Average Rating: Rate this article:

New iPhone Ad Targets Small Businesses By Mark Long April 20, 2009 1:56PM     Apple, Inc. is targeting small businesses in its latest ad for the iPhone 3G. It shows how Apple's iPhone can be used to process credit cards and connect to a Microsoft Exchange server. Apple has positioned the iPhone as a consumer device, and now Apple must reverse course and position the iPhone 3G as a business machine.   Related Topics Apple iPhone Microsoft Exchange Small Business Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social Apple has just released a new "Office" TV ad that demonstrates how small businesses can accomplish a variety of sales tasks using the company's iPhone 3G. Among other things, the TV spot shows how the iPhone can be used to process credit-card applications, print shipping labels, and even track product deliveries. Apple has already followed through on a number of business user requests, including push e-mail, calendar and contacts capabilities, and compatibility with Microsoft Exchange. "You notice if you go right now to the menu and say you want to connect your mail client to an Exchange server , it's the first thing on the list on the iPhone," said Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop at the Web 2.0 Expo earlier this month. "The reason is we helped Apple do that." Carving Out A Niche Though Gartner analysts have seen some anecdotal evidence that the iPhone is enjoying some enterprise adoption success, Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said the numbers haven't reached high levels. "Apple obviously has made some changes to their software earlier this year to include enterprise applications," Milanesi said. The company also has introduced virtual private network technology and other changes "from a security standpoint that were aimed at enterprises," she said. Last year, Apple did an excellent job in attracting consumer attention to the smartphone segment, noted IDC research manager Francisco Jeronimo. "Since then, these devices have been seen as personal devices rather than just professional devices," Jeronimo said. Now Apple is moving in the opposite direction by trying to carve out a niche for its 3G handset among small businesses. And the company's chances for success are getting a big boost from the iPhone maker's huge cadre of third-party software developers. The company's new "Office" TV ad shows off a new credit-card terminal app from Innerfence that enables small businesses to use the iPhone to process payments through Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Moreover, a new FedEx app gives small businesses the ability to track product deliveries on the iPhone. Quickoffice for iPhone Quickoffice has just unleashed a new mobile business productivity suite that gives iPhone users the ability to create and edit native Word and Excel documents and spreadsheets. Winner of the best business application award at this month's CTIA Wireless 2009 expo, the new mobile suite renders text and spreadsheet documents for optimum viewing on the iPhone's screen. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  Next Page >   Advertisement  Apple/Macintosh 1.   Rumors Say Apple Tablet Delayed 2.   Apple Gets iPhone OK in South Korea 3.   Steep Mac Discounts Seem Unlikely 4.   Would You Pay for iPhone with Ads? 5.   Psystar Loses Mac OS X Challenge Apple Tablet Could Change Publishing Content talks reported under way. Average Rating: Steep Mac Discounts Seem Unlikely Rumors termed 'wishful thinking.' Average Rating: Would You Pay for iPhone with Ads? Apple experiments with built-in ads. Average Rating:

Product Information and Resources for Technology You Can Use To Boost Your Business CRM Systems   Experience CRM—and Business—Success today with Salesforce.com. Contact Centers   Run Your Entire Contact Center in the Cloud with LiveOps Enterprise Hardware   Go Green with IBM Blade Center    Enterprise I.T.    Rackspace: It makes a difference when you focus on support.   Go Green with IBM Blade Center   APC introduces server room in a box solutions!   Tell us what you think. Take a survey.   Find out how much you can save with the SQL Server value tool.   See how AT&T can help protect your network. Enterprise Software   Read the Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft/Windows   Rackspace: It makes a difference when you focus on support   Read the Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Network Security   See how AT&T can help protect your network.

Network Security Spotlight

House Lawmakers Push Ban on Peer-to-Peer Software Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved to prohibit federal employees from using the file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.   GAO: Los Alamos Computer Security Has Weaknesses Security weaknesses uncovered in Los Alamos National Laboratory's computer network increase the risk of a classified-information breach, says the Government Accountability Office.   Computer Security Firm Fortinet Plans IPO This Week Fortinet plans to go public in an initial public offering, giving investors a chance to tap a network security provider with sales that are expected to grow. The IPO could be valued at $137.5 million or more.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

Navigation NewsFactor Network Home/Top News | Enterprise I.T. | Hardware | Software | Communications | Network Security | Wireless Tech | Linux/Open Source Apple/Macintosh | Microsoft/Windows | World Wide Web | Data Storage | E-Commerce | Personal Tech | Tech Trends | Press Releases NewsFactor Network Enterprise I.T. Sites NewsFactor Technology News | Enterprise Security Today | CRM Daily NewsFactor Business and Innovation Sites Sci-Tech Today | NewsFactor Business Report NewsFactor Services FreeNewsFeed | Free Newsletters | Free Whitepapers | About NewsFactor Network | How To Contact Us | Article Reprints | Careers @ NewsFactor | Services for PR Pros | Top Tech Wire | How To Advertise Privacy Policy | Terms of Service © Copyright 2000-2009 NewsFactor Network. All rights reserved. Article rating technology by Blogowogo.