Recent announcements indicate that Apple has not abandoned the enterprise. Under-reported developments and price cuts point to the opportunity for Apple to leverage its popularity in the executive suite. Apple’s opportunity arises from three key product areas: mobile platform, server offering, and virtualization toolset.

Mobile Platform

At MacWorld Expo, Steve Jobs revealed that Apple had sold 4 million iPhones. The iPhone’s success as a consumer smartphone is often discussed, but it has been resisted in IT departments despite C-Level executives seeking support for their new status symbol.

Apple recently announced a partnership with IBM to deliver Lotus software packages to Apple’s handheld and computer products. This partnership will assist with Apple’s attempts to infiltrate the enterprise space. In addition, this partnership broadens Lotus’ appeal and makes sense for IBM if it hopes to compete on a broad range of end-user platforms.