Apple and the serious world of dark blue suits

iOS 4.2 delivers a unified OS for iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad for the first time. Photo / Apple Inc

Apple has, over the last few years, been criticised for not being 'serious' about entering (or appealing to) the corporate world. The iPad, of all things, looks set to change that, and the iPhone is making inroads too.

Partly (credit where it's due) this is because of Apple's support for Microsoft Exchange networking. Once upon a time, Apple had its own proprietary networking technology called AppleTalk - that's pretty much just a memory, now.

ImageText has long been a player in the NZ Mac industry - in fact, I bought my very first Mac from them in 1989. But it's hardly a Mac-only company.

ImageText specialises in sales of Apple hardware and software, but also IBM and Dell, along with support and technical services. ImageText handles the integration of mixed Mac and PC establishments, networking, system monitoring, storage and backup, and content management solutions.

Recently ImageText hosted an event in Auckland showcasing Apple's iOS and iDevices for enterprise environments. Leveraging the expertise and contacts inherent in the company - which has had a boost recently with some key staff having moved over from Renaissance - ImageText actually got someone from Apple to speak, as well as two New Zealand business users - Aisa Fenton from VisFleet and Andrew Johnston from Trends.

Will Luxton from Apple is the iOS Technical Development Manager in Sydney. He talked about the 'mobility landscape' and how it just used to be about email on the move. Now it means a lot more - websurfing, sure, but also information exchange and delivery.

The point is, now that iOS 4.2 delivers a unified OS for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad for the first time, businesses demanding 'information everywhere' have Apple as an option, which has been building up ways to engage with enterprise.

Most mobile device browsers in use today derive from Apple's WebKit - this includes Android browsers. Apple's Luxton characterised this as "We're people who make really good software."

And it's fuelling growth in mobile information exchange. Luxton showed figures demonstrating that web sites being rendered out to mobile devices has changed from one in 11,000 pages in June 2007 to one in 208 a year later, one in 112 in 2009, one in 41 at the beginning of this year to one in 35 by October.

iOS4 enabled multiple Exchange Active Sync accounts on a single device. That means iOS devices can interact natively with Exchange, access Lotus Notes Traveller Servers, and Novell Groupwise and data synch.

Passcode policies can be set by admin staff, who can also remote-lock and/or remote-wipe iDevices that go astray, stop the iTunes Store being accessed and more. Encryption is hardwired into the devices, VPN and VPN on demand is supported, and so is SSL. Base staff can also remotely gather device data using third party software from various companies like SyBase, AirWatch, Tango and others.

Pages, Keynote and Numbers (the Apple 'iWork' iOS apps) can access and modify, in turn, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel docs on iPhone 4, iPad or iPod touch.

Actually, Luxton stressed that it's the apps that really make iDevices compelling. He pointed out that there are actually two platforms deployed, because web2 standards are supported. Firms can make sites and info available in-house, if you have the skills, from your Intranet out to your devices in a secure and guarded fashion.

Of this method, Luxton pointed out "Apple has no interest in controlling this experience." (Apart from Flash, of course.)

The other platform is Apps. These either go through the App Store or they can be built internally and deployed to your company's devices alone.

Through the App Store, Luxton stressed the value of Apple's validation process to business. "If an app says it's from the Bank of America, we make sure it is from the Bank of America." Apple makes sure apps do not do less than they promise, or more, and that they fit Apple's design and interface guidelines so they are as easy to use as people expect.

Interestingly, Luxton said Apple made no judgement of the content of the apps. (Anecdotally, it looks like Apple does make judgement calls on app content.)

Aisha Fenton, CTO of VisFleet, talked about his Auckland firm's data and despatch application technology that has been deployed all around the world. The firm has just opened an office in San Francisco. VisFleet makes tracking solutions and recently released an iPhone app called vWork, which is free - but it needs to tie into a VisFleet vWork solution, of course. [iTunes Link]

Most interesting was his story of the NZ logging company McCarthy's. Recently the firm moved it's 67 logging truck drivers lock, stock and barrel from expensive, bespoke hardware solutions to ... iPhones. Moving over 3000 tonnes of logs a day around the countryside is hardly a minor enterprise.

Many of the truck drivers, said Fenton, weren't exactly techy types, but they all picked up the iPhone interface within a few minutes, trained by VisFleet as part of the service.

You might think iPhones to this many drivers was an expensive option, but for VisFleet, three years development for other dispatch devices dropped to a third the time for iPhone. Also, the firm used to use MC70 PDAs running a Windows OS - but, with keyboards and styluses, they were found too hard to use. And they cost $4000 each.

The GPS equipment that used to be mounted in each vehicle was also suddenly surplus to requirement.

Radio-telephone calls immediately dropped by 70 per cent, since dispatchers could see the same thing the drivers had on their iPhones in real time. McCarthy's drivers now deal with 98 per cent less paper data entry - compliance, delivery, admin, safety forms ... as this is all now mostly handled by the iPhones instead and transmitted back to servers, resulting in the back office getting a modernisation commensurate with the iPhone adoption.

Misdeliveries and other mistakes dropped to ten per cent of the previous norm.

Apart from the facts and figures, the assembled bizfolk enjoyed the VisFleet demo film of the stress testing of an iPhone, since they had to prove it would be up to the treatment truck drivers might put them through. I winced as they kicked it, dropped it down stair wells and threw it from high buildings. It was a good recommendation of iPhone reliability, as it blithely carried on working despite the falls and knocks, and also of the very tough case it was snugly fitted into. Whatever that was.

Finally, Andrew Johnson of Trends talked about the firm's global empire, completely coordinated, written and run from NZ by this family business. Trends has servers hosting thousands of images for its advertorial content engine.

Trends has very successfully released iPad compatible versions of its magazines, all coordinated and controlled from its offices in Ellerslie. The HQ aggregates 40,000 articles for $3.95 a pop to iPad-toting customers in 60 countries, relishing the opportunity of being able to produce smaller, tailored 'books' electronically without massive printing costs and risks.

It was an interesting and timely event and - to the surprise of some - very well attended.

(Afterwards, the guy from Simms showed a fantastic ZaggMate iPad case that, once opened, becomes a slick keyboard and iPad dock. It was a prototype but it should be available soon - it looked really great. I definitely want one!)

- Mark Webster mac-nz.com