Posted by Tsepz_GP
"Two of the most famous tech companies in the world, IBM and Apple, are partnering up to offer a range of new apps for the enterprise, to be used on iOS devices. The deal calls for native apps to be built from scratch for the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad. The partnership includes IBM cloud services optimized for iOS including "device management, security, analytics and mobile integration." It also deals with new AppleCare support and service that is made for the enterprise, and offerings from IBM that deal with the activation, supply and management of iOS models.
The deal between the two tech titans creates IBM MobileFirst for iOS, and Big Blue will be selling Apple iPhones and Apple iPads with industry-specific applications pre-installed. With Apple creating the hardware, and IBM offering its data analytical software in easy to use app form, the goal is to increase usage of iOS in the enterprise. Already, 98% of the Fortune 500 companies use iOS devices in their business. 92% of the Global 500 also do so, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The first apps from the partnership will will launch later this year and into 2015, and will be aiming at retail, healthcare, banking, travel and transportation, telecommunications and insurance related businesses among others. AppleCare for Businesses will give IT departments 24/7 coverage from Apple, with IBM delivering the actual on-site service.
This should be an interesting partnership considering that both firms used to be rivals in the old days when PCs mattered. IBM was a much larger corporation in those days, something that is certainly no longer true."
PhoneArena
Business Wire
Posted by Supa_Fly
This news is HUGE brah! HUUUUUUUGE!
Posted by Tsepz_GP
Like, tell me about it brah!
Surprised there isn't more chatter about it here, MacRumors and CrackBerry are going bananas over it, so was Bloomberg yesterday, my iPad lockscreen was nothing but 'Apple and IBM blah blah blah...'even this morning up until MH17 unfortunetly happened.
Posted by Supa_Fly
Yeah man ... it's a major step, beyond the extra hype of historical bitter rivalry - which Jobs squashed silently while mentioning Microsoft deals back in 1999 (along with 5 million non-voting stock cash injection).
We're going to see the iPad lineup directly compete with capabilities with Microsoft's Surface Pro 3, Office desktop apps/365 (while these will continue to be offered/licensed to Apple as a client), and specific full fledge Lotus Notes app on iPad. I'm very curious if this deal/partnership will affect Siri (positive/negative) in any way with IBM's Watson mainframe offered as some sort of service.
PS: (yes there are still quite a few business that use Lotus Notes as it's a very secure mail platform that also works as an intranet and access rights to corporate LAN resources in a very database like way. I personally haven't trained nor used it since 8.5).