IBM today announced that it has released its 100th MobileFirst for iOS app, fulfilling its goal set in partnership with Apple. The made-for-business apps are used by enterprise customers across 14 industries and 65 individual professions, including wealth advisors, flight attendants, first responders, nurses, retail buyers and more.

MobileFirst for iOS apps include Advisor Alerts, Asset Care, Hospital RN, Passenger+, Sales Assist, Sales Consult, Train Tickets, Traveler Care and dozens others, used by clients such as Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Air Canada, AXA, Bosch, Coca-Cola Amatil, Japan Post, Rimac, SAS and Vodafone Netherlands.

MobileFirst-iOS
IBM also said it is developing MobileFirst for iOS apps for iPad Pro, which will take advantage of the 12.9-inch tablet's expanded power, performance, larger screen size and iOS 9 multitasking features. Apple Pencil's precision and functionality will enable enterprise users to design and layout a room, log transactions or annotate maintenance logs.

Apple and IBM announced an enterprise partnership in 2014, released the first ten MobileFirst for iOS apps at yearend and have launched new apps periodically since. MobileFirst for iOS apps are designed in a secure environment, and can easily be deployed, managed and upgraded through IBM cloud services.

Apple and IBM list all of the MobileFirst for iOS apps on their websites.

Top Rated Comments

nagromme Avatar
130 months ago
Based on the short list those do not look like any apps that would appear as enterprise apps. More like niche type apps that could be used by business users (or consumer alike).
You missed some of the short list—but also the full list. (And "enterprise" does not mean "non-niche"—often the reverse, in fact.)

As limited as this portfolio of 100 apps may seem, remember, it has been 16 months! I say, not half bad for starters. Some of the 100 will become big successes, some will not. Inevitable.

More and longer case studies will come, but it takes time. For now, these will have to do:

http://www.ibm.com/mobilefirst/us/en/mobile-case-studies/
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fzang Avatar
130 months ago
These enterprise apps look damn sexy at that.

Too many professional apps run with the philosophy "if it works, and the GUI sucks in every possible way... It works and the GUI isn't relevant". Especially in natural science there's an overweight of "while I code this steaming turd of Java and Python on my Linux machine".
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
130 months ago
The made-for-business apps are used by enterprise customers across 14 industries and 65 individual professions
While that's admirable considering Apple's past difficulties in getting enterprise adoption, the statistic has no context. How does this stack up to the usage of MS or Unix in those industries and professions? It's hard to tell from this if Apple is making significant inroads with the adoption of their ecosystem, or whether they're still just an outlier.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
130 months ago
While that's admirable considering Apple's past difficulties in getting enterprise adoption, the statistic has no context. How does this stack up to the usage of MS or Unix in those industries and professions? It's hard to tell from this if Apple is making significant inroads with the adoption of their ecosystem, or whether they're still just an outlier.
Agreed. I would like to know how many of those 100 apps are actually deployed. In how many businesses. With how many total users. I would like to see an actual use case or case study of these apps helping an organization optimize their productivity. Until then this has no context. For all we know they wrote all these apps and they just sit there with zero usage.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Only Mortal Avatar
130 months ago

I worked for IBM for many years and can say they have a VERY jaded past with application software. They are not Oracle, Salesforce, Infor, Microsoft, etc.. Their success in software has largely been systems software, not applications. They get into and out of applications spaces so frequently that most businesses would be very hesitant to invest heavily, because they've bailed out of markets many times.
As one of the former devs on ViaVoice for OSX you're right but the Mac team was very conscious about UI. I spent lots of time making the preferences look like the Apple System Prefs and the ViaVoice floating window work well with its drawer.

To be honest, we were all Mac heads who just happened to be in Florida :-)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zirel Avatar
130 months ago
But, but there's no pro apps for the iPad.
"It can't run PhotoShop, business have no use for it, buy the Microsoft one"

The Verge
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Sad Siri Feature

Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays

Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today. Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Cyber Week Deals 2025

Best Cyber Week Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Week is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...
iOS 26

What to Expect From Apple This December: iOS 26.3 Beta, Replay 2025, and More

Monday December 1, 2025 8:40 am PST by
The calendar has turned to December, and the quieter year-end holiday season is now upon us. Nevertheless, we can still expect a few things from Apple this month. Apple previously announced that iOS 26.2 will be released to the general public in December, and we can expect corresponding updates to be released as well, including iPadOS 26.2, macOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2, and visionOS...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....