“My message to new Apple CEO John Ternus is: reach out to strategic partners with innovative programs to help drive your solutions into the enterprise market,” says Future Tech Enterprise CEO Bob Venero.
Apple partners have a message for incoming CEO John Ternus: given the current memory shortage, rising PC prices and the supply chain crisis hitting the channel, now is the time to double down on Apple corporate resellers.
“The supply chain crisis has forced the industry to look at alternative solutions for customers because of lack of product availability and higher prices,” said Bob Venero, CEO of Future Tech Enterprise, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Apple corporate reseller. “As this is happening, Apple is well-positioned to capture enterprise market share. My message to new Apple CEO John Ternus is: reach out to strategic partners with innovative programs to help drive your solutions into the enterprise market.”
Future Tech, for its part, has created “bridge” solutions to help customers conquer the supply chain crisis. That innovative program includes offering Apple devices such as the $599 MacBook Neo 13-inch laptop. “That can get the job done for 60-70 percent of the use cases out there,” said Venero.
Venero urged Ternus (pictured above) to look closely at Apple’s ability to grow share “tremendously” in the enterprise market with innovative new programs for partners.
Venero’s comments came after Apple announced that Ternus, the vice president of engineering for the company for nearly 25 years, will become CEO and a member of the company’s board of directors effective September 1.
At that time, Apple said that CEO Tim Cook, who has held that title for the last 15 years, will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors
Arthur Levinson, who has been Apple’s non-executive chairman for the past 15 years, will become its lead independent director on September 1.
Venero said Apple’s ability to control all of the components of its hardware products has given it a marked advantage in the midst of the current supply chain crisis, which some are predicting will last into 2028.
“Apple can do much more in the enterprise if it aligns with value-added partners,” he said. “If Apple is willing to share some of the margin it makes with value-added partners, it could have a big impact on its ability to increase its share in the enterprise market. There are some complications with having the Mac OS in the corporate environment. That can be overcome but there needs to be a focus and a team that can align with partners to make it successful.”
Venero said Apple has closed the price gap with PC makers given the current supply chain crisis. “Apple has come a long way in supporting enterprise customers through channel partners,” he said. “My message to John Ternus is: double down on partners to gain enterprise share.”
The CEO for another Apple partner, who did not want to be identified, also urged Ternus to take advantage of the current supply chain crisis to drive share gains through the several hundred Apple corporate resellers.
“Apple’s prices are holding up and their delivery model is much better than Windows PC makers,” said the CEO. “Apple manufactures their own chips and they are not selling into the big data centers which are getting a large chunk of the memory supply. I’m hoping the new CEO will look at the current situation and make some changes to help partners sell into enterprise customers.”
The CEO said now is the time to double down on partners with higher margins to drive sales into corporate market. “Apple needs to make it more profitable for corporate resellers to invest in the sales resources necessary to get enterprise customers to move to Apple Mac products,” he said. “Apple has to make up its mind that it really wants to go after corporate America and deliver some good, exciting programs for partners.”
Apple said Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer as he works “closely” with Ternus on a “smooth transition.”
In a prepared statement, Ternus said he was “profoundly grateful” for the opportunity to carry the Apple mission forward.
“Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor,” he said. “It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another. I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us. I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”
Cook, for his part, said being CEO of Apple has been the “greatest privilege” of his life. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world,” he said. “John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”
