November 14, 2008

Apple has captivated the general public with the iPhone, but has it convinced the business world to take the plunge?

Even after the March preview of the "business-friendly" iPhone 2.0 software for the iPhone released in July, it seems that most iPhones are being purchased by individuals rather than corporations, who still look first at Research In Motion's BlackBerry when it comes to equipping their workers with mobile computers.

But the iPhone is making a guerrilla attack on the business world, brought into the corporate world by influential executives, CIOs rethinking their approach to deploying technology, and younger workers who move seamlessly between their personal and business lives.

There are several high-profile businesses, such as Genentech and Disney (both with strong ties to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, of course), that have declared their intentions to work with Apple on deploying iPhones inside their corporations. That seems to be having the effect of increasing the overall number of business smartphone users, however, rather than turning the iPhone into any kind of "BlackBerry killer."

At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Jobs said 33 percent of the Fortune 500 had participated in Apple's beta program for the iPhone 2.0 software. But RIM still dominates the market for mobile devices used for business purposes.

According to data from J. Gold Associates released in September, 65.5 percent of North American businesses that deploy mobile computers say they actively support the BlackBerry, compared with 22 percent that support Windows Mobile devices and just over 10 percent that support the iPhone.

There is some overlap in those numbers, represented by companies such as Chicago law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, a participant in Apple's beta program.

About half of CIO Andy Jurcyzk's 1,800 employees worldwide use some kind of mobile device, and at the moment, 200 of those people are using the iPhone 3G. Sonnenschein's employees who are deemed worthy of mobile computers can get the company to buy them a new mobile device every 24 months--provided that AT&T carries that device.