I have long wondered when the popularity of Apple’s line of Mac computers would breach the modern day corporate world. With the release of Unix-based Mac OS X and then the switch to Intel processors, not to mention the dual boot capabilities with Boot Camp and Parallels, Apple has certainly set itself up to break into the corporate world.
At the university I currently attend, I have found that most of the students here are using Macs instead of Windows PCs as the computer they bring with them. It’s not at all an uncommon sight to walk through commons areas and see a plethora of Apple logos on the back of laptop screens. They, by far, outnumber the number of PCs that can be seen.
To me, it seems this should eventually spill over into the corporate world. As students graduate and move onto their carriers, they will want to continue using a familiar (and frankly, far more problem-free) environment. I figured it would be a few more years down the road before we started seeing major changes in which type of computer is used in the corporate world, however, it appears this is already happening.
I came across an article today that talked about this. It claimed that the feature catching the corporate eye the most was how compatible the Mac was with everything else. The new Intel architecture, the ability to run Windows when necessary via Boot Camp, the ease of creating programs and the software selection available for Mac OS X, which is quickly becoming comparable to the library of Windows software. The other enticing feature is how easy Macs have become to network. Unlike the old days of AppleTalk, Macs not only easily talk to each other, but also with Windows, Linux, Unix, and any other type of PC out there. If you would like to read the article, you can find it here: http://www.networkworld.com.
Who knows if Macs will really get a firm grip on the corporate world? I would like to see it happen, but it will definitely take some time.
