(Reuters) - Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) has acquired Fleetsmith, a San Francisco-based startup company whose technology helps businesses manage Apple's Mac and iPad devices among their employee bases.

The move is a push by Apple into the mobile device management industry, a category of business software dominated by players such as Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) and VMware Inc (NYSE: VMW). Fleetsmith announced the deal in a blog post. Apple confirmed the acquisition, but the companies did not disclose a price.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco)

Mergers and Acquisitions Reuters