Kevin Willis, the retired basketball center turned entrepreneur, gave up on the BlackBerry and depends on Apple Inc's iPhone to stay in touch with buyers, suppliers and the high-profile clients who wear his custom jeans.

"It does everything I need a phone to do for me and my business," said Willis, 46, who left the National Basketball Association last year after more than two decades and now helps run Willis & Walker clothing company in Atlanta.

That's just what Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs wants to hear. After more than 30 years pitching first Macintosh computers and then iPod media players to consumers, Apple is using the iPhone to attract a new audience: business buyers.