Latest Version of Apple’s iPhone Ready to Compete with BlackBerry

Introducing the latest version of iPhone at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco last Monday, Apple claimed that the iPhone has the potential of becoming a stronger competitor in the business market against Research in Motion's popular BlackBerry.

With support for carriers' 3G, high-speed wireless networks, third-party applications, a number of security protocols, and Microsoft's Exchange e-mail server, the new iPhone has what it needs to appease enterprise customers and experts have predicted that it could weaken the impact of Google's initiative to build an open source operating system for Smartphones.

Apple has also made another bold decision which is expected to boost demand in the enterprise, as well as with consumers, the company has dropped the price of the base model of the iPhone from $399 to $199.

Speaking on this latest development, Fareena Sultan, digital marketing Professor at Northeastern University, said in an e-mail that it could help Apple challenge BlackBerry in the market more aggressively. He expected that more third-party applications would help soften the impact of the Android initiative from Google and the Open Handset Alliance.

In agreement with the Professor Sultan, Gloria Barczak, chair of the marketing department at Northeastern's business school, said that "Apple's announcement of the iPhone 2.0 with 3G technology and global positioning system (GPS) are certainly the right moves to gain market share in the enterprise market. This lower price now puts the iPhone in reach of many more people and these three enhancements will help to build overall demand for the iPhone and the product category of smartphones and puts even more pressure on iPhone imitators and competitors."

The chief analyst for mobile and wireless at consulting and analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, J. Gerry Purdy in his own remark said that "With iPhone App Store now coming to market along with MobileMe, Apple uses their new 3G iPhone as a services platform and this reflects a business shift for Apple from offering high-priced units and sharing revenue with carriers to delivering low-priced devices that support the company's paid online services."

The company is making arrangement to release the latest iPhone on July 11 in about 70 countries by the end of this year and expected to project beyond thereafter.