Apple shift its target to corporate customers

Why Apple is stepping up efforts to win enterprises

Reports indicate that Apple is sending dedicated sales team to speak to CIOs in a bid to grow the companies’ enterprise sales. One of the companies that is said to be holding talks with Apple on the possibilities of closing a deal is IBM. Sources indicate that Apple is already working with various startups to create iOS apps that are enterprise-focused. One of the partners ServiceMax is said to have hosted 8 executive diners with Apple in the past one year.

This report comes as the partnership between Apple and IBM gets underway in a deal that is aimed at creating-industry-specific iOS apps as well as related cloud services. This comes amid the reports that Apple is planning to launch a 12 9” iPad that targets creative pros and business users. While Apple has often had thorny relationships with enterprises-Steve Jobs is famous for his hate in dealing with CIOs-there has been a steady growth in the recent past of Apple’s corporate sales. According to Good Techology iPads and iPhones accounted 89% and 69% of the tracked quarter 3 tablets and smartphones sales among the companies 6K enterprise clients.

Apple continues to announce the popularity of its devices as well as iOS mobile operating system in the Fortune 500 companies. Apple has invested heavily in tools that are IT-friendly to enable the companies to monitor and maintain their products. The push by Apple into enterprise is seen an attempt to ensure that an iPhone miss won’t hurt the company’s financial results.

Source: Apple Balla