Cisco Systems Hopes for “Interoperability” with Apple iPhone

7:55 am on February 19, 2007 | Category: Business, Cell Phones, Editorials, Law, Mobile Devices

products/apple-iphone.jpg

Cisco’s ongoing negotiations with Apple over the iPhone trademark aren’t purely about money, the networking giant claimed when it extended the talks last week.

The company says that it is actually hoping to establish future interoperability and “collaboration with Apple,” while differentiating the Apple iPhone from a number of Linksys products of the same name.

Although these comments indicate a positive resolution for the ongoing trademark talks, many analysts believe that Cisco is actually sugarcoating the truth about its intentions.

“I don’t see what Apple gets out of future collaboration because it is not trying to get into the switch market,” commented Roger L. Kay, the principal analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.

“At this point, it’s about saving face and coming up with an acceptable number,” Kay went on to say, noting that “Cisco does not want to appear like it got dope-slapped by Apple.”

Mr. Kay’s sentiments are almost certainly true, but I believe that the media hype surrounding the Apple iPhone is also an important factor. In my opinion, it’s quite clear that Cisco wants a positive resolution to these talks, but gain a higher brand profile for its own products in the process.

Yes, Cisco Systems will almost certainly get a tidy little cash settlement out of this, but its perceived association and “interoperability” with the hottest new cell phone on the market (not to mention all the free publicity) will be its biggest gain.

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    Published by TeleClick Enterprises
    Edited by Jeremy Maddock