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Apple’s iOS 9 was released on 16 September 2015, and before the end of the month more than 50 percent of Apple users had already upgraded. That adoption rate set records for the operating system, but you might be surprised to know it is not just Internet companies and tech-savvy consumers signing up. The following industries are also embracing iOS technology.
iOS Helps Public Transport Connect to Community: MTR
Nine out of ten passenger trips in Hong Kong take place on public transport. In a city that relies so heavily on this service, companies like the train network MTR are always looking for better ways to communicate with passengers.
When emergencies arise, such as impending typhoons, MTR’s Customer Service Rapid Response Unit, armed with iPads, springs into action. These iPads are loaded with apps outlining emergency procedures, providing information about the route network, stations, and other things passengers need to know. The team also updates MTR Mobile, a free information app, so the wider community can stay in the loop.
MTR Mobile isn’t just useful in times of crisis. It also notifies passengers of special train services and real-time traffic news, as well as providing train arrivals, journey planners, and tourist information.
Image via Flickr by marko8904
iOS Makes Manufacturing Safer: Schindler
You may not know the name Schindler, but you’ve probably used its products without ever realizing. Schindler is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of elevators and escalators. iOS technology is helping the global company make its products safer and more reliable.
Schindler’s elevators and escalators are all fitted with sensors that monitor variables like speed and temperature. This information is collected, analyzed, and uploaded to the company’s FieldLink app. Schindler’s field technicians use fast mobile devices to log on to FieldLink and discover potential problems before they occur.
The app creates a personalized job list for each technician as well as the most efficient route to get all jobs done. The job list and route are updated in real time as urgent jobs appear. The app also details which parts and tools to bring, so technicians aren’t overburdened. The Apple iPad devices the technicians use for this app, such as the iPad Air 2 available from T-Mobile, are much smaller and lighter than the old binders of information they used to travel with.
Schindler estimates that iOS annually saves its company 40 million kilometres of driving and 4,435 tons of carbon emissions.
iOS Makes Restaurants More Efficient: Carmel Café & Wine Bar
Anyone who’s ever waited impatiently at a restaurant for wait staff to take their order will appreciate the way Florida’s Carmel Café & Wine Bar is using iOS technology. Patrons order their food and beverages from an iPad menu, which sends their selections immediately to the kitchen. This system speeds up the ordering process and minimizes the risk of errors.
“Most guests are amazed at how fast the food comes out,” confirmed Carmel Café & Wine Bar’s president and cofounder, Terry Ryan. “There’s no delay, no interruption of getting that food order to the kitchen. It’s immediate.”
Restaurants typically face large bills and lengthy delays when deciding to reprint a paper menu. But the iPad menus can be easily and quickly updated when the café’s offerings change. By keeping the menus digital, Carmel Café & Wine bar is also reducing its carbon footprint.
It’s not just the dining room that’s using less paper, either. Carmel Café & Wine Bar also has an iPad at every preparation station, allowing its chefs to access all the recipes on the menu and discover how best to accommodate special diets. Chatbots for business certainly cut down on wasted paper as well.
iOS Makes Construction Smarter: Daiwa House Industry
iOS technology has allowed Daiwa House Industry, Japan’s largest manufacturer and builder of prefabricated homes, to work better and improve its products. Daiwa House sales staff carry iPads to share information, like color charts and mortgage calculations, with customers. On the factory floor, iPads help workers accurately track parts, designs, and product plan changes. The company’s smart-houses even have an iPad installed in an interior wall to monitor electricity, water, and total energy use.
Daiwa House is also enthusiastic about iPad’s security features, like passcode protection and remote swipe, which helps keep company assets and sensitive customer information safe. That is of the utmost importance, especially since big data solutions are under constant threat of cyber attacks.
In iOS, Apple has created technology that has more widespread business applications than you might expect.
Why Is iOS Technology Improving Business?
When it comes to technology and business, iOS clearly has started to revolutionize the industry. But why are they suddenly so successful? Well one reason is because business itself is changing therefore, so are the needs of new businesses. One such reason that iOS has been so successful with this new business industry is because the business model is a thing of the past. Not long ago, a business could open its doors using a business plan that would last them the duration of business operations. Now however, business plans being constant is a thing of the past. It has become expected for new businesses to experience upheavals and bumps in the road. Scale advantage is no longer a viable advantage. And with technology evolving at an incredibly rapid pace, everyone has the opportunity to improve operations and maximize productivity and efficiency. There are many reasons why iOS is being adopted by more and more businesses, but probably the most important is that business models themselves have changed and continue to evolve throughout the lifetime of a business.
A Broader Look
You should also take a look at the broader implications of technology in business beyond just proprietary technology. iOS technology is not the only form of technology making a huge impact on business operations for millions of companies. In fact, technology as a whole has revolutionized the traditional business model. Typically, once a business had decided on a specific manner of creating, delivering and capturing value that was it. The decision was made once and business operations never changed. Now however, this not the case. No matter the industry, businesses are required to change their business model more and more frequently. This is certainly of the most notable ways a broader sense of technology has revolutionized business.
