IBM Releases 100th MobileFirst for iOS App, Expanding Suite to iPad Pro

[MacRumors]

IBM today announced that it has released its 100th MobileFirst for iOS app, fulfilling its goal set in partnership with Apple. The made-for-business apps are used by enterprise customers across 14 industries and 65 individual professions, including wealth advisors, flight attendants, first responders, nurses, retail buyers and more.

MobileFirst for iOS apps include Advisor Alerts, Asset Care, Hospital RN, Passenger+, Sales Assist, Sales Consult, Train Tickets, Traveler Care and dozens others, used by clients such as Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Air Canada, AXA, Bosch, Coca-Cola Amatil, Japan Post, Rimac, SAS and Vodafone Netherlands.

IBM also said it is developing MobileFirst for iOS apps for iPad Pro, which will take advantage of the 12.9-inch tablet's expanded power, performance, larger screen size and iOS 9 multitasking features. Apple Pencil's precision and functionality will enable enterprise users to design and layout a room, log transactions or annotate maintenance logs.

Apple and IBM announced an enterprise partnership in 2014, released the first ten MobileFirst for iOS apps at yearend and have launched new apps periodically since. MobileFirst for iOS apps are designed in a secure environment, and can easily be deployed, managed and upgraded through IBM cloud services.

Apple and IBM list all of the MobileFirst for iOS apps on their websites.

Article Link: IBM Releases 100th MobileFirst for iOS App, Expanding Suite to iPad Pro

 

[jackth29]

the big ONE DOUBLE OH

 

[jackth29]

On a more serious note, I'm glad to see the IBM & Apple enterprise partnership progressing.

 

[jayducharme]

The made-for-business apps are used by enterprise customers across 14 industries and 65 individual professions

While that's admirable considering Apple's past difficulties in getting enterprise adoption, the statistic has no context. How does this stack up to the usage of MS or Unix in those industries and professions? It's hard to tell from this if Apple is making significant inroads with the adoption of their ecosystem, or whether they're still just an outlier.

 

[2457282]

While that's admirable considering Apple's past difficulties in getting enterprise adoption, the statistic has no context. How does this stack up to the usage of MS or Unix in those industries and professions? It's hard to tell from this if Apple is making significant inroads with the adoption of their ecosystem, or whether they're still just an outlier.

Agreed. I would like to know how many of those 100 apps are actually deployed. In how many businesses. With how many total users. I would like to see an actual use case or case study of these apps helping an organization optimize their productivity. Until then this has no context. For all we know they wrote all these apps and they just sit there with zero usage.

 

[gimikinc]

Based on the short list those do not look like any apps that would appear as enterprise apps. More like niche type apps that could be used by business users (or consumer alike).

 

[nagromme]

Based on the short list those do not look like any apps that would appear as enterprise apps. More like niche type apps that could be used by business users (or consumer alike).

You missed some of the short list—but also the full list. (And "enterprise" does not mean "non-niche"—often the reverse, in fact.)

As limited as this portfolio of 100 apps may seem, remember, it has been 16 months! I say, not half bad for starters. Some of the 100 will become big successes, some will not. Inevitable.

More and longer case studies will come, but it takes time. For now, these will have to do:

http://www.ibm.com/mobilefirst/us/en/mobile-case-studies/

 

[DanielSw]

While that's admirable considering Apple's past difficulties in getting enterprise adoption, the statistic has no context. How does this stack up to the usage of MS or Unix in those industries and professions? It's hard to tell from this if Apple is making significant inroads with the adoption of their ecosystem, or whether they're still just an outlier.

These lame "installed base"-type arguments are just plain stupid. The only thing that matters is rising statistics of IBM on iOS apps and systems deployment. Optimization for iPad Pro also bodes very well for both IBM and Apple.

 

[ILikeAllOS]

Based on the short list those do not look like any apps that would appear as enterprise apps. More like niche type apps that could be used by business users (or consumer alike).

>Second largest enterprise in the U.S.
>Refers to their enterprise apps as niche apps for consumers.

 

[Fzang]

These enterprise apps look damn sexy at that.

Too many professional apps run with the philosophy "if it works, and the GUI sucks in every possible way... It works and the GUI isn't relevant". Especially in natural science there's an overweight of "while I code this steaming turd of Java and Python on my Linux machine".

 

[Doffy86]

But, but there's no pro apps for the iPad.

 

[convergent]

These lame "installed base"-type arguments are just plain stupid. The only thing that matters is rising statistics of IBM on iOS apps and systems deployment. Optimization for iPad Pro also bodes very well for both IBM and Apple.

What is the difference between "installed base" and "systems deployment"? Aren't they the same thing? What matters is whether people are using this stuff, or is it just pretty shelf-ware?

I worked for IBM for many years and can say they have a VERY jaded past with application software. They are not Oracle, Salesforce, Infor, Microsoft, etc.. Their success in software has largely been systems software, not applications. They get into and out of applications spaces so frequently that most businesses would be very hesitant to invest heavily, because they've bailed out of markets many times.

These apps look like bolt-on niche apps that would need to be integrated into real enterprise software being used to run businesses. Most of the enterprise software companies are investing in their own iOS apps that are already integrated into their stuff. I will just be surprised if this really takes off. I think that IBM is floundering and are trying to latch onto the star power or Apple. I've always thought there was synergy between the two teaming up in the enterprise, but this is not where I see it.

 

[desmond2046]

A good move! Apple has to seek for new area of growth as consumer mobile phone market saturates.

 

[Only Mortal]

I worked for IBM for many years and can say they have a VERY jaded past with application software. They are not Oracle, Salesforce, Infor, Microsoft, etc.. Their success in software has largely been systems software, not applications. They get into and out of applications spaces so frequently that most businesses would be very hesitant to invest heavily, because they've bailed out of markets many times.

As one of the former devs on ViaVoice for OSX you're right but the Mac team was very conscious about UI. I spent lots of time making the preferences look like the Apple System Prefs and the ViaVoice floating window work well with its drawer.

To be honest, we were all Mac heads who just happened to be in Florida

 

[appledefenceforce]

Agreed. I would like to know how many of those 100 apps are actually deployed. In how many businesses. With how many total users. I would like to see an actual use case or case study of these apps helping an organization optimize their productivity. Until then this has no context. For all we know they wrote all these apps and they just sit there with zero usage.

lol who are you, IBM/ Apple shareholder? Even if so, aren't you supposed to get information from somewhere else rather than a website called MacRUMORS?

 

[Zirel]

But, but there's no pro apps for the iPad.

"It can't run PhotoShop, business have no use for it, buy the Microsoft one"

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