IT pros expect Macs to replace PCs at an 'unprecedented rate'

[peterb]

I'm not going to multiple quote back

But corporately these decisions are take pen on a business case. Your business may decide not to go that way, which is fine.

One thing that stopped me from going Mac for a long time was the fact that the only mainstream WP software for it was Word, which is the most awful and hard to use software ever. However libre office and Open Office are available and I use that as a bettef(and free) alternative.

As for the flaws in Gmail, it's more about the clunky interface. It may play well with google mail, but anything else, and multiple mail accounts... Try Typemail and you will never go back. The native text app is pretty poor too, thanks to fellow Hexites, I found Textra, again streets ahead of the native app.

Although my Android phone was cheaper to buy, if I was charging for my time in re-configuring it, it would have been way more expensive than an IOS equivalent, which would have done what I wanted out of the box.

Im sure others will have different experiences, but in the corporate world, these things matter.

But at the end of the day, users, both corporate and individual have a choice, and neither Apple, Google nor Microsoft should loose sight of that. In the case of corporates,nth at choice may include considerable investment (like buying Macs) and they won't do that unless there are good business reasons. And having done it, they are unlikely to switch back in a hurry.

[b0redom]

@peterb I've said it before and I'll say it again, stop being so damned reasonable.

Just because another OS has native MS Office support, a underlying POSIX framework, and most of the advantages of a LINUX install, with the advantage of a small subset of hardware making it more easily supportable, does not mean that I should consider it instead of Windows.

Broadly comparable hardware costs and AD integration are also not worth considering.

</sarcasm>

I've been working with various OSes since the late 80s/early 90s. In my anecdotal experience, most of my peers (who are senior UNIX guys/technical architects) are running some form of OSX device. There's also a push into sales/marketing where the halo effect from iPad and iPhone makes them desirable.

Is Apple the solution to everything? Definitely not. I wouldn't run anything server based (Apache/MySQL etc) on a mac. I wouldn't run them on Windows either though.

[peterb]

@peterb I've said it before and I'll say it again, stop being so damned reasonable.

Sorry I guess seeing an alternative view is just the way I am

[Spreadie]

Mid morning in the Hexus office:

"Things are a bit slow today.. I know, let's try and stir up the old Mac/PC rivalry. That'll get the blood pumping!"

When did Hexus become the Daily Mail?

[directhex]

Work bought me a Thinkpad to replace my year-old Macbook Pro.

So happy <3

[b0redom]

Really? I have a Thinkpad from my current ClientCo. Even if you don't like the OS/environment, I would have thought the Macbook Pro would have been nicer hardware.

[kompukare]

Really? I have a Thinkpad from my current ClientCo. Even if you don't like the OS/environment, I would have thought the Macbook Pro would have been nicer hardware.

Nicer is a relative thing, though.
With any of the three business grade laptops (Thinkpad/Elitebook/Latitude) you get the following:
+matt screen so anyone who hates glossy will prefer those
+upgradeable memory (well Thinkpad X1 Carbon and similar nonsense excluded)
+easy to upgrade in general (trapdoors in Elitebooks, usually panels on Thinkpads / Latitude)
+batteries which are not soldered
+cases with screws
+docking ports
+far more hardware choices (machines like a Thinkpad T440P or Latitude E6440 still have socketed CPUs and cooling able to handle upto 45W i7 quads plus an optical bay so you can have m.2 SSD, 2.5" SSD + 3rd HDD/SSD in the optical bay.
+3G/4G options for internet on the move.
Against that, Apple do have more modern looking casing and a guarantee of a wide-viewing angle screen even if the are far to glossy (a lot of business laptops have some really poor TN screens).

Apple hardware is okay but their eco-system is too closed for me.

[Fraz]

Highly amused for all the blinkered Mac hate. In the world I work (distributed databases that run on Linux), having a Windows PC is like having a serious disability. It has to be either a Mac or a Linux laptop, otherwise you're basically crippled. You can't do anything that's remotely Posix-y, without tons of grief. And, in general, I find Windows a horrible environment to write software.

That said, when I get home I play games (when I have the time) on a Windows PC. It's pretty much all it's good for, but it's certainly the platform of choice if you want to buy relatively inexpensive, modern A+ games and run them on a decent screen at good frame-rate with surround sound, etc etc.

Also, a lot of people on this forum don't really understand what it's like when you get a bit older and become "time poor" and "money rich" instead of the opposite situation. If something is going to be less hassle but costs a bit more money then that's total win. I have almost zero spare time. Macs have generally caused me less trouble than PCs, and waste less of my precious time, and that's worth a lot of money to me. Also, the lack of choice is actually great. I want a computer, I just walk into the Apple store and get the most appropriate of the ~3 different models (generally the lightest), and then get the highest spec I can for the budget. Choosing a PC laptop is a massive ballache in comparison. I don't have the time or patience to read countless reviews of the near limitless choice.

[Razor Time]

I cant see this happening.

[Graywoodford]

that article is just rubbish, I work in IT in education and macs are a nightmare to work with

[peterb]

I cant see this happening.

Why not? Would you like to give some reasoning behind that opinion? The facts presented in the article seem to suggest you are wrong.

that article is just rubbish, I work in IT in education and macs are a nightmare to work with

How many Macs, under what circumstances, and why. Bland statements like that are of little use to anyone. "Working in IT" doesn't really say much.

YOU may find Macs a nightmare, particularly if you have no *nix experience, but rubbish ing an article without specifying why might tend to just cast doubts on your competence.

[Razor Time]

Why not? Would you like to give some reasoning behind that opinion? The facts presented in the article seem to suggest you are

No. I just can't see it.

[TooNice]

You also know that the app will likely cost money, so the dev will have put more effort in to keep sales up.
Because Android OS is open source, a lot of people think that means it and everything associated with it is/should be completely free... and since many Andy apps are free, people don't want to pay the devs for their hard work, which means a half-arsed job on the Andy version... if they bother putting an Andy one out at all, that is.

I don't think that is the biggest issue though. For a start, I think that the people who even know anything about "open source" and hold any expectations have more than a passing degree of internet literacy. I just don't see the general public go "Android -> Open source -> Free stuff". Maybe the average nerd who hang out in forums like these, but not the average guy.

Also, if we look at the Humble Bundle figures, the Linux users (the bunch most likely to be familiar with the concept of "open source") often trade places with the Mac users as the most generous bunch. I honestly don't remember ever seeing the Windows users (which comprises a mix of computer/internet literacy) being the most generous bunch. I don't think that it is a case of "Open source -> Free" but just having a biggest proportion of people wanting everything free regardless of sustainability. And if they have to pay, they want more out of their money.. which means less likely to take the Apple route.

And I think that more than developer (lack of) motivation, I suspect it is harder to QA an Android platform because of all the diversity of hardware out there. If you have a phone that is one of the major, you will probably be well covered, but if you have a lesser used phone with someone a bit out of the ordinary, you may end up with issues.

[TaintedShirt]

I tried reading thru to see if anyone else had mentioned this but I guess our company may be unique.

Mac Airbooks with Win7 installed. Go figure.

[Graywoodford]

How many Macs, under what circumstances, and why. Bland statements like that are of little use to anyone. "Working in IT" doesn't really say much.

YOU may find Macs a nightmare, particularly if you have no *nix experience, but rubbish ing an article without specifying why might tend to just cast doubts on your competence.

True sorry dude was in a rush when i wrote this

I am an IT Technician for an academy, we have about 50 Imacs, 15 mack books, 50 ipads, 2 mac minis and a mac server

Part of the issue is my understanding (or lack of) with Macs, never had any quality training on them at all and had to guess (or google) most things.

I know this is MY fault and my issue but after wiping a mac mini to a brand new install of yosemite it crashed on me straight away? not what i expected at all.
We have many hardware issues with the imacs, usbs stop working or screens fail.

There are issues having it on the network and getting shares correctly, proxy authentication for internet use ect.

Most items on this list could be the way the last guy set them up i guess?? i dont know. Our server needs to be upgraded but I'm not doing it because it will break everything that is currently in place.

Big one for me (especially being in education) cost, very expensive for what you get where a windows alternative will be much cheaper and same or better specs, easier to put on our network and will do what the macs do too. We could either save money or get more machines for the cost.


I Know a lot of these issues could be my lack of understanding/training with mac servers but I try and what they use them for at our place I dont see why they cant just use a windows machine personally

[abaxas]

Big one for me (especially being in education) cost, very expensive for what you get where a windows alternative will be much cheaper and same or better specs, easier to put on our network and will do what the macs do too. We could either save money or get more machines for the cost.

I worked in a uni in the early 2000s. Mad thing was that macs were cheaper to buy than PCs. I know it seams strange but the educational discount with 3 years warrenty was cheaper than we could buy anything from dell with the same 3 years warrenty.

Even if you look at the prices of corporate dell/hp/etc machines now, macs are not really more expensive.