Techspectacular.com

Apple is making headlines with the new iPhone 3G, and the academic world is seeing some opportunities for business case studies.

The iPhone 3G has built-in GPS for expanded location-based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software with support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. It can run hundreds of third-party applications built with the recently released iPhone software developers kit.

Quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA provide voice and Internet connectivity around the world. The iPhone 3G supports Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE networks and automatically switches between them. It also makes multitasking easier with simultaneous voice and data communications, so users can browse the Web, get map directions, or check e-mail while on a call.

Appeasing the Enterprise

To compete with the Blackberry, the iPhone 3G includes, besides Microsoft Exchange support, contact and calendar syncing, remote wipe, and Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to corporate networks.

Fareena Sultan, a digital-marketing professor at Northeastern University’s business school, said with features such as 3G, enterprise support, third-party applications and availability in more countries, the iPhone can better appease the enterprise customer.

“This could enable Apple to challenge the Blackberry market more aggressively,” Sultan said. “Also, more third-party applications could help soften the impact of the Android initiative from Google and the Open Handset Alliance.”

Gloria Barczak, chairperson of the marketing department at Northeastern, said Apple’s additions of 3G technology and GPS are the right moves to gain market share in the enterprise market.

She said download speed was a notable deficiency in the original iPhone and slowed enterprise adoption of the product. But the lower pricing may do the most for consumer adoption, she added.

Appeasing the Consumer Market

In the U.S. the iPhone 3G is priced at $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. The phone goes on sale in the U.S. on July 11.

“The big…