Apple & SAP | A Revolutionary Partnership?
Apple and SAP have formed a partnership to integrate iOS apps with the capabilities of the SAP HANA platform. In addition, developers will be supported with training and tools to help them create their own native iOS apps.
"We are proud to take this special partnership between Apple and SAP to a new, groundbreaking level," says Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP. "By providing people with an agile and intuitive business experience, we empower them to know more, care more, and do more. By combining the powerful capabilities of the SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA with iOS, the leading and most secure mobile platform for businesses, we will help provide people with real-time data wherever and whenever they choose to work. Apple and SAP share a commitment to shaping the future and improving the world and people’s lives."
Apple and SAP are planning a software development kit (SDK) for businesses, designers, and developers. This is intended to make it easier to develop custom iOS apps based on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform. These apps will be able to access business processes in SAP S/4HANA while also utilizing the capabilities of Apple devices.
This will enable users to access important data, processes, and user interfaces, and to make decisions or take action from their iPhone or iPad.
"This partnership will transform the way iPhone and iPad are used in the enterprise by combining the innovation and security of iOS with SAP's deep expertise in business software," says Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "As the market leader in enterprise software—and given that 76% of all business transactions involve an SAP system—SAP is the ideal partner to help us truly transform the way companies around the world do business. With the new SDK, we’re empowering the more than 2.5 million members of the global SAP developer community to build powerful, native apps that take full advantage of the SAP HANA Cloud Platform and unlock the incredible capabilities that only iOS devices offer.”
In addition, the two companies plan to collaborate on the development of native iOS apps for business-critical core processes. These apps will be built using Swift, Apple’s programming language. Their user interface will be similar to that of SAP Fiori for iOS.
The SAP Fiori for iOS design language combines design flexibility with the user-friendliness of the Apple operating system. To support this, SAP Academy for iOS offers tools and training so that SAP developers can use the SDK and Apple’s hardware and software. All tools and training courses are scheduled to be made available by the end of 2016.
Sources: SAP, Apple
