Will iPhone be called into the office?

For a tech take on the iPhone 2.0 news this week, see my colleague Brian Dipert’s blog post on the Apple WWDC keynote. This blog post will not address the design aspect of the next-generation device.

Here, EDN’s news desk instead will question whether IT departments will extend a hand to iPhone 2.0 and welcome it into the business world — a question that has more to do with our changing corporate culture than it does the technology itself.

Apple may have begun laying the ground work for its iPhone business entrance in March when it previewed its iPhone 2.0 software, opening its SDK (software development kit) to third-party developers and adding business-application-oriented support via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. In doing so, the company effectively took steps to compete with the BlackBerry for the millions of business users across the globe. But what will bring Apple into the corporate world won’t be this alone. 

Corporations in the last decade or so have begun striking (or attempting to strike or perhaps attempting to persuade workers that they are attempting to strike) better work-life balance for their employees. Flex hours, telecommuting, and the better acceptance of technology as a tool for office and home use has become a major means of attracting and keeping talent for many companies. Yet, the IT-favored BlackBerry, as its common nickname “CrackBerry” implies, isn’t friendly for work-life balance. At least in my experience, it’s addictive and for that reason I don’t have one now.

But I do have an iPod Touch, which is basically an iPhone light. In addition to housing all of my music, it also houses my calendar, contacts, daily to-do list, stock quotes, Safari, and Yahoo mail. On recent business trips, it was my tool of choice for staying in touch with our edit team and for keeping up on breaking news — a must given my position here at EDN. I also find myself checking e-mail on the weekends and corresponding with co-workers in a much different (however, still professional) way than I have with previously owned handheld devices. And, most importantly, I have no problem turning off the Touch when I’ve had enough, unlike my previous experience with a CrackBerry.

Also up for consideration when questioning the iPhone’s usage in the business world is the next-generation of workers. Generation Y  is easily the most tech savvy group of employees this country has ever seen. After being weaned on iPods and Razrs, they refuse cumbersome, lifeless gadgets. Anything like a Palm Pilot is as archaic to this group as a rotary phone is. In fact, PCs aren’t even their taste. Unlike in my university days, when you worked on a PC or, gulp, a word processor from Freshman year on, Apple Macs rule most college campuses now. And whether an IT department likes it or not, as Gen Y enters the workforce, so do their opinions and their love for all things Apple.

Steve Jobs has stated Apple’s goal to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008. The low $199 price could help consumer purchases, but in this suffering economy, many gadget heads are feeling their wallets pinched. Instead, look for Jobs to meet and perhaps exceed his goal with IT department buys.

What do you think? Share your thoughts on a possible IT department embrace of the iPhone and the changing corporate environments in which we work, below.

–Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News