Apple making big inroads in business with OS X

MacCentral ^ | 7/21/2005 | By Jim Dalrymple

[Swordmaker]

Apple Computer’s UNIX-based Mac OS X operating system is making inroads in the business community, according to a report by market research firm Jupiter Research. The report tracks desktop and server operating systems in medium to large sized business.

The report found that in businesses with 250 employees or more, 17 percent of the employees were running Mac OS X on their desktop computer at work. In Businesses that had 10,000 or more employees, 21 percent of employees used Mac OS X on their desktop work computer.

Mac OS X Server is also doing well with businesses. Nine percent of companies with 250 employees or more used Mac OS X Server, while 14 percent of companies with 10,000 employees or more used Apple’s Server software.

Due reporting techniques, comparisons to where Mac OS X was last year at this time were not available. However, Jupiter Research Senior Analyst and author of the report, Joe Wilcox, characterized the numbers as significant for Apple.

“What we are seeing is Mac OS X taking share aware from traditional UNIX installations,” Wilcox told MacCentral. In some cases, OS X is taking share away from Windows, as well.”

Wilcox explained that large businesses with expensive UNIX systems are opting for Mac OS X when they upgrade for a variety of reasons. OS X is winning out over Linux in some cases as well, said Wilcox because these businesses would already have UNIX expertise on staff; OS X has a good stable of server applications and it can run traditional UNIX apps; and OS X is more viable as a desktop platform.

Jupiter also sees opportunities for Apple with companies that currently run a UNIX and Windows combination. With Mac OS X’s UNIX underpinnings, companies can use Apple’s operating system to replace the other two.

Microsoft’s Windows Server operating system saw a marginal decrease in installed base this year, according to the report.

Wilcox said it was too early to gauge reaction to Apple’s recent announcement that it intends to switch to Intel-based systems next year. While cost will be definitely be a factor, Jupiter’s Wilcox said that is not always the largest cost center.

“With a lot of these systems the biggest cost is software, not hardware,” said Wilcox.

Linux users also represent a big pool of potential switchers, according to the report.

“I’m surprised to see just how much Mac OS X has captured the interest of potential Linux switchers,” said Wilcox. “Companies that were considering Linux are now buying Mac OS X instead.”

[Swordmaker]

"In some cases, OS X is taking share away from Windows, as well.”

“I’m surprised to see just how much Mac OS X has captured the interest of potential Linux switchers,” said Wilcox. “Companies that were considering Linux are now buying Mac OS X instead.”

[Swordmaker]

OS X on 21% of desktops in large corporations?!?!

PING!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[CheneyChick]

That should save $$ on IT costs... Of course, less job security for those guys who rely on people having "technical difficulties".

[kingu]

Let me consult today's LA Times Classified section to see how many job opportunities there are requesting people who know Mac OS X...


Right. 21% of the companies reported knowing about someone who was running Mac OS X; a very rare beast outside of the marketing departments in almost every corporation in America.

[HAL9000]

Let me consult today's LA Times Classified section to see how many job opportunities there are requesting people who know Mac OS X...

That's the point. Unlike Windows, an enterprise doesn't need a large staff of technicians to maintain Mac OS X. It's easier to install, it doesn't constantly break down or get infected with worms, viruses and spyware, etc.

[kingu]

It may or may not require a large staff of technicians, but it does require some, and in a city of ten million, you'd expect some company somewhere to need at least one. There's even an ad for a COBOL programmer and a FORTRAN expert, but no Mac OS X.

Let's not confuse idealism for reality. We get enough of that crap from liberals. Mac OS X may or may not be a great operating system (I lean towards may), but the reality is that Microsoft owns the home, corporate and government desktop with rare exceptions. Hopefully the Mac Mini will make inroads into this, but delusions only are appreciated on the other side.

[nerdwithamachinegun]

That's me at home.
I got tire of never-finished amateurware.
OS X was the answer.
10.4 is even more awesome.

[pageonetoo]

...Let's not confuse idealism for reality. We get enough of that crap from liberals... but delusions only are appreciated on the other side.

Indeed. You sweep a large brush, based on your perusal of the "LA Times" Adv. dept? It is obviously your reality, that is a little warped. As a Mac owner, and user since 1984, I may know a little more about the subject matter, and will gladly reply to your apparent ignorance.

I am not a techie. I have used my computers, with few problems, since the beginning, without needing to be one. All of my problems were caused by poorly written code, in third party software. I never needed a programmer, or a technician, except to spin a crashed hard drive for recovery. I still have some of my 15-20 yr old, fully functioning, Macs. I can use much of the early software, using Mac Classic (OS9), running underneath OSX.

The only crap we Mac folk get are from the MS IT Dept types, and others that make their living trying to revive crashed Wintel computers. WE Mac users RARELY have to miss a beat!

The Mac mini is already a hit, but I own a g5. I will take on any Photoshop Process, and beat you to the redraw, most times, on your Wintel. Have you ever had a chance to use Final Cut Pro. If you've been to many movies, you have seen its' "product" displayed repeatedly. I have used it as an upgrade to iMovie (a very easy to use, Apple-supplied, part of the iLife suite). It is not much more difficult to use, but the output is fabulous, for my home movies. The ease of use, is because of the standardization, of the many facets of Mac programs, required by Apple, from itself and third-party folk.

I still use the same keyboard shortcuts that I learned in 1984, while you were probably still in diapers, or using a little flashing c> as a guide. (I still don't know how to get it to stop flashing, and don't care!)

Microsoft does not own desktops. They market an operating system, filled with foibles, and loaded with drudgery. That is why IT Departments came into being. Without an aggressive IT Dept, commerce would cease, if it relies on Microsoft.

In Burgaw, NC, circa 1986-87, the Pender Post Newspaper began using Macintosh Plus, teamed with Apple Laserwriters, for type-setting the paper, and creating ads. They still use Mac. Most papers do, these days. They have no IT guys. Never did.

Most any creative department, of any major Corp, has a Mac or two, or three. More are adding them. With advanced engineering programs, and lots of spreadsheet calcs, there is good use for the Mac GUI environment. Gamers made MS wealthy, when they took their bizness machines home, and needed something to do. Apple has been primarily marketed to working people, and creators, not gamers. We don't need an alternate reality, where we can kill and pillage.

It is not difficult to believe the article. It is, however, extremely difficult to continually listen to jerks, that don't know enough about the subject, to make a reasonable post. Instead, these jerks think it is still necessary to bash Mac users, or make cutesy remarks about delusions... because they have no argument.

Get over it. The only delusions are in the minds of those who don't see the headlights!

"Dave, what are you doing?"

[kingu]

Indeed. You sweep a large brush, based on your perusal of the "LA Times" Adv. dept?

Well, yes, I suppose that is hilariously stupid of me, considering Los Angeles is one of the largest tech markets in the world, far exceeding the job base of many countries.

Let me first explain my experience. My first Mac was a Mac Lisa. While you were learning shortcuts in 1984, I was piggybacking processors, stacking ram, and programming Macs. Over the next ten years, I help build the industry. I know the pleasures of dealing with Apple's non-disclosure documents. I was quite pleased with helping with the design on the Mac II, and of the nine Macs I've owned, every single one still operates wonderfully (though the Lisa lives on only as a wall clock at an observatory.

But of course, you bring up the news industry. I helped write the manual for Knight Ridder to use to convert their paste up departments to pagination, using the III systems that became the cornerstone for the large publishing industry. (Very happy with buying their stock at the time, too, though Tron was a bit silly.)

I enjoyed setting up IT departments up till the change of the century for corporations across the United States. My biggest challenge was re-working the Hughes IT support section into something that could actually handle their needs.

I've likely shed close to 20 pints of blood onto the circuit boards of Mac computers, and lit myself up more than a few times off of those flybacks.

Do you know more? No. You don't. I've likely exceeded your knowledge with what I've forgotten, mostly because I've not used a Mac for the last five years. It would probably take me forty minutes to strip down and rebuild a LaserWriter today, and likely three hours to rebuild an ImageWriter printhead, horrible times compared to years ago. I knew most of the folks who signed the inside of the Apple IIgs.

The article comes from MacUser. If Apple had captured just 10% of the corporate desktops, they would be issuing a massive press release to boost their stock. They would not be talking about their iPod sales, or iTunes. Had they captured 10% of the corporate desktops, you'd see Microsoft announcing a storm of new products to capture part of that market back again.

As for overall install base, if you totaled every 68000 derived processor, as well as every PowerPC derived processor, you still would not equal 10% of the corporate computer market. Just in computerized registers alone, you might come close..maybe.

One of the things I've learned on FreeRepublic is never assume that someone is ignorant until they've proved it. Take the lesson to heart.

[antiRepublicrat]

There's even an ad for a COBOL programmer and a FORTRAN expert, but no Mac OS X.

I see a lot of "OS X" and "Macintosh" throughout the country on Monster. Also, don't forget that in getting a programmer for Web apps for OS X, you're likely to see ads for Java, JBoss, Tomcat or WebObjects. Also look for ads for Filemaker, a popular database for OS X, and for PHP, Perl and MySQL, which might also end up being done on an OS X system.

But you are right that Microsoft owns the corporate and government, much the same way IBM used to, and the buyers buy out of habit rather than by any real business criteria such as TCO. I know this is true for government. But many are starting to realize that's a good way to lose money.

[SunkenCiv]

"I knew most of the folks who signed the inside of the Apple IIgs."

II Infinitum! :')

[Swordmaker]

Right. 21% of the companies reported knowing about someone who was running Mac OS X; a very rare beast outside of the marketing departments in almost every corporation in America.

Why must you misrepresent what the article said... it did not say that "21% of the companies reported knowing about someone who was running Mac OS X". It stated flatly that

"In Businesses that had 10,000 or more employees, 21 percent of
employees used Mac OS X on their desktop work computer.

[pageonetoo]

Well, yes, I suppose that is hilariously stupid of me, ...

Well said! The rest of it is nice hype.

I own four businesses, and established one foundation. I own four houses, and real peoperty in five states, now. I have made two fortunes while you apparently reconstructed dot-matrix printers. I just bought another printer, and kept using it to make my living. I have added memory by myself, and loaded programs.

I didn't write anything, or do anything to advance the computer world, other than spend many thousands of dollars.. I have just used them, since I learned a little in the Navy, circa 1966. I broke in on a Mk 1A analog mass of cams, gears, and rollers. My first electronic computer was a Timex 64. I owned Commodores, and Amigas. I played with Atari and some other toys.

In 1984, I was a lowly building contractor, needing to make changes in floor plans, without returning a set to the drafter. I had to make a choice between the newly original AutoCAD, with Big Blue, and a MacDraft 1.0. I still don't know how to use those c> things... and never will.

Congratulations on your background. I have hired a lot of guys like you...

Spot and I are headed to the mountain. I walk 4-6 miles on the ridges, while he runs 15-20. Have a good life. I do...

[SamFromLivingston]

Hey, I liked that flashing C:\> prompt! I think, and I'm really just speculating here, that Windows or any other PC operating system is going to have a hard time when being compared to the Mac OS and OSX, simply because there is so much more PC hardware avaliable (different bios, sound cards, video cards, ide/sata/scsi adapters, etc...) that has to be supported by the OS, and that makes it pretty hard to make a solid system. With the Mac, I believe that most of the hardware is either Apple made or approved (right?), and there isn't nearly the mountains of hardware avaliable for a Mac as there is for the PC.

[pageonetoo]

AMlmost anything you can do with a PC, can be done with a Mac... games not included. Mac is designed for intelligent work, not puerile pursuits!

[SamFromLivingston]

I'm certainly not against the Mac, just pointing out something I think that makes it a completely different animal when it comes to making a stable operating system.

I'd like to get one eventually, but I'd still keep a PC or two around for occasional use.

[pageonetoo]

I think that makes it a completely different animal when it comes to making a stable operating system.

I have a lot of Ford products, and have a Benz, a Volvo, and 4 Nissans. the parts are not interchangable, but they all perform the same function. My Towncar is only 300 lbs heavier, than my '87 300zx 2+2. They don't perform similarly, however. One has a 5.0 ltr V-8, the other is a V-6, non-turbo... I drive them both, but love the ride in the TC...

I have only one, insufficient, reason to buy a PC, and have been bothered a little by MS's discontinuing their Flight Simulator Mac version. I have used the PC version with my Mac, and an emulator, but it is too clunky. Other than that, I can foresee nothing getting me into their driving seat!

None of my car parts are interchangable, with few standardized sxceptions, life tires, oil, and other fluids. They all use a 12v battery, but have different requirements. Mac is different from Wintel, and will be different even with Intel chips. The difference is in the direction of use. Either you are linked with MS, with the Wintels, or free to move about the Mac environment, as long as you stay on the roads.

As for stability of the OS, I think it is more about requiring protocols within OSX, rather than allowing the self-proclaimed PC gurus to tinker, and screw things up! They have a need for their existence, and MS, by Mr. Gates, is proud to supply their full-time employment.

Mac folks just call Applecare, for their occasional foibles, and usually find that some ex-MS type tried to tweak the untweakable...

[coon2000]

No such thing as a Mac Lisa. The two were developed in seperate buildings by seperate groups. Lisa was released first but the Mac won out as it was cheaper and somewhat portable.

[Mr. Jeeves]

The report found that in businesses with 250 employees or more, 17 percent of the employees were running Mac OS X on their desktop computer at work. In Businesses that had 10,000 or more employees, 21 percent of employees used Mac OS X on their desktop work computer.

LOL! I like the Mac and OS X is a cool operating system, but those statistics are total BS. I'd be surprised if any companies with over 10,000 employees had Macs on even 5% of their desktops.

[kingu]

Lisa, Lisa 2, Macintosh XL, depending upon which and when you bought your machine. I used a shorthand for the series, always called it Mac Lisa. And yes, the Mac was a hundred times more portable. Ugh, I hated punching those 5.25"'s for the Lisa.