Apple and IBM’s partnership is proving to be a massive success

Ever since it was announced in mid-2014, the Apple and IBM partnership, IBM MobileFirst for iOS, has been trying to woo business customers with a range of apps made just for them. On Wednesday, the two companies announced the initiative had been fruitful, producing more than 100 enterprise-focused apps that work across iPads and iPhones. Not available to just anyone on the App Store, these products are tailor-made for corporate teams and work alongside IBM’s corporate analytics, security and cloud-based services. As Mashable noted when the partnership launched, the move was a new one for Apple, which has traditionally focused on individual tech users. Like Uber, which recently created an embedded app for work chat service HipChat, consumer-focused tech companies are increasingly partnering with enterprise-friendly heavyweights such as IBM to go after the business market. Katharyn White, vice president of the Apple and IBM partnership at IBM Global Business Services, told Mashable the company was excited to hit the 100 app milestone, but said the number was secondary to the achievement of having an impact across 14 industries and 65 individual professions, from travel to telecommunications and healthcare.