Spurred on by youth-friendly ads, "cool" gadgetry and increased functionality, workers from myriad fields are asking employers to ditch company PCs in favor of Macs, according to a recent Business Week story.

"Once an object of devotion for students and artists, the Mac is becoming the first choice of many," writes Peter Burrows for the magazine. "Surging demand for the machines led Apple to predict revenues will rise 33 percent in the second quarter, to $7.2 billion, even in the face of an economic slowdown."

What's behind the enthusiasm for workplace Macs? Apple, the company that creates Macs, has penetrated the mainstream market with gadgets such as the iPod and iPhone, according to the story. Added to that, Vista, the latest operating system from Microsoft, has disappointed many PC users because it lacks "compelling features" and has "maddening glitches."

"Microsoft has let this happen," says David B. Yoffie, a Harvard Business School professor and Intel board member. "They've created a huge opening for Apple."

The transition from PC to Mac is easier than ever before for florists, regardless of their point of sale system, says Renato Cruz Sogueco, SAF's chief information officer. "A Mac can run as a client on both RTI and FTD Advantage, which run on Linux and are terminal-based systems," Sogueco says. "Plus, any Mac with an Intel chip, versus a PowerPC chip (G3, G4, G5), can run on any operating system." Today's Macs also can run on "virtualization" software, meaning that users can use Mac and Windows operating systems simultaneously.

Being cool, however, has its price: The average PC is around $960, compared to the average Mac price tag, $1,525.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 

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