RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: NPR's Business News starts with old rivals teaming up. Apple and IBM were intense competitors 30 years ago during the early days of the personal computer. But now, in the mobile age, the two companies have struck a deal to develop business apps. The hope is to translate IBM's vast corporate computing services into easy-to-use apps. The deal also includes plans to sell iPhones and iPads to IBM's corporate customers, expanding Apple's traditional customer base beyond consumers.
Apple and IBM were intense competitors 30 years ago — during the early days of the personal computer. But now, in the mobile age, the two companies have struck a deal to develop business apps.