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Seven Reasons to Think Twice About Macs in the Enterprise

Apple commercials show the ultra-cool Mac mocking the pinstriped PC. Macs, it seems, don't care to be businesslike--they'd rather be up late mixing video. And there are other, more pragmatic reasons to keep them out of the enterprise--reasons that a penny-pinching CFO would understand.

 

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4. An Intel Mac won't run all Mac software (including Apple applications) natively-the Mac used to rely on the Power PC processor, and programs for that processor will not run on Intel CPUs. Only programs that have been ported to the "Universal" architecture will run on Intel; others must be run under emulation (Apple includes emulation software called Rosetta with OS X), with the associated degradation in performance (and loss of productivity), or else upgraded. Consequently, a "simple" hardware upgrade from an older model to an Intel Mac can end up costing thousands of dollars in software (Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium 3 upgrade, for example, is $599)-if you can get it. Microsoft Office 2004 is not universal; it runs in emulation mode on Intel Macs, and some components such as Virtual PC don't work at all. Although Microsoft says the next version of Office for Mac will be universal, it says it will not include Virtual PC. Apple's own Appleworks 6.2 has not yet been ported (although, to be fair, the Appleworks User's Group says it runs without degradation on Intel), and an upgrade to a compatible version of Final Cut Studio will set you back $499.

5. Because the Macintosh market share is so small (5.6 percent in Q2'07, according to IDC), the population of Mac support people is equally sparse. This means it's harder to find qualified people. Desktop support personnel with Mac skills can come at a high price; for example, several New York City jobs on Dice.com offer $60,000 to $70,000 (the median desktop support rate for the area, according to HotJobs.com, is $50,886), and also require Windows and/or Unix skills. Mac supporters will no doubt point out that the systems don't need much support, but the fact remains that when they do, there had better be someone available to deliver it.

6. The small Mac market share also means that some vendors don't see the value in making their products, both large and small, Mac compatible. Even if a hardware device is plug-and-play, its accompanying software may only come in a PC version, providing less functionality to the Mac user. BlackBerry Desktop, for example, was developed for the PC only, and it took third parties to develop Mac synchronization software for Pocket PCs. The cost of parallel development to make products compatible often also means that the Mac versions are more expensive than their PC counterparts.

7. Some websites requiring online input won't talk to Macs. Even the U.S. government has dropped the ball; its grants.gov site originally didn't permit application submissions from the Mac, and even now, according to the site, the "early release" software is prone to crashes with data loss and won't run on any versions of Mac OS earlier than 10.4.6 (don't pout-it doesn't work at all with Windows Vista or Office 2007). The cost here is that of a PC, if you don't want to risk the aforementioned software hazards. The opportunity cost associated with being prevented from interaction with these sites must also be considered, as must possible repercussions if the incompatible site is one upon which your business relies, perhaps for regulatory or financial services.

All this is not to say that the Mac will never make it into the enterprise. The Apple world has been becoming less insular each year, and the Mac market share has been growing. But right now, it hasn't quite achieved that critical mass that will make it an economical choice for mainstream business.

Lynn Greiner is a freelance writer who really has nothing against Macs - the editor made her do this. She is also a vice president of IT for a multinational corporation and an award-winning technology writer.

© 2008 CXO Media Inc.
 
 
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WHITE PAPERS

Maximum Efficiency Gains with Virtualization

Learn best practices to optimize your infrastructure and operations department and gain the most from virtualization.
 

Manage Virtualization Initiatives

Learn how you can better manage virtualization initiatives to recognize this technologys maximum value.
 

Cost Effective Data Loss Prevention

Learn how Data Loss Prevention technologies can in fact be deployed in a cost effective manner.
 

Data Loss Prevention and Enterprise Rights Management

Enterprise Management Associates highlights the complementary values of Data Loss Prevention and Enterprise Rights Management as a strategic approach to information risk control.
 

Investing in Business Analytics Technology

Find the answers to your questions about business anyalytics initiatives.
 

Don't Sacrifice Speed

Learn how to ensure custom content is obtained in a fast manner and doesn't drive your customers away.
 

WEBCASTS

Webcast with Dan Vesset: Investing in Business Analytics Technology

What exactly is business analytics and why should you care? Dan Vesset of IDC and Gaurav Verma of SAS answer this a...
 

Capitalize on Your SAP Content

After 18 years of partnership and over 3,000 successful customer deployments, Open Text has become SAP's premier pa...
 

Enterprise Cloud Computing: Ready for Primetime?

The progression toward enterprise cloud computing is happening today, as industry leaders deploy technologies that ...
 

Preparing Your Business Services for the Future

Would you trust your network monitoring tools enough to know when something is truly halting a business service? Wh...
 

Enterprise System Management Challenges in Big Organizations with Eli Almog

In this Podcast with Eli Almog, Corporate Architect in BMC's CTO Office, discusses how IT managers can know when it...
 

BSM in the Field, Practical Insights from Peter Armaly

Have you thought about BSM, but haven't quite gotten the buy-in you need? Get down and dirty with BSM installations...
 

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