As odd as it may seem, Apple and IBM have recently struck a partnership to tackle the mobile enterprise market. Both companies claim that the new partnership is not only complementary to their companies, but also to the end users as well.
Given the differences between Apple and IBM’s target markets and businesses ever since their rivalry on the first personal computer, this partnership is definitely surprising.
The newly-formed partnership is to introduce new lines of enterprise-specific apps and services for consumers through Apple products. In light of this, the deal indicates that Apple is expanding its reach of the iPhone and iPad into the business world by shipping them preloaded with enterprise tools that users could implement on their businesses to improve their workflow.
In addition, IBM plans to build operations like on-site support and services of Apple products and an exclusive cloud service to iOS. These enterprise tools would have more than 100 classes of industry-specific applications exclusively for iPhones and iPads to run on Apple’s iOS platform. The partnership is as favorable to IBM as it is to Apple as the corporation is able to extend beyond their traditional consumer base.
As Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple Inc. mentioned in a recent exclusive interview on CNBC, the partnership is about “transforming enterprise” and aims to “deliver on the promise of mobile in a big way.” The partnership between both companies would not stop there as they intend to engage in areas such as retail, health care, transportation and other industries.
[Source: PCWorld, The Wall Street Journal]
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