In their recently announced enterprise partnership with IBM, “Apple focusing solely on iOS makes perfect sense for a number of reasons.,” Yoni Heisler writes for TUAW.
“From a broad perspective, the real opportunities for growth lie in mobile, not desktop, computing,” Heisler writes. “But couldn’t Apple focus on both mobile and Macs? Sure, but instead of fighting against an entrenched Microsoft position, a mobile-only strategy enables Apple to shift the battle to an area where they have the upper hand.”
“With Tim Cook recently claiming that “laptops still outnumber tablet computers three-to-one in business environments”, there are two approaches Apple could take to get further into the enterprise. It could try to convert those laptops to Macs (a tough sell), or it can try to convert those laptops into iPads (a much easier sell in an increasingly mobile world),” Heisler writes. “Put simply, the recent IBM deal represents Apple playing to its strengths and focusing on where the money is.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The halo effect, by itself, will move many Mac units into the enterprise over time.
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Or Apple doesn’t care about macs because they know in due time each ipad will dual boot to OSX OR the two operating systems will merge into one.
I think Apple just picks “first things first.”
Disagree. From a consumption standpoints, that’s fine. From a creation/productivity standpoint, a hardware keyboard will always be needed. An iPad with a detachable keyboard (official from Apple) would be a step in that direction, but keyboard quality is essential and has no room for compromise. I don’t think I could type all day on a rubberized “cover keyboard”.
Majority of workers in corporations are in the middle i.e. someone creates a system (sometimes as simple as a spreadsheet and in far smaller number the corporations creates complex application such as CRM, HR, etc..) and everyone else simply search and fill where they are allowed. The simple distinction of producers versus consumers falls apart.
iPad would be a huge tool for on the road teams and managers who spent most of their time in meetings.
I have an Apple keyboard at home and at the office. The only time I type on screen is while I am at neither location. Outside of the iPad purchase the 2 keyboards are the best iPad accessories I have bought.
But when Microsoft said it ……….. Lol
Certainly they are coming together and thus likely more of this agreement will over time overlap no doubt at least to a degree, stealth is a far better process than front on attack and has always been Apples modus operandi for some time.
I kinda agree with GP. Something along the lines of iOS just taking over the consumer Mac space by acquiring all of the capabilities of the Mac over time. One day people look up and realize that Apple didn’t sell Macs to the enterprise, they inserted iOS devices which became stealth Macs.
The reason Macs are not included in the partnership is because IBM supports existing laptop and desktop installations with Windows. It would be a point of “conflict” if Macs were part of the agreement.
I speculate it does apply to Macs, but Apple left that bit out so it wouldn’t scare the great IT unwashed, imagine the sh*tstorm?
If it doesn’t, then I’m sure it applies to ‘devices running iOS’ and not specific hardware products, leaving Apple a nice back door for when Mac OS and iOS are eventually indistinguishable from each other.
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
– Sun Tzu
“Rosetta” that runs iPad apps. Done.
Yes, being able to launch iOS apps *within* OS X… that would be killer! The opposite doesn’t make sense…. OS X doesn’t belong on a tablet form factor.
I think that’s coming and may be coming as an unadvertised feature in Yosemite.
Wrong. The real reason is that there is no money in Enterprise desktop sales. Currently, Dell and HP dominate in Enterprise desktop and both sell at a loss in hopes of winning the contract to make money on the Services side. Apple is happy playing in the desktop market where they MAKE money and that won’t be Enterprise.
Or they’re just avoiding a bidding war. “You want MacBook Pros? Cool, order as many as you like online. The price is right on the site. Free custom engraving of your companies Property Tag Number.”
So we haven’t heard much noise in the online space of the new iPads this year. Wonder what’s in store, and when?
Waiting for when the OS X dashboard is an ios touch interface running touch apps natively.
You that, or some variation of that, must have been running in machines in some room on apple’s campus for years…
Develop productivity apps for iOS today (iPad, iPhone)….as it likely wouldn’t take much additional work to have these same apps running on an A8 powered MacBook Air if one comes to market in the next year or so.
IBM will come around to the Mac as more and more enterprise customers come around. One step at a time.
You are talking about Starship Enterprise i presume?
iPhones = Smart Cars.
iPads = Commuter Cars.
iMacs = SUV Trucks.
Mac Pros = Commercial Diesel Trucks.
iPhones = bicycles.
iPads = scooters.
iMacs = cars.
Mac Pros = family truckster.
You’re close –
iPhones = Bicycles. You’ll ride it to nearby places or farther if you have no other choice.
iPads = Motor Scooters. Ride it to work on nice days
iMacs and Minis = small commuter cars. Good enough for most travel.
Big gap in Apple’s Product line = SUVs, Luxury cars and light trucks. Need to move some large stuff around sometimes? Maybe take a large family on a picnic? You’re out of luck. Rent a Uhaul or rent a van.
Mac Pros = Heavy trucks and vans. They’re cool but hardly anyone really needs one.
Not true,
I work @ IBM, There is an internal email that says that IBM employees will eventually be given the choice of Mac.
Just wasn’t made public (until now)
😉
Disagree. The IT doofus is immune to halos, and has its own agenda i.e. making himself useful by buying what’s more easily broken and needs fixing on a regular basis. It is not like they or their bosses haven’t heard of macs already or aren’t aware of their capabilities.
This is actually perfect timing for the halo effect to be at its best. Those who use iDevices will (a) like them, (b) want to do more with them, (c) find out that they can’t do as much with them and their Windows computer as they can with a Mac, (d) try out a Mac and see how much better OS X is than Windows anything, (e) agitate for Macs at work as an alternative to Windows, and (f) get a Mac.
Q: Which is stronger, the Microsoft rock or the Apple water?
A: Have you ever seen rock eat away water?
OS X is getting long in the tooth. Apple is planning for the future and OS X isn’t part of it any more than OS 9 is. The Mac community had issues with moving to OS X, Intel, and about every other move, so this will be no different. Mac users are more conservative than they want to let on. They don’t accept change as well as they want to believe.