• BusinessWeek, Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:15 AM

In slashing the price for the new 3G iPhone, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made it clear that he's serious about bringing the next generation device to the mainstream. "Everyone wants an iPhone," Jobs noted at the 3G iPhone's unveiling. "But we need to make it more affordable." Apple thinks the lower price will attract more consumers, while the faster mobile Web speeds will attract more corporate customers. To spur innovation, the company also opened up the handset's platform to third party software makers.

Of course, BusinessWeek reminds us that Apple has huge mountain to climb in the form of Research in Motion, if it wants to become a serious contender in the lucrative corporate market. RIM's line of BlackBerry handhelds still dominate the corporate market, offering enterprise-level customers features and services that Apple can't match. Unlike Apple, RIM operates its own wireless network, so it can make sure emails are delivered in a timely, reliable fashion. Apple has to rely on partners like AT&T for data delivery.

The opening of the iPhone platform should result in innovative new enterprise-level software, but so far, most third party developers are focused on creating programs for consumers. As AT&T Wireless Chief Executive Ralph de la Vega, whose company sells both BlackBerrys and iPhones, says, "(The 3G iPhone is) probably the best device we have to develop corporate (software) specific to (each) company," he says. "It's the wave of the future."

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