Apple teams up with GE to make industrial IoT apps for iOS

Device giant Apple is partnering with GE in an apparent bid to give both companies a leg up in the industrial IoT space.

GE’s industrial IoT platform Predix is being given its own SDK for iOS to enable developers to make apps that will be able to use its predictive data and analytics capabilities. Apple has done a good job of getting iOS devices into the work place and this seems to be a move to bolster that position as the IoT era unfolds.

“GE is an ideal partner with a rich history of innovation across the industrial world in areas like aviation, manufacturing, healthcare and energy,” said Tim Cook, Apple CEO. “Together, Apple and GE are fundamentally changing how the industrial world works by combining GE’s Predix platform with the power and simplicity of iPhone and iPad.”

“The partnership between Apple and GE is providing developers with the tools to make their own powerful industrial IoT apps,” said John Flannery, Chairman and CEO of GE. “Our customers increasingly need to arm their workforces through mobility. Working together, GE and Apple are giving industrial companies access to powerful apps that help them tap into the predictive data and analytics of Predix right on their iPhone or iPad.”

That’s it really. The SDK will be available in a week or so and the two companies are hoping developers will use it to build apps that enable companies to track and interact with their IoT devices. Such interactions could include alerts, collaboration and remote programming. Apple and GE have promised to promote each other in the industrial IoT context.