Ready for the Next Stage in Enterprise Computing?

Mobility was just the beginning

10 years ago saw the advent of the smartphone. Blackberry brought secure email-anywhere to the enterprise. iPhone and Android brought us BYOD. And the iPad brought keyboard-less computing to mobile employees.

But that was only the beginning.

From Uncertainty to Platform-of-Choice

Just as previous disruptions—such as the advent of the PC, the graphical user interface (GUI), and the Web—brought variety & uncertainty, mobility did the same. But in the end, each of these eras settled on one main technology stack—other technology stacks existed, but were for the most part sidelined.

When the PC came along, there was Apple IIe, TRS-80, and the IBM PC. We know how that turned out.

When the GUI came along, there was OS/2, GEM, and Windows. We know how that turned out.

When the Web came along, there was JavaScript and VBScript. We know how that turned out.

Finally, when Mobility came along, there was BlackBerry, WinMobile, Android, and iPhone. Well, it's becoming clear how that is turning out.

Apple's OSes (iOS, OS X, watchOS, tvOS) Gain Upper Hand

Sure, Android sells tons more devices than iOS worldwide. But Apple is capturing what's important for long-term success: increasing market share; virtually all the profits; profitable app ecosystem; secure platform; and a fantastic user experience (UX).

More than anything, Apple's OSes provide stability. If there's one thing the enterprise loves, it's stability. With those enormous profits and a secure platform, Apple is becoming enterprises' go-to platform.

But it's more than that. Not only is Apple gaining marketshare, it also has the best story for covering all your bases. It used to be that a single form-factor ruled: the PC. But now we have PC's & Macs, iPhones, iPads, TVs, cars, wearables & watches. Apple covers all these bases with a single API & language: iOS and Swift. Write the core of your app once, and then provide a (slightly) modified UI that's appropriate for a phone or tablet or TV or watch. Apple excels (or will soon excel) in each of those form factors.

The Apple Watch, Apple TV, and iPad Pro have just cemented Apple's lead. There's no turning back now.

Cross-Platform is Dead

When the initial Mobility disruption hit, enterprises needed to cover all their bases. Employees had BlackBerry and WinPhone and Android and iOS phones. So the popularity of web-based, JavaScript-based, and C#-based cross-platform tools increased. This lead to PhoneGap, Titanium, and Xamarin.

But Apple just moved the goalposts. With watchOS and tvOS (and Extensions in iOS), there is no web view, so web-based tools like PhoneGap provide nothing. The move to 64-bit and BitCode has caused major pain for Titanium and Xamarin.

And the final nail in the coffin? Cross-platform tools may have been OK for simple phone apps, but if your app runs on phones, tablets, watches, and TVs—are you going to do that on multiple OSes at the same time? Is your tool simplifying things or making them far more complex? How much do developers with the expertise you need cost?

Apple's Swift & Storyboards Simplify

With Apple's new—and newly open source—language Swift, you write in one language and one architecture (MVC) for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Your Model code is 100% reusable, your Controller code is 90%+ reusable, and your Views are 50%+ reusable.

For everything else, there's the web. People who buy "good enough" devices are willing to put up with "good enough" interfaces, like the web. But your core enterprise apps are most powerful and cost-saving when they are native Swift applications.

It's a Post Mobile℠ World

We're moving beyond phones to tablets, wearables, and TV. Does your app run on all these devices? These devices are not really about being phones or watches or TVs—they're all about apps. An Apple TV, for example, could be in every meeting room in your company, allowing people near and far to collaborate in realtime.

If you're looking to move Post Mobile℠, contact us for assistance in crafting your app strategy in a multiple-device (phone, tablet, wearables, TV) world.