Apple Inc. could use some help right now and that help may come from an unlikely source. Apple spun off a software subsidiary called Claris a few years after Steve Jobs was removed by the board of directors of Apple, in 1987. The firm Claris is technically no more. After Claris’s most successful product, Claris changed its name to FileMaker. Even though FileMaker was actually born in an era before Steve Jobs returned to spearhead the iPhone maker, it may possibly play a key role in Apple’s future, says a report from Business Insider.
Claris and Apple – share a long history
The original Macintosh’s built-in tools like MacPaint and MacWrite were so good that the consumers did not need or want the software of any other company, and this made the outside developers jealous. Hence, the iPhone maker placed those products and some other, including AppleWorks – a Microsoft Office competitor – under the care of Claris.
The reason behind such decision was to maintain an illusion that Apple was not competing with its community of developers directly. Apple Inc. Exec Bill Campbell supervised the new subsidiary as CEO of Claris.
With a whole range of Claris software getting popular on the Mac, Claris was going quite well. It made an important acquisition in 1988 in the form of popular early database software FileMaker. This database was aimed at small businesses and home users.
Things continued to go well, but in 1990 then-CEO of Apple John Sculley made a decision to completely scuttle any plans of allowing Claris to become an independent company. Because of his decision, Campbell and many other exes left the company. In 1998, Claris officially changed its name to FileMaker in 1998.
How it could help Apple?
Around 2m people have downloaded the firms iPad and iPhone app – FileMaker Go. FileMaker has been profitable every quarter since its formation, the firm boasts on a job posting page. The focus of FileMaker has shifted over the years. It was a database product originally, but now it helps non-technical small business folks build custom web as well as build Windows, iPad, Mac, and iPhone apps without needing to know the procedure to code.
FileMaker released the 15th version of its namesake FileMaker Pro software just today. This version gives the firms the ability to promptly add flagship Apple features such as 3D Touch press-sensitivity and TouchID fingerprint scanning to their custom apps.
Today, there are increasing concerns about the future of Apple Inc. as its iPhone sales are not doing as well as before. To push the iPad and iPhone into the business tech market, Apple is signing all kinds of big deals with IT companies like SAP, Cisco and IBM. But all these platforms can come in expensive, and require a lot of coding know-how.
Business people do like using iPads and iPhones, but they need mission-critical business apps to get work done. Andy LeCates – director of Solutions Consulting – says it is an idea that resonates well with FileMaker. “We believe the best customer experience out there is on iOS,” says LeCates. Customers can build in some of the best features of iPad and iPhone easily with the FileMaker, believe LeCates.
