SAP Widens Apple Partnership With New iOS And Mac Apps

SAP is going deeper in its alliance with Apple with a number of expansions around iOS and macOS, including the launch of additional SAP apps that are native to the two Apple platforms.

The announcements, made in conjunction with SAP's Sapphire Now conference, come as "Apple is on the rise in the enterprise," said SAP CEO Bill McDermott in a news release.

[Related: SAP Readies Apple iOS SDK For Release]

They also build on previous team efforts between the two tech giants, including the launch of the SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS, which initially debuted in 2017. SAP says it has rebuilt key mobile apps—including SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Concur and SAP Asset Manager—as native iOS apps.

SAP announced that it will now be rolling out additional native iOS app versions from its portfolio. The company disclosed one such app, SAP Ariba, which offers procurement and supply chain cloud solutions, that will start the next wave of native iOS apps for SAP.

SAP also revealed that Apple's on-device machine learning technology, Core ML, will be made available in the SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS for the first time starting later this month. "Machine learning models will automatically download to iPhone and iPad so apps can run offline, and then dynamically update while connected to SAP Cloud Platform," SAP said in its news release.

Meanwhile, SAP is also investing when it comes to macOS, with the company announcing unspecified plans to "expand its app offerings to the Mac,” with new apps that “match the power and ease of use of SAP iOS apps."

Marco Nielsen, vice president of managed mobility services at Stratix, a Norcross, Ga.-based MSP, said the announcements are "powerful news for SAP customers and a smart move by both parties to bring more AR/ML solutions to business customers."

The moves give SAP "direct access to all the goodness in the iOS platform, and Apple devices to the rich business backend that SAP has worldwide," Nielsen said in an email to CRN.

Apple CEO Tim Cook called the announcements "an important milestone for our partnership," while McDermott added that the two companies "have a strong partnership."

The announcements "show SAP’s commitment to continue our innovation with Apple," he said.

Along with SAP, other enterprise partnerships that Apple has launched or expanded over the past few years include Salesforce, IBM, Cisco, Accenture and Deloitte.