iPhone to gain better Exchange, Lotus Notes support at SDK event

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Following months of beta testing, Apple Inc. next week will address one of the key weakness of its iPhone handset by introducing improved support for enterprise level e-mail platforms from Microsoft and IBM, according to one Wall Street analyst.



In a note to investors on Thursday, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu cited "industry and developer sources" who say the Cupertino-based firm will use a portion of its media presentation next Thursday to announce improvements to the touch-screen handset's ability to work with Microsoft's Exchange server and IBM's Lotus Notes software.



"If true (which we believe is), this will prove key in having more enterprises and SMB adopt iPhone as their mobile platform," the analyst wrote. "What isn't as clear to us is how Apple will accomplish this, whether this is from internal development (most likely), third-parties including Microsoft (next likely) with its ActiveSync technology, or Research in Motion Blackberry Connect (possible but less likely), or a combination of two or more."



The iPhone's limited support of enterprise-level email solutions has been the subject of much criticism from business mobile phone users, as they must manually "pull" email messages from their corporate mail networks onto the handset. By contrast, Research in Motion's Blackberry smartphones are capable of automatically "pushing" the contents of a user's corporate email account to their embedded email applications. As such, the iPhone has struggled to wiggle its way into the workplace.



"We do not think it will be easy to replicate the robustness of Blackberry push e-mail, but nonetheless, we view improvements as positive," Wu added in his note to clients. "Other enhancements we are picking up including improved security, better support of VPNs, and enterprise applications such as CRM."



While details surrounding Apple's plans for improved Exchange support are limited, several bits of information have recently surfaced on IBM's intent to support its Lotus email and calendar applications on the iPhone.



Specifically, it's said that IBM will offer its Lotus Notes e-mail package for both the iPhone and iPod touch. The software will reportedly be free for users who already have a Lotus Web-access license and start at $39 per year for new users.



In addition, IBM also plans to release Lotus Notes and its free Lotus Symphony "productivity" package -- which includes documents, spreadsheets and other Microsoft Office-like software -- for Apple's Mac computer line.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    Well, corporations will love this. Still, the problem of being able to remotely disable a lost or stolen iPhone has not been addressed. Will it ever?
  • Reply 2 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Well, corporations will love this. Still, the problem of being able to remotely disable a lost or stolen iPhone has not been addressed. Will it ever?



    Of course it will - they have to spur sales - and once corporate accounts support (think subsidize equipment cost) iphones broadly - sales will rise significantly...
  • Reply 3 of 35
    Any Exchange support will help sell iPhones. Without the ability to remotely disable a lost or stolen phone, many corporations wouldn't adopt iPhone as their mobile platform of choice. (This problem is not, however, insurmountable, and the SDK might make it possible to address it.) HOWEVER, individuals who work for corporations and are still on the hook for paying for their own phone now have another compelling reason to buy an iPhone.
  • Reply 4 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aduzik View Post


    Any Exchange support will help sell iPhones.



    Would this apply to the iTouch as well ? I live in an iPhone free zone, dont want an unlocked one and would consider an iTouch (yeah iPod Touch - too longaword though)
  • Reply 5 of 35
    cmon apple, where is my universal IM? i need an IM that works on iphone without worrying about bricking the phone!!!
  • Reply 6 of 35
    eaieai Posts: 417member
    Here in the UK, you can remotely disable any stolen phone by reporting it's IMEI to the provider. It's then disabled on every network. Surely you can do the same in the US?
  • Reply 7 of 35
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eAi View Post


    Here in the UK, you can remotely disable any stolen phone by reporting it's IMEI to the provider. It's then disabled on every network. Surely you can do the same in the US?



    So that prevents the phone from making or receiving calls. Will it also erase all user data from the phone?
  • Reply 8 of 35
    Just give me a "delete all messages" button for mail app.
  • Reply 9 of 35
    haggarhaggar Posts: 1,568member
    In addition to email, there is also the issue of Exchange calendars, contacts, notes and tasks. Business users want live access to this information on the iPhone, rather than syncing after the fact. Anyone who has tried using Outlook Web Access on a 3 inch screen knows that OWA is not an acceptable substitute for true mobile support.



    And what about the iTunes activation requirement? Are corporations going to be responsible for creating iTunes accounts and providing credit card numbers for each of their iPhone users? Are corporations who routinely lock down end user PC's now going to start putting iTunes on all their PC's?
  • Reply 10 of 35
    Here's to hoping they include 802.1X WiFi support as well.
  • Reply 11 of 35
    Not sure if this is a new development or not, but there is an "Exchange" option if you set up a new email account on the iPhone and choose "other" when you do. You're then given an option to set up an exchange account. Is that new?
  • Reply 12 of 35
    suhailsuhail Posts: 192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    ...Microsoft (next likely) with its ActiveSync technology..."



    Microsoft and technology should never be in the same sentence. Xerography is more appropriate.
  • Reply 13 of 35
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Nobody needs push email. I challenge anyone to provide an example of why they need an email message instantly rather than waiting for the mail client to check, for example, every minute or 30 seconds.



    If you need instant communication, SMS or chat are better suited to that task.
  • Reply 14 of 35
    I don't care about "push email". What I need are over-the-air syncing of Exchange contacts and calendars. That's the only Microsoft technology I miss from my old Samsung Blackjack.
  • Reply 15 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Haggar View Post


    So that prevents the phone from making or receiving calls. Will it also erase all user data from the phone?



    It deactivates the phone completely, you can't even use the iPod. As far as I know you then need to restore the phone to unlock it, which means deleting everything from the phone in the process.



    As for 802.1X, do you mean 802.11n? 802.11x is a generic term for all 802.11 standards, which the iPhone already has 802.11g. I've never come across 802.1X before.
  • Reply 16 of 35
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by redfitz View Post


    Not sure if this is a new development or not, but there is an "Exchange" option if you set up a new email account on the iPhone and choose "other" when you do. You're then given an option to set up an exchange account. Is that new?



    That's not true Exchange support. It's just Exchange pushed through IMAP.
  • Reply 17 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Haggar View Post


    Anyone who has tried using Outlook Web Access on a 3 inch screen knows that OWA is not an acceptable substitute for true mobile support.



    Agreed. You may wish to google "OWA for PDA". It's a good temporary solution.
  • Reply 18 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hdasmith View Post


    It deactivates the phone completely, you can't even use the iPod. As far as I know you then need to restore the phone to unlock it, which means deleting everything from the phone in the process.



    As for 802.1X, do you mean 802.11n? 802.11x is a generic term for all 802.11 standards, which the iPhone already has 802.11g. I've never come across 802.1X before.



    I think he means 802.1x as in the authentication that some networks. A lot of colleges (including mine) have this standard and so I can't access wifi.
  • Reply 19 of 35
    dmberdmber Posts: 204member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gustav View Post


    Nobody needs push email. I challenge anyone to provide an example of why they need an email message instantly rather than waiting for the mail client to check, for example, every minute or 30 seconds.



    If you need instant communication, SMS or chat are better suited to that task.



    1. my iphone only lets me set mail to check my email once ever 15, 30, or 60 minutes. or manually.



    2. push isn't the same as "checking your mail every 30 seconds" which is why it does eat your battery the same way checking your email every thirty seconds would
  • Reply 20 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by onceuponamac View Post


    Of course it will - they have to spur sales - and once corporate accounts support (think subsidize equipment cost) iphones broadly - sales will rise significantly...



    Of course, many of the larger corporations will not even consider iPhone because it has a camera built in (security issues).
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