Apple : Opinion: Why Apple should have done more to capitalise on enterprise

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Opinion: Why Apple should have done more to capitalise on enterprise Posted: Introduction and partnering up Growing a business from nothing to $25 billion (around £17.5 billion, or AU$32 billion) in three years would seem an impressive feat for any company that wasn't Apple. Twice in the past two years Apple has posted the biggest profit ever recorded by a public company, racking up over $18 billion (around £12.5 billion, or AU$23 billion) in the three months leading up to January this year. The iPhone, driven by a growing middle class around the world, still represents more than 60% of the company's profits going by those most recent figures, while other product lines show promise. However, the $25 billion business in question is Apple's enterprise arm, which has grown alongside the iPhone. As more and more workers bring their own phones into the office, companies have had to deal with more and more iPhones. This, in turn, has presented a golden opportunity for Apple which it has been keen – and swift, in some ways – to exploit. Partnering up A partnership with IBM, a long-time industry stalwart, kicked off the proceedings, bringing a new range of made-for-business apps to iOS and, as such, enterprises. Other partners have also been lining up, culminating in the iPad Pro shipping pre-installed with an Office 365 subscription if the user desires. Doubts surrounding the continued growth of the iPhone have spooked some investors, however, and CEO Tim Cook was forced to defend the company's strategy and position on the earnings call associated with the biggest ever profit for a public company. Being placed on the back foot is a little unfair considering how well Apple is doing, but it does demonstrate that even the best ideas – as the iPhone surely is – have a shelf life, especially in today's hyper-competitive consumer market where budget-oriented manufacturers can bundle Android and sell a phone that performs many of the same tricks the iPhone manages for under $100. Services with a smile Cook emphasised that Apple was fast becoming a "services" company, touting the impressive growth of its business. Essentially, services are just that – things, usually software, that can be sold to people for a recurring fee. According to the company, it makes about $6 billion (around £4.2 billion, or AU$7.7 billion) per year from app sales in the App Store, for example. The enterprise business, which extends from the iPhone, could contribute to this new "services" mission, but there are areas that need improving. "Apple benefits from the enterprise shift to mobile," wrote Gartner, a well-respected research firm, in a report obtained by techradar pro. "Its success in consumer markets has been mirrored by adoption of Apple products in the workplace." This success is built somewhat off the back of the misfortune of others. Microsoft, for example, was slow to see the emerging trend toward mobile devices and did not cater to this need, leaving it outgunned when businesses came calling. Google, too, has struggled to secure Android against hackers, something which has put off many companies. (This issue, however, is being addressed with newer versions of Google's mobile OS.) "Apple's secrecy and sole-source hardware continue to challenge the enterprise," the report states, highlighting an area of weakness for Apple and, more fundamentally, a difference in how the consumer and enterprise worlds work. Enterprise hate for the Apple model Unlike consumers, businesses want to know what, exactly, will be in the next version of the product so that they can plan for it, test it, and deploy it to their employees. For Microsoft, this has never been a problem, but Apple has likely balked at telling its enterprise partners what glitzy features will make it into the next version of iOS and OS X. "The Apple model continues to frustrate enterprises wanting to plan product transitions," the Gartner report continues. "Apple prioritises user experience over enterprise needs, but has recently increased focus on enterprises" – which is a good thing for its business – "[but], at the time of this writing … its impact is not yet clear." Cloud capers Apple struggles in other areas beyond being open with its partners. According to a report from The Information, a subscription-only website focused on original reporting, the company has long struggled with its cloud infrastructure projects. The company recently moved to Google's cloud, leaving behind Microsoft, but this shows its reliance on other technology giants. "Apple's move to tap Google to handle parts of its iCloud traffic is a sign that the Cupertino company has failed to build its own cloud infrastructure despite years of work," the report reads. The failure to build a competent infrastructure that can handle iCloud is, for a big company like Apple, embarrassing, and has not gone unnoticed by its clients, many of whom would choose Google, Microsoft, or Amazon over Apple for that reason. It is also a lost source of revenue. If Apple had invested in cloud infrastructure, it could be running something similar to Amazon Web Services, which is on track to bring in $10 billion (around £7 billion, or AU$12.8 billion) per year, according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. AWS is essentially an 'internet tax' according to Ben Thompson, an independent analyst. By offering cloud services for money, many startups and big companies are now reliant on Amazon. Microsoft builds momentum In this regard, even Microsoft has been slow to move but is making up for lost time with its Azure platform, which got top billing at its Build developer conference, held a few weeks ago. Alongside Azure, Microsoft is also building out its Windows on mobile offerings, enticing businesses with their ease of use and compatibility with Office, among other things. It's unclear if this will have any effect on how Apple approaches the market, but it should certainly serve as a worrying sign. "Companies have realised it costs a lot more to manage very different versions of phone OSes, hardware, etc, and it's easier just to roll out corporate phones on one platform," said Francisco Jeronimo, an analyst for IDC. Apple, of course, is likely unfazed (as ever) with the iPhone continuing to be a big money-spinner, with sales in the three months leading up to January totalling 70 million, equivalent to around 750,000 per day – although recently we've heard worrying whispers, namely a TrendForce report, concerning a big drop in the number of units shifted. However, there's no doubting that Apple could have done more regarding advancing in the business arena, and may well come to look at its lack of focus on enterprise as a stumbling point in the future. Should the enterprise consider the Apple Mac again?

The best strategy games for PC and Mac you can play right now Posted: Games that only a PC can provide Strategy games make you think. They're not like most shooters that offer mindless gameplay, or the adventure game that has you leaping off cliffs and driving boats. Strategy games require your brain juices at all times to plan each move carefully and analyze what the opponent will do next – quickly. They require you to develop armies, build civilizations and gather resources in the process. But strategy games aren't just about the gameplay: they typically offer sprawling, geopolitical stories too that hook players and keep them focused on the campaign. That said, what makes a strategy game great is how it pulls players into its mythology and allows them to carry out missions without overcomplicating it. Here is a handful of strategy games on the PC and Mac that achieve this balance perfectly. StarCraft II Blizzard Entertainment launched the first StarCraft sci-fi military strategy game back in 1998, and while it was extremely popular, the game wasn't the mammoth product StarCraft II has become. With the sequel, Blizzard has released three installments that span one huge campaign: Wings of Liberty (2010), Heart of the Swarm (2013) and Legacy of the Void (2015). Each of these releases focus on a specific protagonist group: human exiles called the Terrans in Wings of Liberty, the Borg-like insectoids called Zerg in Heart of the Swarm, and the telepathic alien race known as the Protoss in Legacy of the Void. The overall campaign takes place four years after the Brood War expansion pack for the original StarCraft, beginning with Jim Raynor's quest to take down the tyrannical Terran Dominion. StarCraft II succeeds by combining sharp strategic gameplay and balance with an immersive story and scenery. The game also comes with its own level editor, allowing players to share their maps and mods via the Battle.net online community. Of course, StarCraft II can be played online – it's one of the widest-played eSports worldwide – but currently it does not provide local LAN play. StarCraft II can only be purchased from Blizzard Entertainment digitally and in boxed versions. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Here's another popular strategy game from Blizzard, though with a decidedly fantasy theme. It was released way back in 2002 and features a single-player campaign story that's told through the eyes of four races: Humans, Orcs, the Undead, and the Night Elves. As with StarCraft, players are typically faced with a map covered in a black fog, which is slowly removed as you explores the area (Diablo does this, too). You begin by mining resources, building settlements and establishing troops in order to protect your assets and take control of other parts of the map. A day/night cycle keeps players on their toes, too. There are a total of five campaigns in Warcraft III that center on a specific race: one for the Night Elves, one for the Undead, one for the Humans, and two for the Orcs. Objectives are labeled as "quests" and are rolled out as the player explores a map. The are both main quests an optional quests to perform, the former being required in order to move the story forward – natch. Warcraft III also offers a multiplayer component that can be played over local LAN. Blizzard even released an expansion pack called The Frozen Throne that was published back in 2003. Both the original game and the expansion can be purchased for the PC and Mac via Blizzard's online portal, and in a Battle Chest retail box. XCOM 2 This strategy game is rather new for the PC, Mac and Linux platforms, developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games in February 2016. It takes place 20 years after XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012), and sees the Earth taken over by aliens – what else? – despite XCOM's best efforts. In this installment, XCOM is now part of a resistance movement aimed to take back control of the planet. In the single-player campaign, players assume command of XCOM, a former military organization that is now a mere resistance force. A new Avenger mobile base has been established where from you issue commands while spearheading research and engineering departments to create weapons and other tools that will help fight off the hostile aliens. What makes XCOM 2 stand out is its maps, which are lush and rich in detail, and it's strategy-rich, turn-based combat. They're also different each time you play them, keeping the game fresh. In addition to the single-player campaign, there's also a peer-to-peer multiplayer mode, pitting players against each other using squads mixed with alien and XCOM units. XCOM 2 can be purchased through Steam, Amazon and other retailers in boxed and digital editions. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ in 2004, this military sci-fi game is based on the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop wargame. The game takes place on the imperial planet of Tartarus that's currently overrun by Orks. In the background, the human-run Imperium is in constant struggle with the Orks – along with those humans serving the demonic Chaos and the Eldar (space elves) – in a struggle to keep the human race alive. That said, the game provides four armies the player can use throughout the single-player campaign: Space Marines (superhuman soldiers), Chaos Marines (mutated marines), the psychic race of Eldars (again, space elves), and the savage Orks. Resources include power and requisition, the latter of which is generated by the army headquarters. Power is generated by establishing generators that will decay over time, keeping the player busy. The game begins with you establishing your main headquarters and several basic units. After that, you're directed to focus on capturing and holding strategic locations on the map that can later be used to harvest additional resources and unlock nearby areas on said map. Battles are won by defeating bases occupied by enemy forces, or by holding on to locations for a period of time. There are three expansion packs for this RTS title currently available: Winter Assault (2005), Dark Crusade (2006) and Soulstorm (2008). All of these, including the base game, can be purchased on Steam rather cheap. Homeworld This is an oldie but a goodie, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1999. The primary protagonists are the Kushan, who at one time were exiled to a colony of prison ships after losing a galactic war. Other races include the Taiidan, an interstellar empire that rules most of the galaxy, the Bentusi traders, the Kadeshi, the Turanic Raiders and the Galactic Council. A key element that separates Homeworld from the other games in this article is that it's played in a 100% 3D space, hence its dedicated following. The playable races consist of the Taiidan and the Kushan. Each have their specific strengths and weaknesses, and are initially tasked to gather minerals from asteroids and harvest dust clouds using special spaceships, which bring these resources back to the player's resource controller ship, carrier or mothership. Ultimately, the task at hand is to keep the fleet alive as it completes missions and gathers resources. Ther object of the story is to locate the homeworld of the Kushan, called Hiigara. This story spans sixteen missions across the single-player campaign, which sees the surviving ships of the fleet carried over to the next mission. There was an online multiplayer component to the game as well – allowing players to helm either the Taiidan or Kushan. Homeworld is available for Windows and Mac OS X in a Remastered collection by Gearbox Software on Steam, which includes the remastered versions of Homeworld and Homeworld 2, classic versions of the two games, and more. That's it … for now If your favorite strategy game wasn't listed here, not to worry: more will be added to this article over time. But don't wait! Tell us in the comments which games you'd like to see on this list in the future.

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