Microsoft has suggested that Apple’s coming iPhone will be irrelevant for business users. In fact, just the opposite is the case, according to Alykhan Jetha, CEO of Marketcircle.
The key to Microsoft’s FUD campaign is focusing on the enterprise, large companies that fold the smartphone into their business practices, such as e-mail connected to an Exchange server, spreadsheet applications, and custom apps.
In reality, there is a whole sector of business, small to medium sized businesses, that don’t require this infrastructure and will benefit greatly from the iPhone.
“If you are in business, you need to adopt things that have a short learning curve (we learn this lesson everyday), because you just don’t have much time to learn stuff. The beauty of the iPhone is that is presents to you just the interface you need when you need it. And because the interface is dynamic, the iPhone can take up the whole screen when you are doing that one thing,” Mr. Jetha wrote in his Blog.
What those overworked, preoccupied small businessmen really need is an easy to use phone that has the key components for their daily work. TMO spoke with Mr. Jetha who pointed out that, “small business users aren’t interested in custom business applications. What they need is Web access, e-mail, a calendar, and contacts, all integrated as part of their daily workflow. And the iPhone has a terrific Web Browser in Safari.”
Those are the tasks that independent businessmen on the run really need, and the iPhone makes them accessible and easy to learn. That’s the key issue that other analysts are overlooking. Corporations may roll out a mobile phone system and support it with approved mobile phones, even supply training. But for people who want to get down to business quickly, the iPhone will have great appeal.
This is just the side benefit of a phone that appeals to the masses. “…the enterprise market is not one of Apple’s core strengths, but the small business market is a different story. And we all know that there are more consumers and small business users than there are enterprise users,” he wrote.
Finally, Mr. Jetha pointed out that the iPhone will be a great tool for small businessmen “because they want to use it, instead of being forced to use it.”
That Apple insight may be, in fact, what has Microsoft so worried that they’ve developed a FUD campaign designed to deflect the issue over to their turf. There’s just never any joy in FUDville.
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