Given the iPhone's raging success in the consumer space, it was only a matter of time before Apple began eyeing the enterprise mobile space. While the iPhone was laughed off at its first shot at business dollars, Exchange support and increasing influence by employees is starting to make the iPhone's use a possibility.
But rather than try to compete hardware-to-hardware with popular enterprise phones from RIM and Palm, iPhone is taking a new approach in highlighting its diverse app store as a catch-all solution. If your iPhone is missing something you need to do in your business, "there's an app for that."
The ad highlights three apps that are relevant to some businesses. The first is called Credit Card Terminal, an app that lets you process credit card transactions from your iPhone. While this is a very cool idea, the base cost of $49.99, a $25 monthly fee, plus additional fees for every transaction make it, in my mind, not very valuable to the average business. There may be some value to small businesses on the go that normally wouldn't be able to accept credit cards, however.
The next app shown is Print n Share, which lets you print files from your iPhone. For only $6.99, this app can be pretty useful, provided you're often on the go but do have access to a printer. The third app is Fedex Mobile, a nifty free app that lets you track FedEx orders.
Check out the ad for yourself below and let me know it if changes your opinion on iPhone in the enterprise.
