Will the iPhone 5 matter to CIOs?

Moderated by Lawrence Dignan | September 17, 2012 -- 07:00 GMT (00:00 PDT)

Summary: Will the iPhone continue to be the smartphone of choice among executives? Or will CIOs be looking with renewed interest at Windows 8 devices?

Jason Hiner

Jason Hiner

Yes

or

No

Steve Ranger

Steve Ranger

Best Argument: No

22%
78%

Audience Favored: No (78%)

Closing Statements

Enough to keep the momentum going for now

Jason Hiner

Apple has done just enough to make it impossible for CIOs to completely reject the iPhone. The iPhone in the enterprise has been largely driven by CEOs and BYOD. CIOs have simply had to react to it and make it work in most cases. Some enterprising CIOs have eventually embraced iPhone and iPad as a way for the IT department to look "cutting edge" to users who view these devices as the hot new thing. CIOs have done this even though iOS devices are harder to integrate for IT in many cases--especially compared to BlackBerry.

Apple could certainly do more to support these CIOs and help them make the iPhone more manageable. However, the bottom line is that the iPhone's usability and large catalog of quality apps for professionals are going to make it a mainstay in business for years to come. The iPhone 5's incremental improvements will be enough to keep the momentum going for now.

The iPhone 5 is standing on the shoulders of giants

Steve Ranger

The iPhone: a device so gorgeous, so glamorous and so useful that no CIO could bar the door to it. It’s the device that kicked off the bring-your-own-device frenzy and forced CIOs to rethink their attitude towards Apple, and their device strategy in general.

It’s hard to underplay the impact of the iPhone –- the aftershocks are still being felt, five years after it was launched. Without the iPhone, there would be no iPad.

And yet –- none of this means that the iPhone 5 is especially significant in itself. It’s merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

Sure, there are some modest improvements, but this model is unlucky enough to arrive at a time when the iPhone’s supremacy is being challenged. Android and Windows Phone 8 handsets are arriving that are as good as the iPhone -- and better in some aspects. The iPhone’s place in tech history is secure, but the iPhone 5 is really only a footnote.

CIOs have bet on Microsoft infrastructure

Lawrence Dignan

Steve Ranger won this debate largely by noting that CIOs have bet on Microsoft infrastructure and will connect the dots if given a good path. Companies will still have the iPhone 5 in their infrastructure courtesy of BYOD, but there are more options. The iPhone 5 will matter to CIOs, but the response will be more measured this time around.

Talkback

36 comments
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  • ha, 100% voted no

    Never seen that before

    Now the thing with the new iPhone, is that if you are already using an iPhone, or have already decided to convert to the iPhone, than its a good choice for you. However, the new iPhone will probably not win over any new converts.

    Hey, I mean, if the iPhone 4s wasn't enough to convince you to switch from say a blackberry, or even a Symbian, than the 5, is probably not enough to make you change your mind. But if you already want to switch, and by all means, get the 5.
    the_tyrant
    Reply 3 Votes I'm for No

    • 100% voted No

      Guess you haven't noticed all the anti-Apple bile on zdnet, huh?
      sip01
      Reply Vote I'm Undecided

      • ?

        I find ZDNET to be pro Apple. It's time for Authors to stop the bias towards Apple and stop using them as a gauge to compare other platforms. I'll take my WP7.5 and soon to be WP8 device up against Apple and their Eco-System any day of the week. Because I'm all about productivity and then play....not the other way around.
        Rob.sharp
        Reply 1 Vote I'm Undecided

        • Wow, is this a record?

          Degenerated into a pointless flame war in the first three posts. It's almost amusing...almost.
          cornpie
          Reply Vote I'm Undecided

        • Pro-Apple?

          I guess you have missed all the Anti-Apple articles. All the "gate" issues, where they focus on Apple and ignore Microsoft's shortcomings. Apple was labeled Evil for having a local data buffer too large, yet Microaoft was never called out for sending GPS coordinates, WiFi router info, and a unique Identifier back to Microsoft servers. Or even worse you could track a WP 7 phone on Bing maps simply by entering the phones Wifi address. Yet not one story on ZDNet, at Microsoft's request. but that'sbeen happening for several years...
          Troll Hunter J
          Reply Vote I'm Undecided

    • apple is not interested in the opinion of the CIOS

      a bunch of people with ancient ideas..... we sell devices... millions of them ... we do not need CIOS opinions nor their decisions...

      We are in windows 8 and they still use xp... and windows 2003 server if not 2000... or snow leopard if not tiger...
      dkaparunakis@...
      Reply Vote I'm Undecided

      • And that will be Apple's downfall.

        Any company who isn't interested in it's customers because it believes it is better than them because it sells millions of it's products inevitably fails as a company, and seriously damages it's brand in the long term.

        And quite why you think you're Apple in your post is beyond me. Do you have a mental illness that makes you think you're a multi national company?

        And finally, do you think Apple itself does not have executives.

        In a perverse way, you're actually insulting the very company you're trying to defend. Outstanding.
        Bozzer
        Reply Vote I'm Undecided

  • Some Aspects Yes

    From an adoption perspective likely not for iOS.
    From an adoption perspective for new pushy Android users, yes unless your company already supports It.
    Where it will impact is new hardware, no longer global, fragmentation concerns and modification of existing in-house apps for those sites that use them. We already have iOS6 for development, but now new hardware too.

    The overall impact may be minimal, but it could be big and it will impact.
    rhonin
    Reply Vote I'm Undecided

  • Doubtful.

    Doubtful.

    I suppose Jason's argument will be "BYOD." Although to be honest I'm about sick of hearing BYOD all over the place at this point.

    Truth be known, I doubt it. The iPhone isn't exactly a business phone, and any businesses that have an iPhone probably won't benefit a while lot from the upgrade. They'll likely phase it in slowly as a replacement for the old phone, rather than rush to get the new phone in.

    Most of the new features seem to be centered around watching videos. Unless you happen to be working for Hollywood, I don't really see the business case for the iPhone 5.
    CobraA1
    Reply 1 Vote I'm for No

    • beside RIM, there are no "business phones"

      Having xbox live on a phone prevents it from being an effective business phone. Having it send data dumps back to Microsoft, prevents it from being a secure phone. Having a terrible Ui is the third strike, which makes it a non starter
      Troll Hunter J
      Reply Vote I'm Undecided
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