good idea on the 27th. BTW, Jack Gold's analysis hasn't stopped the US Army from evaluating it [yeah, I've opened a can of worms here].

If it's the latter then I don't understand your point. too cheap for business?? Or that rogue employees will go and buy one and demand that the Exchange admins grant them access? Is this how you see businesses run?

Ether way, it's a crap article. It also must be a slow news day because the original source was published on the 10th.

[Anonymous Coward]

Erm, do the maths

"he'll have paid £80 more than me over the space of 9 months in terms of PM charges yet I'll have to pay £99 if I want to upgrade whilst he'll get it free."

Yes. So O2/Apple are rewarding his higher expenditure initially by giving him a £20 discount on the upgrade. What's the problem?

FFS, it's a score. If you're that worried about twenty quid, WTF are you buying an iPhone for?!? Or, indeed, upgrading - after all, the fanboys all said that EDGE was plenty fast enough when iPhone first came out, so how come they're all so desperate to upgrade now?

/quite happy with my 3G/GPS-enabled Kaiser which I've had for 8 months already.

[Joel]

FFS

Of all the whining, complaining gits!

"By the time this 3G model launches next month he'll have paid £80 more than me over the space of 9 months in terms of PM charges yet I'll have to pay £99 if I want to upgrade whilst he'll get it free."

You're in exactly the same positition! If you wish to pay £45/month over the new contract, you can have it for free as well. The amount you have paid up until now is immaterial.

Honestly, complaining because someone who pays more gets more! Welcome to capitalism.

You'd be hard done by if they made you stick to your existing contract, in which case you'd have to pay the PAYG price if you wanted to upgrade....

[Alex Johnson]

Whiners

The O2 offer is much better than AT&T is offering. Maybe that's irrelevant, but it leads me to suspect that O2 makes less per iPhone customer than Apple's launch partner does, and so asking for even more is unrealistic and peevish. The £35 whiners will, even after the £99, be paying O2 £81 LESS than the £45 punters over the 18 months of the contract. What part of that are they struggling with? Why is this "unfair"? I am on £35 and I am happy I'm not being held to my original contract, never mind getting the new model for £99 which is, as people have noted, the same price as an iPod nano. Doesn't it make for a happier life to see the glass half full rather than half empty?

[Stuart Gibson]

Someone's maths is broken

OK, so to date a friend has paid £80 more and will be getting a phone for free. In three months time they will have paid £110 more for their contract and you will have paid £100 for the new phone. Considering you are signing up for a further 18 months they will pay £260 more for the contract than you so you're saving £160. Assuming you don't need the extra minutes/texts you're making out like a bandit.

Paris, because numbers are, uh, hard.

[Omer Ozen]

His maths are incomplete

"I've been on the £35 PM tariff since I shelled out £269 on launch day, my mate bought his at the same time but decided on the £45 PM tariff. By the time this 3G model launches next month he'll have paid £80 more than me over the space of 9 months in terms of PM charges yet I'll have to pay £99 if I want to upgrade whilst he'll get it free."

He forgets to consider that poor sod on the £45 plan will be stuck with that plan for further 18 months and the price difference is well above 99 quid upgrade fee he is whinging about.

Paris, just because.

[Dave Fisher]

This is getting out of hand...

All these whiners are really starting to annoy me... shut the hell up! You still have a wonderful device which will get (apart from faster internet and GPS) all the software features of the new iPhone for free anyway and nobody is forcing you to upgrade before the end of your contract! Be thankful that O2 are allowing you a subsidised price to upgrade part way through your contract and not stiffing you for an early termination fee as well as charging you full whack for the new device!

'I bought my car a year ago... and now they make a better one, why oh why Lord won't they give me the better one for free??? *cries*' Sound like a reasonable complaint? No, didn't think so.

Jeez...

[Hedley Phillips]

So...

"I've been on the £35 PM tariff since I shelled out £269 on launch day, my mate bought his at the same time but decided on the £45 PM tariff. By the time this 3G model launches next month he'll have paid £80 more than me over the space of 9 months in terms of PM charges yet I'll have to pay £99 if I want to upgrade whilst he'll get it free."

Why not wait for 2 months when your friend will have paid £100 extra in total and you can feel smug by getting the new phone for £1 less than him.

You shallow moaning fool.

[Richard]

Unknown unknowns

How do you know there is no local encryption? The WWDC keynote specifically mentioned remote wipe, Cisco VPN and certificate support to name but three security related features of the iphone 2.0 software ... which is not specific to the upcoming new hardware and will be available for existing iphone users as well.

A number of significant companies were shown on a video on the WWDC keynote talking up the security features ... no mention of this in your article, just some analysts premature pronouncements.

As the iphone os is based on OSX, which has built in encryption support then it would be highly unlikely to note include it even if its only in the SDK for 3rd parties to create a whole collection of tools.

As someone who does not own an iphone, I found the WWDC announcement very interesting ... not for the iphone hardware itself which apart from rather classy looks is fairly standard on top-end smartphones ... it is the SOFTWARE (iphone 2.0) which looks extremely good and appears to be a mobile developers dream. Ive downloaded the SDK (for free) and will have a play around to see what is in the API (which does appear to be comprehensive).

The fact that the iphone 2.0 SOFTWARE comes with support for Exchange and push-email, calendaring and a cheap enterprise development model seems like a clear push for the business space.

You simply cannot believe analysts on their own (anyone can do their job!) .. you have to look for yourself.

[Henry Blackman]

Who has legitimate reason to complain?

Who has legitimate reason to complain. O2 are allowing people out of their contracts for service, and get a new phone with a contract just like new customers. Since when have operators done this before? O2, as far as I know, is unique in this offer, after allowing O2 customers out of their previous contact with the first iPhone at no extra charge.

The price point is excellent, the contract is fair, who can complain?

[Stuza]

Oh my days ...

these Apple lot are tight fisted right hand shakers aren't they!

"I've been on the £35 PM tariff since I shelled out £269 on launch day, my mate bought his at the same time but decided on the £45 PM tariff. By the time this 3G model launches next month he'll have paid £80 more than me over the space of 9 months in terms of PM charges yet I'll have to pay £99 if I want to upgrade whilst he'll get it free."

So the new phone is costing (effectivley) £19 and he's getting upset???? OK so, he probably had a few more minutes+text that he didn't need and wasn't going to use anyway.

[Eddy]

I don't see a problem

I don't see why people are complaning, £45 a month contracts have to give the old phone back, where as the people who are paying £35 get to keep the old one if they decide to upgrade.

[John Chadwick]

@Even without encryption

Have to agree, I go out of my way not to use my Trion, my SE T630 is much easier and more versatile as a phone. Pretty crap at pocket office though, but then I don't use it, because it's too pocket.

I'll be giving the new iPhone a whirl.

[Chad H.]

@wonderkid

you couldnt be more wrong. The iPhone has a clear target Market: heavy mobile web users, something I notice you miss completely.

What's with this fm radio you seem to insist on pushing... No more than a handfull of phones have one of those. Besides, I can discover new music through the iTunes music store, that way I dont have to listen to the constant ads that we mistake for music radio these days.

And for all your keyboard loving types- this response was typed on an iPhone... Its very comfortable for long stretches.

[Martin]

Errr work it out...

The bloke said he had paid out £80 less for the cheaper tariff than his mate and will be made to fork out the £99 for the new iphone. Ok, but you have to sign up for an 18th month contract which means by the time the contract ends he will have saved £180 which is still an £81 saving if you purchase the new iphone.

Come on, did anyone honestly think getting an iphone on launch day would be economically viable? It was obvious the price would come down fairly quickly, the fans boys who wanted the latest toy straight away were bound to be stitched up!

Paris, because we know she prefers the blackberry

[Anonymous Coward]

@Wonderkid

iPhone users are just twats who buy shiney new phones. Common sense doesn't enter it. All they'll use it for is to load a picture and show their work colleagues (obviously they have no real friends being Mac fanboys) the pinch trick. That and listen to paid for music (without getting something physical like a CD for their money) - is there going to be a torrent client for the iPhone ?

And why does no one mention the built in battery which isn't user-replaceable anymore? Is everyone just agreeing that this is the way forward for mobile phone manufacturers ?

And @ac for the slOw2 comments - obviously at 128k, you'll never hit a monthly limit of 200Meg. So it is unlimited !!!

STOP being Mac fanboys and get a get a decent phone with a decent contract and coverage. Me, I'm keeping my Nokia 2650 phone.It does what it say on the tin !!!

[Peter Depledge]

Re: slOw2

My smartphone (SE P1i) conencted to O2's network at 240Kb/s last night. While not lightning fast, it's better than EDGE's 135Kb/s you quote. and fine for simple browsing.

And I have an 'unlimited' (fair use of 2GB per month) data allowance contract. I've used the 2GB and more per month on several occasions with not a peep out of O2.

Coat, etc

[Tony Hoyle]

Title

I too am really worried about the prospect of 3G on O2. They have the worst 3G network in the country (so bad that they even manage to prompt Ofcom to have a go at them) and it's not capable of more than 1.8Mbps... not that that even matters because they cap it at 128kbps unless you bitch at them to increase it.

I the PayG isn't too expensive I'll go for that and wait for an unlock to get it on a proper 3G network.

[CJDL]

RE: slOw2 '3G'

"their capped 128kbps '3G' ...<snip>"

O2 don't cap their 3G at 128kb/s. The WAP APN is capped at that speed and is designed for use with the O2 WAP portal. For full internet use, the mobileweb APN should be used, this is not capped, and will give you full HSDPA speeds, currently 1.8mb/s, soon to be >3mb/s.

True, there was a technical issue a few months ago that saw the mobileweb APN configuration being provisioned incorrectly on some accounts, capping it to 128kb/s, and this was covered by El Reg @ the time - that was resolved, and all customers using mobileweb get full HSDPA now.

"Don't forget they are also liars about their data allowance - it's 200Mb but they swear blind it's 'unlimited'. <snip>

Er, no. It's Unlimited. The original version of it was 200mb, but it is now unlimited, for confirmation, go read the standard T&C's.

[Adam T]

O2 is only three letters short of "COCK"

That's pretty fucking shocking regarding the free upgrade pricing.

Last week they were quoting Free Upgrade for anyone renewing their 18 month contract.

On the day of the announcement they even had illustrated instructions for swapping your SIM from the 3G phone to the old phone so you could 'pass on' your account to a partner. Those have disappeared too.

Wankers.

[Anonymous Coward]

the iPhone will hunt "big" bill ray

On December 23rd 2006 bill ray writes a long essay called "Why the iPhone will fail and fail badly" Today, he is questioning the iPhone's readiness for the corporate world. Regular readers of El Reg like myself are wondering if "big" bill ray should ever be taken seriously when it comes to the iPhone.

[Tony Batt]

£35 tariff here

I'm swopping to business, and getting 2 shiny new 3G's on the same account.

the monthlys are under £60 the pair

my wife is having the 2nd 3G, as she prefers my iphone to her blackberry pearl, my 1st gen will go PAYG and then to which ever son comes up with the most coffees and least cheek.

Need a camera, get a camera - phone cameras are for fun not publishing

need a keyboard, get a laptop.

The one with 'Jobs is Jesus' on the back

[Tom]

Not read comment,

So apologies if repeated, but, whatever the situation, you retards that took up this contract will have stumped up a princely sum of £815 / £835 respectively over the year. Hahahaha, you bloody idiots, you got flogged a phone that was so under spec'd the 'next gen' only just just scrapes into current mainstream tech, the need to replace said three legged donkey was obvious, not only obvious but unescapable. So Jobs off loaded a load of old stock in a nice shiney bit of glass, knowing full well you'd pay out again, on the same terms, LOLING all the way to the bank.

[Anonymous Coward]

itunes

The fact you need to install iTunes on your corporate machines to be able to use the phone, and that no backup solutions (other than iTunes, which is fairly incomplete) exist is a pretty big barrier to corporate adoption, let alone encryption issues.

[Duncan Cook]

Terrible Article

Wow, what a bad article, if you left it at the security issues that would be fine, but to go on about the poor user who pays £10 less a month and now has to pay £99 for an upgrade just proves this is an article written by someone who doesn't own an iPhone.

Any one with any common sense can see, if the users that pays £35 a month, may have only paid £80 less at this point ,but once the full new 18 month contract has run its course the user paying £45 a moth will have paid £260 more, so asking the £35 a month user to pay £99 is just fair.

For anyone that doesn't know you can sell your iPhone on eBay now for pretty much the same amount you bought it for and O2 will only charge you £99 for a new free one, so if you take this approach like me, you now get a band new phone with more features plus £160 in your pocket, now thats more than fair.

Don't understand why the iPhone is great, its has no more features than any other smart phone on the market, but is delivered it in the most enjoyable way, that’s why the iPod was so successful, they just made every process painless.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Chad H

I don't know which mobile phones you look at, but nearly every one that is above bargain basement price has an FM radio. Might not be important to you, but i like to listen to the radio whilst stuck on shitty public transport for my daily commute to and from work.

[Alastair MacDiarmid]

"O2 don't cap their 3G at 128kb/" ..... bullshit

"O2 don't cap their 3G at 128kb/s. The WAP APN is capped at that speed and is designed for use with the O2 WAP portal. For full internet use, the mobileweb APN should be used, this is not capped, and will give you full HSDPA speeds, currently 1.8mb/s, soon to be >3mb/s."

errr they are capping it, my connection is still only around 100k with the "mobile"APN, and it's not my phone or network setting as I get a good 1.5m with the same setup on my at&t pre pay card in the states

[Dan Shannon]

HSDPA

Ummm, can anyone confirm if it is a HSDPA capable device - I don't remember seeing anything to suggest it is (although I will admit I've not gone out of my way to check - not my thing) - if its is which chipset is enabled (ie 1.8/3.6/7.2) and if so do O2 have the infrustructure on the core to support this (and HSUPA I guess as well) ?

[Anonymous Coward]

The safest shop is a closed one

I'm a senior manager, frequently on the move and in need of mobile access to work.

I have a work blackberry and a personal iPhone. The IT department recently discovered the BB's fantastic security features and turned them all on. As a result, the phone runs like a dog and I run out of battery just after lunchtime. I've stopped calling from it because the password requirements are ridiculous and it always takes 3 times to get it right. In short, they've turned a great business phone into a useless piece of plastic junk.

So, I've diverted my BB number to the iPhone and regularly have to forward business emails from the company's fantastically secure servers to my personal account on privy GMail so I can actually access my data and do my work. the BB stays at home most days.

The security guys are right that the iPhone doesn't support what they want. But it does what I need, and I'm the one bringing the revenue in and paying their salaries. They are afraid of it because their customers would find their preferred kit useless and migrate en mass to something that actually supports them conduct business. And on that bombshell...

[Nigel Jones]

Not for me

I've got no intent to get an iPhone - the Nokia NSeries devices are far in the lead for me & my usage.

However

- It's good to have competition - stimulates innovation

- It's upping the idea of mobileweb to the masses (although in the UK I think 3Uk have done a good job of this too)

- The large sums paid to the operators by those not worried about cost help to keep good deals out there for those that are a bit ahem prudent. (just got a N95 8Gb with mins/textx/1Gb data at 10 pcmx 18 months + 30). Compare that!

[Steven Raith]

RE:"The safest shop is a closed one "

"I have a work blackberry and a personal iPhone. The IT department recently discovered the BB's fantastic security features and turned them all on. As a result, the phone runs like a dog and I run out of battery just after lunchtime. I've stopped calling from it because the password requirements are ridiculous and it always takes 3 times to get it right. In short, they've turned a great business phone into a useless piece of plastic junk.

So, I've diverted my BB number to the iPhone and regularly have to forward business emails from the company's fantastically secure servers to my personal account on privy GMail so I can actually access my data and do my work. the BB stays at home most days."

Well, here's hoping you don't get a trojan/keylogger on any of the machines you access Gmail on, or even better, someone watching you type your password into the iPhone screen [remarkably easy!] because then someone is going to have access to all those business emails that your IT dept want kept secure. And they can access them from any computer in the world.

I've seen people sacked for this sort of thing - if the device isn't fit for purpose, don't circumvent the security policy [which in any good company is at least misconduct, more often than not gross misconduct and used as an justification for immediate dismissal] - arrange an urgent appointment with the head of IT security and explain your case to them, rather than forwarding your potentially very confidential emails to a third party webmail provider!

If you can't see something seriously, seriously wrong with what you are doing, then I'd be very worried.

Steven R

[Anonymous Coward]

smartphone?

So, I get a good browser, fantastic GUI, ok-to-bad email support and an ipod. Large gorgeous screen on a phone never hurt anybody (except maybe the wallet, but it's a consumerism society baby!).

Can I store files on it this time? I have this teensy .rar file or whatever I need to carry around just in case, or that word doc? Can you send it to me over bluetooth or wifi? What? No file browser, even a sandboxed one?

Or can I sync the latest outlook correspondence over the last two weeks I keep at home, at the mothership PC? Dang, I needed that mail I had downloaded off the server four days ago..

I've got this nice ebook I wanna read while waiting somewhere, me being such a geek? (Ringtone bs I would add if I cared about that stuff)

Am I asking for too much?

Thing is, I really like the iphone. So well made, and the gui is lovely. But I want the notes and appointments and etc to sync decently. It is nice, but way too boxed in. And please don't talk about jailbreak - most of the stuff there is very very pre-alpha stuff.

I've already got a nice pretty much indestructable (and who cares?) ipod nano to listen to music on the go. I've got a crappy and slow HTC Touch (it's a sleek h/w with a slow cpu and a clunky os) but at least it works (mpeg and avi without conversion, file transfer, nice freeware and good payware, working PIM) so it is helluva lot more open. I can put a file on it, and even install a program to use that data if I need to. It's a PDA right? A pocket 'puter?

(I wonder if Apple with its fandom and ad dollars hadn't made the iphone - how it would have fared with its deep limitations, despite the fantastic gui.)

I think I'll wait around. the J-phone is not expensive even with the contract. I'm looking forward to htc diamond pro, sony xperia or an Andoid phone for now. itunes lovers, please don't heed me. iphone usability is top notch, it's only too rigid to be useful.

[Will]

@ AC Smartphone?

I know what you need, the hiPhone

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/06/keepin-it-real-fake-part-cix-c-002-hiphone-ups-the-ante/

[Trix]

to the idiot forwarding his messages from the BB to Gmail

As soon as I (Exchange/BES admin) discovered you doing that kind of crap, boom, no emails. At all. And a report to your manager/the organisation's security team.

If you have a problem with the device, report to the right people to fix. We have BB with all the encryption and stuff switched on - no problems with responsiveness at all, and my battery lasts about 5 days.

As for password requirements, here's a notion - pick one that's easy to type in. You also have to remember that us admins often have legal requirements to carry out - in Australia, it's the DSD (Defence Dept guidelines) - 12 simple characters for a BB password, or 8 "complex" ones. As a hint - qazwsxedcrfv will work fine as a valid password under the 12 character regime (look at it on the keyboard)

[R C]

Idiots all

Listening to you idiots who profess to be IT types make me puke. As if any other phone offers what the iPhone offers other then a much more shitty interface. It could be gold plated and you idiots who profess to know anything about IT would be ragging on the iPhone just so you can act like you do anything more important then sit in a cubicle and answer the phone. You wouldn't know IT if it hit you in the face. Nor would the author, who must own stock in RIM or another cell phone maker who we all will be selling short in a few months. Idiots and peons.

RC

[Jean-Paul]

bad language

I can't believe the display of bad lanuage and swearing non-iPhone users are displaying just because people dont mind paying what they do and exercise their choice to purchase a product they want. Shame on you lot!

Further more this obsession of what the iPhone can and cannot do is hilarious, the feature count comparison is alive with many products, question is who falls in which trap!?

There is no one single perfect device for everyone, that is why there is competition different form factors, different operating systems and a wide variety of contract and payg packages. Just because someone wants something different does not make them inferior to you. Who are actually the sheep in this case!?

Then the opinion on what the iPhone actually offers or can not do borders on the ridiculous an very obviously written by people who don't have one. Purely

as an example the previous anonymous coward states you can not take your email with you. Of course you can but need to learn how to set it

up properly when you work with what are in affect two Internet connected devices. It can be done today without jailbreaking and with the push functionality added it looks to become even more instant. Great example why o2 insist on selling it with a data package as it is a connected device which will sync your email back remotely and not just when you connect it to your computer.

[Jamie]

re: slOw2 '3G'

slOw2 '3G'

By Anonymous Coward

thats crap I use o2 3G with a built in 3g datacard as my primary internet solution o my laptop. I can downlod at speeds well over 140Kbs. I havent seen edge go above 30 Kbs.

[Anonymous Coward]

local encryption?

Do your corporate laptops have local encryption? If not, don't complain the iPhone isn't secure enough.

Our company was on the Apple beta - it's not bad actually. We won't be recommending it as a supported device, but largely because of the optics rather than its capabilities. It's certainly no worse than any other device which uses ActiveSync.

By the way - It's ridiculously easy to connect to Exchange, so be prepared for plenty of users coming into the office with one and using it for their corporate emails without your Exchange admins even knowing.

[James Anderson]

Insanity

The basic premise of the article -- that a serious business would even consider the iPhone -- is completely out of touch with reality.

Its like saying your banks are not considering using Nintendo WI to run ATMs.

The iPhone is so obviously a consumer toy, and, so obviously out of place in a business environment its ludicrous. Any medium to large business has two options. Either they issue bog standard phones on the cheapest buisness tarrif that covers thier area, or, they pay a bit more and sign up with local Blackberry provider who actually provide serious services with business value for the extra dosh.

[Carl Williams]

RE:"The safest shop is a closed one "

"I have a work blackberry and a personal iPhone. The IT department recently discovered the BB's fantastic security features and turned them all on. As a result, the phone runs like a dog and I run out of battery just after lunchtime. I've stopped calling from it because the password requirements are ridiculous and it always takes 3 times to get it right. In short, they've turned a great business phone into a useless piece of plastic junk.

So, I've diverted my BB number to the iPhone and regularly have to forward business emails from the company's fantastically secure servers to my personal account on privy GMail so I can actually access my data and do my work. the BB stays at home most days."

You would be one of those twats that would leave a laptop on a train with my confidential details on. You will have already broken company policy by forwarding potentially confidential mails to an outside account so are already guilty of Gross Misconduct. I hope that your IT dept have knowledge of this and you are sacked you self important moron.

[John Milne]

3G why ?????

I have an original version of iPhone, cracked to work on any network, I travel all over Europe every month, it works great for e-mail, an absolute breeze.

I also have a 3G data card for my laptop (also Apple), there is so little functioning 3G everywhere, that you will be incredibly lucky so ever see in improvement in data transfer speed.

Personally, I will be upgrading my existing iPhone software to version 2.0 for working on any network, and I don't care about 3G as higher speed is a myth.

I have had cellphone since the technology started (Motorola mobile Brick) and all kinds of smartphones, the iPhone outshines them all.

[Philip Machanick]

stop worrying about secure email

Anyone who thinks email is secure should take a careful look at the SMTP protocol. If the mail stays strictly within your organization or over encrypted links, you have some chance.

Accidentally include a Cc: or Bcc: somewhere that you didn't intend, and you can sent the latest spy stories out to the whole world, without even leaving something on the train.

You are much better off assuming email isn't secure and not using it to send information around that is not for public consumption.

[Ascylto]

What?

"Even Microsoft, with the new services they're going to offer ... will allow encrypting files on the device ..."

I just love it!

The notion that "Microsoft ... will"

When?

[Henry Wertz]

iPhone isn't ready for the enterprise

To get it out of the way ahead of time, iPhone isn't a smartphone. Smartphones allow the user to install any app compiled for that phone; iPhone doesn't (without jailbreaking it.. a *jailbroken* iPhone would count as a smartphone, but that's not how it ships and Apple actively is trying to prevent the customer from doing this.)

The article isn't arguing the iPhone is necessarily a bad phone -- but, the enterprise has developed very specific features a phone has to support. It either a) has to be super-stripped.. you can't leak much info by losing a phone or whatever if the phone just doesn't do anything interesting. b) Be able to be kept under IT's thumb. A blackberry or the like, they can disable the camera, block or allow as much software installation as they want, encrypt and password-protect everything, and even remotely disable the phone (so a stolen phone can become a paperweight.)

As for O2 speeds -- maybe they aren't throttling. The peak speed is (depending on what version of HSDPA is deployed) 1.8, 3.6, 4.8, 7.2 or 14.4mbits, but that's if you're the only user, close enough to the site, with a phone that supports it, and a site that has that much backhaul. I don't know what the capacity is for an HSDPA cell, but oversubscription's a definite possibility. If you're far from the site, speeds will of course drop. The phone or card, that's certainly a factor -- if it's UMTS (but not HSDPA) the max would be 384kbps for instance. And backhaul -- I don't know about in UK, but here in the states, some rural EVDO sites (there's basically no rural HSDPA, AT&T has HSDPA only in citites) have a single T1 running to them.. so the site *could* do 3.1mbits/sec over the air, but the backhaul can do 1.5mbits/sec.

@AC that forwards stuff from his secure Blackberry to insecure iPhone: You're a moron. Others have already told you why. Talk to IT, don't just subvert security. It's there for a reason.

@R C: You have it ass backwards. Almost EVERY phone offers what the iPhone has, and then some, other than having a shitty interface. And, yes, I WOULD rag on a gold-plated phone, that'd be an enormous waste of money that adds no functionality to my phone, and would be tacky. I don't know what your beef is against IT types, so I'm not even responding to the rest.

[pctechxp]

Apple lovin' muppets

Oh dear

Sure the iphone looks great and the interface is flash but thats about it.

The original sucked and so will this, well fool the dipsticks that shelled out the £269 for the original and then are being asked for more money.

Jobs and Apple make Gates and Ballmer look like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, Apple even had the cheek to charge for a firmware upgrade that included applications for their ipod with bells and whistles which should have been on the shipped product, I'm talking of course about the touch.

Eveil Steve because he wants to suck you dry.