Apple Announces 'Business Essentials' Service for Small Businesses

Apple today announced the debut of Apple Business Essentials, a new subscription-based service that will offer device management like setup and onboarding, iCloud storage, and optional 24/7 access to Apple Support for small businesses with up to 500 employees.

apple business essentials
Apple Business Essentials will enable small businesses to easily configure, deploy, and manage Apple products from anywhere, and there will be an Apple Business Essentials app that employees can access to download corporate apps like Webex or Microsoft Word.

Within Apple Business Essentials, Collections enable IT personnel to configure settings and apps for individual users, groups, or devices. When employees sign in to their corporate or personally owned device with their work credentials, Collections automatically push settings such as VPN configurations and Wi-Fi passwords. In addition, Collections will install the new Apple Business Essentials app on each employee’s home screen, where they can download corporate apps assigned to them, such as Cisco Webex or Microsoft Word.

Apple Business Essentials is available today as a free beta for small businesses in the U.S. with up to 500 employees, and the service will be fully available in spring 2022. Pricing will range from $2.99 per user per month to $12.99 per user per month depending on the number of devices and the amount of iCloud storage each user needs.


There will be an option to add AppleCare+ to an Apple Business Essentials plan starting in spring 2022, and this will provide 24/7 access to Apple Support by phone, training for both IT administrators and employees, and up to two device repairs per plan each year. Employees will be able to initiate repairs directly from the Apple Business Essentials app, and an Apple-trained technician can arrive on site in as little as four hours.

Small businesses can sign up for Apple Business Essentials on Apple's website.

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 ...
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...
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...
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...
studio display purple february

M5 iPad Pro Could Hint at New Studio Display Feature

Sunday November 30, 2025 10:30 am PST by
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026. Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...

Top Rated Comments

DHagan4755 Avatar
53 months ago
Looks like this might be fruits from the Fleetsmith acquisition last year. This is badly needed. As good as JAMF is, the fact that Apple hasn't itself provided management on par with Google or Microsoft has been an Achille's heel in enterprise/education. I expect it to grow & expand beyond 500 employees.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jeaz Avatar
53 months ago
It's strange it's taken them this long to do something like this. The iCloud/iWork suite has a lot of benefits for a small business but there's been very little support from Apple on this. With iCloud Mail, iWork and FaceTime you have a quite decent productivity suite within the Apple Eco System. Hopefully this brings even more focus to iWork apps for collaboration and other features.

I do find it unclear wether or not this includes e-mail accounts. One would have thought the whole custom domain iCloud+ service was sort of a soft launch for this.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
53 months ago
Good for the businesses. It seems like it’s going to be very seamless

All set up in one.

Service revenue ?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
53 months ago

No more leaks. They’re not saying anything anymore. ? I’m also surprised Mark Gurman did not mention or know about this.

We got leaks like this now…

[MEDIA=twitter]1457829177068081154[/MEDIA]
I generally think Prosser is a total clown and completely lies about his “leaks", but his post is spot on: Apple’s software is getting comically low quality. I can’t believe their competitors aren’t attacking this vector: sure, fast chips, but totally unreliable software.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
53 months ago
It's time for Apple to be serious about businesses. They have a few advantages of course, like less IT costs, easy AI models development, etc. but they need to develop more Pro Tools ASAP.

Thinking of a better iWork suite, a collaborative work environment equivalent to Teams, and equivalent to Power tools from Microsoft (Power BI, Power Automate, Power Query, Power Pivot...). And in a place where Access is dying, they need to push FileMaker more. Microsoft has such an edge on Apple in the business world, it's not even funny.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
53 months ago
So is Apple in the process of Sherlocking JAMF??
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)