Since this requires Profile Manager in Mavericks Server, that feature has been in there since it shipped a few weeks back. Only with the launch of the new VPP system is it usable.
This new VPP leaves in place the world you are already familiar with — the world of redemption codes and Apple Configurator. The new VPP also adds the long sought after ability to purchase re-usable app licenses for iOS 7 devices and for Macs running OS X Mavericks which can be delivered to a user via a Mobile Device Management server over-the-air and then revoked at a later time for re-use.
A couple of things to note:
1. The new licensing model works only with iOS devices running iOS 7 and/or Macs running OS X Mavericks.
2. It requires that the end user of the device has their own Apple ID. It is intended, at this point, for a 1:1 type of deployment, whether that is 1:1 for teachers, 1:1 for students, or both.
3. To manage the distribution of apps, you will need a Mobile Device Management Server that has been updated to understand how to integrate with the VPP. As of right now, the only MDM server that I’m aware of that meets this requirement is Apple’s Profile Manager. This will quickly change as 3rd party MDM vendors (Casper, Filewave, Lightspeed, Meraki, etc.) update their server software over the coming weeks. For specifics for your particular MDM, contact your MDM vendor. Make no mistake, 2014 is the year of MDM. If you don’t have a plan in place to at least begin evaluating MDM, please make it a priority. Mike and I stand ready to help you with that process, and one of us can assist you with simplifying what the pros and cons of each solution means to you.
4. Configurator and redemption codes are not going away. For shared use deployments (carts of iPads you roll into the classroom), this is still the supported method of managing apps on iPads.
This is a big change and there is a lot of information for everyone to digest. Weldon already shared some of these, but here they are again.
The VPP for Education Website:
http://www.apple.com/education/it/vpp/The VPP for Education Guide:
https://www.apple.com/education/docs/vpp_education_guide_en_Oct2013.pdfVolume Purchase Program: Migrating from redemption codes to managed distribution:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6015For an idea of how this could be implemented, you can take a look at how Apple did this as part of Profile Manager on OS X Server. Note that this is how Apple implemented it. MDM vendors are free to implement it however it makes sense for their system. That documentation for Profile Manager is here:
https://help.apple.com/profilemanager/mac/3.0/We realize that many of you have LOTS of questions. I have a few of my own as well :-) I will post more info as it becomes available in the next few days and weeks. Mike Scott and I will also be doing events around the state in December to talk about and show how this new stuff works. Watch for invitations to those events here.