The Apple iPad and iPhone planned to be given boost with small business customers by Ghost of Apple’s Past

A little known company was born during Steve Jobs temporary severance from Apple, back in 1987, which served its initial purpose as an Apple software subsidiary, under the name “Claris”. Why does this matter today, and what does it mean for Apple in the future?

Claris was first created to supply business and productivity software to Mac users, and in 1988, the company acquired FileMaker, one of the first inceptions of database software for small and home business. Database software was “all the rage” in the late 80s, early 90s, an era in which cloud computing was still science-fiction. Small businesses unable to afford expensive enterprise-class solutions of the times, saw Claris FileMaker as a cost effective answer to their budget dilemma.

With that said, Apple was well aware of the profitability of FileMaker, and ensured that Claris would not “make a run for it”, and become a potential competitor in a very young and eager market, by making Claris an Apple property, completely owned, and branded as subsidiary for the years to come.

In recent years, FileMaker may not be as popular as it once was, but it does still offer something to home and small businesses, which Apple’s recent partnerships with IBM, CISCO and SAP, simply cannot: a a pricing that’s within the range of a small or a home business.

By focusing exclusively on iOS, FileMaker Pro Tool, is an ideal platform for small businesses to invest in apps capable of scaling according to the needs of an organization that wouldn’t have a need for a large scale enterprise-grade system. FileMaker possesses the ability to cater to the small retailer, like a local grocery store, or a self-storage facility. This is precisely the reason why Apple has allowed FileMaker to exist today.