Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week in San Francisco is widely expected to serve as the forum for Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ unveiling of a new 3G iPhone.
So far the company has been able to maintain a tight lid on its iPhone strategy. But one thing is certain: CIOs will be closely following what comes out of the WWDC track devoted to IT, an area in which Apple has long lagged behind Microsoft and its open-source rivals.
In particular, network managers considering the iPhone as a potential Blackberry alternative will be critically eyeing Apple’s support for enterprise-class e-mail capabilities.
Negotiating IT Boundaries
A recent Apple patent application suggests the new iPhone may offer support for voice-activated commands, instant messaging, and GPS navigation. Others speculate that Apple may take the current iPhone’s multimedia focus to the next level by adding video chat.
However, even more interesting iPhone news — both this month and beyond — may be coming from developers. Given that Apple began shipping preliminary versions of its software development kit and iPhone 2.0 software last March, we can expect to see a flurry of native iPhone applications that expand its capabilities.
This isn’t necessarily good news for IT managers. Apple will need to address enterprise concerns about giving employees direct access to the applications on their iPhones, said Dr. Shiv Bakhshi, director of mobility research and devices at IDC.
“There is a level of control that the CIO or network manager seeks to make sure that levels of authentication or access are controlled by him or her,” Bakhshi explained. “These boundaries will need to be negotiated and we’ll see what Mr. Jobs has to announce, as I am sure Apple is cognizant of this issue.”
Quick E-Mail Writes
Bakhshi also wonders whether the new iPhone’s “input methodology will be savvy enough”…