Is there a Mac in your future? [BT broadband office]

Is there a Mac in your future?

Posted 16 January 2008 at 11:14AM by Ian Betteridge in IT systems and support

First of all, a confession to make: although I use a Windows PC on a daily basis, my own computer at home is a Mac. I've been a Mac user, off and on, since 1986 and earned a living writing about them for many years.

That means that this week is a special one for me, as it's the annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco, where CEO Steve Jobs unveils the latest and greatest Apple products. Last year was the launch of the iPhone, so expectations are running high.

But even most Mac users accept that, in business, the Windows PC is king. Although I'm old enough to remember the days when a handful of corporations used Macs widely, these days virtually no large company uses them.

However, reading through a blog post by my old colleague David Morgenstern, I was struck by this passage:

"On the eve of the Expo, I talked about enterprise switching with Kent Prows, LANDesk's corporate strategist. The company provides systems, security and process management solutions for enterprises, including Mac clients and servers. He said the move to the Mac is gaining in the SMB business market and the enterprise. He pointed to a customer that had 200 Macs on site this time last year and plans to end 2008 with 4,000 Macs. Now, that's switching."

Many small businesses start at home, and with Apple's share of the home market rising it's perhaps not surprising that it's share of the small business market would also be on the up. Macs have traditionally required less support than Windows PCs, and no small business wants to spend time fiddling with a computer when they should be doing business.

The main reason that small businesses have been reluctant to look at Macs, of course, is a lack of business software. But as more business software move to being delivered via the web - like BT's own recently-launched Web Expenses - this is becoming less of an issue.

So is there a Mac in your future? Maybe the time is right to have a look.

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Tags: apple, bt web expenses, mac, saas

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Comments

1. At January 16, 2008 12:47 PM, Jonah wrote:

Not forgetting the introduction of Vista has caused a number of people to consider switching to Mac.

They have their own disadvantages as well but having used a Mac for over 2 years now I couldn't go back to having a PC as my own computer, I shout at them too much when they (all too frequentely) go wrong.

2. At January 16, 2008 2:09 PM, anjanesh wrote:

safari on windows works just great.
tempted to switch to MAC soon...wish apple has a install CD which would allow me to install it on a native windows pc.

Jonah for PM.

3. At January 16, 2008 2:10 PM, Nicola McBlane wrote:

I've been looking at getting a new computer lately because I need to upgrade, but I don't want to switch to Vista - too expensive to get one that doesn't restrict my access to useful system tools and it's a ridiculous hog for memory so had been looking at a PC with Linux but a Mac could also be an option for me - thanks for reminding me of it. The business applications side of things shouldn't be a problem - there are versions of the stuff I need on both luckily.

Macs do have an advantage in support - and not tending to need support too often is also an advantage but given I work in IT this is less of an issue for me.

I'll have to have a look into the hardware and see if it can meet my (rather highspec) needs.

4. At January 16, 2008 3:38 PM, Eric Cartman wrote:

The only Mac I will be having in the future is the BIG MAC from McDonnalds, I just love them

5. At January 16, 2008 4:06 PM, Craig Killick wrote:

We run a small business (20 people) using Macs (with 3 PCs) with a Windows Exchange server. The Apple Mail software links into Exchange and we run iCal as a group for diaries.

Believe or not the Macs are so much simpler to network, especially compared to Vista.

The only reason we now need a PC in the office is Sage for Accounts...

What's more, you can now run Windows on your Mac anyway with Bootcamp

6. At January 17, 2008 11:48 AM, Rob Stevens wrote:

I run several PCs here and a MAC. I hate the thing because bits of the software keep failing. I can't see why people like MACS. My PCs are incredibly reliable with Windows XP and will print to all of my printers (unlike the MAC). However, the MAC is useful for designing brochures and it occupies very little space. Sorry - I think MACS are grossly overrated.

7. At January 17, 2008 10:29 PM, Rhys Adams wrote:

I have only just become a Mac follower, I originally purchased a Mac Mini so that I could put Macs down on my CV. But got the bug very quickly... I now have a 24" iMac and a Macbook, as a blogger has said before it works fine with exchange and is extremely compatible with most programs. I have XP installed via bootcamp but for quick access to windows applications including Sage I use Parallels Desktop.
I am slowly replacing the PC's in our offices with MAC's, the only downside is the higher cost. Staff have been reluctant, but willing to try the new layout with great results.
Now with Macbook Air on the market, I can see me giving my Sony Vaio up... Something portable from Apple at last!

8. At January 21, 2008 9:14 PM, Alun Ceri Jones wrote:

I've used Macs for my SME business since the mid-80s. No complicated, unwieldy PCs for me please. Easy to set up and to work with, reliable, they get the job done fast. If something goes wrong, the fix is easily manageable. I also use PCs at this large organisation I go in and work for. How many times a week do I call IT out just to sort something out or set something up? I'd say Mac is king; PC is just a Goliath!

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