On the 9th June, Apple announced, possibly, one of the most hyped device this year – the Apple iPhone 2.0. The original device caused quite a stir when launched last year, but it was clearly and squarely aimed at the music-loving consumer. Although employing a number of innovative technologies, including an inspired touch-screen display, it was generally dismissed by the corporate user, preferring RIM’s Backberry or Microsoft Windows Mobile smartphones with their ‘push’ email capabilities and security features.

In the lead up to the iPhone 2.0 launch, Apple slipped in a number of significant announcements – the main one related to the licensing of Microsoft’s ActiveSync technologies – a mechanism for allowing remote handheld devices to synchronise with centralised data automatically. The reason for the announcement became clear with the new product announcement.

So, when Steve Jobs stood up at the Apple Developer’s conference, it was clear that Apple’s next move was to make the new iPhone a lot more friendly to the corporate user. The major upgrades are:

- 3G with associated faster data speeds
- Push email with connectivity to Microsoft Exchange
- GPS to allow real-time locational services

Apple also announced the slashing of the cost of the device by 50%, which changes the way in which O2 in this country will be able to subsidise the cost of the device, in some cases down to free, when combined with certain tariffs.

The combination of 3G and push-email from Microsoft Exchange servers could be a real head-turner for corporate users – there have been some negative comments from certain consultancies about security weaknesses, but I’m sure there will a large number of technology-aware executives knocking on the door of their CIO wanting to bag one of these devices.

It’s an interesting dynamic that while business volumes are going down in the mortgage marketplace, the service levels have quickly fallen as well.  A situation that in theory is counter intuitive as lower volumes should provide more time to deal with each application, helping service levels rise.

Looking below the surface, while volumes have decreased, supply as decreased more, with many players closing to new business.  With major players like GMAC closing their doors and many specialist players such as Advantage, Salt and Mortgages PLC and several others are closing up shop, those left are in fact dealing with increased business against which they are applying more complicated criteria and underwriting processes.

Never before has a streamlined, technology led, mortgage origination programme been needed more and the real shame is that some of the best systems in the market such as GMAC’s and Mortgage PLC’s, are no longer in use.  While some of the bigger players such as C&G, who remain behind the times in ecommerce terms and have less of a reputation for service are getting more and more volumes of business to processes and service levels are suffering.

It’s always difficult to invest in the downturns of markets but if ever investment in electronic systems was needed, it is now.

Have you ever wondered why you don’t here the noise of the ticking clock, the busy road outside or the hum of PCs and printers in the background? It’s like the brain has created a scotoma [blind spot] in your conscious senses to only hear what is relevant and ignore all else. Let’s be honest, if we didn’t have this filter, our senses would be in overdrive and we would probably go mad! Take the reverse of that and think back to the time when you wanted to buy a new washing machine or PC. Suddenly it was as if by magic, companies were advertising amazing deals just for you! You became conscious of a range of information that your mind had previously blanked out. This is important, because it is in understanding this ability to focus and channel resources that can be used to set and achieve goals. The better the visualisation and more specific the goal is should enable the brain to channel its energy towards the achievement of success. Some people say it is as important to know the details of how each step towards the goal will be achieved. I do not dismiss the ‘how’, but I do believe that the priority is getting the ‘what’ sorted out in your head. The brain is immensely powerful and capable of developing and adapting to the ‘how’ as it progresses and learns new thinks and sees ways to reach the goal. However, interim targets and milestones can undoubtedly help.

This is the same for personal targets and for corporate visions. John F Kennedy established a great Vision statement when he declared ‘This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him back safely to the earth’. The details of exactly how this would be done were not set out and if they had been examined at the time the goal was set, the conclusion would most likely have been that the goal was impossible! If we ignore conspiracy theorists, this goal was ultimately achieved because people were motivated to do it.

Lance Armstrong recovered from cancer because he believed he could – even if his doctors didn’t! He went on to win the Tour de France [7 times] fuelled by that same belief and motivation and to do so he focused on this event to the exclusion of all others.

In business we can do the same. However, it is not easy and it will require more than words on a piece of paper. When setting personal and business goals for yourself and for others, it is crucial to ask whether you and they have the desire AND the commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal. Great goals require great effort, as well as constant motivation and a willingness to make personal sacrifices along the way. Not everyone has the same aspirations, even if they agree to the target and failing to understand this will most likely result in an imposed target not being met.