By Antone GonsalvesInformationWeek
During the WWDC keynote, Apple executives showed off features in the software development kit that ships with the new platform that will make application building faster. Those features include the ability to build and test iPhone apps on the Mac, using the SDK's simulation software. Apps also can be downloaded to the iPhone and tested on the device.
Among the companies that showed off their iPhone applications, which have been built since Apple released the SDK in beta in March, were game makers Sega and Pangea Software, auction site EBay, The Associated Press, Major League Baseball's MLB site, and medical software companies Modality and MIMvista.
If the SDK is as good as Apple claims, then the implications are significant for Apple. "If the application development kit works well, this could be the way Apple gets the Mac into the developer community within the enterprise," Dulaney said. "If that happens then this could be significant."
If developers like Apple's tools, then they could start looking more at developing applications for the Mac desktops and notebooks. "That to me is probably the big strategic move that Apple wants to see the marketplace take," Dulaney said.
Another feature enterprise developers are sure to like is what Apple calls its "push notification service" that keeps a persistent connection between the iPhone and corporate server. The service enables notifications to be sent to the device when new e-mail has been received, for example, or there's been a schedule change to a person's calendar. The service could be used with any business application and does not require the application to be running on the iPhone, which saves battery life and frees up processing power for other chores.
Finally, Apple has made the iPhone attractive in terms of price by dropping the price to $199 from $399. "That was incredibly aggressive on Apple's part," Gartner analyst Van Baker said. "That's Apple throwing down the gauntlet" to competitors.
Apple on Monday unveiled its iPhone 3G handset and the technology businesses would want to integrate the iPhone into corporate networks. But Apple's success hinges on whether its claims prove true.
During his opening keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, chief executive Steve Jobs listed what businesses need in order let employees use the iPhone to access company data, experts say. Security, broad integration with Microsoft Exchange e-mail server, and the ability to notify employees of events that demand their attention are some of the features that are sure to please potential corporate customers.
But how easily developers will be able to implement the features, particularly the security needed to prevent unauthorized access to networks, will not be known until Apple releases version 2.0 of the iPhone operating system July 11.
"The devil is in the details, and we're going to have to wait until we hear from developers," Gartner analyst Mike McGuire said.
Analyst Ken Dulaney, also with Gartner, agreed. "We didn't see a lot of depth, and for the enterprise, it's details." As a result, Dulaney said he would hold off recommending the iPhone to corporate clients until after Apple releases the new iPhone platform and software development kit.
So far, however, Apple is making the right promises. For starters, the smartphone will run on wireless carriers' 3G cellular networks, which should give users a dramatic speed boost. The iPhone in the United States supported AT&T's much slower EDGE network. AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States, recently rolled out its 3G network.
"It's amazingly zippy," Jobs told WWDC attendees about the new iPhone's ability to download Web pages.
Apple also has included support for global positioning systems that use satellites for determining locations. GPS means iPhone uses can get turn-by-turn navigation on city streets.
Businesses will be particularly interested in the iPhone's tight integration with the popular Microsoft Exchange e-mail server. E-mail is automatically pushed to the phone, along with changes to contact lists and calendars. In addition, security policies on Exchange can be enforced on the iPhone, and data on the device can be remotely wiped out if it's lost or stolen.
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