Within days of its release, Apple’s second generation iPhone (the 3G), the device is beginning to show its stuff as much more than a sleeker, faster mobile, touch technology phone. Apple’s popular online iTunes Store has been dishing out more than music – which by the way, the 3G plays nicely in its iPod mode.
Combined, all the new features associated with the 3G release are pushing the envelope of online business.
The new iTunes dimension is that the popular iTunes Store now has a department selling applications for use on the device. So not only did Apple distribute one million of the new phones in its first weekend, the online store dispensed more than 10 million applications for the 3G. The phenomenon has caught the eye of the popular press.
Reuters / Billboard reviewed nine of the hundreds of apps in the store which range from music and other entertainment to information delivery to hard core productivity. At this writing, the service listed 243 games, 115 books, 52 productivity applications, 76 utilities and hundreds more scattered among 19 different categories. Some applications are free.
Apple also revamped its .mac online service around the new iPhone, calling the service “Mobile Me.” Mobile Me offers service members the ability to seamlessly synchronize address books, mail, calendars, Web bookmarks and files across several computers, including the iPhone. The new device is also compatible with enterprise applications such as Microsoft Exchange server, and Apple clearly has targeted the corporate world with a new corporate gifting and rewards program built around its Mobile Me service.