Details about the iPhone software development kit are expected, if not the SDK itself. Up until this point, outside developers ' offerings have had to run within the Safari browser on the iPhone, but the SDK would allow third parties to create native applications.

BlackBerry Satisfaction Drops

The event will renew interest in the iPhone as a possible business smartphone, as a survey shows the iPhone gaining ground on the BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry has been the market leader for business smartphones, and the report from research firm ChangeWave said 73 percent of more than 2,000 IT decision makers use BlackBerries. In second place is Palm at 18 percent, and these number-one and number-two positions have barely changed since the last survey in November. Motorola is third with nine percent, followed by Nokia at seven percent, and Apple and Samsung each have five percent.

The good news for RIM is that ChangeWave expects the BlackBerry's market share will continue into the second quarter of 2009, with as many as 77 percent of those surveyed saying they intend buy BlackBerrys. The worrisome news for RIM is that Apple's iPhone will jump to second place, with 11 percent intending to go that route, and Palm slipping to third place with eight percent.

Even more worrisome for Canada-based RIM, ChangeWave reported that the percentage of corporate customers who say they are "very satisfied" with their BlackBerrys has dropped eight percent, while the iPhone took first place in the same measurement -- 60 percent to RIM's 47 percent. Third-place Palm may well be dropping fast, since it came in sixth with only 10 percent of its users "very satisfied."

iPhone for Enterprise?

While some observers are suggesting that Apple may announce support for Microsoft Exchange at its Thursday event, IDC analyst Chris Hazelton said there had been "a hint" that the announcements might include support for Lotus Notes. He said an announcement from Apple was anticipated at the recent LotusSphere conference, but none was made.

He added that Lotus support would be "a big deal," since it would give Apple direct access to at least some IT departments.

Hazelton also expects the launch of an SDK for the iPhone will stimulate enterprise adoption, since it "opens the door for developers to leverage the iPhone for any business segment." He said he wouldn't be surprised to see native applications emerging in the not-too-distant future for specific business uses.

But Hazelton doesn't believe that "hard-core" BlackBerry users will adapt easily to the iPhone. The killer app for BlackBerry is messaging, he said, while the killer app for the iPhone is multimedia.

He noted that the downside of the iPhone for messaging is that its keyboard has soft keys on the screen, with no tactile feedback for typing without looking. Even if the next generation has feedback, he said, it's not likely to match the hard keys of the BlackBerry for quick typing.

As a result, Hazelton said, "Apple is targeting the user who wants a good enterprise device that is also a good, all-around device for use at home -- a person who is a 'prosumer.'"