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Apple Spin-Off Hosts Enterprise App Stores
An anonymous reader writes "Last year Apple quietly authorized private-label app stores with its OTA (over-the-air) protocol, and now an Apple spin-off is offering the first hosting service to uses OTA to create alternative app stores for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. One of the first is Cisco's App Fridge (for cool networking apps), but a dozen other Fortune 500 companies have also signed up. And this fall, Apperian promises to add Android apps to its service, enabling one-stop-shopping for private-label apps store hosted in the clouds. So far these store are for employees only, but by 2012 Apperian claims it will be offering alternative app stores for the rest of us."
Just a hint to "Smarter Technology". If you want someone to believe what you're saying, or even be able to read it, you might figure out a way to flow paragraphs so that wordsdon't smashtogetherall of the time.
Jesus, that hurts.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Someoneneedstocheck theirarticleforlack ofspaces
Insert signature here...
The article is poorly written and formatted. I can't get past the first few sentences.
Apple allows other app stores? The world really will end in October!
Palm trees and 8
Apple allows other app stores? The world really will end in October!
These are enterprise apps for internal use by an organization. Enterprise apps have always been handled differently than the regular apps for consumers on the Apple App Store.
My understanding is that the organization maintains a list of device IDs allowed to use the app. They submit the list to Apple, Apple signs it, and returns the signed list as a provisioning file. The enterprise then distributes the app and the provisioning file to users, there is even a wireless method that the enterprise can set up. There is no Apple approval process for enterprise apps. I've not done an enterprise app myself but it sounds like the ad hoc distribution process used by regular developers and their testers.
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#featuredarticles/FA_Wireless_Enterprise_App_Distribution/Introduction/Introduction.html
Don't worry, Apple is still evil. They're not allowing other app stores for us plebes.
Basically, Apple tried to sell iPhones and iPads as enterprise devices. IT departments looked at them and laughed, pointing out that they need to be able to deploy custom in-house apps to them.
Apple for once listened to a customer (so maybe the world really is ending) and agreed to allow in-house app stores for customer enterprise apps. (Then again, I'm fairly sure said customer was the US DOD. So I suppose the thread of a Predator "mishap" around Cupertino can be quite the motivation.)
Think things like using an iPad as an inventory control device, not something like allowing us silly plebes to install our own browser that supports the entire web and not just Apple's small vision of it.
So, no, Apple is still evil. You and I will never be allowed to write our own iPad apps without paying Apple a large fee on top of 30% of all income. This is only for large companies already willing to pay Apple an even larger fee for the freedom to use iPads as tools and not toys.
Where I work, we (meaning the IT support people) have been dreading the rumblings of having iPhones and iPads approved for use within the company. The biggest fear was that the security folks would try to lock down the devices, and having to listen to people complaining that they couldn't load music and applications, blaming us for the resulting mess. But this would not only help us in being able to remind folks that the devices are company devices, but that instead of having to deal with iTunes on the machine, we'd have a much simpler interface to work with. From my perspective, this would be a perfect way to go. People get their iPhones, but the company can keep them secured and still provide a limited number of applications (business related) that they can utilize. And we don't have to worry about iTunes and the resulting messes that would make supporting their machines a major hassle.
Hey troll, Apple never said app store was short for Apple store. Plus it could now stand for Apperian Store.
Basically, Apple tried to sell iPhones and iPads as enterprise devices. IT departments looked at them and laughed, pointing out that they need to be able to deploy custom in-house apps to them. Apple for once listened to a customer (so maybe the world really is ending) and agreed to allow in-house app stores for customer enterprise apps.
No. This is nothing new. Enterprise apps have always been distributed internally. If not from day 1 then from *very* soon afterwards. I recall having to select regular or enterprise accounts when signing up with Apple in 2008.
What may have been added in recent history, a year or so ago (?), is the wireless distribution option.
Hey troll, Apple never said app store was short for Apple store. Plus it could now stand for Apperian Store.
So you do the semantic dance..if 500 corporations or entities can all sell "apps" to you via their App stores for the iOS doesn't that somehow dilute Apples claim?
And how is that an advantage over every other type of device?
Because you get to use Apple devices instead of every other device.
Especially important with the iPad, which is very robust and has excellent battery life.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Oh. My. God. They've fragmented their market. There's fragments everywhere. Do they know how much iOS users dread the thought of having more than one store? They'll never stand for this. Except... no, wait a minutes, this is multiple stores done right! This is multiple stores with an Apple logo in the background. Wonderful! Why couldn't anyone else have thought of this? Mr. Jobs sir, you are a genius.
Apperian isn't a spinoff from Apple. It was founded by the SE director (Chuck Goldman) in the old enterprise sales group who got his ass canned for any number of things done out of sorts. In no way shape or form is this even related to Apple other than it's a product for iOS.
http://www.apple.com/business/vpp/
Freedom for enterprise customers and trusted computing for the rest of us. Thanks Apple!
Only corporation (not people) should be entrusted will the ability to run code.
> Apple spin-off's ultra-secure cloud-based provisioning service Wonder what ultra-secure means.. short of "we never turn it on ;)"