Apple adds Exchange support to iPhone

The iPhone has been popular among consumers since its inception, but businesses for the most part have avoided widespread adoption of the device citing its lack of third-party software and ‘push’ email support as the most significant barriers. Going forward, however, that may not be the case anymore.

Besides touting the much-anticipated SDK for the iPhone today, Apple took a jab at rival Research In Motion by announcing they have licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft to enable full Exchange support, giving iPhones the same security and integration of e-mail, calendars and contact lists that businesses have been demanding. The company plans to go as far as offering tools that’ll make it relatively easy to move user profiles from RIM’s BlackBerry to the iPhone. This should definitely expand the appeal of the device to a whole new market when the new capabilities ship via a free software update to iPhone users in late June.