CREATING FOLDERS IN IPHONE EMAIL.

You can do this with an IMAP account, but not with the iPhone. You can't create mailboxes for an account with the iPhone.

With an IMAP account, you can create additional server stored mailboxes for the account with the email client used on your computer for accessing the account, or via webmail access for the account using a browser.

All server stored mailboxes with an IMAP account will be available with the iPhone's mail client automatically, and will be kept synchronized with the server automatically with each email client used to access the account. Transfer a received message from the account's Inbox mailbox to a server stored mailbox by category with the iPhone's mail client and the message will be available in the server stored mailbox when checking the account with the email client used on your computer for accessing the account, and vice-versa.

what if i dont want the folder structure on the server.
I prefer to have the server flat and accessed via POP3 from my outlook.
In outlook, i have whatever folders make sense to my desktop world.

but on the iphone, i want simple local folders that i can move a few emails into
ON the iphone. I dont want to move those emails on the server or my desktop.
The iphone already does this with TRASH folder, but I want a second folder,
like maybe FOLLOW_UP. On the iphone, i would delete most emails after reading,
but save a few to FOLLOW_UP to look at later in the day. Again, i dont want
any of this to impact my outlook on the desktop.

If i use IMAP to create the folder, then moving emails to the FOLLOW_UP folder
modifies the server, and thus impacts my outlook view of the world.
I like outlook POPing the server and managing everything on my desktop.
2 different persective on the mail:
desktop-full organization,
iphone-quick road work

cant beleive I dont see more chatter about this kind of capability
everyone simple seems to adopt imap
what am i missing ?

what if i dont want the folder structure on the server.

Then don't, but the only way to create additional mailboxes for access with the iPhone's mail client is with an IMAP account by creating additional server stored mailboxes for the account.

An IMAP is designed to have all server stored mailboxes for the account identical with each email client used to access the account with each server stored mailbox kept synchronized with the server automatically with each email client used to access the account.

Email account mailboxes and messages are not included with your iPhone's backup, so if you restore your iPhone with iTunes if needed or wanted, all locally stored mailboxes for an account will be lost in the process. And with a POP account, received messages no longer available at the incoming mail server for the account will also be lost, and when the account is recreated, all received messages that remain at the incoming mail server will be downloaded as new and unread messages again.

Not the same with an IMAP account. All server stored mailboxes and messages within will be restored with the account is recreated and all received messages already read and marked as such will be marked as read when the account's Inbox mailbox is re-synchronized with the server.

Although a POP account can be accessed with more than one email client, a POP account is designed to be accessed with a single email client only. An IMAP account is designed to be accessed with more than one email client with all server stored mailboxes kept synchronized with the server automatically with each email client used to access the account. This came about when laptops became popular - using a Desktop at the office and a laptop when traveling or when out of the office. Send a message with the email client used on the laptop and the sent message will be available in the account's Sent mailbox with the email client used on the Desktop automatically, and vice-versa. The same applies with the iPhone's mail client, but to each his/her own.

At the current time, it isn't possible to create additional mailboxes with the iPhone's mail client with no way of knowing if Apple has any plans to incorporate this with a future firmware update.

hi allan-
i've seen you've been providing great answers to similar questions i've had, if i could pester you a bit.
is it possible to set rules with IMAP, similar to the 'on my mac' using the desktop mail application? basically, i'd like the iphone to be able to mimic the way the 'on my mac' organization that i've created. i don't mind re-creating the folder structure in a different location (under MAILBOXES instead of ON MY MAC) if necessary. i haven't tried to drag and drop the folders from ON MY MAC to MAILBOXES, maybe that would work.
in any case, i hope i'm explaining myself properly. it seems like this must be possible, rather than manually organizing emails each time one is received.

If you have an IMAP account, this is possible. You need to transfer the selected "On My Mac" location mailboxes to the server for the IMAP account. All served stored mailboxes with an IMAP account will be available when accessing the account with the iPhone's mail client. A rule that automatically transfers a recieved message to a user created server stored mailbox will be reflected automatically when checking the account with the iPhone's mail client since all server stores mailboxes with an IMAP account are kept synchronized with the server automatically with each email client used to access the account.