App Store's musical roots make it ill-suited for the enterprise

Because Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) App Store was created to sell songs, it is not well designed to sell iPhones and iPad apps for business environments, argues technology journalist Ryan Faas.

The sale of songs is built on a user-centered model in which the user buys a song, through an iTunes account, to be played on an Apple device. However, enterprise software purchases are "very different," Faas observed in a CiteWorld article.

The traditional way enterprises purchase software is to buy licenses for a specific number of PCs or users, whether it is a few employees or the entire enterprise. The license is not restricted to a specific individual or device.

"This creates an inherent disconnect when it comes to iPhones and iPads in the workplace. Users can purchase apps for business use, but they are still associated with their Apple ID and can run only on their devices. Businesses can reimburse users for the expense, but the ability to use the app remains with the employee. If he or she leaves the company, the app leaves as well," Faas observed.

Apple's Volume Purchase Program is the company's effort to solve the problem. Through the program, companies can buy App Store redemption codes and distribute them to employees. But when the employees redeem the codes, the apps become associated with their iTunes account.

Faas explained that this creates a problem for app licensing, distribution and management in the BYOD environment. The current trend is for companies to set up their own custom app stores based on the licensing model, putting it at odds with the Apple approach.

Apple could be moving toward offering custom App Stores for the enterprises, according to Canalys senior analyst Tim Shepherd, who Faas cited in the article. "On one hand that would allow enterprises to upload custom app, while employees would also be able to download their own consumer apps for the App Store," Shepherd said at the AppsWorld Europe exhibition held this week.

Who knows? The next time you downloaded an iPhone app for work, you might be visiting an App Store boutique designed just for your company. It certainly would make the IT manager's job easier.

For more:
- check out Faas's article

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