Apple and IBM Team Up For Major Enterprise Mobility Partnership

[Rogifan]

Samsung won't be tops in enterprise, do they even make servers and workstations? Let alone enterprise services! They seem to make nice ships though?
I doubt Google will be hurt, they can be just as innovative and forward thinking as Apple in reality. I bet one day Apple and Google will share ideas even.

I'm talking about penetration in the enterprise. Of course Samsung would love corporate IT departments buying Samsung phones and tablets. IMO this partnership makes iOS much stronger in the enterprise than Android. I'm sure it raised a few eyebrows in Redmond too as Satya Nadella just released a 3000 word memo positioning Microsoft as the productivity company.

 

[Quadrant4]

I should of also said... IF Apple is serious about taking on the enterprise market, then it could do a lot lot worse then join forces with IBM.

I don't actually think some posters on here actually realise just how much of their lives are most likely touched by an IBM system in some form or another.

yeah, I think most people haven't a clue as to what IBM is all about since the average person doesn't read up on the Enterprise class market as they are too consumed by the consumer dribble that most rumor sites are based on.

Most people that are on these sites only really know IBM as selling off their PC unit to Lenovo and anything more than that is unknown.

IBM does more solution selling rather than just selling a box for little or no margin.

 

[demodave]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


Apple and IBM today announced plans for an exclusive partnership that will see them teaming up to "transform enterprise mobility" through a series of new business apps and services for iOS devices that will undoubtedly skyrocket Apple's enterprise sales.

Article Link: Apple and IBM Team Up For Major Enterprise Mobility Partnership

Like many others have said, I totally did not see this thing coming, but when I saw the after-hours bump, I knew something big had happened. This is huge. Apple is endlessly (needlessly?) criticized for its role (non-role) in enterprise. This will move the needle a *lot*.

Talk about doubling down on secrecy.

 

[Quadrant4]

I'm talking about penetration in the enterprise. Of course Samsung would love corporate IT departments buying Samsung phones and tablets. IMO this partnership makes iOS much stronger in the enterprise than Android. I'm sure it raised a few eyebrows in Redmond too as Satya Nadella just released a 3000 word memo positioning Microsoft as the productivity company.

Yeah, and pretty soon Microsoft is going to be announcing their biggest layoff to date.

 

[2457282]

How things have changed!

Image

They're going to want this deleted from the internet...

Excellent. Back then IBM and the IBM PC working with Microsoft really was the evil empire to Apple. But now IBM is more of a service company, and the only hardware they sell is at the server level (including mainframes). There really is no hardware competition or even an operating system competition. I suspect that IBM will leverage something like Cognos mobile and expand for TM1 and SPSS to give them more big data analytics on mobile. All things IBM is good at but still delivered through a pretty device which is what apple is good at.

 

[tdale]

its about time Apple took the enterprise crowd more seriously... and their mobile devices certainly give them an edge so.... i look forward to seeing what they come up with...

Exactly. No mention of OSX, but if enterprises bed down with iOS, then "can you provide the network functionality we have with Windows with an Enterprise OSX?"

Continuity for travelling execs. Simple things such as when OSX adds SMS to Messages which is coming. Where working on a desktop. or a tablet is of no consequence as the doc is everywhere. This already exists but when it exists in a seamless, always works function, I can see Apple being best in class for enterprises. More iOS sales, then more enterprise Mac sales, then more sales by the masses as they perceive Apple is best. The reducing of the iOS features lag a iOS8 is showing, all of these are compounding. iPhone screen size also.
The Android vs iOS may become moot. Few cons for iOS

 

[uraniumwilly]

This. Is. Huge.

Seriously great news for all of us.

Yes. All I got to say to any Apple rival is, "BOOM SHA LACKA LACKA!"

 

[Swift]

Who else?

They could partner with Google, but that's pretty impossible now. Know where that leaves Apple? Having an inferior version of Google Maps, or making their own. Building out their own cloud for consumers.

But for business, what to do? Partnership. With Microsoft? Microsoft is trying to get into the IBM role, selling cloud services for business. Apple itself doesn't want to do this. But IBM seems like the perfect choice. No business conflicts, they sell this kind of service to businesses. Now they can add Apple software services for business.

 

[tdale]

I'm talking about penetration in the enterprise. Of course Samsung would love corporate IT departments buying Samsung phones and tablets. IMO this partnership makes iOS much stronger in the enterprise than Android. I'm sure it raised a few eyebrows in Redmond too as Satya Nadella just released a 3000 word memo positioning Microsoft as the productivity company.

Samsung may be seen as a nice consumer electronics manufacturer of phones and tablets, Apple be seen as the secure, quality provider for business. Even forget the devices themselves, look at integration, Enterprise Applecare, whats not to like?

Growth will be slow, news items as each new large corporate joins Apple, if they can pull it off, I can see a steady acceleration, particularly if a small handful of big name companies jump in.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

IBM was Apple's first enemy.

Then Microsoft was the enemy.

Today Google is the enemy.

Any idea on who their next enemy will be?

You forgot Samsung, unless it's considered a Frenemy.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Yeah, and pretty soon Microsoft is going to be announcing their biggest layoff to date.

Because the purchase of a couple of big companies in the past few years has created a ton of redundancy. Sure, they'll cut some dead weight with it too but layoffs at a company like that are not the same as say, GM laying off factory workers.

 

[Quadrant4]

Well that explains why IBM has been issuing macbook pros to employees.

How many of their 400K+ employees are going to be using Macs? Apple does need to partner up with companies like IBM.

There are really only a couple of companies that do what IBM does or at least go after the Enterprise customer that isn't Windows centric and the other major companies are Oracle and Cisco.

It would get more interesting if Apple expanded the partnership to include desktops/laptops. Maybe that will happen later, who knows. But this is a good start. Apple just never really had a great Enterprise story to tell and that's because Jobs never really knew much about the Enterprise. Cook knows a little bit more, but he was more back end operations than the front line sales when he was at IBM and Compaq.

 

[MacPioneer]

Wow did not see that coming!

Didn't see it coming when I was with NeXT and Steve announced we were partnering with IBM.

The report said they started discussing this "several years ago" - I wonder if Steve was involved.

 

[apolloa]

I'm talking about penetration in the enterprise. Of course Samsung would love corporate IT departments buying Samsung phones and tablets. IMO this partnership makes iOS much stronger in the enterprise than Android. I'm sure it raised a few eyebrows in Redmond too as Satya Nadella just released a 3000 word memo positioning Microsoft as the productivity company.

I see... yeah I think the Note is a good device they can penetrate the market with. Not so sure about their tablets as they have a lot of other Android tablets to compete with? But I absolutely agree, this will make iOS stronger. It would be great if we had MS and IBM backend, Google searching and indexing, Apple front end and devices, no? hmm yeah probably not lol!

yeah, I think most people haven't a clue as to what IBM is all about since the average person doesn't read up on the Enterprise class market as they are too consumed by the consumer dribble that most rumor sites are based on.

Most people that are on these sites only really know IBM as selling off their PC unit to Lenovo and anything more than that is unknown.

IBM does more solution selling rather than just selling a box for little or no margin.

Yeap, they heavily target the enterprise sector these day's, if you buy something online most likely it will pass through some sort of IBM system on it's way to you.

 

[neutrino23]

This is huge.

It is hard to overestimate how big this will be. As they mention in the article IBM and Apple are largely complementary these days. This instantly gives IBM the best mobile solution when companies are expanding into mobile and it gives Apple serious street cred in the Enterprise market. This will have repercussions for years to come.

The executive suite in Redmond must be hitting the martinis pretty hard tonight.

 

[tdale]

Yeah, for the Enterprise. They deal with hotels, restaurants, hospitals, big retail chains, and many other Fortune 1000 companies. Have you not looked at IBM's web site?

They have a host of Enterprise based software, services, and the really big enterprise boxes. They have some of the fastest servers. They are also selling Watson, which does kick ass to hospitals and other companies. It's a kick ass search software that's more AI based. They have some of the fastest super computers.

They just got out of the PC industry since there's no money in it. So they sold off that business to Lenovo.

IBM has a lot of different divisions that cater to medium and large businesses and they focus on a lot of things Apple can't. Apple doesn't have any Enterprise Class software, Services, etc. Apple is seen more as a consumer computing company and lately more of a cell phone mfg. It's too bad Cook isn't capable of selling to the Enterprise market, their story isn't as good when it comes to that. They kind of look a little out of their element when it comes to doing computer deals with the Enterprise customer which is why they are leveraging iPhones and iPads now. They get OS X business as an afterthought with these accounts.

That is a key for me. IBM has no motive with desktops now, so while Macs were not mentioned, you'd have to expect that when an enterprise goes iOS, the next step is Macs. This partnership needs to provide what Windows Enterprise provides, so the businesses can migrate to OSX, run all their same software, and functionality. Add Apples security and integration and what extra stuff Apple will do to cater for enterprise, this is big

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Excellent. Back then IBM and the IBM PC working with Microsoft really was the evil empire to Apple. But now IBM is more of a service company, and the only hardware they sell is at the server level (including mainframes). There really is no hardware competition or even an operating system competition. I suspect that IBM will leverage something like Cognos mobile and expand for TM1 and SPSS to give them more big data analytics on mobile. All things IBM is good at but still delivered through a pretty device which is what apple is good at.

Basically, according to what you mentioned above, this partnership are not going to benefit the common end-user and not even most SMBs out there.
Do I make any sense?

On the other hand, based on past history, almost everything IBM touches, it breaks it:
- OS/2
- NITIX (From Net Integration Technologies, and amazing Linux based turnkey hardware with integrated software server solution. Anyone remembers it?)
- LOTUS Notes (oh well, that monster!)
Etc....

IBM aims too high, that's why they missed so many good lower targets.

 

[kerrikins]

I like this. Apple needs to expand their influence beyond general consumers if they want to cement a safe place. Look at Microsoft. There business domination is one of their life lines.

Yup, business is key... Even when BB started going downhill, companies still used them because they had an ecosystem built around them and they don't change quickly. Plus that's a huge number of units, and businesses often upgrade more often than consumers because the fees to do so are lower.

 

[tmanto02]

What do you mean? Even Jobs had already put Jobs' teenage angst views aside. You remember the AIM alliance, right? Apple/IBM/Motorola?

Very very vaguely now you mention it. *goes to Wikipedia*

 

[tdale]

It is hard to overestimate how big this will be. As they mention in the article IBM and Apple are largely complementary these days. This instantly gives IBM the best mobile solution when companies are expanding into mobile and it gives Apple serious street cred in the Enterprise market. This will have repercussions for years to come.

The executive suite in Redmond must be hitting the martinis pretty hard tonight.

Oh yes. Whats the Mac market share on 2017????? If it went that way, and Macs market share rises every year and Windows machines decline, that is a slippery slope, mass users will stop defaulting to a Windows PC, a runaway effect

 

[osaga]

IBM was Apple's first enemy.

Then Microsoft was the enemy.

Today Google is the enemy.

Any idea on who their next enemy will be?

My bet is xiaomi, they have an amazon-like no profit approach to gain market share and eventually sell services.

 

[Mark Booth]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Today, Apple, IBM and Microsoft's enemy is Samsung.

Mark

 

[lostngone]

Nothing good can come of this!

IBM is still the enemy! If I was Apple I would buy IBM, take what they wanted/needed and shut the rest down.

 

[tdale]

How many of their 400K+ employees are going to be using Macs? Apple does need to partner up with companies like IBM.

There are really only a couple of companies that do what IBM does or at least go after the Enterprise customer that isn't Windows centric and the other major companies are Oracle and Cisco.

It would get more interesting if Apple expanded the partnership to include desktops/laptops. Maybe that will happen later, who knows. But this is a good start. Apple just never really had a great Enterprise story to tell and that's because Jobs never really knew much about the Enterprise. Cook knows a little bit more, but he was more back end operations than the front line sales when he was at IBM and Compaq.

Call me positive, but a large corporate with 100% iOS devices and 100% Windows PC's, not hard to see them migrating to Macs for integration. Yes, Windows has the enterprise solutions, Apple needs to match them and I am sure thats on the cards.

We read the PC vs Mac market share arguments, it always comes down to Apple is consumer only. Now if IBM tells Apple, this is what Enterprise OSX needs, hard not to imagine Apple forging ahead with that. Apples enterprise market share is probably bordering zero or very insignificant, they can only go one way

 

[outback1313]

Nothing good can come of this!

IBM is still the enemy! If I was Apple I would buy IBM, take what they wanted/needed and shut the rest down.

Apple can't afford to buy IBM.