CTIA Wireless IT: A looming 800 lb fruit in the room

The iPhone has set the gold standard for web browsing on a mobile device. Apple is reportedly making a million dollars a day on iPhone application downloads--money going straight into the company's pocket. So why isn't Apple playing a more prominent role at CTIA I.T.?

Sure, AT&T is the exclusive U.S. iPhone carrier, so maybe Apple doesn't need to have a big booth presence at CTIA I.T.  But can you really have a discussion about enterprise IT applications without someone pulling out an iPhone--either figuratively or literally--within 30 seconds? HSBC may roll out iPhones to its 300,000 person workforce, displacing a whole lot of Blackberry devices.

AT&T knows the enterprise wants iPhones. Business customers can now order iPhones online directly through AT&T's Premier Enterprise program--no waiting in line down at the Apple or AT&T store.

It's not just AT&T doing what its business customers want. Oracle says there have been more than 23,000 downloads of its free Oracle Business Indicators iPhone application as of mid-August. Nearly 19,000 downloads were to U.S. phones, and it's likely a good number are actively being used; you don't download Oracle apps for the cheap entertainment value.

Apple has maintained an aloofness when it comes to the enterprise, doing just enough to get devices (desktops, laptops, servers, iPhones) in the door--and that's it. However, the ability of the 3G iPhone to act as a dual-mode phone (Both GIPS and SPIRIT DSP have released VoIP stacks) means that custom-tailored FMC/Mobile UC applications aren't far behind.

Will Apple stand up and take a more active role in the corporate arena? Or will it be content to simply *ahem* grab the low-hanging fruit?  Nokia and RIM would certainly like to know the answers. -Doug