Enterprise Apps May Flourish With iPhone 3.0 SoftwareEnterprise Apps May Flourish With iPhone 3.0 Software

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While the rumor mill is reaching a fever pitch with reports that Apple will show off a new iPhone during the keynote session at the Worldwide Developers Conference, the company said it definitely will be talking in-depth about the iPhone 3.0 software upgrade.

This firmware upgrade is a significant milestone for the iPhone because it's expected to plug many of the weaknesses in the platform, and it rewards developers with new opportunities to create innovative applications that can be monetized. The App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch already is wildly popular with consumers and developers, but the 3.0 software may make the platform even more attractive because it offers content creators more than 1,000 new hooks into the hardware.

The enterprise market may be one of the main beneficiaries of the firmware upgrade, as it will let software creators extend corporate-grade programs to the touch-screen smartphone.

"For a long time you've heard people talk about dual-purpose devices that are really personal but can be used safely in an enterprise, and the iPhone is the first device we're seeing to do that at mass volumes," said Senthil Krishnapillai, director of product management at Sybase. "The 3.0 software should accelerate that trend."

Krishnapillai said one of the strongest new features of the updated firmware is the ability for apps to gain the user's attention immediately when it's not running. Apple said background processing would be far too much of a drain on the iPhone's battery and system resources, so it chose to implement a push-notification system. This means an application's server will be tied to an Apple server that can send alerts to the phone when there is activity on the app.

Krishnapillai said the push-notification system could be extremely useful for business apps where real-time information is crucial. For example, this system could be used to enhance the capabilities of Sybase's mobile e-mail program for the iPhone, or it could greatly assist a CRM program.

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Another new feature of the 3.0 software that could have an impact on developers is the ability to charge for content within the app.

When Apple showed off this capability, it demoed a game maker being able to charge for things like new levels within the game, but this feature could easily be used by enterprise software makers for subscription-based services. The peer-to-peer networking feature is also seen as a good way for iPhone gamers to battle it out wirelessly, but this feature could also be used for corporate software to allow file transferring or contact swapping.

The updated firmware will also address some nagging concerns users had with the platform regarding cut and paste, stereo Bluetooth, VPN capabilities, and the ability to send and receive MMS messages. This puts Apple's mobile operating system on par with its rivals like Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and WebOS.

"Apple really moved the bar forward in a significant way," said Michael Gartenberg, VP of strategy and analysis at Interpret. "They've addressed the end-user features people have been clamoring for ... but most importantly they've upped the ante in the developer space. This lets developers create a whole new level of apps we haven't seen before on any platform."

Developers with the 3.0 software said it provides other capabilities that they can't yet speak about due to nondisclosure agreements, and Apple will likely show these off during the keynote. This could include things like video recording or a digital compass, but Apple will end all the speculation Monday at 10 a.m. when senior VP of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller steps on stage during the keynote.

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