8 in 10 businesses now using Macs

[StrangeGator]

Interesting article. This represents a doubling in market share in this sector over the last two years. Even more interesting are the reasons given by IT execs, notably the reliability of the Mac hardware and the ability to run other operating systems. I'm guessing the actual reasons have a lot to do with consumer demand.

www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9103958&intsrc=hm_list

[philnotfil]

It could always be that the actual reasons are the reliability of the hardware and the ability to run other operating systems :)

[Aardvark]

The only Apples that we have at work, grow on trees...

[NothingRemains10]

I just bought two Macs in the last week and love them..And two iPhones are on the way the 11th

[StrangeGator]

I have big time IPhone envy.

[Swamper]

Macs may be good machines, but I've never seen any of my business clients with Macs. They all use the Dell Latitude laptops (D630, etc.).

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Most of our macs are for testing and/or the graphics folks. Sure, we have them, but they're not used primarily.

[Gator_Tom66]

we have a few for the web designers at my place, but 98% of the workforce use dell products.

[SOS316]

12,000 computers at my employer and not a single Mac.

[StrangeGator]

12,000 computers at my employer and not a single Mac.

Your organization probably buys from a single brand and your IT people have essentially locked Mac out. What's happening in other large companies is that with the personal preference for Mac growing and the problems integrating them into a large network going away, the IT people are opening the doors and then finding out that it's a very reliable machine. Out of 12,000 employees it's hard to imagine there aren't people, even whole departments that would be better off with Macs.

[grenold]

I've done everything I could to get a Mac at work. They won't do it. Only the designers have em. Got one at home at least.

[StrangeGator]

I've been bringing my own to work for about sixteen years. These are all Mac based departments, so getting on their network was easy. Doing contract work, it's almost required. I've freelanced at two places that didn't have or allow Macs. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but those were the busiest IT people I have ever seen.

Microsoft's advertising agency, McCann Erickson uses Macs exclusively. So does Dell's. So does IBM's. Intel's agency has used Macs since way before Macs used Intels. My first agency, Leo Burnett has over 2000 Mac workstations in the Chicago office alone. It's one of the largest beta sites in the world for Mac and Adobe.

[veridicusgator]

I was heavily using the final rev (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/stats/powerbook_g4_1.5_12.html) of the 12" PowerBook G4 at work until we had a rather draconian crackdown on non-work issued laptops being used "on the clock."

I'd remote into my Dell work-issued laptop no matter where I was in the building or on campus and was very productive.

As is I am sure is the case for many businesses, it is not just the IT department that needs to be on board, in fact... several of our senior IT guys have Macs. But sometimes there are other political challenges to overcome where this issue is concerned.

MrsV's department is a little smaller and a little more relaxed about such things. So as a result... her iPhone is already directly linked to her Outlook at work.

Our IT department wants many of those 2.0 features in place (remote wipe, etc.) before they will even think of connecting my iPhone in over the cloud so we've got some workarounds running in the meantime.

My Dell work laptop is a nice laptop, but monitor spanning hiccups and wifi connex issues ALWAYS pop-up whenever I undock it and go mobile. I never have these probs with any of my Mactops.

I try not to get religious about it.... I just go with what I know.... and for me the Macs... literally just work. As time goes on, we'll see more and more businesses using them... but not everyone will... and that's okay.

[moviegator]

Lots of people are joining Scientology, too. :)

[Swampmaster]

I've never seen a Mac at any companies I talk to. If 8 of 10 use them, they must be hidden somewhere. Dells are used everywhere.

[Judoka]

Every hospital I've worked in/visited uses Dells. GE used Macs originally as the base for their ultrasound reading stations, but migrated to HP XP computers to cut costs and make it easier for in-house IT staff to maintain them. That's the only Mac use I've ever heard of in the health care field.
Come to think of it, the only professionals I've ever seen that used a Mac were photographers. Some students in the MBA program at UNF have Macbooks, but I have yet to see one in a professional environment.

[rjrgator]

You know what they say about statistics.

[Aardvark]

Yes indeed!!!^^^

We mostly use Dell's $ Gateway's!

[FrankGator627]

20% of businesses found to be more successful than other businesses.....:ninja:

[StrangeGator]

Every hospital I've worked in/visited uses Dells. GE used Macs originally as the base for their ultrasound reading stations, but migrated to HP XP computers to cut costs and make it easier for in-house IT staff to maintain them. That's the only Mac use I've ever heard of in the health care field.
Come to think of it, the only professionals I've ever seen that used a Mac were photographers. Some students in the MBA program at UNF have Macbooks, but I have yet to see one in a professional environment.

You won't see as many in places like Jacksonville. Larger cities with Apple Stores and a lot of certified Mac techs will have a lot more.

I don't know about community hospitals, but the research and academic fields are moving to Macs in large numbers. Genetics in particular. A friend of mine is an immunologist at UCSF and most of her department uses Macs now. A guy at my dojo works in IT at Ferme Labs and he says they're moving to Macs more as an organization. The top physicists out there have been using Macs for years. Met a Ferme Labs guy in Starbucks the other day who was running Mathamatica on a Mac Book Pro. I had never seen that application being used before. It was cool.

[Duffman]

Most of our macs are for testing and/or the graphics folks. Sure, we have them, but they're not used primarily.

Same here, web or graphic designers use Mac, but everyone else uses HP or Dell.

[thegator92]

I write software for a company that sells products to most of the banks and insurance companies in the US, and several in Canada and the UK, and none of them ever request stuff for the Mac, it's all PCs and Windows. So consequently all our stuff is PC and Windows, and we have a couple Macs lying around collecting dust.

Besides, I used Macs at my first job in the mid-90s, and I grew to absolutely detest them, so I wouldn't switch if someone paid me, though I freely admit they may be vastly improved and can run any software on the market without slow-downs or crashes, and I just don't know it because I ignore any of the Mac religious hype. I doubt that's true, but it's irrelevant, since my experiences were so bad. :)

[TheRaid]

This is total nonsense.

The reasons PC's are used in businesses far outnumber any reasons having to do with personal preference. Compatability on the network is probably the least problematic reason. You have literally billions of dollars invested in enterprise software that does not run on a Mac. Until that changes, do not expect a Mac at your office anytime soon. The stat is bogus.

[G8RBrave]

This is total nonsense.

The reasons PC's are used in businesses far outnumber any reasons having to do with personal preference. Compatability on the network is probably the least problematic reason. You have literally billions of dollars invested in enterprise software that does not run on a Mac. Until that changes, do not expect a Mac at your office anytime soon. The stat is bogus.

I don't know that it is nonsense. I would say 8/10 businesses have A mac. As in one. Somewhere. I mean, we are not a mac shop by any means, but we have an old macbook that we bust out occassionally for grins, so I guess that would put us in that 80%. Though, the article does state that a fair number of that 80% have a large number of macs.

[StrangeGator]

This is total nonsense.

The reasons PC's are used in businesses far outnumber any reasons having to do with personal preference. Compatability on the network is probably the least problematic reason. You have literally billions of dollars invested in enterprise software that does not run on a Mac. Until that changes, do not expect a Mac at your office anytime soon. The stat is bogus.

What enterprise software can't run on a Mac that's running Windows?

[orangeblueorangeblue]

MS SQL Server, .NET ...

[ugahairydawgs]

What enterprise software can't run on a Mac that's running Windows?

I still find is hilarious that a major selling point for Apple is that their computers can also run Windows.

[Solari]

I still find is hilarious that a major selling point for Apple is that their computers can also run Windows.

And interestingly enough, usually faster than Windows on a PC. ;)

Ray

[vertigo0923]

we were using macs in the eastern ky hosp that i used to work at . they sent you to a three day seminar called 'mac academy' this was a lonnnnnng time ago. they are still so advanced or graphics and presentations. easier to use.

[StrangeGator]

we were using macs in the eastern ky hosp that i used to work at . they sent you to a three day seminar called 'mac academy' this was a lonnnnnng time ago. they are still so advanced or graphics and presentations. easier to use.

Speaking of graphics and presentations, what do you think of Keynote? I would rather have a colonoscopy than ever have to work in Power Point again.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

And interestingly enough, usually faster than Windows on a PC. ;)

Ray

Not a PC that costs the same, though.

[philnotfil]

Not a PC that costs the same, though.

Actually, when Vista first came out the computer that ran it the fastest was a mac, I believe it was several months before anything else came out that ran it faster.

When people point out that PC's are cheaper they never compare macs to PC's with similar specs. When you do that the price difference goes away (unless you are building it yourself).

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Or when you buy it from someone other than Dell or don't get it from a electronics store.