IBM: Lotus Notes for iPhone not ready yet

Despite reports that the launch of Lotus Notes for the iPhone and iPod Touch is imminent, IBM says it is not quite ready to release the software.

A formal announcement of Lotus Notes for Apple's portable devices was to occur at IBM's Lotusphere conference this week, with the software available free for users with a Lotus Web-access license or on a yearly subscription basis for new users, according to a report by Associated Press.

IBM is, however, not ready to put out the software. "It's not something that (is) ready to go out and market or launch," an IBM spokesperson told ZDNet Australia.

The spokesperson said that speculation over the release may have been prompted by an earlier demonstration of the software by IBM.

The release of Lotus Notes for the iPhone and iPod may drive adoption of the devices by business users. Analyst house Gartner recently warned enterprises against adopting the iPhone, saying the device could "punch a hole" through corporate security systems.

However, Kevin McIsaac, an analyst at research firm IBRS, said he's not sure Lotus Notes will have a large impact on enterprise adoption of the device. "I can't really imagine someone who's really hip and cool--like an iPhone user--wanting to use Lotus Notes," he said.

Suzanne Tindal of ZDNet Australia reported from Sydney.

[yelocab]

Some of us hip/cool people *have* to use Notes

>>"I can't really imagine someone who's really
>>hip and cool--like an iPhone user--wanting to
>>use Lotus Notes," he said.

I really want an iPhone and consider myself somewhat hip. However, only Blackberrys are currently supported in my Lotus Notes-based company (via BES). I would love to get my corporate e-mail via an iPhone. (Due to security issues, I can't forward my corporate e-mail to a g-mail account or do one of those other workarounds.)

I also use my Blackberry to access some web-enabled Notes databases via my Blackberry (via BES--although it is relatively slow), so Notes on the iPhone sounds very exciting/interesting.

I actually happen to like Lotus Notes and have designed some powerful, useful, user-friendly databases. It's the horribly designed databases that I (and I suspect everyone else) hate.

[stevemartinman]

Puh-leeze

Kevin McIsaac should be forgiven for understanding neither 'cool' nor Notes, but such a glib and uninformed opinion shouldn't find its way into CNET. Notes started the collaboration category in software, still stands head & shoulders above any competitors in replication and true data mobility, and has 125 million users worldwide, many of them very cool. Maybe none of that news has made it down to Australia yet.

[ericmatz]

So is it "hip and cool" ...

...having to carry two devices around that should be able to do the same thing? It's not about the email software...it's about access to corporate email. Exchange (which hold a 62% enterprise market share, incidentally...but I wouldn't call it hip or cool) has the same problem. Until Apple and IBM/MS get together and provide a secure means of making this happen, those of us who need to stay tethered to work email will be stuck with two devices. Although maybe Apple is doing us a favor...do I really want my iPhone buzzing with an email from my boss when I'm out at a club?

[driven01]

OneBridge

Sybase's iAnywhere division sells a product called OneBridge
that can securely sync Notes or Exchange to Windows Mobile,
Palm, or Symbian.

They are reportedly releasing an enhancement to support the
iPhone in 1Q or 2Q.

http://www.ianywhere.com/forms/misc/onebridge_iphone.html

No need to wait for Lotus. Sybase will probably support it
before they get around to it.

[john55440]

"really hip and cool" -LOL!

Yup, all you have to do is give money to Apple, and you automatically become "really hip and cool" -LOL! How pathetic...

[Steve Thacker]

IPhone Users and Notes

Kevin McIsaac should stick to being an analyst and leave the rest of us to decide if Lotus Notes is hip enough. The LN software is changing and morphing with version 8 and beyond. As a 14 year admin of the Lotus Notes / Domino software. I have seen it rise above all others as far as security, database and web abilities. Nothing else even compares. I say that as someone of a senior level who has also done the Exchange and Groupwise thing for many years. Now version 8 will make the most technical savvy drool, with its new interface. The Apple people need a very secure and flexible email and application platform like Lotus Notes. This will bring them to the forefront in the realm of handheld devices.

[www.hdgreetings.com]

What they really need is calendar syncing

I love my iPhone, but why in 2008 is it so hard to make a calendar appoint on your desktop and have it automatically synced up on a phone?

This is one of the big benefits of Exchange/Notes, and there is no open standard (with dominate authority) like IMAP is for email.

regards,
ecard guy

[techie_pi]

Notes 8 IS "hip and cool"and powerful as well

How can someone make a comment like that? Lotus Notes is extremely powerful and a true professional collaborative tool. And Notes 8 with its cool new interface and integrated feed reader, sametime client etc definitely falls into the "hip and cool" category, as well. Notes 8 with iPhone is definitely going to be a fantastic combination and I can't wait for it to get done!

[TV James]

Didn't stop IBM in the past

Still stuck on Notes 6.5, having Notes "ready" never stopped IBM in the past. Having now used Notes for two years, I felt compelled to go and apologize to my previous boss for pestering him about getting off of Groupwise.

[jfackts]

Who's defining hip & cool?

I don't understand. If a technology has evoloved and adapted to stay mainstream and work on a device that is ostensible "hip & cool" I'm not sure it can be old and dull. But maybe it's me.
Who's the arbiter of "hip & cool" DOCTOR Kevin McIssac?? http://www.ibrs.com.au/analystbio.html
Howzzat?

[jonx2]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME... i'm a Lotus Notes user... you don't think I'M COOL! Who are you to judge?

[johnnabholz]

How about an update. Lotus Notes Rocks... name one tool that has so many api's and ways of surfacing the data.

Could somebody get the scoop out of IBM, when they will release a new client for the IPhone!!!!

[rshah29]

iClink from CompanionLink Software will sync LN to iPhone:
www.companionlink.com/iphone

[scott_10k_lakes]

A "someone that's really hip and cool" that has an iPhone isn't necessarily going to have the choice of whether or not to use Lotus Notes. Are the two "logically" mutually exclusive? An oxymoron, perhaps?

Kidding aside, there's got to be enough market presence having a combination of:

1. Those w/no choice but to use Notes AND
2. Reluctant Notes users that have iPhones as their mobile device (because Blackberry's just aren't the coolest devices anymore)

[scott_10k_lakes]

FYI, for those rebels, there is "DAMO" - Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook. Since there's already direct support for iPhone to Outlook, this would make synching easier for those that are unwilling to wait for a native iPhone/Notes app. To the best of my knowledge, DAMO doesn't require any additional backend apps/reconfig.