Apple and IBM today announced an exclusive partnership that teams the market-leading strengths of each company to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of business apps—bringing IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to iPhone and iPad.
The landmark partnership aims to redefine the way work will get done, address key industry mobility challenges and spark true mobile-led business change—grounded in four core capabilities:
• a new class of more than 100 industry-specific enterprise solutions including native apps, developed exclusively from the ground up, for iPhone and iPad
• unique IBM cloud services optimized for iOS, including device management, security, analytics and mobile integration
• new AppleCare service and support offering tailored to the needs of the enterprise
• new packaged offerings from IBM for device activation, supply and management
The new IBM MobileFirst for iOS solutions will be built in an exclusive collaboration that draws on the distinct strengths of each company: IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities, with the power of more than 100,000 IBM industry and domain consultants and software developers behind it, fused with Apple’s legendary consumer experience, hardware and software integration and developer platform. The combination will create apps that can transform specific aspects of how businesses and employees work using iPhone and iPad, allowing companies to achieve new levels of efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction—faster and easier than ever before.
As part of the exclusive IBM MobileFirst for iOS agreement, IBM will also sell iPhones and iPads with the industry-specific solutions to business clients worldwide.
“iPhone and iPad are the best mobile devices in the world and have transformed the way people work with over 98 percent of the Fortune 500 and over 92 percent of the Global 500 using iOS devices in their business today,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “For the first time ever we’re putting IBM’s renowned big data analytics at iOS users’ fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple. This is a radical step for enterprise and something that only Apple and IBM can deliver.”
“Mobility—combined with the phenomena of data and cloud—is transforming business and our industry in historic ways, allowing people to re-imagine work, industries and professions,” said Ginni Rometty, IBM Chairman, President and CEO, in a statement. “This alliance with Apple will build on our momentum in bringing these innovations to our clients globally, and leverages IBM’s leadership in analytics, cloud, software and services. We are delighted to be teaming with Apple, whose innovations have transformed our lives in ways we take for granted, but can’t imagine living without. Our alliance will bring the same kind of transformation to the way people work, industries operate and companies perform.”
Apple and IBM’s shared vision for this partnership is to put in the hands of business professionals everywhere the unique capabilities of iPads and iPhones with a company’s knowledge, data, analytics and workflows. Specifically, the two companies are working together to deliver the essential elements of enterprise mobile solutions:
• Mobile solutions that transform business: The companies will collaborate to build IBM MobileFirst for iOS Solutions—a new class of “made-for-business apps” targeting specific industry issues or opportunities in retail, healthcare, banking, travel and transportation, telecommunications and insurance, among others, that will become available starting this fall and into 2015.
• Mobile platform: The IBM MobileFirst Platform for iOS will deliver the services required for an end-to-end enterprise capability, from analytics, workflow and cloud storage, to fleet-scale device management, security and integration. Enhanced mobile management includes a private app catalog, data and transaction security services, and productivity suite for all IBM MobileFirst for iOS solutions. In addition to on-premise software solutions, all these services will be available on Bluemix—IBM’s development platform on the IBM Cloud Marketplace.
• Mobile service and support: AppleCare for Enterprise will provide IT departments and end users with 24/7 assistance from Apple’s award-winning customer support group, with on-site service delivered by IBM.
• Packaged service offerings: IBM is introducing IBM MobileFirst Supply and Management for device supply, activation and management services for iPhone and iPad, with leasing options.
Announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June and available later this year, Apple’s iOS 8 is the biggest release since the launch of the App Store℠, giving users incredible new features and developers the tools to create amazing new apps. For enterprise, iOS 8 builds on the new IT model for a mobilized workforce by improving the way users are informed of how their devices are configured, managed or restricted, with expanded security, management and productivity features.
IBM’s 5,000 mobile experts have been at the forefront of mobile enterprise innovation. IBM has secured more than 4,300 patents in mobile, social and security, that have been incorporated into IBM MobileFirst solutions that enable enterprise clients to radically streamline and accelerate mobile adoption, help organizations engage more people and capture new markets.
IBM has made a dozen acquisitions in security in the past decade, has more than 6,000 security researchers and developers in its 25 security labs worldwide that work on developing enterprise-class solutions.
IBM has also established the world’s deepest portfolio in Big Data and Analytics consulting and technology expertise based on experiences drawn from more than 40,000 data and analytics client engagements. This analytics portfolio spans research and development, solutions, software and hardware, and includes more than 15,000 analytics consultants, 4,000 analytics patents, 6,000 industry solution business partners, and 400 IBM mathematicians who are helping clients use big data to transform their organizations.
Source: Apple Inc.
MacDailyNews Take: Boom!
The Times They Are A-Changin’.
Somewhere, Steve Jobs is smiling today.
Somebody get a couple pallets of adult diapers over to Microsoft HQ, pronto!
Related article:
Apple, with IBM, aims to transform and dominate enterprise computing – July 15, 2014
Ha! I love it!
Bitches leave…
Whatever he’s paying you, I’ll double it right now!
IBM sold its PC operations to concentrate on the enterprise. Now Apple can step in as the desktop/laptop/mobile device partner to round out IBM’s enterprise ecosystem. Both companies benefit.
Apple works to a long-term strategic plan. This partnership with IBM sounds like a key tactical move in executing that strategy. I like it.
BOOM —
That was Jay M’s head exploding.
It would be bigger boom if Apple just bought IBM. In fact, Apple could even buy few IBMs.
Such purchase would make no sense, but it is a fun thought.
Or Satya’s head.
To make this work IBM must be truly 100% committed with this. Not just corporate but also the field, rank and file groups. Toss out all the history of Apple VS IBM and move forward.
Motorola- Apple Rokor phone all over again. Nothing will come of it, Apple will need to do it themselves again. IBM IS A SLUG
I don’t think so. Remember, after IBM and Microsoft parted ways as a result of MS’s double-dealing with MS-DOS and OS/2, IBM retained no love for MS, and IBM’s concern over peecees no doubt waned considerably after it sold its peecee business to Lenovo. I have a family member who is a long-term employee of IBM who loves his Mac and iDevices. Don’t know if he is representative of the company or its employees, but I think this news may signal the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
I don’t think that’s necessarily true.
I live in the UK and you see an enormous amount of roles where Apple’s mobility products are being utilised as activity-oriented computers – as opposed to file/document-oriented laptops and desktops – in areas like retail and healthcare.
All of those activities need to be reliably fed with data that will come out of IBM’s server platforms; moreover they need to be supported by a name that CIOs and solution architects can trust which – after things xServe – isn’t Apple.
Now the real surprise would be if, using some technology beyond my understanding, some of Apple’s OS X APIs started to be virtualised in IBM’s operating systems and those systems started to become development targets for Swift.
with IBM no longer in the hardware game… they NEED an OEM to market THEIR services…
Apple holds all the leverage here…
Maybe Apple can make use of IBM’s Watson to work with Siri.
No, not nearly the same thing. That deal was meant as a stopgap until the iPhone was ready, and all the deal involved was Apple providing Motorola with software to make Motorola phones into a pseudo-iPod. The phone was basically an off-the-shelf Motorola ROKR phone (not “Rokor”).
This is much more corporate integrated, with both sides putting resources into it. Plus, there’s no fear of competition – neither company really competes with the other and these services very easily compliment each other’s services.
But what it does is make iOS the preferred corporate device. Android has nothing like it.
I said similar things about google back in 2007. Now google is a major competitor.
It actually makes sense. Look who’s the “giant” now!
IBM is now Apple Consulting.
Wow. This is bigger than the Beats acquisition.
this is the biggest jolt to Microsoft yet and a tremendous opportunity for both Apple and IBM.
Holy crap. Each one of those bullet points is major.
wo-hoo, I guessed MDN’s comment before having read it,
short the ‘times are a-changin’.
I heard the bricks dropping out of Satya Nadellas pants all the way in NY!
We are happy with the enterprise IBM server support we have in a remote part of the Polynesia. IBM does a quality job in their core business.
I think this partnership will be beneficial and synergistic for both Apple and IBM. Both partners gain credibility and depth and expansion opportunities in new markets. I look forward to the fruits of this partnership, particularly enterprise management and process automation. I can imagine benefits in healthcare, telemetry, manufacturing, robotics, transportation systems, aerospace, and design.
Microsoft and Samsung thought the puck was in mobile phones and air conditioning thermostats. This announcement is like the miracle goals at the World Cup.
I hope these announcements give hope to those who will lose their jobs at Microsoft, HP and their suppliers. Opportunity to change the world exists elsewhere. This partnership is BIG news!
Apple and IBM, joining to make business better…… and nary a Window in sight!!! Just saying. 🙂
And now Apple’s stock suddenly flips to green territory today.
If even half of what’s planned comes to fruition, it will transform the Enterprise as we know it.
Microsoft was already losing enterprise customers. This will more than accelerate that trend. This will put it into high gear.
Looks like uncle Fester got out just in time.
Sold just in time at a the peak, did you GM? Apple will never see 700 again will it GM? Fire Tim Cook huh GM?
Paid all the capital gains rather than reap dividends and are left out in the wish list, huh GM? Glad we all learnt from your investment expertise you genius you.
Oh that’s what that rumble was I felt.
Wow. I predicted years ago a mashup between Apple and IBM but that was about IBM licensing OS X for enterprise desktop.
This is way bigger but not unexpected given Tim’s appreciation for operational excellence and management.
I bet IBM did some work for Apple on this front and Tim liked it so much they decided to forge a partnership.
Next it will be more Macs on IBM desktops. LOL.
And these are the types of business transactions, operational efficiencies and partnerships, that Tim Cook does much better than Steve Jobs.
They have announced and tried similar things in the past. They all seemed to fizzle quickly and go no place significant. Perhaps this time will be different and it will make an impact.
In a couple years, I suspect the Wikipedia entry for Microsoft will read something like this:
Microsoft was at one time the largest technology company in the world. Their operating system powered over 98% of all personal computers. However, lack of innovation and a tendency to force users to re-learn the Windows operating system and Office software after every major update doomed the company.
In 2015, even after losing its dominant position in high tech, the company pressed on with the corporate strategy originally crafted by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Windows 9, codenamed, WTF, required users to use the mouse with only their left hand. The tiles that first made their appearance in the ill-fated Windows 8, became a 3-D Rubik’s cube in Windows 9. Moreover, to encourage adoption of Windows 9, Microsoft dropped support for previous versions of Windows.
Consumers abandoned the Windows platform at that point and the only users remaining were those in corporate environments controlled by IT staff who did not realize any other operating systems beside Windows even existed.
One of the biggest things that Apple gets is direct access to the CEOs of the largest global companies via IBM. Apple now has a built in marketing machine at the enterprise level.
So, if Steve were still alive, would that image of him under the IBM sign giving it the middle finger change to a Joe Namath index “We’re number one!” finger today?
Times they are a-changin’ indeed!
Wow! None the wise pundits and analysts saw that coming… nor the wah-wah whiners complaining Apple isn’t doing enough with big business.
That is because the ‘wise pundits and analysts’ were in fact lazy slugs recycling each other’s shady rumours and flawed intel, instead of actively studying the industry. The whiners were equally out of the loop. I strongly suspect that all of them relied on the overarching assumption that nothing ever really changes, readying the stage for their dramatic denunciations of anyone daring to try.
buh bye Microberry
And hello Microbreweries.
BOOM!!! – Apple just atomized, secured and fortified the Enterprise.
Warp speed ahead, to the moon.
The spaceship just cemented it’s foundation.
I am cautiously optimistic about this, but there are scars that are difficult to forget.
Remember OpenDoc? Remember the AUX servers? Remember the last few iterations of the PowerPC for Mac?
Hopefully this will turn out much better for both parties.
There’s a big difference in those examples you gave: IBM had little incentive to work with Apple, because the things Apple wanted did not fit with IBM’s needs. Apple wanted more power efficient mobile PowerPC processors while IBM wanted more power for server uses. Apple selling servers competed with IBM selling servers. OpenDoc really didn’t mean anything for IBM.
This is very different. IBM has no mobile presence. Apple has basically no corporate strategy (besides “here it is, your employees really like them”). This deal melds IBM’s corporate strengths and product offerings with Apple’s corporate-ready (but not corporate-supported) mobile devices. Throw some specific, well-designed apps in the mix to handle data and communications, and now IBM has something else to sell to its corporate customers. Apple doesn’t need to do anything besides make apps.
Of course, you realize this means an iPad, possibly bigger, with a keyboard is coming.
Interesting take, as it does open the door to a larger device.
And Tim Cook is bad for Apple, …riight.
/extreme sarcasm