Apple and SAP SE are partnering to deliver software for iPhones and iPads, opening a new a venue for Apple to reach businesses. The companies plan to deliver a new SAP HANA Cloud Platform SDK exclusively for iOS that will provide businesses, designers and developers the tools to build their own iOS apps for iPhone and iPad, based on SAP HANA Cloud Platform, SAP’s open platform as a service. These native apps will provide access to core data and business processes on SAP S/4HANA, while taking full advantage of iPhone and iPad features like Touch ID, Location Services and Notifications.

SAP will develop apps specifically designed for Apple’s iOS operating system for doctors, industrial field technicians and retailers. The two companies will release a software development kit by the end of the year to let SAP customers and consultants write native apps for Apple devices that take advantage of features such as location and touch sign-in.

The agreement, which the two CEOs sealed last October, would give Apple access to companies that run SAP's business software and some 2.5 million developers who customize its programs, which manage operations including accounting, manufacturing, sales and human resources.

Apple two years ago teamed with International Business Machines Corp. to create dozens of iOS apps for industries including energy, health care and air travel.

SAP’s new wave of i-applications will be written in Apple’s Swift language, promising faster response times and better access to underlying iOS technologies as the apps connect to SAP systems in companies’ data centers. ss that, he said.