Apple launched a new paid subscription product, it is aimed at business users, can help enterprises set up, manage, install iPhone, iPad, Mac software. The new product, called Business Essentials, costs $2.99 to $24.99 per employee per month to use.
With the new product, business owners or system administrators can install corporate software, set password policies, track or shut down lost phones and laptops, and control cloud storage access. For premium users, Apple is also giving away AppleCare credits, which can be used when the device is repaired.
It’s clear that Apple is putting more emphasis on “services”. In 2021, Apple’s services revenue will increase by 27% to $68.4 billion. From another perspective, Apple is paying more and more attention to enterprise sales, hoping to launch more products to help enterprises move towards a hybrid office model.
For Apple, the enterprise market is very attractive. Google and Microsoft make a lot of money by selling tools and software to enterprises and schools. Apple must be jealous. But Business Essentials isn’t a direct competitor to Google and Microsoft, it’s just for managing Apple devices.
According to Apple’s introduction, Business Essentials will integrate Microsoft Azure, Google Workspace. Business Essentials targets primarily smaller businesses, especially those without a dedicated IT department. What is the maximum number of users that Business Essentials can support? Apple doesn’t say it, it just says the product is suitable for businesses with fewer than 500 employees.