We all know what tomorrow is: GPLv3 is coming out! Europa!
Chuckles aside, it’s iPhone day! On the IT nerd side, there’s the news around the iPhone being business ready or not. Will IT support the iPhone? Is it worth $499-599 or however many thousands over two years to have one?
On the face of it, the price is too steep. But, in my way of thinking, in business price is just something to be justified if you really end up wanting a device. Otherwise, this whole enterprise software market would be SOL. More grounded: blackberry’s aren’t cheap either, but they’re as important to US business and, thus, the economy as telephones.
The “Gartner is two minds on the iPhone” story going around really represents the broader context here: for businesses that want to operate as they do today as far as mobile email and devices, the iPhone seems like either a WTF or an over-priced iPod with crappy data service and no keyboard. This, in part, is why companies like Google and Apple that folks like myself want so desperately to get into enterprise sales always shrug off from putting on a tie and getting those pearly-mouthed sales guys into the board-room: who wants to get involved with those fuddy-duddies? Those kids with the Crumplers are where it’s at!
The tension is the possibility for IT culture to change. To use the concept of du jour, to find a black swan. Bouncing off that dark bird, while Apple showed they can spin straw into gold in the MP3 player market, it’s not too fair to assume that guarantees success in the cellphone world. If any company has fallen into a ditch in the past by resting on their laurels too much, Apple’s the one.
Dennis had a nice write-up of Facebook and the enterprise the other day. That line of thought brings up the same question: if the new technology does what you want but at the same time flips off IT, what do you, the end user care? You want to get your stuff done and let the unfortunate Morlocks clean up the mess.
So it all boils down to the next few weeks: will the damn thing work? Or will we end up eating up Martha?
Like everyone else except the fab four, I have no idea based on actually using the thing. And you can bet I’m not going to plunk down that amount of cash tomorrow, as tempting as it seems.
I’m hoping to go film and talk with one of my friends who’s getting at least one tomorrow (I’m gunning for him breaking down and getting two ;>). There are few nerd-expieriences more awesome than buying, opening, and then first using an Apple product. Even the cardboard the stuff comes in feels good to just run your finger along. It’s like the difference between $1.99/dozen tube socks and over-priced, fluffy Golden Toes.
Technorati Tags: apple, cellphones, iphone, it
Umm… have I missed something? It doesn't support 3G right? Which makes it already obsolete in my book. Long live iPhone v2!!
Jon