A new version of the iPhone hit Apple stores all over the country this week, and while none of its new features are strictly for business users, we can already think of a myriad of great ways business users can use the device that weren't possible until now.
Note that a couple of these are also available to owners of the previous model (iPhone 3GS) via a software update, but if you want the whole suite of new features in the software, you'll want to grab the latest hardware, too.
1. Video Calls
The most touted feature of the iPhone 4 is a video calling mode called FaceTime. Just one tap on the screen will connect you with any other iPhone 4 user for a virtual face-to-face conversation using the device's new front-facing camera — provided you're both connected to Wi-Fi hotspots.
3G calling capability is expected next year, though it's not clear whether or not you'll have to buy a new model to do that. We're guessing you won't; it should just be a software update once AT&T's cellular data network is up to the task.
Talking to clients or partners face-to-face instead of just hearing one another's voices can be a major boon if you're trying to build and maintain strong relationships, especially over long distances. Sure, you could do video calls on services like Skype before, but it just got a lot easier with the new iPhone.
2. Unified E-mail Inbox
Depending on what kind of business you're trying to run, you might end up with multiple e-mail addresses to check. Even if it's just your personal and your work account, it's hard to keep it all straight sometimes. Previously the iPhone wasn't very helpful on this front, because it wouldn't display e-mails from different accounts in the same inbox.
That's changed with iOS 4, the new operating system software freely available for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Now you can view your account inboxes individually or all together in one.
Additionally, e-mail conversations are sorted by "thread." That means that when you receive 20 replies to a single e-mail, your inbox will have a link to a thread of messages in the conversation instead of throwing all 20 out in front, drowning out other e-mails.
Both new e-mail features are welcome additions for business users who deal with a lot of e-mail coming in from many different places.
3. Better Battery Life
The iPhone 4's battery life is significantly better than that of the iPhone 3GS or either of its predecessors. The 3GS would run out of juice after a long day of flights, layovers and meetings. Not so with the iPhone 4, which gets an astounding 300 hours of life when on standby, and 9 hours of 3G talk time.
Apple accomplished this despite added features and increased performance by installing a much larger battery in the device. It won't be a night-and-day difference, but you'll still be happy with it on long trips.
4. Better Enterprise Support
Apple has updated the iPhone operating system with improved enterprise features that its customers in the business world have requested time and again.
Those updates include features like wireless app distribution and mobile device management, along with SSL VPN support. Further, data protection of business-critical information is improved by protecting e-mails and attachments stored on the phone by using the device passcode as an encryption key.
Perhaps most notably, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 is now supported, and the phone can handle multiple Exchange accounts, which quite a few executives and medium business owners use.
It's still not a BlackBerry, but the iPhone is closer than it has ever been. Note that these enterprise features will also work on the iPhone 3GS or 3G if you upgrade them to iOS 4.
These new features have certainly enhanced the iPhone's appeal to business owners. Will these new offerings persuade you to purchase an iPhone 4 for your business needs? Let us know in the comments below.
