Business technology consultant Gartner has reversed its former anti-iPhone stance and, post SDK release, now endorses the Apple iPhone for scaled business application.
"The iPhone will soon be tailored for enterprises. Gartner recommends "appliance-level" support status once firmware 2.0 and improvements are released. iPhone will become a popular tool alongside BlackBerry and Microsoft devices."
That's more than likely to have a strong effect on purchasing decisions going forward for corporate IT departments. We've already reported on all the enterprise support the iPhone's getting with Firmware 2.0, but combined with the SDK, big business can adapt any proprietary systems they have for their corporate-issued iPhones (we also know second party companies like Salesforce are already onboard) with minimum security issues. And if an employee is terminated, they can wipe his iPhone access remotely in no time.
And while commercial-use items like a company printers aren't eligible for a SquareTrade warranty, single-use business items like smart phones are... at half the cost of regular cell phone insurance, with a guaranteed 5-business day turnaround and much better customer reviews. We're also one of only two avenues for iPhone warranties - a 3-Year SquareTrade iPhone warranty runs about half the price of a 2-Year Apple Care plan - and we're the only ones who offer Accidental Damage coverage.
The iPhone already took a big chunk of the smartphone market away from RIM in its first year. Once Firmware 2.0 releases in early summer, its second year will be about taking on the corporate market. Expect to see a lot more Suits walking around with iPhones by Fall.
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