Perhaps something like this?

I’m no fan of Gizmodo, but I think they’re on to something with this one: The corporate iPhone. One of the quips against the iPhone is that it is not very corporate-friendly: No keyboard, no cut-copy-paste-save, lousy camera, etc.

Is it beyond the realm of possibility that Apple’s number one task is to answer all of these quips with an iPhone that will completely render the Blackberry all but obsolete, while answering the recent challenges posed by the Palm Pre? I think not. In fact, I think what is in order right now is a one-two combo in the form of an Iphone Pro and an iPhone Nano - in a sense creating a family of iPhone models that basically fit every possibly consumer sector.

And: How great would it be for Steve Jobs to introduce these iPhones at Apple’s next media event?

[Title updated by DT 08/29/09]

nrabinov - 18 January 2009 12:37 PM

Perhaps something like this?

I’m no fan of Gizmodo, but I think they’re on to something with this one: The corporate iPhone. One of the quips against the iPhone is that it is not very corporate-friendly: No keyboard, no cut-copy-paste-save, lousy camera, etc.

Is it beyond the realm of possibility that Apple’s number one task is to answer all of these quips with an iPhone that will completely render the Blackberry all but obsolete, while answering the recent challenges posed by the Palm Pre? I think not. In fact, I think what is in order right now is a one-two combo in the form of an Iphone Pro and an iPhone Nano - in a sense creating a family of iPhone models that basically fit every possibly consumer sector.

And: How great would it be for Steve Jobs to introduce these iPhones at Apple’s next media event?

I don’t get why the keyboard is the next big thing?  Cell phones make mediocre input devices and that would not change until you use a full size keyboard.  I would expect speech recognition to be the future of input for pocket computers but the CPU horsepower is just not enough yet to get the job done.  Any type of keyboard is just a kludge.  I agree that the next Iphone should have a better camera and video recording capability.

If you want success in the broader corporate world, you need to remove the camera and video capability, not improve it. Those are viewed as the bane of most corporate security offices.

pats - 18 January 2009 12:51 PM

nrabinov - 18 January 2009 12:37 PM

I don’t get why the keyboard is the next big thing?

The keyboard is mainly for email typing. That’s a corporate must-have. Most complaints against the iPhone’s current virtual keyboard is that it’s not email-friendly. Also, this is Blackberry’s one remaining niche. Get that in and it’s sayonara BB.

The iPhone form factor is nearly perfect. Sales worldwide support the conclusion. And just look at the response of competitors. There are a number of look alike knock offs from most all major manufacturers. The jump from a note taker, cellphone, to a document producer, 13” laptop, seems to cover all the applications we do today. All the net books and in betweeners claim ease of use with a compromised form factor and resulting penalty in productivity.As for the camera I’m sure that an app can be developed for IT admins to disable those hardware functions.

What will it look like? It will look like today’s iPhone? How better will it function? I can’t answer though I expect a new chip and enhanced graphics.

I knew it wouldn’t be long before Russia got into the iPhone business

New Russian iPhone

I agree.

Apple will need to make a more friendly corporate iPhone if it wants to penetrate that area.  Its share of smart phones increased but in the corporate world the Blackberry is still king. 

I attended a conference full of professionals and 80% still had blackberries.

apple may not care since the consumer market is much bigger, and as someone pointed out, they may do away with keyboard by having voice texting or emailing.

Intruder - 18 January 2009 01:21 PM

If you want success in the broader corporate world, you need to remove the camera and video capability, not improve it. Those are viewed as the bane of most corporate security offices.

I understand what you’re saying but sooner than later someone sitting in the meeting will point out that anyone who wants to can just walk right into the place with a small camera so what’s the difference?