iPhone Gets More Business-like with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync

Apple is holding an event dedicated to the iPhone today, and the first major announcement is that this smartphone will soon get support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. 

The company hopes this will go a long way toward making the iPhone more accepted by, and useful to, business people. Apple's long-term goal is to lure companies away from their BlackBerries.

"Apple is building Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support right into the iPhone," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The iPhone will have out-of-the-box connectivity with Exchange Servers for push email, contacts, and calendars, as well as important security features enterprise customers demand."

Users will be able to configure the connection between their smartphone and the server on their device, and IT managers will be able to do a remote wipe of a stolen or lost unit.

This feature will be included in the next iPhone system software upgrade, though Apple hasn't announced when this will be released yet. 

Despite earlier rumors, there was no mention today of support for Lotus Notes, a rival to Microsoft Exchange.

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