Hold off on new iPhone, says analyst

Rob Enderle, founder and principle analyst for the Enderle Group, said that flaws in the iPhone 3G may not surface for a few weeks.

"Apple is one of those companies that could sell refrigerators to Eskimos, but that doesn’t suggest that Eskimos should actually buy them," said Enderle.

"The problem is that Apple tends to lead on hype and does such a good job controlling initial product reviews that problems associated with the iPhone 3G probably won’t be known until the week after it launches when the raft of independent reviews become available."

Apple has attempted to make the iPhone 3G far more business friendly than its predecessor. The new version of the software includes support for Microsoft Exchange and Cisco VPN security as well as new GPS capibilities.

However, Enderle noted several early concerns over the handset, including battery life and software availability, which could make the iPhone impractical for business use.

Instead, the analyst suggests that businesses wait until this fall for 3rd-party hardware solutions and better quality control in the iPhone App Store before fully embracing the new handsets.

"It would be better for employees and their companies if purchases of the new iPhone 3G were delayed until at least September when critical parts like battery life are fixed, App Store security and application performance are better understood, and businesses can be assured that iPhone-using employees can communicate reliably," said Enderle.

"In short, wait until the iPhone 3G exits Beta and meets your company’s needs before embracing it."

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