Apple licenses ActiveSync for the iPhone
Today Apple announced that they have licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft to enable full Exchange integration with the iPhone. The first thing you think of with ActiveSync is Push Email (that's when email is sent to your iPhone as soon as it is received, as opposed to on a schedule like every 15 minutes). ActiveSync includes that as well as:- Wireless calendar syncing
- Wireless contact syncing
- Remote wipe of the device if it is lost
ActiveSync will be included in the iPhone 2.0 software, available sometime in late June.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Keith said 2:43PM on 3-06-2008
Late June (READ: July).
I was hoping for it today.
Reply
EX-windows said 3:18PM on 3-06-2008
ActiveSync DOES NOT do Wireless Sync, it was removed by the Genius' at MS in ver4.1 do to whining IT depts.
Michael Rose said 6:30PM on 3-06-2008
ex-windows, not sure what you mean. ActiveSync 5 does wireless sync of calendar, contacts, tasks, notes and mail for WinMo devices today.
Daniel Vargas said 2:46PM on 3-06-2008
Not impressed.... Now they gave us the hurry up and wait talk again. I damn near had anxiety attacks waiting for an update in LATE February then that got push back. Now they have a meeting and guess what,,,, Hurry up and wait. Thanks Steve-o. Keep up your good deadlines.
Reply
Keith said 2:55PM on 3-06-2008
The exchange features are huge. I think back to that Forrester reasearch report warning IT professionals not to support the iphone. Apple addressed every concern.
The only issues Apple needs to/ should/ will address is AT&T and lack of cut and paste.
Overall, I am very happy with news, just anxious to get it in my hands.
Reply
mingistech said 3:13PM on 3-06-2008
I'd love the ability to sync the iPhone with Outlook on my work PC with ActiveSync... I see the over-the-air option being talked about... but what about doing a sync over USB with Outlook? I work for FordMoCo.. and I doubt they will be offering iPhone over WiFi as an option.
Reply
luma said 6:27PM on 3-06-2008
iTunes already syncs your iPhone to Outlook over a USB cable. This announcement means that you could sync over the air (WiFi or EDGE). Currently, Exchange users can receive email but cannot sync contacts or calender items. This will be a welcome feature.
FrankTheCrank said 3:16PM on 3-06-2008
I'm a little confused.
Where does ActiveSync run? On the phone itself?
Setting up these mobile communicators to talk to enterprise Exchange servers can sometimes be the biggest bitch, especially when you have firewalls to jump.
This will be interesting to see. I'll have to setup an Exchanger server at home...just to test.
Reply
mathewlavery said 3:30PM on 3-06-2008
Where do you think this places the chances of getting full exchange features on Mail, iCal and Address book on the Mac?
Reply
Jon said 7:46PM on 3-06-2008
It's almost already there really -- if you have Entourage, it has ActiveSync support and then can be set to automatically sync with iCal & Address Book. Don't expect Microsoft to offer that support without Entourage however -- that would make no sense to MS from a business perspective as it would take away the only reason a lot of us still prefer Office over iWork. (Especially now that Word doesn't support VisualBasic, which is absolutely devastating, and I won't ever buy Office 2008 because of that -- just going to keep running 2004 in Rosetta.)
Mikael said 3:44PM on 3-06-2008
Does that by any chance mean that ActiveSync will be ported to OS X or is this functionality limited to people with PCs?
If Microsoft ported ActiveSync AND allowed it to sync with Windows Mobile too I know a lot of people who would be very very happy (me included).
Reply
Frank Furter said 3:45PM on 3-06-2008
It's 'i' before 'e'.
Except at 'c', as in 'receive'.
Might check that other line about 'as opposed to one a schedule ' too.
Grammar police, out.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Reply
munchkin said 1:54AM on 3-07-2008
Except when your neighbor fights a feisty sovereign sheik who weighs neither heifers or dreidels and sings in weird frequencies.
English is such a lovable, confusing language; before you correct others, perhaps you should learn it yourself?
Frank Furter said 7:05AM on 3-07-2008
That's impressive (and non-sensical)(?).
How do YOU spell receive, knob?
Blair said 12:16PM on 3-07-2008
@ Munchkin
Nice try... but Sheik (sheikh) is an Arabic word, and dreidl is a Yiddish word.
techn0phile said 4:06PM on 3-06-2008
This is absolutely huge. The Exchange announcement is going to mame the Windows Mobile platform.
It makes me wonder if MS was reluctant to license it :)
Reply
Bungles said 2:56PM on 3-06-2008
why would they be reluctant....now, no matter what you get MS gets money.
Jon said 7:50PM on 3-06-2008
Even if they were "hesitant" to license it, they basically HAVE to license it due to antitrust issues. MS has huge "market power" in this area and refusing to license it to Apple on commercially reasonable terms would be a blatant violation of the federal antitrust laws. Trust me on this one.
Bonnie Prince Charlie said 4:16PM on 3-06-2008
Note that this will work with other, non-Exchange servers that are ActiveSync-compatible. There are other cheaper, better, and non-Microsoft options out there!
I hope this doesn't mean that Apple's giving up on its own Mail/iCal/Address Book groupware server.
Reply
techn0phile said 4:17PM on 3-06-2008
I don't really think they would be reluctant. But to exaggerate the possibilities, a marginal profit vs. helping eradicate an entire platform would take some second thought.
Compare the slightly different situation of running Windows on a Mac. The Mac is making relatively large gains in market share, much of which is arguably due to people being able to run Windows/Apps on the Mac. In 5 years if that was the turning point of Windows losing 20% of the market to the Mac, I'm sure they would regret it (if it were in fact a decision, which it was not.)
I'm just saying if this is one of the nails in the coffin for a currently struggling platform (Windows Mobile.) I think reluctant is a tame term. It could help kill their core competency of why Active Sync even exists.
Reply