Network Computingwww.networkcomputing.com

An Open Letter to Apple: Begging for a Better iPhone

Posted by Kevin Miller on August 8, 2007

Dear Apple,

I know you're a consumer-oriented company, but when you make products so cool my users just can't help themselves, you make problems for me. My users love the look, the features and of course the bragging rights that come with an iPhone, so it was inevitable that they were going to come to IT and ask the dreaded question, "Can I use this at work?"

Well Apple, you've made me do something I don't like to do — I said no. It didn't have to be this way; I could have said yes to your iPhone if only you'd done a few simple things:

1. We don't use IMAP or POP3, so users have no way to check their corporate e-mail through Exchange. IMAP would leave out some of the best functions of Exchange in regard to calendaring and contacts, which users now rely on to sync when they're on the road. You've got all the components set up with Mail and Address Book—now we just need to get them to sync directly to our Exchange server.

2. What happens when a user's pretty new toy gets lost or stolen -- along with heaps of sensitive corporate data? What do you think the incidence of iPhone theft is going to be like? I need to know I can remotely wipe or kill the device to keep it out of the hands of evildoers.