Cisco, Apple: Still Talking iPhone?
Now that we all know the iPhone is slated to ship June 29, The VAR Guy wonders: Will Apple partner with Cisco on unified communications in time for the big iPhone’s launch?
The VAR Guy doubts it. Sure, Cisco insiders tell The VAR Guy that the two companies have met multiple times to discuss how the iPhone may — or may not — integrate with unified corporate networks from Cisco. During Cisco’s Partner Summit in April, Cisco CEO John Chambers essentially said Apple had to decide whether the iPhone would be an open or closed system. And in mid-April, Cisco Chief Development Officer Charles Giancarlo described how Apple and Cisco could potentially work together.
So what’s the upshot? The VAR Guy doubts that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will want to share the stage with Cisco during the iPhone launch. He thinks there’s only a 20 percent chance Cisco and Apple announce a deal at the big launch; 50 percent chance the deal comes later this year; and a 30 percent chance no relationship is ever announced.
Some bloggers are speculating that Cisco wants its Linksys division to work more closely with Apple. The VAR Guy begs to differ. A Cisco-Apple relationship won’t likely involve commodity home networking. Rather, it will link the iPhone to enterprise networks.
Ultimately, Apple will need to decide whether the corporate market — CXOs with deep pockets — are a target for the iPhone. If so, it makes a lot of sense to give Cisco a call and partner up.
[…] Kudos to Network World for covering Duke#8217;s iPhone challenges. Now it#8217;s time for Apple to answer the call for help and speed-dial the folks at Cisco Systems. For months, The VAR Guy has anticipated a possible unified communications partnership between Apple and Cisco. But even Cisco CEO John Chambers has stated that Apple has to decide whether it wants to play ball. […]
[…] exactly what the mobile device market needs. Apple and Cisco had been kicking around a potential iPhone-unified communications relationship over the summer. But the talks broke […]