Macs are just so attractive - even people buying shiny, high-end PCs probably really want to set foot in to the Apple store knowing they will walk out with an iMac or MacBook - so what is really stopping you? The huge media attention received over the iPad launch this week has only further served to glamourise the Apple brand - more than ever in the last six months, I am being asked by clients if they can buy an Apple rather than a PC. I see two key reasons for this change in demand with small business users that I work with, firstly the growth in mobile computing ties in with Apple pushing themselves as a mobile devices provider, Steve Jobs emphasised their position as such in his iPad keynote; the second and perhaps major reason is the release of the latest version of the Apple operating system, "Snow Leopard". Snow Leopard provides the opportunity for closer integration with an Apple Mac and a Microsoft Exchange server using the standard Apple mail, calendar and address book applications, these three areas plus a web browser, typically being the most used on any desktop or laptop.
As a regular PC and Mac user, in my opinion the biggest benefits of using a Mac are speed, reliability and ease of use. The biggest barrier for a business user considering moving to a Mac is the inability to run some business applications without running Windows on a Mac, which I feel immediately negates these benefits as well as being very expensive. I am also not a big fan of Microsoft Office for the Mac, favouring Apple's own iWork suite which offers great compatibility with "native" office documents, though you will have to re-learn processes. The deciding factor is likely to be the requirement to run finance, ERP or other installed applications on your desktop. With more internet based applications running in a browser, the list is probably likely to shrink, not grow and I foresee Apple stealing a growing share of the small-business computer market. Approach with caution if you are running a number of desktop applications, otherwise my advice is go ahead and walk into an Apple store.
