“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”
IBM’s Chairman,
President and CEO, Ginni Rometty, commenting on the IBM MobileFirst for iOS
Apps for Corporate and Enterprise users
All
is forgiven it seems. Apple and IBM (International Business Machines) have
decided to kiss and make up, just as they’d done with Microsoft. Again, that is
to say, if history is any judge, this would be second time that Hell has frozen
over.
Hopefully
IBM, who used to supply Apple’s PowerPC Processor used in their Macintosh
Computers, will via this partnership stare askance at this Superbowl Ad that
poked fun at the totalitarian dominance of IBM and Microsoft back in the 90’s!
Dubbed
IBM MobileFirst for iOS, it’ll
see IBM rolling out some 100 Corporate and Enterprise Apps onto the Apple iPad
and Apple iPhone as reported in “IBM
to sell business-optimized iPads in unexpected partnership”, published July
15, 2014, Business Hardware, PCWorld and
“Apple,
IBM cozy up on iOS business apps”, published July 15, 2014 3:24 PM PDT by
Larry Dignan, CNET News.
IBM’s
Chairman, President and CEO, Ginni Rometty is apparently quite stoked about
this partnership, quote: “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.”
 |
| From July 1, 2014 |
Cut
short, that translates to loads of Contracts from Corporate and Enterprise for tailor-made
Business Applications. In short, the same business Blackberry used to be in and
to which Blackberry is currently has a Passport to get back into, pun cleverly
intended as explained in my blog
article entitled “Blackberry
Passport coming in September 2014 - Squaring up again the competition in
Portrait and Lanscape Mode”.
Apple and IBM - IBM
MobileFirst for iOS Apps is Apple with IBM Cloud Computing Muscle
Apple
and IBM will jointly design the IBM
MobileFirst for iOS apps to work with IBM's Cloud Computing Platform to
offer industry-specific solutions that are targeted at the following
industries:
1.
Retail
2.
Healthcare
3.
Banking
4.
Travel and Transportation
5.
Telecommunications
6.
Insurance
Using
their expertise in mobile integration, Apple will mediate the device management
end coming from IBM. Security will be provided that'll make these Apps secure
enough to be used on iOS Platform. Usage of these IBM MobileFirst for iOS Apps
by Corporate and Enterprise users will generate Data that'll be processed by
IBM Cloud Computing Analytics to produce results that can be used by these
clients.
All
done securely over the Internet, possibly via a secure VPN (Virtual Private
Network), with IBM Cloud Computing Servers proving the Computing Muscle and
Apple iPhone and Apple iPad being the physical Platform to mediate this
interaction.
This
is sorta like Microsoft making a version of Microsoft Office 365 that works on
the Apple iPad and Apple iPhone as stated in my Geezam
blog article entitled “Microsoft
to introduce Office to Apple iPad on Thursday March 27th 2014”. Like the deal
with IBM, the Microsoft Office 365 is basically a Business Staple that,
begrudgingly, Apple is belatedly agreeing is good enough to match up to its
Apple iWorks.
Many
who tote around Apple iPads and Apple iPhones wouldn't mind being able to do
work on their beloved device. Apple
lovers are getting the best of both worlds, to the benefit of Microsoft and now
IBM. It's also a little common-sense; if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, as the
Americans would say.
Despite
naysayers such as analyst Piper
Jaffray's Gene Munster pronouncing death and gloom on this partnership as per
his analysis in the article “IBM
deal won't have huge impact on Apple's financials -- analyst”, published
July 16, 2014 5:57 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET
News, this is exactly what Apple needs to really monetize the Apple iPad
and Apple iPhone Platforms: partnerships with Enterprise and Cloud Computing
Providers to provide customized Corporate and Enterprise solutions, an area of
business that more profitable than consumer sales.
Best of all this isn't breaking any sacred Apple
covenants; Apple's always had deals with the competition! Most noteworthy and
current example is their supply of 64-bit Processors, which allegedly come from
Samsung, their sworn “Frenemy”, that were used in the Apple iPad 5 and Apple
iPad Mini 2 as stated in my blog
article entitled “Apple
iPad Air, the World’s Lightest Tablet launched in Silver, Space Grey, White -
Christmas smartphone and Tablet Battle Royale as Winter is Coming”.
Microsoft and IBM Deal
–Three-Way Apple-Microsoft-Google Deal is Possible in the Future
Not
the most exciting announcement, but a very interesting one. So, based on this,
will we see partnership between Apple and Google?
Possibly
Apple iTunes Radio, now powered by Beat Audio as described in my blog article
entitled “Apple
officially confirms Beats Audio Purchase - US$3.2 Billion as Apple gears up for
Subscription Streaming and improved Headphones”, on Google Android devices?
Or Google Android and Microsoft Windows 8 and Apple OS X in three-way Live
Dual-OS Hot-swappable configuration on a Tablet or Laptop?
A
similar plan in the form of the US$599 Asus Transformer Duet TD300 got the cold
shoulder by Microsoft and Google, prompting me to wish that it be kickstarted
in some way as stated in my blog article
entitled “Microsoft
and Google kill US$599 Asus Transformer Duet TD300 - One Love Kickstarter
Project for Developers and Hardware Modders to Breathe life into The Art of the
Steal”.
It
might not be obvious, but these deals with Microsoft and now IBM open up the
possibility that Apple will eventually
market their suite of Creative and Productivity Apps such as Apple iWorks, and
Garageband on Google Android. Google already does deals with IBM and Microsoft
in terms of licensing of Java Application Drivers, Server Hardware and Software
Design Tools for Android.
An
Apple-Microsoft-IBM-Google Tie up make IBM MobileFirst for iOS Corporate and Enterprise Apps that are
secure across Apple iOS, Windows Phone OS and Google Android look to be on the
cards real soon.
When
Hell freezes over of course……
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