Apple iPhone's new call

THE IPHONE may be the device most likely to feature on people's Christmas wishlists this year but, when it comes to the business world, it is yet to be taken truly seriously, writes CHARLIE TAYLOR

Blame it on the fact that most businesspeople are loath to be parted from their Blackberrys. Or blame it on the abundance of ludicrous applications that makes it seem as though the iPhone is more toy than productivity tool. But either way it is obvious that, when it comes to the workplace, Apple still has something to prove.

However, while most companies see the device as a product aimed at consumers, there are signs that others are recognising the potential inherent in the iPhone and, as a consequence, are seeking new business-related applications and services that will allow their employees to do more with the device.

Representatives from software companies and members of the iPhone developer community came together at an Enterprise Ireland-sponsored event in Dublin last week to hear how Apple’s bestselling device can open up possibilities for firms savvy enough to recognise a move away from games and fun applications towards enterprise-focused products.

Among the iEvangelists speaking at the seminar was Keith O’Loughlin, head of technology services at Intuition, a Dermot Desmond-backed firm that has begun tailoring corporate e-learning for use on iPhones.

According to O’Loughlin, the advantage the iPhone has over other devices is that people fall deeply in love with it. He says this, taken with the overwhelming popularity of the device, means there are plenty of opportunities for developers.

“We deal with many of the large investment banks, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing firms, and they are all pushing for iPhone-related apps that allow them to build training courses which can then be pushed out on our platform,” he says.

“From our point of view, the iPhone is potentially game-changing in terms of delivering training courses because people no longer feel as though they have to sit at a PC for an hour or be in a classroom, but can do training while commuting instead.

“The fact that the iPhone offers proper web-browsing also opens up a range of possibilities in terms of content-delivery options. The Blackberry may have brought us e-mail but it is fair to say that, in mobile terms, the iPhone has given us the web and all the benefits associated with it.”

Also speaking at the conference was Dermot Daly, founder of Tapadoo, a firm that has won plaudits for its iPhone applications, which include an Irish phonebook.

According to Daly, Apple has been hard at work tinkering with the iPhone to make it better suited for enterprise use.

“When they released the iPhone 3GS last June, Apple addressed many of the business user’s needs but not many people got to hear about that because of the excitement about other features,” he says.

“Apple did a hell of a lot for the enterprise including licensing ActiveSync technology from Microsoft so that the iPhone now works really smoothly with Exchange. It also provided a centralised configuration tool that allows firms to push assigned configuration profiles to devices, enabling companies to influence organisational policies such as restrictions on use. In addition, with the latest software upgrade, there was support for Cisco VPNs [virtual private networks] included and better security features.”

Daly believes the only difference between the iPhone and Blackberry in terms of functionality is the inclusion of the touchscreen keyboard, which some users complain is not as easy to use as the Blackberry’s more traditional version.

Like O’Loughlin though, he believes the iPhone is far superior at offering a true web-browsing experience, an advantage that makes the device something enterprises are going to find increasingly hard to resist.

One firm convinced of the ongoing potential of the iPhone is Dublin-based WorldNet TPS, which used last week’s seminar to announce the launch of what it claims is the first online payment application for the device. The application, which will be available to download from January, is aimed at business users seeking to process safely credit and debit card transactions while on the move.

According to WorldNet TPS chief executive Will Byrne, the application effectively turns an iPhone into a virtual credit card terminal.

“The critical thing for us is that, if you look at it, most of the applications on the iPhone have up until recently been mainly geared at the consumer market but we’re now at a turning point where firms like WorldNet are trying to do more for business users,” says Byrne.

“The level of interest we’ve had in testing the application with some of our clients has been very encouraging and I believe applications such as ours will help to convince more business users of the validity of the iPhone as a proper work tool.”

If any more encouragement is required to convince the business community to hop on board the iPhone bandwagon, then it may come from mobile operators rather than savvy software developers.

O2, whose exclusive deal with Apple is about to end, recently announced a range of competitively priced iPhone tariffs aimed at business users. Meanwhile, arch rival Vodafone has announced plans to begin selling the device in Ireland next year, leading to suggestions that a price war is imminent. This can only be of benefit to consumers and businesses alike.