WASHINGTON: Apple will partner exclusively with IBM to sell iPhones and iPads loaded with applications focused on enterprise clients. It is no secret that IBM’s hardware sales have diminished significantly and as a result they are trying to focus more on software and services. The announcement was made just two days before the release of the second quarter earnings.
IBM hopefully speculates that by 2015 software sales will form such a significant chunk of their business that it will account for half of its total profit. The company announced on Tuesday that it will release more than 100 apps related to very specific issues in particular industries concerning retail, health care, banking, transport and telecommunication.
Bridget Van Kalingen, the vice president of IBM said that they wanted to create an irresistible work flow and apps that can be used by every user in the organization.
IBM has also planned to develop cloud services optimized for Apple’s mobile operating system which as we all know is iOS.
Interestingly, following the announcement Blackberry’s shares fell by 3 percent. Blackberry has itself mostly withdrawn from the smart phone market and has focused on secure software for businesses and the corporate market. Now Apple’s partnership with IBM may focus on concerns regarding software security and data privacy, which in turn should further damage Blackberry.
In fact, IBM’s shares rose by 1.9 percent and Apple’s shares rose by 1.3 percent. One thing is for sure though, the partnership may damage Blackberry’s business but it will undoubtedly be a good thing for corporate consumers worldwide considering that both the companies are known for innovation and brilliance.
