In July, 2014, two firms that were once intense rivals in PCs, Apple Inc. and IBM, announced
that they would form a partnership to create easy to use business apps and to sell iPhones
and iPads to IBM’s corporate customer base. IBM is recognized by its strong relationships with
corporate customers whereas Apple traditionally, has devoted less attention to serving the
enterprise market. The partnership will bring together Apple and IBM engineers to develop
more than 100 apps for a variety of industries. In addition, IBM’s employees will provide on–
site support and service of Apple products to corporate customers. According to the WSJ
(Clark, D. 12/10/14): “Under the partnership, IBM is handling the nitty-gritty programming work
associated with developing the mobile apps, while Apple employees provide input in areas
that include esthetic design and ease of use.”
Is this partnership likely to receive anti-trust scrutiny? Why or why not?