Apple touts giant iPad deal as part of enterprise push
Although the iPhone and Apple Watch get most of the attention when Apple announces its latest results, the company says its push into the enterprise continues. In the company's third quarter earnings call, CFO Luca Maestri said that Apple was making "great progress" with its enterprise initiatives and sees strong growth ahead.
Apple doesn't break out its enterprise revenue, although the company said it made $25bn from enterprise sales in the year to June 2015 -- about 10 percent of total revenue. As iPhone sales decline, Apple is looking to new sources of revenue and has recently struck a number of deals with enterprise software companies.
Apple said iPad revenue grew seven percent in the quarter, thanks to the rollout of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. About half of iPad Pro purchases are for business use, according to the company.
The Q3 earnings call also showcased a big enterprise iPad rollout: Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, is adding 22,000 iPads to the 10,000 tablets it bought last year in order to "deploy corporate mobility solutions across the organization and enable its consultants to serve customers in a more engaging and more efficient way", said Maestri.
Maestri also mentioned the strategic partnership signed with SAP in May, noting that, as the world's largest enterprise software provider, there are more than 130 million potential users among its 300,000 global customers. Apple has also signed enterprise deals with Cisco and IBM.
More on Apple in the enterprise
- Apple, SAP forge enterprise app pact for iPhone, iPad
- Apple's enterprise push will depend on more than just hardware
- Apple 9.7-inch iPad Pro review: Smaller tablet packs a powerful but pricey punch
- Why Apple is the forbidden fruit of enterprise IT (TechRepublic)
- Apple, SAP want to make your iPhone and iPad business apps smarter (CNET)