Good News for Business iPhoners

For all you business emailers who have yet to by an iPhone because it can not send email through a Micorsoft Exchange server, this news is for you.

Apple Inc. announced on Thursday that it has licensed protocols from rival Microsoft Corp. to add Exchange support to its iPhone.

"We're building Exchange support so you get push e-mail, push calendaring, push contacts, global address lists and the ability to remote wipe [the iPhone]," said Phil Schiller, Apple marketing head.

No new applications need to be added to the iPhone, Schiller said, because messages, appointments and contacts transferred from a company's Exchange mail server will end up in the iPhone's existing e-mail, calendar and address book applications. "The same e-mail app, calendar app and contact apps that customers really love will get information directly from the Exchange server," said Schiller.

Why in the world couldn't Apple have done this last June when they released the iPhone? They would have sold a lot more units and made a dent into Blackberry sales which is currently the leading device for business users looking for seamless email delivery. Now we wait until this June when the ActiveSync update comes out.

You know this is big news when your IT Manager sends an email out to the company's iPhone users. Richard Gerlovich, the key gearhead at our Clear Channel Radio office here, sounded like he built his first computer or programmed his first BASIC instructions. Even the Director of AM Operations, the former Honorable Michael Berry (you know what I mean), sent a note out stating this news is so big that KTRH needs to be doing a live story.

Tune in tomorrow just after 8am where I will discuss with JP and Lana.