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...)

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