“International Business Machines has struck a deal with China Telecom Corp Ltd to offer and manage corporate-grade mobile apps, the latest in a string of tie-ups with Chinese firms,” Gerry Shih reports for Reuters. “Under the agreement, state-owned China Telecom will host on its servers IBM’s MobileFirst service, which helps corporations manage apps for Apple Inc’s iPhone and iPad devices.”
“The two companies have not yet disclosed any customers but will seek out everything from large, state-owned enterprises in sectors like banking and insurance to private startups,” Shih reports. “MobileFirst is the result of a collaboration between IBM and Apple. IBM has released dozens of iPhone and iPad apps that for instance help shipping companies manage freight or provide records on-the-go for medical doctors.”
Shih reports, “Twenty-four apps have been translated into Chinese, and additional ones will be tailored for retail, travel, transportation, government and healthcare, among other sectors.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Boom!
Related articles:
Apple+IBM add 8 powerful new MobileFirst enterprise apps for iPad and iPhone – April 1, 2015
Apple+IBM partnership is more than a simple hardware distribution deal – February 28, 2015
UBS: Apple+IBM partnership set to expand – February 9, 2015
Apple+IBM: Apple spoils early, Big Blue’s later? – February 2, 2015
Apple+IBM seize the mobile moment to energize enterprise software – December 29, 2014
That’s a tectonic shift. Not as big as other shifts of course but nonetheless…
Good job Ballmer’s not still around or a whole floor in Redmond would be chair less by now.
Just like AT&T saw the potential for getting on the Apple bandwagon with the original iPhone, when all the other carriers said “no thanks” to Jobs, IBM knows a winner when they see one.
Yes!!!!