In a move that almost certainly comes as a blow to Microsoft and Google, Apple and IBM today announced a partnership that will allow them each to expand the mobility options of enterprise customers with the help of new apps and services for iOS. It’ll almost certainly result in a massive boost to Apple’s enterprise sales.
As a result of the partnership, IBM will start selling iOS devices to corporate customers and create more than 100 apps catering to specific industries. Each of the apps will be designed natively for the iPhone and iPad. In addition, Apple will benefit from IBM’s cloud services pertaining to security, analytics, device management, and mobile integration. Apple, in turn, will create a new AppleCare service plan for enterprise customers.
“[The partnership] takes the best of Apple and the best of IBM and it puts these together,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in the interview featuring him and IBM CEO Virginia Rometty. “There’s no overlap, no competition, they’re totally complementary, and more than anything, it favors the enterprise customer.”
As 9to5Macreports, Cook sent out a memo to Apple employees today regarding the new partnership. The deal, he says, couples Apple’s “legendary ease of use and integrated hardware and software” with the “unmatched industry depth, enterprise software, and expertise in big data analytics” of IBM.
“It also builds on the incredible momentum in Apple’s enterprise business,” Cook said. “iPhone and iPad can be found in 98% of the Fortune 500. People love to use iOS devices and Apple delivers the things companies need most—security and scalable deployment along with a powerful platform for apps. With this announcement, we’re now putting IBM‘s renowned big data analytics at iOS users‘ fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple.”
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