14 DAY TRIAL // Before the iPhone actually started shipping it was repeatedly said that it was not a business application. Now, one month after its release, more and more businesses are either using it or in preparation to make their products and services compatible with it.
While other smartphones such as Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry have long been the preferred tool of business users, these devices simply cannot handle the web the way the iPhone does. Considering the fact that many businesses make heavy use of web applications, the ability to access these is a big advantage. Not surprisingly, many companies such as NetSuite Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc. are marketing their applications to iPhone users and, in some cases, modifying software so it works more smoothly on Apple's device. Other companies such as Zimbra Inc., which makes a Web-based competitor to Microsoft Corp.'s Outlook email, calendar and contacts program, expect to offer versions of their software tailored to the iPhone within the next month. Being able to access all that information on the go is invaluable to some and well worth the purchase of the device alone, not even taking into account all its other features.
But this rush of acceptance of the iPhone has bigger implications. Because the handheld uses Safari, all of these sites and applications are being updated so that they use open standards. In effect, by making their sites and applications compatible with the iPhone, all these companies are moving away from proprietary technologies and thus making their products compatible with all browsers. While this change is beneficial to everyone, it is not something that happens without serious motivation, which the iPhone seems to be providing plenty of.
Adam Gross, vice president of developer relations at Salesforce.com, believes the iPhone will follow the path of other technologies with consumer roots, like the Web browser and Adobe Systems Inc.'s Flash animation software that were ultimately embraced by businesses. 'I think the iPhone absolutely is going to have a big impact on mobile business applications,' he said.