Apple and IBM have jointly announced a whole lotta blah, blah, blah plus a bucketful of blah, blah, blah. However, this is exciting stuff for iOS enterprise users, the iPhone and iPad users that blazed the BYOD corporate trail for Apple.
And, the bottom line reads roughly like this:
Apple and IBM will collaborate on building a new class of applications specifically tailored for certain industries, including retail, health care, banking, travel and transportation. The first of those applications will be available in the fall and will be released into next year.
Not coming immediately, but it’s gonna big in a backend, corporate sort of way.
“If you were building a puzzle, [Apple and IBM] would fit nicely together with no overlap,” Tim Cook said. “We do not compete on anything. And when you do that you end up with something better than either of you could produce yourself.”
— iPhones account for 82 percent of smartphones in use at US corporations and 36 percent globally
— iPads accounted for 73 percent of tablets in use at US corporations and 39 percent globally
— 98 percent of the Fortune 500 are either testing or actively deploying iOS devices
And, Apple’s already huge in the enterprise, but isn’t well equipped drive that advantage, which is what IBM’s all about.
“We will get to remake professions and unlock value that companies don’t yet have,” said Ginni Roomette, CEO, IBM. “We’re addressing serious issues that before this had been inhibiting deployment of wireless in the enterprise.”
Together, IBM and Apple will develop more than 100 industry-specific apps that will run on the iPhone and iPad, including apps for security, analyzing corporate data and managing the devices themselves. Additionally, Apple will add a new class of AppleCare warranty service.
And, you know, that just isn’t sexy. While the deal very likely could mean billions for Apple and IBM’s respective bottom lines, but it just isn’t sexy…
Unless, of course, you’re Microsoft/Nokia, Blackberry or Google. Then, right about now, you’ve got a major hard on for the deal Apple and IBM just made…
What’s your take?
Via Re/Code, Source: Joint Press Release