Eric Knorr
Contributing writer

Apple’s special sauce

analysis
Jul 14, 20083 mins

The iPhone 2.0 and its App Store roil the multitudes while we get serious about Mac security

Apple just keeps hogging the spotlight. The run-up to iPhone 2.0’s Fabulous Friday reached its climax Thursday morning when Caroline McCarthy, a CNet blogger, speculated that the launch of the divine device might actually be bad for social networking. Why? Because the hype around the new iPhone App Store might eclipse the hype around big social networking sites.

Well, I’ll add that to my list of things to worry about. Meanwhile, at InfoWorld, we’re sobering up this party with “Ten enterprise apps for the iPhone,” which overlooks Super Monkey Ball and AOL Radio in favor of CRM, business intelligence, and even a Web development tool. A little stodgy of us? Maybe. But we figure you’ll find the goofy stuff easily enough and turn to us when you’re ready to get down to business. Executive Editor Galen Gruman was already moving in that direction when he wrote “How to make the new iPhone work at work” last month.

By the time you read this, Tom Yager, InfoWorld’s chief technologist, will have been running the new iPhone through its paces; stay tuned for his InfoWorld Test Center review. I have no idea what to expect. Tom’s fans will recall that last year he was wildly enthusiastic about the first iPhone — until he got his hands on one and analyzed the pricing. Then, reviewing the device from an enterprise user perspective, he gave it a 4.9 out of a possible 10, which resulted in so many flaming e-mails Tom almost had to join a witness protection program. With iPhone 2.0, Apple has answered almost all of Tom’s objections. Will he like it? Stay tuned.

As you devour all things iPhone, be sure to check out another Apple delicacy: contributor Glenn Fleishman’s feature story, “How to secure Macs in business.” Security? For the Mac? Come on, that’s for those Windows guys to worry about. But for the Mac to realize its newfound potential in the enterprise — a windfall courtesy of the Vista fiasco — the security angle must be taken seriously. Glenn lists seven security flaws the Mac must overcome, each one followed by actionable advice.

The iPhone may be entering the enterprise through the backdoor in droves (more accurately in the front pocket), but laying out the logistics of deploying Macs in the enterprise represents a different kind of triumph. Apple is moving beyond its niche in business computing to play a transformational role. That surprising development is turning out to be a lot of fun to watch.

Eric Knorr

Eric Knorr is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist. Previously he was the Editor in Chief of Foundry’s enterprise websites: CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. A technology journalist since the start of the PC era, he has developed content to serve the needs of IT professionals since the turn of the 21st century. He is the former Editor of PC World magazine, the creator of the best-selling The PC Bible, a founding editor of CNET, and the author of hundreds of articles to inform and support IT leaders and those who build, evaluate, and sustain technology for business. Eric has received Neal, ASBPE, and Computer Press Awards for journalistic excellence. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a BA in English.

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