AppleInsider Staff
Australian mobile virtual network operator Macquarie Telecom on Friday announced a new partnership with Apple that will see the carrier deliver iPhones, iPads and apps to small and medium-sized enterprise customers.
While not the first Australian MVNO to team up with Apple, Macquarie plans to target SMEs with an offering of "bespoke" and readily available iOS apps, according to a press release. As part of the deal, the company will carry Apple hardware like iPhone and iPad.
"This offering will help mid-sized businesses in Australia experience the power and value of Apple," said Macquarie Telecom executive Luke Clifton. "We're backing the best devices for business coupled with native apps that will see our customers become more mobile, increase productivity and solve more business problems."
Initially, Macquarie's new business venture will focus on Apple products and business apps, with later expansions expected to deliver a device enrollment program integrated with Apple Business Manager.
Announced in 2018, Apple Business Manager is an extension of Apple's mobile device management platform with support for the company's Device Enrollment Program (DEP) and the Volume Purchase Program (VPP). The technology enables IT teams to automate mass device deployments, purchase and distribute content, delegate administrative privileges within a network, supervise and automate device configurations and more from a web-based interface.
Ingram Micro will manage hardware distribution for Macquarie, reports CRN.
Apple products will enter Macquarie channels on Aug. 23, the company said.
Mike Wuerthele
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4 Comments
If Apple is going to keep growing it needs to target businesses, especially small to midsize. That’s what we’re seeing here, creating a business channel...I hope.
Recently, we’ve seen a new bug bounty program implemented for MacOS and an increased emphasis on security. Check.
The next step is to improve iWork apps and online storage with stronger access controls and sharing capabilities.
Apple not offering an accounting package isn’t a big deal, but no having mail hosting is a problem. Yes, they have iCloud email but it needs domain support and archiving capabilities (for legal retention).
Apple already has iMessage and it’s great for consumers, but businesses need to be able to archive messages also. Apple already has a Business Chat for iMessage, so they’ve done most of the work... they just need a directory lookup (to find fellow employees, etc.)
Business accounts are sticky, unlike consumers. They provide much more predictable revenue...
If Apple messed up an iPhone release it could wipe out 1/3 of its market cap, and let someone like Samsung eat Apples cake. If Apple pushes into businesses, Samsung has no way to compete...
Fingers crossed. I’ve thought Apple was beginning to target businesses in the past and nothing came of it. Yes, I know Apple sells a ton to businesses but it isn’t the same. A Fortune 500 could swap out every iPhone for Samsung and not blink (for example).
Is an intermediary really required? Apple has taken the cruft out of business tech in conjunction with Jamf. Still a way to go but much less vendor dependant than MS365.
The article mentioned mid-sized businesses as the target of this endeavour, so your comments about "enterprise" level are interesting but somewhat off-topic. I would like to know what other MVNOs Apple is partnering with in Australia (given MacT is not the first) and preferably also why the hardware distribution is happening through Ingram Micro - at a guess it's because IM already has a very capable infrastructure in place for managing business orders (a company I worked for pre-2000 used ID as a supplier, and the customer portal was very good even back then).