GE's industrial internet now available on iOS

Dive Brief:

The industrial internet is becoming more connected than ever before with a partnership between Apple and GE to take Predix mobile. The deal will allow for the creation of data and analytic applications for GE's industrial IoT platform, Predix, through a new iOS software development kit, the companies announced Tuesday.
The new Predix SDK for iOS launches next week, allowing developers to create native applications for the industrial platform, according to the announcement. Users can employ Predix apps to gain more insight into equipment performance and operations, whether that's notifications about wind turbine equipment repairs or quick access to collected data to make inspections easier.
As part of the deal, GE is making iPhones and iPads the standard for its mobile devices and is recommending Macs for its 330,000 employees, according to the announcement.

Dive Insight:

Embedding sensors into physical systems is one of IoT's true promises. More systems are connected to the internet, but without ways to track and analyze the information, it serves little purpose. That's where iOS comes into play. GE will soon have an easier way for its customers to track system performance, whether in jet engines or transformers.

On top of that, the iOS apps will allow for analytic access on the go, which is particularly useful in an industrial environment.

The announcement is a boon for both companies. For GE, mobile efforts are part of its promise to transform into a technology company, with an industrial cloud-based platform that rethinks how systems connect and communicate. For Apple, it's yet another inroad into the enteprise.

GE's announcement couldn't come at a better time. The company is undergoing a slew of leadership changes following the departure of former CEO Jeff Immelt in June. To stay relevant and competitive in the changing market, GE will have to continue its efforts to turn into a software company by 2020, an idea Immelt pushed.

If the industrial giant's transformation proves successful, with its army of 28,000 employees in its software unit, CIO Jim Fowler believes the company's software business could bring in as much as $15 billion in revenue by 2020.