Surveys such as ChangeWave (via
Seeking Alpha) and
ITIC/Sunbelt show that more would use Macs at work than currently
do, but Apple has been transformed into a Consumer Electronics Company,
so it's focus is largely elsewhere.
Apple has had to accept a minor presence in business since John Sculley failed to
convince businesses that they should buy Macs in the late 80s and early
90s. At the time, IT departments wanted to take over control of
departmental computing, and the obvious solution was PCs from IBM who
supplied many of their other systems.
Slow to Change
Companies move slowly, and a large part of the work of IT
departments is keeping old systems up to date. Although IT departments
are always looking at new technology, they are naturally conservative,
because they know that any new system has to be integrated with the
systems the company already uses. New technology is often evaluated on
whether it will do an existing task faster.
Changing systems is to be avoided unless a user or department sees
that the new system is the solution to a problem critical to the
company. Then the change often has to be forced on the IT department,
because it always involves more work for the people already in the
department.
Microsoft owns enduser business computing. Large parts of IT
departments have Microsoft qualifications. Many of the internal
custom-built systems only run on Windows. Purchasing departments love
playing off the vendors against each other so they can obtain the best
possible price for PCs. Much of senior management, even today, hasn't
grown up with computing and thus doesn't have the background to argue
against IT decisions.
Microsoft In a Bind
With the recession, few companies will want to spend money on moving
from Windows XP, which for many is good enough. Although Microsoft has
said that mainstream support for all versions of XP
will end on April 14, extended support will be available for
another five years. Also, Microsoft won't be able to stop selling XP,
at least until Windows 7 is well established on netbooks, or risk
driving OEMs like Asus and Acer firmly into the Linux camp. So XP will
be the most widely used version of Windows, at least until the
recession is nearing it's end.
Microsoft is also in a marketing bind. Business users want
reliability. This is why many IT departments wait for Microsoft to
release a couple of Service Packs before widely distributing a new
version of Windows within the company. So they need to hear that
Windows 7 is built on tried and tested code. It is, but that code is
Vista, with all it's negative associations. The I'm a Mac/PC ads should
be fun.
Target Users, Not IT
At this time there is no point in Apple devoting a large amount of
resources in a broad attack on the business market. It would be an
expensive failure. Microsoft is too well entrenched, and companies want
to limit expenditures. Apple's strategy has to be built around "picking
low hanging fruit".
In a recession, all businesses look for savings. As Macs are premium
priced, companies that don't already buy Macs won't start now. However,
Apple has taken over the $1000+ US market for consumers. Many people
buying in this category will be in management, value their time, and
want a computer that just works.
'Bring Your Own Mac'
A campaign for choice that promotes the cost savings of letting
employees use their own computers in the office can start to introduce
more Macs now. For the business, the computer then either costs nothing
or the cost of an "employee provided computer" allowance.
Few IT departments will want to fight now against zero cost
computers when they have spent many years arguing for Windows
computers, because they are cheaper. When financial times are better,
many of the IT departments will accept that the cost of supporting Mac
users is no greater than Windows users, and there may also be some
savings in Client Access Licenses, part of the Microsoft Tax.
Familiarity often leads to acceptance, and after the recession IT, like
other departments, will be fighting for larger budgets and need support
from other departments to get them. Letting people use and departments
buy Macs will be any easy concession.
Letting people choose to use their own Mac is likely to lead to less
need for support. Only those who are confident in their use of a Mac
will want to use it at work, and many problems will be sorted out on
the usual informal network. Not having to shift between Windows at the
office and Mac at home will also let people be more productive, as they
can concentrate more on what they want to do rather than how to do it -
and the more productive Mac users are seen to be, the more others will
want to use Macs.
Macintosh Value
For companies that are interested in buying, stress that Macs are
good for 4+ years and move away from the 3 year buying cycle for PCs.
The new Unibody
MacBooks look and feel as though they are built to last longer.
Emphasize that Mac users can still install the latest version of the
operating system over that time, and this is why Macs hold their value
longer than PCs. Most people keep Macs for longer anyway, especially in
a downturn, so few if any sales will be lost. This makes Macs cheaper
for the business and better for the environment.
Windows on Macs
If buying good PCs that run XP becomes more difficult, using XP on
Macs - either with Boot Camp or visualization software - will also give
companies more time before they have to migrate. As many companies
already run virtualization software (like VMware) to consolidate servers, running
Windows on Macs can build on existing skill sets.
Malware and Road Warriors
The general lack of OS X malware is important for supporting Road
Warriors, as they will often need to access the Internet and can't
afford to have their PC unusable or come back to the office to have it
rebuilt. Even the recent
Trojan makes a useful point, as companies don't want employees
downloading illegal copies of software, as that could make the company
liable.
Low Cost Training
Training is another business budget that often suffers in downturns.
"One to One"
training at Apple retail stores is cheap at $99. Although it only
covers Apple software, the record number of sessions last quarter shows
there is strong demand. Business oriented courses, such as one built
around making better presentations with lessons taken from Apple
keynotes, would add to One to One's popularity, as would a premium
priced One to One (say at $199) with priority booking like ProCare.
Productivity Wins
So at a time when many businesses can't give raises, they can give
employees choice. The fewer frustrations, the more productive the
employees will be, and the more likely they will stay when times get
better. Of course, there will also be a silver lining in this for Apple
- the more people see Macs at work, the more they will want to try them
out, and the more switchers there will be.
