With the new iPhone 5, Apple shows some love for the enterprise

Anyone considering buying the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch will be wondering whether the new features make it better suited for personal and professional use.

Before releasing new devices to market, Apple can’t ignore the “consumerization of IT” trend and the growing user base that brings its cell phones and tablets to work. So with each new release, it’s driving deeper into the heart of the enterprise.

The suite of new features may not bode well for IT teams. For starters, they can expect to see an influx of reports from employees ‘accidentally’ dropping their corporate phones in the toilet and asking for an upgrade to an iPhone 5!

Above: Apple’s new iPhone 5. (Credit: Meghan Kelly)

In all seriousness, in the enterprise, this will strike long-time Microsoft advocates down a few pegs. As Forrester’s CIO expert, Ted Schadler, puts it in a recent blog post, “With this release, it’s clear that Apple plans to keep making hits, to grow its ecosystem to solar system proportions, and draw in all the supporting players it can.”

Experts agree that all the buzz around today’s launch could prompt more companies to mandate a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy, as employees will want to show off their swanky new devices at work. In addition, the 4G LTE will help Apple fans convince their IT teams, as frequent business travelers will no longer have to rely on company-issue phones.

Read more here about Apple’s launch event here.

New features that are relevant for Apple BYOD users include:

• The new aluminum backing — it’s far more difficult for employees to break than the glass screen. This will reduce repair costs and keep employees productive if they rely on an iPhone at work. As well as being less fragile, this is also the lightest model ever made.
• The larger screen-size — If iOS developers can develop applications to fit a larger screen, this will make it easier to view numbers and charts on business applications, and conversations on tools like Yammer. It’s the same width as the iPhone 4S, but is longer, now 4 inches on the diagonal with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
• Better video — Apple now has a full 1080p high-definition video on the iPhone 5. Good news for those who need to record video on the fly in their professional lives.
• Faster WiFi and LTE — in business situations, this will make it easier to run and display videos, presentations, and reports. For frequent business travelers, the 4G LTE will no doubt be useful.
• Improvements to Siri and triple microphones — Two of the mics are at the top front and back of the unit, and the third is located at the bottom. The boost in audio will come in useful at work, particularly during conference calls.

Top image via Shutterstock