Microsoft: iPhone will be ‘irrelevant’

The battle of rhetorics rages on. Most recently, Microsoft‘s Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson told press in a recent visit to Australia that while Apple’s iPhone is a “great music phone”, it’ll be irrelevant to business users because it’s a “closed device” and “there’s no support for Office documents.”

“If you’re an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it’s just not an option,” said Sorenson. “Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge.” Sorenson also added that with Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft is bringing “more of what you can do on a PC, onto the devices. Manufacturers can innovate heavily in their designs, but keep that consistent [Windows] look and feel.”

Sorenson also believes that user familiarity with Windows Mobile’s interface will help keep the iPhone off the corporate market. Microsoft is currently battling against the dominance of Nokia and RiM in the converged device market.

Via ZDNet Australia

The battle of rhetorics rages on. Most recently, Microsoft‘s Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson told press in a recent visit to Australia that while Apple’s iPhone is a “great music phone”, it’ll be irrelevant to business users because it’s a “closed device” and “there’s no support for Office documents.”

“If you’re an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it’s just not an option,” said Sorenson. “Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge.” Sorenson also added that with Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft is bringing “more of what you can do on a PC, onto the devices. Manufacturers can innovate heavily in their designs, but keep that consistent [Windows] look and feel.”

Sorenson also believes that user familiarity with Windows Mobile’s interface will help keep the iPhone off the corporate market. Microsoft is currently battling against the dominance of Nokia and RiM in the converged device market.

Via ZDNet Australia