The new iPhone 3GS went on sale Friday morning with new and improved features that may draw more business users as Apple moves to challenge the dominance of BlackBerry.
The lines are not as long and the frenzy not as strong as Apple saw with previous iPhone launches, but the demand on the street seems healthy. Advance orders may have helped reduce the long waits in lines at retail stores across the country.
“We understand that customers are eager to get their hands on this great new device,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets. “So we’ve worked hard to make the experience as easy as possible.”
Despite the preparation on AT&T’s part, reports of Apple’s servers lagging under the strain of new iPhone 3GS activations are widespread. Complicating matters is older iPhone owners trying to download the iPhone OS 3.0 software to their devices. But it’s the new operating system that may help draw business users to the new iPhone.
A Business-Friendly iPhone 3GS
Beyond the speed of the iPhone 3GS, the OS 3.0 software offers mobile-phone users a slew of new features that are driving downloads, more than 100 in all. Some analysts expect the upgraded hardware-software combination to cause some business users to consider the device ready for corporate prime time.
Features like Cut, Copy and Paste that are found on the BlackBerry were previously missing from the iPhone. The ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with a new Voice Memo app may also be attractive to business users. On the security front, a feature called Remote Wipe lets you erase all the data on an iPhone that gets lost, reducing the possibility of proprietary information getting into the wrong hands.
A feature called Spotlight Search lets users search across the iPhone or within…