Wow, this is a BIG deal! Apple has already managed to get a very strong foot hold into enterprises by virtue of consumer choice for iOS devices (I still smile a bit at the articles I read several years ago, of CEO's and higher up's demanding their IT guys to work with their iPhones)… but this is going to solidify their position.
And it's incredibly cool how Apple can find common ground with former sworn enemies to competitive advantage: Apple teaming with MS on search, patent licensing, etc, and notably of course, IBM. Hopefully it's not lost on anyone here that long ago, Apple was in for the fight of their life when the Macintosh debuted, and Steve Jobs questioned whether Big Blue would dominate the computer industry. FF 30 years later, now they have a strategic partnership. What could happen next??
"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"
I still say a partnership with IBM on their Watson A.I. to bolster (or replace) Siri would make a lot of sense.
IBM is using Apple to get customers onto their own Bluemix Marketplace. iPads are ok for simple business tasks when you are on the go, but the type of services IBM is offering are far more intense than anything you would want to do sitting at the gate waiting for your flight.
Seriously take a look at their website and tell me if any of the services they are offering are something you would expect people use on an iPad.
IBM just wants to leverage the popularity of Apple to steal customers from Accenture, HP, Oracle etc.
I don't see any benefit to Apple. They already own the enterprise mobile market. Plus IBM also supports Android in the Bluemix environment.
I disagree. What I think IBM will want to sell here is the storage, databases and supporting web site platforms (like Websphere) as well as Cloud storage and services to companies who want to use iPad based apps that connect to large enterprise-type systems. If IBM wants this to compete with HP and Accenture, so what?
Also, I'm not so sure one can make the claim that Apple "owns" the enterprise mobile market. While users have forced many companies to accept the use of iPhones and iPads, I think the deal with IBM gives conservative IT managers the endorsement they need to fully adopt Apple devices and iOS for all employees who need portable devices. In fact, it might not matter if IBM produces a single app out of this - the benefit of this agreement is probably more psychological, but we'll see tomorrow at the opening bell. I think this is going to drive up Apple's stock price. (But I've been surprised before.)
I think this deal could be big for Apple and it's not necessarily one that Jobs could have/would have negotiated, so I give kudos to Cook if he drove this. It demonstrates how his strengths are very different than Jobs' strengths, but still very valuable to Apple. It reinforces the notion that Apple's devices are serious business devices (in addition to their appeal to the mass market) and that Android is a mess. I bet that as this deal comes to fruition, a lot of the marketing is going to be about security.
This is a BIG deal. iOS already dominates enterprise use (for mobile) over Android, BB and MS. Now they're adding an 800lb gorilla to fill in the gaps and round out their enterprise offerings.
I'm also surprised that IBM is going to exclusively sell iOS devices to their enterprise customers.
it's a lot less than 800 pounds. it's a gorilla air.
I don't know whether to be cautiously excited or underwhelmed… when I go to IBM's web site all I see (aside from all the icons with broken image links) is a mountain of ambiguspeak about collaboration and cloud and data analysis and other buzzwords that don't mean anything on their own. What kind of workers will be using iPads? What will they be doing with them? Is every workplace a custom project? What about industries using very specific software that runs on Windows? Is this intended to displace Windows terminals and servers?
There's not enough information for a sub-average Joe like me to assess what it means.
I want apple to have WATSON based voice services... Just imagine the possibilites, especially for search, maps, and medical diagnostics.
Right. Watson has been "fed" massive amounts of medical information and has apparently already assisted doctors with much improved diagnostics, plus these "expert" systems will either supplement or replace many information-heavy white collar jobs in the future.
President and CEO Ginni Rometty agreed, saying current enterprise mobility usually ends at email and calendaring.
Neither IBM nor Apple has a good calendar or email server/client solution, that award goes to either Google or Microsoft. Apple and IBM need to put their heads together and come up with a competing product, some people won't touch a Mac or an iPad with a ten foot pole purely due to the lack of corporate Outlook for Windows.
And now I see the infrastructure and potential for Apple's new retail payment system. Oh, and for purchases in the air... Watson, bring me that drink%u2014you know what I like.
I'm also surprised that IBM is going to exclusively sell iOS devices to their enterprise customers.
What else is out there really? Can't go with Win Mobile given that this partnership is aiming directly at Microsoft's bread and butter. Android with it's hell stew of security vulnerabilities? Besides iOS is already the 600, okay 400 pound gorilla in enterprise mobile.
Aside from the tailor-made software, IBM will also offer services like mass device management, security, analytics and mobile integration.
Microsoft's future just snapped into focus for me. Because now they have something to copy, and not just in terms of OS look-and-feel. Now Microsoft has an enterprise competitor to mimic. And if the IBM + Apple partnership is successful, Microsoft is sure to attempt something just like it.
Except for one thing. Apple is now officially "taken" in the enterprise space. Who can Microsoft team up with on the mobile hardware side? Nokia? Nope. Already own Nokia. Plus there's the whole death-spiral thing. BlackBerry? Nope. Death-spiral too. Oh well. Microsoft can just write apps for iOS devices, like they already are. And they can handle the whole enterprise management, analytics, and mobile integration all by themselves. But, of course, it's too late anyway. iOS devices already dominate enterprise mobile. Game over except for the battle for distant second.
We'll see who Satya Nadella lays off. My guess is that most or all of the hardware division will go (some of Surface, most of Nokia) and maybe some or or all of the Windows Phone and/or Windows RT software division(s) will go. Best to cut your losses and mimic another successful competitor in your newly refocused market. And that would be IBM. They dumped all their hardware long ago, even the CNET-darling ThinkPad line. (But maybe Microsoft will keep Xbox, just because it's finally breaking even and they can point to it as a "hardware success.")
I agree with some of this but I do see that if Microsoft were to partner with anyone, it would be Apple since Apple has now been blessed by IBM as the doorway into enterprise, If you want to get your apps in front of the c-suits' nose, then it has to be on an iOS device.
Comments
As for this news! It's awesome! This is huge!
This news sure makes up for some of the braindead and untrue rumors that have been circulating lately.
Wow, this is a BIG deal! Apple has already managed to get a very strong foot hold into enterprises by virtue of consumer choice for iOS devices (I still smile a bit at the articles I read several years ago, of CEO's and higher up's demanding their IT guys to work with their iPhones)… but this is going to solidify their position.
And it's incredibly cool how Apple can find common ground with former sworn enemies to competitive advantage: Apple teaming with MS on search, patent licensing, etc, and notably of course, IBM. Hopefully it's not lost on anyone here that long ago, Apple was in for the fight of their life when the Macintosh debuted, and Steve Jobs questioned whether Big Blue would dominate the computer industry. FF 30 years later, now they have a strategic partnership. What could happen next??
"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"
I still say a partnership with IBM on their Watson A.I. to bolster (or replace) Siri would make a lot of sense.
IBM is using Apple to get customers onto their own Bluemix Marketplace. iPads are ok for simple business tasks when you are on the go, but the type of services IBM is offering are far more intense than anything you would want to do sitting at the gate waiting for your flight.
Seriously take a look at their website and tell me if any of the services they are offering are something you would expect people use on an iPad.
http://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/us/en/marketplace.html
IBM just wants to leverage the popularity of Apple to steal customers from Accenture, HP, Oracle etc.
I don't see any benefit to Apple. They already own the enterprise mobile market. Plus IBM also supports Android in the Bluemix environment.
I disagree. What I think IBM will want to sell here is the storage, databases and supporting web site platforms (like Websphere) as well as Cloud storage and services to companies who want to use iPad based apps that connect to large enterprise-type systems. If IBM wants this to compete with HP and Accenture, so what?
Also, I'm not so sure one can make the claim that Apple "owns" the enterprise mobile market. While users have forced many companies to accept the use of iPhones and iPads, I think the deal with IBM gives conservative IT managers the endorsement they need to fully adopt Apple devices and iOS for all employees who need portable devices. In fact, it might not matter if IBM produces a single app out of this - the benefit of this agreement is probably more psychological, but we'll see tomorrow at the opening bell. I think this is going to drive up Apple's stock price. (But I've been surprised before.)
I think this deal could be big for Apple and it's not necessarily one that Jobs could have/would have negotiated, so I give kudos to Cook if he drove this. It demonstrates how his strengths are very different than Jobs' strengths, but still very valuable to Apple. It reinforces the notion that Apple's devices are serious business devices (in addition to their appeal to the mass market) and that Android is a mess. I bet that as this deal comes to fruition, a lot of the marketing is going to be about security.
it's a lot less than 800 pounds. it's a gorilla air.
I don't know whether to be cautiously excited or underwhelmed… when I go to IBM's web site all I see (aside from all the icons with broken image links) is a mountain of ambiguspeak about collaboration and cloud and data analysis and other buzzwords that don't mean anything on their own. What kind of workers will be using iPads? What will they be doing with them? Is every workplace a custom project? What about industries using very specific software that runs on Windows? Is this intended to displace Windows terminals and servers?
There's not enough information for a sub-average Joe like me to assess what it means.
I want apple to have WATSON based voice services... Just imagine the possibilites, especially for search, maps, and medical diagnostics.
Right. Watson has been "fed" massive amounts of medical information and has apparently already assisted doctors with much improved diagnostics, plus these "expert" systems will either supplement or replace many information-heavy white collar jobs in the future.
http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/ibmwatson/work.html
Please, god... don't let there be Lotus Notes on the iPad.
Nah… but Apple will change their Lightning cables to Token Ring.
Please, god... don't let there be Lotus Notes on the iPad.
It's called IBM Notes now.
Neither IBM nor Apple has a good calendar or email server/client solution, that award goes to either Google or Microsoft. Apple and IBM need to put their heads together and come up with a competing product, some people won't touch a Mac or an iPad with a ten foot pole purely due to the lack of corporate Outlook for Windows.
Instead 2014 is where we're hoping to be like 1984.
That sound you hear is Microsoft employees collectively shitting themselves.
"Bring me my brown pants!"
-CEO of Microsoft
And now I see the infrastructure and potential for Apple's new retail payment system. Oh, and for purchases in the air... Watson, bring me that drink%u2014you know what I like.
I'm also surprised that IBM is going to exclusively sell iOS devices to their enterprise customers.
What else is out there really? Can't go with Win Mobile given that this partnership is aiming directly at Microsoft's bread and butter. Android with it's hell stew of security vulnerabilities? Besides iOS is already the 600, okay 400 pound gorilla in enterprise mobile.
I agree with some of this but I do see that if Microsoft were to partner with anyone, it would be Apple since Apple has now been blessed by IBM as the doorway into enterprise, If you want to get your apps in front of the c-suits' nose, then it has to be on an iOS device.
. . . and that would be IBM. They dumped all their hardware long ago, even the CNET-darling ThinkPad line.
Doesn't Big Blue still make some big iron?