The e-mail client everyone loves to hate is coming to the iPhone and iPod touch. According to the AP, the Lotus Notes e-mail package will start infecting Apple's portable devices as soon as next week, when the company is expected to formally announce its availability at the Lotusphere conference.
IBM's interest in migrating the software to Apple devices is a no-brainer, but it's less clear why Apple is agreeing to the partnership. An IBM spokesman maintains that "(the two companies) have a lot in common," and that they're going to "cross-pollinate," but Apple has never given much thought to the corporate world. Furthermore, given that many businesses prevent iPhone users from connecting to web-based e-mail services like Microsoft's Exchange platform, Apple's immediate interest in offering Lotus Notes is still a bit puzzling.
Still, there are a lot of Lotus users out there -- 135 million, according it IBM. I suppose even if a small percentage of them end up being allowed to check their e-mail on iPhones, it looks good for both companies.
The Yankee Group's Josh Martin agrees:
"It's one of those things you do to satiate a certain portion of your customer base," he said. "It's not going increase sales of the iPhone but it is a value add to provide a certain group of iPhone users something they want."
The client will supposedly be free for those who are already stuck with a Lotus Web-access license, and will start at $39 per year for new users.
Photo: Flickr/criana
