Apple and IBM strike a deal — announce new business partnership

Apple and IBM have agreed to work together. 

_{Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook walks with IBM’s CEO Ginni Rometty}

To fully grasp just how far these two companies have come, you’d have to go back 30 years, which is when Apple aired its now (in)famous television spot, 1984. The 60-second long commercial depicted the upstart company against the then dominant IBM. 

The ad proved successful for Apple, as its line of personal computers and eventually mobile devices became the preferred brand of technology among consumers. IBM, meanwhile, was forced to give up its dream of capturing this audience and instead focus solely on providing solutions for its business clients. 

Come 2014, the two companies have agreed to co-develop business-centric apps for iPhones and iPads. From the joint press release, the companies explain the reasoning behind the deal:

IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities, with the power of more than 100,000 IBM industry and domain consultants and software developers behind it, fused with Apple’s legendary consumer experience, hardware and software integration and developer platform. The combination will create apps that can transform specific aspects of how businesses and employees work using iPhone and iPad, allowing companies to achieve new levels of efficiency, effectiveness and customer satisfaction—faster and easier than ever before.

Among the items promised from the new partnership:
• a new class of more than 100 industry-specific enterprise solutions including native apps, developed exclusively from the ground up, for iPhone and iPad;
• unique IBM cloud services optimized for iOS, including device management, security, analytics and mobile integration;
• new AppleCare® service and support offering tailored to the needs of the enterprise;  and  
• new packaged offerings from IBM for device activation, supply and management.

“iPhone and iPad are the best mobile devices in the world and have transformed the way people work with over 98 percent of the Fortune 500 and over 92 percent of the Global 500 using iOS devices in their business today,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “For the first time ever we’re putting IBM’s renowned big data analytics at iOS users’ fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple. This is a radical step for enterprise and something that only Apple and IBM can deliver.”

“Mobility — combined with the phenomena of data and cloud—is transforming business and our industry in historic ways, allowing people to re-imagine work, industries and professions,” said Ginni Rometty, IBM Chairman, President and CEO.

“This alliance with Apple will build on our momentum in bringing these innovations to our clients globally, and leverages IBM’s leadership in analytics, cloud, software and services. We are delighted to be teaming with Apple, whose innovations have transformed our lives in ways we take for granted, but can’t imagine living without. Our alliance will bring the same kind of transformation to the way people work, industries operate and companies perform.”

While it’s not exactly mentioned outright, this does mark the first major move Apple has made in an attempt to take advantage of Blackberry’s decline, which has long been the preferred technology among business professionals. It also presents the company as a worthwhile alternative for those who are beginning to grow weary of Microsoft’s products.

Story via apple.com