IBM Launches New Service to Deploy Macs to Businesses Around the World

[MacRumors]

IBM today announced the launch of a new service that will allow large companies to easily incorporate Mac computers into their preexisting corporate infrastructure. The service, being deployed by IBM's MobileFirst Managed Mobility Services unit, will be aimed at companies around the world and not just based in the United States.

Thanks to the MobileFirst partnership with Apple that has brought about multiple waves of enterprise-focused apps as the company has increased its own usage of Macs, IBM saw an opportunity to commercialize its expertise in "enterprise deployment" of Macs in the workplace.

"Ease of adoption and use are at the foundation of every Apple product, and as these devices are used more in the workplace, people expect the same experience they enjoy with Apple technology in their personal lives," said Richard Patterson, general manager, Infrastructure Services, IBM Global Technology Services. "IBM's new enterprise services ensure a great user experience for clients using Macs, providing world-class support from installation through the life of the product."

The company promises that the new MobileFirst service will be completely headache-free for clients, with the Macs delivered directly to customers and ready to go out of the box with easy network access setup screens and security measures. It will also support the personal Macs of employees if they bring their own devices to work. The source of the quick-and-painless software setup is a partnership with JAMF Software and its Casper Suite, the "leading solution" for the quick deployment and setup of enterprise computers.

Today's news comes after an internal video of IBM chief information officer Jeff Smith that leaked late last week, in which Smith told employees that the company could end up purchasing 150,000-200,000 Macs annually, significantly more than the original estimate of 50,000 Macs deployed through the end of the year announced in internal memo earlier in the year. IBM has told Apple it expects the initiative could eventually see 50-75 percent of IBM employees switching over to Mac from the company-standard Lenovo computers used at IBM.

Article Link: IBM Launches New Service to Deploy Macs to Businesses Around the World

 

[Four oF NINE]

Fascinating that IBM would turn to Apple Macs at the corporate level.

 

[JohnnyGo]

IBM and Apple now bed fellas... who would guess ? SJ would be all smiles.

Great news for Apple as they continue to push their MAC hardware, alongside iPads and iPhones, into the enterprise segment.

 

[nostaws]

"Headache-free"? How do you quantify/qualify that?
I have a headache right now. Do I get some sort of reimbursement?

 

[hotpotato123]

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

 

[snebes]

Wonder how much their required support contract is on top of the machines?

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[unplugme71]

Fascinating that IBM would turn to Apple Macs at the corporate level.

IBM was losing the PC market due to decline in sales and heavy competition. We are growing our Mac base heavily at my company and using Windows in VDI when needed. When I'm due for upgrade I will get a Mac too.

Remember, lots of things are going cloud based. Making the Mac easier for adoption than ever before.

 

[snebes]

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

As someone who has worked off an iMac under office fluorescents for years now, I can assure you, glare isn't that big of a deal. And considering the ****** state of cheap office monitors, although matte, look awful and cause me eye strain looking at them for extended periods.

 

[unplugme71]

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

The lighting in stores doesn't always reflect that of corporate America.

We have Macs in our campus at work and nobody ever has complained.

 

[unplugme71]

As someone who has worked off an iMac under office fluorescents for years now, I can assure you, glare isn't that big of a deal. And considering the ****** state of cheap office monitors, although matte, look awful and cause me eye strain looking at them for extended periods.

Exactly. Most of us connect to external monitors. Even when using my Lenovo.

 

[tito2020]

Fascinating that IBM would turn to Apple Macs at the corporate level.

IBM DOA

 

[aristobrat]

Fascinating that IBM would turn to Apple Macs at the corporate level.

If they're going to be getting in the enterprise Mac management arena, it's good to see they're eating what they're selling.

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

We've only got ~50 Macs where I work, but the number of complaints from those folks about glare and eye strain = 0. And trust me when I say they're not a group of folks that keep complaints to themselves.

 

[Zirel]

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

Here comes the guy who thinks Apple is as incompetent as those PC brands...

Showrooms have much excess of light coming from all directions, much unlike the typical office.

Once you use a GLASS monitor, you won't want to go back to those crappy "mate" screens that are nothing more than a cheap plastic put over another piece of regular plastic.

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

It was over for IBM when they introduced the IBM PC Jr. Remember those Charlie Chaplin ads?

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

 

[2457282]

Very exciting news especially the part of being able to support personal computers in the workplace. I have been saying that we need to extend BYOD to the laptop and this is certainly a big step in that direction.

 

[MacLawyer]

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

Not a problem. They'll plug a third party matte monitor into a Mac Mini.

 

[lkrupp]

Interesting to me is how the tech media has chosen to completely ignore this partnership. All these years of laughing at the idea of Macs in the Enterprise and now this paradigm change being ignored.

 

[mazz0]

Surely, for business monitors, many workers need non-reflective, anti-glare, matte screens. Working people are looking at the screens virtually all day. Eyestrain is a terrible price to pay for having an attractive work of artistic, Jon Ive creation. People just need to get their work done, and many people suffer from eye strain from glossy screens. When is Apple going to stop this madness of only insisting on producing glossy screens?

Please don't tell me that the current iMac screens are less reflective. When I go to an Apple showroom, and I can see the mirror reflection of what's behind me, seen clearly in the mirror reflection on the iMac screen, I do not want that reflection in a computer I use for work.

I've never had a problem with the glass screen of my iMac. It's certainly much higher quality than the crap monitors we have at work.

Personally I think something Apple need to work on to get serious corporate take up is docks for the Macbooks.

I wonder though, if Macs ever did start to replace Windows in corporate offices, will MS continue to support them with Office?

 

[ProjectManager101]

If IBM is supposed to build computers and now they are offering Macs... what is their actual business now?

 

[adam9c1]

IBM sold their desktop and laptop line to Lenovo.

 

[Traverse]

I'm very happy to see this happen, but the picture of the iMac amused me. These corporations are not running full screen Pages on their shiny new iMacs.

 

[keysofanxiety]

IBM sold their desktop and laptop line to Lenovo.

Yep, and Lenovo butchered it.

 

[MagicBoy]

If IBM is supposed to build computers and now they are offering Macs... what is their actual business now?

From my recollection of working in Greenock at the time, they stopped producing servers locally in around 2004, laptops and PCs had gone a couple of years previously. The plant was transferred to Sanmina-SCI to manufacture servers under contract before it eventually ramped down a couple of years later then closed in 2009. The PC manufacturing was contracted out to Lenovo who shifted manufacturing to Eastern Europe and China, before they bought the entire division in 2005.

Global Services got an influx of ex-Manufacturing staff to re-train for expanded operations.