What does "ad hoc" app distribution mean for users?

In the din of announcements from WWDC on Monday, one of the underreported features for iPhone apps is "ad hoc" app distribution: registering up to 100 iPhones, and distributing your apps yourself.

Macworld's John Welch has a good overview of Ad Hoc and enterprise distribution, and what it means for IT departments. "[H]aving your applications distributed from your own servers on your own network just makes sense," he writes. "It makes security issues simpler, saves on external bandwidth usage, and simplifies the process of adding, updating, and removing applications."

Webmonkey, on the other hand, completely missed this part of the keynote, writing a review of the App Store that omits the ad hoc distribution plan and calls the App Store's exclusivity "yuck." Plus, it neglects to mention the still-thriving jailbreak community, and the legions of Installer.app users.

Ad hoc distribution means great things for proprietary apps for teams, classrooms, and large organizations. Sure, a 100-client limit might be a little small, and it remains to be seen how clients will be certified (that is, if you have to connect to the Mothership).

Do you plan on using ad hoc or enterprise distribution for your organization? Sound off in comments.

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