Bennett reports, “‘We wanted to bring the mobile revolution into the dealership,’ Andreas Hinrichs, vice president of marketing, said in an interview. ‘The iPad is consumer centric but there is a business side to it as well.'”
“If successful, Mercedes-Benz Financial may distribute iPads to all of its 350 U.S. dealers,” Bennett reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: And the rest of the computer industry stands frozen in the middle of the road, transfixed upon Apple’s rapidly approaching, exquisitely designed headlights.
“And the rest of the computer industry stands frozen in the middle of the road, transfixed upon Apple’s rapidly approaching, exquisitely designed headlights.”
LOL!!! Priceless!
This is something I don’t understand. How does MB put a proprietary program on the iPad? Does it just go into the App Store? Is it then available for ANYONE to download? Does the app have to go through the same approval process? Or is there another way? Jailbreak?
So only for dealers but if you buy a Kia you’ll get a free iPad lol
@ob1spyker
I believe you can put you own apps on an iPhone/iPad or distribute them to your organization’s iPhones/iPads, without using the App Store.
You can not sell them of course.
The iClass.
WARNING: this is off topic but I am upset this morning. In the San Jose Mercury there is a front page article by some clown named Patrick May that is a hatchet job on Apple. He reports on the Tate email exchange as though Steve lost the debate. No mention of Tate’s drunken use of the F word, etc. Then goes on to damn Apple by John Stewsrt, Degeneres, and he claims many developers are leaving apple for Anddroid. I have cancelled my subscription as of today. Just tired of the Mercury’s ignoramous reporters trashing Apple day after day. You would think they would like a local company to suceed but I think they are in Googles corner. Anyway sorry to put my rant here but just had to get it out of my system. I Googled May but he does not seem to have any pulitzers.
@bart
I think you are right, but the question is “HOW does one place a custom app on their iPad?”
“exquisitely designed headlights.”
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Also, someone who posts here regularly (TheConfused1??? LurkerPC???) posted a few days ago about the fact that they work for a MB dealership and that they were already using iPads at work.
@Spark,
iPad Enterprise Dev Program let’s you do what you are asking.
Here comes the Enterprise.
HughB,
Isn’t that also the same paper that single-handedly spread the rumor (via one of their now-fired reporters who fabricated the entire story) about the CIA inventing crack and pumping it into the ghetto in an effort to kill blacks?
People still believe this fallacy to this day.
there is an Enterprise version of the developer license where you can distribute private apps to your own company.
I am not at all amazed at how far behind the rest of the industry is. They don’t have the engineering prowess of Apple and this is greatly magnified in the mobile and miniature form factors.
Microsoft has no answer. HP bought Palm. Dell is teaming up with Google Android… Microsoft is in real, immediate trouble this year, like never before… I saw this coming, but I didn’t think is would be so soon and Microsofts own partners competing against them – and Courier is vaporware – no device… no wonder AAPL is just about to top MSFT in market cap.
As of 1:35pm, only ONE BILLION to go!
You mean, “Apple’s rapidly disappearing, exquisitely designed tail lights.”
@Spark,
The program Jamie referenced is for Enterprise – meaning 500 employees or more.
For smaller numbers of devices (100), the process is similar to how we all normally install apps (iTunes). But, instead of downloading the app into your library via the iTunes store, you drag it in from email, a web link, etc. Along with the app, you need a Provisioning Profile that the developer creates from the UDID of each device he/she wants to distribute the app to. The process is called the “Ad Hoc Distribution” method. Perfect for small businesses or beta testers. The provision profile must be updated periodically though, so an app based on it wouldn’t continue to work forever.
http://developer.apple.com/programs/iphone/distribute.html
I believe the headlights was seen by the current leaders of the tablet community and the taillights seen from a upside down, blurry, post leadership, tire treaded marked, face in dirt position.
LOL
I work in a new, state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz dealership.
We use apple products all throughout our dealership.
iPads will be a nice addition!
Hopefully they remove flash from http://www.mbusa.com sometime soon, so it can be accessed by these devices.
@Jaimie, dd, ecrabb
Thanks for the info. I’d love to see some more examples of these private enterprise apps. The iPhone/touch/iPad are such versatile tools. I bet there are some interesting dedicated apps we’ve never seen.
@ Cubert–
No, we don’t have iPads yet, but I did post that we use an iPod touch to control all the audio and video throughout the dealership.
An trust me, that’s a lot… We have flat screen televisions even built into the walls above the urinals, and in the mirrors in the bathrooms!
We use Mac computers (running Windows though), iPods, and a Mac Mini-controlled projector that displays advertising above our restaurant, across the windows, that can be seen from both sides of the glass.
Interestingly enough, our service department just began using tablet computers for writing service.
They got them just before the iPad was released.
Oh, and in case you missed it, I said “restaurant.”
We have a full bar and bistro in our showroom!
This minute Apple is worth more than Microsoft:
AAPL Apple Inc. 247.77 +2.55 1.04% 225.56B
MSFT Microsoft Corporation 25.70 -0.37 -1.42% 225.14B
This is panning out as expected though probably quicker that Apple could possibly have hoped, the iPad is getting Apple into the business sector through the front door and of course into the arena with the highest possible profile in terms of getting noticed, and getting noticed doing its job efficiently appealing to both business user AND consumer. This is not unplanned and an area that for some time to come Microsoft can only look on in envy. Add to this everything from the news that Euro MPs are to be provided with them to a BBC Formula 1 presenter openly using this device in this technologically cutting edge environment before they are even on sale in Europe, and fear must be growing visibly in the Microsoft Business Unit that this is simply the thin edge of the wedge or a stiletto less than silently closing in on its heart.
TheConfused1,
Well, hopefully they let you keep the iPods when the iPads come!
And, I pay attention to people’s posts. In case there’s a quiz.
now we need them to install them as sat navs in the s-class etc