Macs dent the enterprise, but not by much

Computerworld ^ | March 24, 2016 | By Esther Shein

[Swordmaker]

Thanks in part to the corporate BYOD movement, Apple's AppleCare service and support plan, and just plain old demand, enterprises are more steadily adopting Macs in their organizations. Those factors, coupled with Apple's partnership with IBM to develop a set of business apps for the iPhone and iPad, are leading Apple to make strides in the enterprise. That said, industry observers don't believe Macs will be overtaking PCs anytime soon.

"Really, they're making strides because users are demanding them and organizations want to be able to say 'yes' more than in the past,'' says Michael Silver, a research vice president at Gartner. It's part user satisfaction, "and costs have come down, depending on the model you look at."

Compared with a high-end Intel-based notebook, Apple's pricing for a MacBook Air can still be fairly competitive, he says. But even with the efforts Apple has made to be more enterprise-friendly there are still a number of critical Windows apps users need to run, which Silver says continues to be an issue. This is particularly true of infrastructure software on the server side, with which the end-user machines need to be connected, such as Active Directory.

[Swordmaker]

To quote Robert Evans in the comments section at the link:

"I find it interesting that the writer keeps on pushing the old belief that Macs cost more. Has this writer ever considered the total cost of ownership? For some reason, this true cost is ignored in an effort to push Microsoft based computers. Don't confuse your readers with the facts, just keep telling them what everyone else says."

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

And, they won’t...Corporations have enough problems supporting one platform, not to mention some bastardized Unix Clone.

[Dr. Sivana]

Has this writer ever considered the total cost of ownership? For some reason, this true cost is ignored in an effort to push Microsoft based computers.

For the Enterprise, the economies of scale of being to standardize on OSes and applications dwarfs the questions of hardware stability and quality of OS on an individual node. Apple also has a huge gap between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro for the Enterprise, which tends to shy away from all-in-ones, The Mac Book Pros do fine in the Enterprise for management, often running Windows.

[moose07]

The IBM Business Applications for iObjects do actually work well.
Have been using them for the past couple of years now.
Using both Windows and iOS together does Stretch the mind a little when you are busy.
But the hybrid system works well when out and about.

[Swordmaker]

Macs in the Enterprise. . . the author of the article still harps on the fact that the initial cost of Macs is more expensive than low end PCs but doesn't seem to be aware of the concept of total cost of ownership. — PING!

Apple Macs in the Enterprise
Ping!

The latest Apple/Mac/iOS Pings can be found by searching Keyword "ApplePingList" on FreeRepublic's Search.

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

[Swordmaker]

And, they won’t...Corporations have enough problems supporting one platform, not to mention some bastardized Unix Clone.

It is not a "bastardized UNIX clone". Apple OS X is a certified Posix® compliant registered and trademarked UNIX™, one of just five so registered. In fact, Okie, it is the best selling UNIX™ in the world, and can run all UNIX™ software there in existence. You really do not know what you are talking about.

[miliantnutcase]

Macs are a nightmare use in our environment due to our Iron Port proxy. We’re also an active directory based domain which works fine but just is an extra headache in a half. 2000 PC’s, 80 Macs, and 500+ IOS devices going strong though!

[The KG9 Kid]

"... This is particularly true of infrastructure software on the server side, with which the end-user machines need to be connected, such as Active Directory."

In our enterprise, AD is a HELL HOLE... A God-forsaken HELL HOLE.

In a world where the back office is moving to Linux/Apache/Oracle in a big way, the only reason for MS Windows to even be in the mix is to serve as a life support system for MS Office using a budget-grade PC from HP/Dell that costs $346: i5 piece of crap with 4Gb RAM. Completely lame but the corporate people can do their jobs, I guess.

If you're in a Linux server environment, you're kind of silly if you keep buying PCs where you still have to have a bunch of MS Windows Server domain controllers to service them. Also, if you instead plan on a user base using Linux desktops you're equally nuts -- especially when notebooks come into play.

Better off getting the user base a bunch of Mac Minis.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Unix is Unix. It’s still a Unix Clone. So they won a Unix award, bet they paid plenty for that. Their OS is derived from 1980’s NeXT OS the original bastardized Unix clone.I guess that makes it a double-bastard. Sounds like Obama.

[Swordmaker]

Unix is Unix. It’s still a Unix Clone. So they won a Unix award, bet they paid plenty for that. Their OS is derived from 1980’s NeXT OS the original bastardized Unix clone.I guess that makes it a double-bastard. Sounds like Obama.

Keep talking, Okie. The more you do, the more ignorant and idiotic you show yourself to be, especially about UNIX™. Apple did not win a UNIX™ award, Apple was certified as a true UNIX™, by The Open Group, the organization that is charged with determining what is and is not UNIX and holds the Trademark for UNIX™. Once Apple received that certification it was permitted to use the Trademark as a true UNIX™, unlike any fake SomethingNIX work alike which is what you are ignorantly and pretty stupidly claiming it is.

To be a certified UNIX™, a candidate must:

In licensing the UNIX brand a vendor warrants and represents that every certified product:

• Conforms to the specification.
• Meets The Open Group's test and certification requirements.
• Will continue to conform to the specification.
• Will be rectified within an agreed time should it be found to be non-conformant.

Apple has met, and continues to meet, those criteria.

Certification > The Open Brand > Register of Certified Products > UNIX 03

Product Standard:

UNIX 03

• Apple Inc.: OS X version 10.11 El Capitan on Intel-based Mac computers
• Fujitsu Limited: Solaris™10 Operating System on Fujitsu PRIMEPOWER® 64-bit SPARC® Based Platforms
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise: HP-UX 11i V3 Release B.11.31 or later on HP Integrity Servers
• IBM Corporation: AIX 5L for POWER V5.2 dated 8-2004 or later with APARs: IY59610, IY60869, IY61405 with VAC 6.0.0.8 or later on pSeries CHRP systems
• IBM Corporation: AIX 5L for POWER V5.3 dated 7-2006 or later on Systems using CHRP system architecture with POWER™processors
• IBM Corporation: AIX 6 Operating System V6.1.2 with SP1 or later on Systems using CHRP system architecture with POWER™ processors and 2, 8 or 128 port async cards
• Inspur Co., Ltd: Inspur K-UX 3.0 on Inspur TS K1 system
• Inspur Co., Ltd: Inspur K-UX 2.0 on Inspur TS K1 system
• Oracle Corporation: Oracle Solaris 11 FCS and later on SPARC-based platforms, 32-bit and 64-bit and on X86-based platforms, 32-bit and 64-bit
• Oracle Corporation: Solaris 10 Operating System plus patch 118844-06 for X86 and on, on 64-bit X86 based systems
• Oracle Corporation: Solaris 10 Operating System and on, on 32-bit and 64-bit SPARC based systems
• Oracle Corporation: Solaris 10 Operating System and on, on 32-bit X86 based systems

The Inspur UNIX™, although still licensed under UNIX™, has moved to Red Hat LINUX for its products. Solaris has been subsumed into Oracle and is now under their license. Fujitsu is therefore sub-licensing through Oracle.