Lotus Notes for iPhone makes premature debut
Despite reports pronouncing the imminent availability of Lotus Notes for the iPhone and iPod Touch, IBM has said it is not quite ready to release the software.
According to the Associated Press, a formal announcement of Lotus Notes for Apple's portable devices was to occur at its Lotusphere conference this week, with the software available free for users with a Lotus Web access licence or at a yearly subscription for new users.
Big Blue is, however, not ready to put out the software. An IBM spokesperson told ZDNet.com.au: "It's not something that [is] ready to go out and market or launch."
The spokesperson said that speculation over the release may have been prompted by an earlier demonstration of the software by IBM.
The release of Lotus Notes for the iPhone and iPod may drive adoption of the devices by business users. Analyst house Gartner recently warned enterprises against adopting the iPhone, saying the device could "punch a hole" through corporate security systems.
However, Kevin McIsaac, an analyst at research firm IBRS, said he's not sure Lotus Notes will have a large impact on enterprise adoption of the device. "I can't really imagine someone who's really hip and cool -- like an iPhone user -- wanting to use Lotus Notes," he said.