Apple launches subscription service ‘Business Essentials’ for small-business owners

The giants of the internet began to attach more importance to the business world than ever before, with the pandemic taking place in our lives. We need some services both for remote working and for organizing work in the office. Similar to what Google has offered for years under the name Workspace, Apple is also launching a new subscription service called “Business Essentials” aimed at helping small-business owners manage the Apple devices used by their employees. 

Business Essentials is similar to management software that companies such as Microsoft Corp or VMware Inc sell to large business for setting up and keeping secure their fleets of phones, laptops, and tablets. But Apple’s version is simplified for businesses with between 50 and 500 employees that have either a small IT department or none at all. The company also unveiled a new Apple Business Essentials app that enables employees to install apps for work and request support.

The service will cost between $2.99 and $12.99 per month per user depending on how many devices a business wants to manage for each employee and how much cloud storage the business wants. For an additional monthly cost, Apple will also offer a service to repair or replace broken hardware at a business within four hours, though the company said it has not yet determined pricing for that service.

Susan Prescott, Apple’s Vice President of Enterprise and Education Marketing, commented:

“Small businesses are at the core of our economy, and we’re proud that Apple products play a role in helping these companies grow. Apple Business Essentials is designed to help streamline every step of employee device management within a small business — from setup, onboarding, and upgrading, to accessing fast service and prioritized support, all while keeping data backed up and secure, so companies can focus on running their business.”

The service is currently in beta and only available to a small business group in the US. It will probably spread slowly around the world after the beta period. The amount your company has to pay to use this service is $2.99 ​​per user in the US. This amount can go up to $12.99 depending on the iCloud space you want to buy for your employees.

Apple also plans to add AppleCare+ to this service in the future. In other words, businesses will be able to get 24/7 phone support about this service. This can satiate businesses’ thirst for technical knowledge about this service.