Apple is reportedly working with as many as 40 technology companies in an effort to put more of its iPad’s in the hands of business users. According to The Wall Street Journal (via AppleInsider) many of the companies involved in the partnership, dubbed the “mobility partner program” (MPP), are lesser-known app makers for accounting systems or sales presentations.

Companies participating in the program include accounting firm Xero Ltd.; iPad based point-of-sale company Revel Systems, field-service software firm ServiceMax Inc.; mobile security companies MobileIron Inc. and VMware Inc.’s AirWatch; and ScrollMotion Inc. and Showpad NV, both app makers for mobile-ready sales presentations.

Sources familiar with the program told The Wall Street Journal that Xero and other MPP partners have been invited to train Apple business specialists. Meanwhile other partners attended an Apple sales conference in March, an event normally closed to non-Apple employees, to present their iOS/iPad based business app solutions.

As part of the program, Apple reviews partner apps and suggests changes and improvements. To foster a richer partner ecosystem and to ensure a better end user experience, Apple is encouraging partners who make complimentary apps for different business functions to work together to ensure their apps are compatible – think POS app integrated with an accounting app to streamline cost control.

In return, MPP partners are putting Apple representatives in touch with business owners it otherwise would not have been able to reach on its own.

Very little else is known about the program and, despite complimentary app makers collaborating, not all the participants are public knowledge; some partners are unaware of who other participants are or what their specific role is in selling iOS business apps. Even the program name, MPP, is meant to be a secret with Apple discouraging partners from using it in public.

The program appears to be similar to, but unrelated to, Apple’s year-old partnership with IBM which entails IBM selling iOS devices to enterprise customers running industry-specific iOS apps developed in conjunction with Apple.

Apple likely sees the enterprise market as a growth opportunity as the tablet market is at an all-time low and iPad sales have also hit a four-year low.

In addition, Apple hopes to make the iPad more business-friendly with new multitasking features coming in iOS 9 and the rumored release of a 12.9-inch ‘iPad Pro’, said to include a stylus, later this year.

Image credit: dawnfu via Pixabay