iPhone becomes a real PDA phone

[Lazybones]

http://www.apple.com/iphone/enterprise/

We can expect features like :
?   Push mail and Contacts
?   Global Address List
?   Cisco IPsec VPN
?   Authentication via certificate
?   and even remote wipe

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/06/apple-announces-app-store-for-iphone-ipod-touch/
Support for developers to publish apps


Some really great stuff.

[Melbosa]

Interesting... very interesting.

[Cova]

Hmmm...., Exchange ActiveSync support is interesting.  I suppose there really only are 2 protocols they could pick for push mail (or write their own), with Blackberry Connect being the other option.  I'd have preffered the Blackberry way, as the support for managing mobile devices at the BES is WAY better than the way Exchange manages mobile devices - simply put, Exchange doesn't manage them at all.  So the support for "remote wipe" and stuff must be coming from some type of Apple software that the enterprise will have to run for iPhone management.  On the other hand, if you have an Exchange server all your users can use their mobile devices for free - a BES needs to be licensed for the server and a per-device cost on top of that.

As to the dev kit - I'll just quote that article for a list of things that piss me off.

Unfortunately this will be the "exclusive way" to get new apps, which might not sit well with the "free, as in free speech" crowd. Apps will include an electronic certificate, and if a developer does something malicious, Apple can "track them down and tell their parents." Porn is also a no-no. Developers get a 70% cut of revenue, while Apple takes 30% for store "upkeep," though the comapny claims it does not plan to make money off the store, and if developers wish to release their app for free they can certainly do so.

[Lazybones]

Remote wipe of Windows mobile devices was added in an update not to long ago for Exchange 2003, I suspect when they say ActiveSync they are implementing the Windows mobile way of things.

[Melbosa]

Remote wipe of Windows mobile devices was added in an update not to long ago for Exchange 2003, I suspect when they say ActiveSync they are implementing the Windows mobile way of things.

Yes; when Exchange implemented Push technologies in SP2 for 2003, versus the ActiveSync Pull technology that existed before, they added in a bunch of management abilities for the devices.  This is even more expanded in Exchange 2007, adding in mail-folder policy management, content delivery options, and so on.  They are getting closer to the BES with the ActiveSync system with every new iteration.  Exchange 2007 SP1 even added in additional options with Windows Mobile ActiveSync clients.

So I would agree that Apple is probably just licensing that technology from Microsoft; but they could very well be developing their own hooks as well.