A report from the Wall Street Journal has said that Apple has set up a new initiative called the Mobility Partner Program (MPP) to help the iPad to become a better work tool.
The partnership includes more than 40 technology companies and doesn’t necessarily feature any big tech names, however the likes of accounting firm Xero and digital cash register company Revel Systems are on board.
It’s unlikely Apple would be able to (or want to) lure large technology companies that are likely to be competing in the same space, though Apple and IBM did set up a similar partnership in 2014.
Bringing together specific expertise from small firms will help to boost the iPad’s overall capabilities in completing specific tasks firmly rooted in the workplace.
It’s understood that some of these partners have helped to train Apple business specialists, while others have been invited to Apple sales conferences.
The move is likely an example of Apple aiming to improve iPad sales, which despite being a market leader, are still falling in a slowly contracting market.
The WSJ article doesn’t go into great deal; the program is being kept under wraps. However, the report notes Apple’s intentions: “The initiative is a bet that Apple, which has never been a big player in the $2 trillion annual spending on workplace technology, can grab a bigger slice of the market by reshaping the nature of work in mobile-friendly settings—where Apple has an edge.”
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