iPhone favors small deployments

Continued...
Rules and regs
There is more, too, such as Apple's prohibition of the use of TCP ports under 1000, and the device's inability to operate as a USB storage device. Only iTunes can access iPhone files, and it only allows the transfer of media and applications. Data can be bundled with an application developed in-house, and through that application one could transfer arbitrary data to and from the device. But iPhone imposes strict rules on data such that only the app that created the data may access it. iPhone's browser can neither upload nor download data. In fact, the easiest way to get data in and out of iPhone is through the mail client. E-mail attachments cannot be archived or moved to another iPhone application. They can only be viewed from inside Mail.

With its functional limitations and unusually large management overhead, iPhone is less than a shoo-in for fleet deployment, a scenario for which BlackBerry is specifically designed, and to which Symbian, Palm, and Windows Mobile adapt fairly well with the proper tools.

I do see hope on the horizon. Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility has the makings of an enterprise iPhone pain reliever. It presently includes the ability to present the utility as a Web site from which users and admins can download XML configuration profiles that define common VPN and e-mail settings. This hints at future over-the-air centralized management. I hope that it is Apple's aim to eventually push iTunes out of the enterprise. As for the lack of background processes, Flash and Java, these aren't technical limitations; they are strategic choices. Apple will only revisit these restrictions if it feels they're a barrier to greater iPhone sales.

iPhone is, by design, a device for individuals. But if one of your people brings an iPhone in the door and can be trusted to manage it, it should be welcomed. Likewise, if all your enterprise will ever need from a mobile device is what iPhone delivers out of the box, then none of the issues I've described should dissuade you from distributing a stack of Apple handsets. As I said, nothing could make users happier. But for now, iPhone in the enterprise does not conform to the maxim "the more, the merrier."Continued...