Apple seeks to woo businesses away from Windows

I have no love or hate for anyone out there, but the facts are most business environments I deal with are deeply hooked into MS Office, and that's not going to change anytime soon. So putting software aside, in this deepening recession I would like to be a fly on the wall as they try to justify the hardware costs of a £1000 mac against a similarly specced £500 non mac system. Also, which option is going to sting you more if your monitor goes titsup at some point down the line?

As I say, I'm not mac bashing as such, it's just that I don't think their kit is geared up for client machines in the workplace.

Well then I guess its time for Apple to get a little more serious about networks then. Currently the OS X network implementation is a little sophomoric. Working with TCP/IP on heterogeneous networks with OS X is pretty rough around the edges at this time. For working with server class TCP/IP networks at some point there will need to be more robust driver options for things like TOE, RSS, Jumbo Frames etc. or Apple will just continue to be something cool for the latte sippers.

With no imaging software, a complete lack of enterprise software and no compelling reason to migrate. Why in the world would Enterprise want to pay 30%+ in order to run Mac OS X. Oh, here come the zealots because it's cool - it's crash proof, it's hackerproof, it has iLife and iWorks.

It offers ZERO software that isn't available on Windows or has several alternative titles available. Complete lack of Enterprise management tools, etc.

We'd be better of deploying an Enterprise Linux solution that does have Enterprise management tools and a wealth of Open Source software. On top of that it will run on the hardware that we already HAVE!!!!!

Just give it up already Apple. Either release your OS to run on other hardware or stop messing with my companies IT operations already!!!

I am totally with you on what you said. One other thing to add is that Microsoft is as proprietary as it should get when it comes to enterprises and since Apple is the most proprietary vendor out there it would be more of a hindrance to any company out there. Apple is like how MS was in the late 90's. They only allow specific hardware to be blessed to run their OS as well as only allowing what they have approved software wise to run on their systems.

I guess Apple thinks that what iTunes did to music is what AppsStore will do to Software but look .... Open Source does not charge someone to make their iPhone go all white and call it the "Flash Light" app, come one OSS is not the most polished but at least your not getting screwed for BS apps like that. As Pleas NO!!!!! mentioned at least OpenSource has many much needed enterprise tools already made and heck that even some that you can't get on Windows in a proprietary form.

Fine, as long as you only use generic business software that is ported to OSX. Most of our work utilises proprietary applications tied to vendor products, and I imagine getting those ported to OSX won't happen until, oh, I don't know, the end of the universe.

been smoking something that isn't exactly straight in the world of Mac. The architecture/OS isn't really that important to most businesses it's the software that's used. If that's Unix based then the business will have Unix machines, not much in the way of proprietary software has been written for Macs most of it has been written for PCs. I know one company who have a cupboard full of old 486 kit that is guaranteed to run with their ancient but functional bespoke software. Style in the current economic climate is in the recycling bin awaiting collection by the dustbin men.

Efros

Only in the holy ground of Apple's temple does this sound like a good idea. Why would business want to use Apple's overpriced hardware and dead locked OS?

Anyone who has any business knowledge laughs at Apple.

Apple vs. Dell desktops: from my experience in systems admin.

What is cheaper to upkeep in the following examples?

1. hard drive failure
2 power supply failure
3. display failure

Where I worked we kept replacements on hand and received credit from Dell when we sent in the broken parts that were still under warranty. Example 2 and 3 we could correct within an hour easily vs waiting on Apple to fix their iMac because of it's sleek design. With business time = money.

If Apple would open OSX and design some user friendly desktops then maybe in a few years they could break into the business sector. As it stands right now they sell overpriced sleek looking hardware that only a foolish business would invest in.

As much as I dislike M$ they do have a very good business relationship. Between Unix, Linux, and M$ poor Apple looks very rotten.

Having done small biz desktop support. The Mac customers that I had called 2 times a year. The windows client and server customers where more like 2 times a month. At $140 an hour that pays for more expensive kit. That said none of the vertical software runs on it. When that stuff all goes web app then it will work. But I would hope someone would come up with a linux that is stable at the mac and $400 cheaper a seat.

Out of the paternalistic, control-freak clutches of one proprietary software company into those of another? I don’t think so.

The only way out of this particular trap is to go with Free Software. In these demanding times, you need to be flexible. That means not making yourself a customer of companies who put their interests above yours.

It's not just about the cost, but the business value and functionality.

Unless Apple has something to compete with Exchange and Sharepoint, I'm not listening.

I've worked in several offices in UK and I've never seen a Mac. I've seen Windows from 3.1/Windows for Workgroups through to XP Pro/Vista and plenty of Unix/Linux boxes.

But I've never seen a Mac in a regular business.

Considering the palava that a small business has just getting Vista pc's to be fully visible to XP pc's, I doubt many will switch to using Macs.

Get Macs for your office and I bet your IT support bill goes up.