Apple to join hands with IBM

Apple and IBM announced exclusive global partnership to transform
enterprise mobility. The duo of tech behemoths will launch a new
class of business apps for iOS, which will bring IBM’s data and
analytics expertise to the Apple’s iPhone and iPad family.
The strategic partnership will try to address some of the key
industry challenges in four major aspects. They involve over a
hundred specific enterprise solutions, including native apps for
iPhone and iPad, iOS-optimized IBM cloud services, AppleCare
service for enterprise, and IBM offerings for device activation and
management.
The lineup of IBM solutions for iOS will be called MobileFirst. As
part of the agreement between the two companies, IBM will sell
iPhone and iPad devices with tailored enterprise solutions to its
business clients.
The first IBM MobileFirst apps for iOS will debut this fall. More
solutions will follow suit in 2015.
With the IBM partnership, Apple aims squarely into a segment
currently dominated by the likes of BlackBerry and Microsoft. The
strategy shift will open a whole new, incredibly lucrative market for
the Cupertino giant.