Why Macs still aren’t right for most businesses
Our tech guru ordered up an iMac and ran his firm on it for several months. His take: Apple is flashy, but still more trouble than it’s worth for basic computing tasks. What do you think?
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DiggThis guy is a total n00b. Dude, if you can’t find the power button you obviously are 1336. Yeah, it *was* designed by apple in *california* and that is why it kicks butt. The popularity of iphones, itunes, and ipods says it all: Apple is King of the modern computer interface.
If the rookie who wrote this article thinks that is not in the best interests of 80% of most businesses, then fine. We never did care and we still don’t, and apple will continue to thrive.
Thank goodness for the public to have the ability to comment, otherwise, these so called professional writers would be convincing readers to buy swamp land and a good place for a retirement development.
The power button is on the back – give me a break. What kind of car do you drive? Did you find all the features, or should the steering wheel be on the right hand side.
A tasty mouthful of mac fanboy flame bait. Well done.
What you say isn’t nearly as important as the traffic you generate.
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We have run our manufacturing business mostly on Mac’s for the last 18 years. The differences we have seen with the Mac’s vs. the PC’s (Dell, HP, and a few others), is much better reliability with the Mac’s. We have a Mac that runs a CNC machine that has been running since 1990 and has only needed a couple of minor repairs. A couple Dells we bought including a top of the line one have had serious problem, one after only 2 months that took 5 visits and one month to fix. We have never had virus problems with the mac (we don’t use antivirus), we have had major virus problems with PC’s even with antivirus software.
Giving the title ‘FSB Tech Guru’ to Jonathan is a stretch at best.
just a quick question. have you read the feedback from your post?
i’m not here to bash you, but the article did seem a bit biased and unfair
Lee Graham
Great timing , with this article.
I am in the midst of developing a “biz cafe’ concept which will feature
cnsite computers for use by our customers.
I am a Mac guy. My partner is a Vaio. We will limited the time spent on our
16 computers to roughly 1 hour and our demographic will be largely biz
types.
I think we need to be forward thinking and pushing the “experience” and my
buddy says bullshit, we need easy biz application access.
Your article has great pros/cons, but what would be your gut reaction to our
problem ?
Thanks, for any help !!!!
Carter
Jonathan, you wrote:
“Must I really sit through a full round of special effects – the
desktop slides away to reveal some mysterious star in full supernova
disappearing into infinity behind my various backups – just to find a
what I said to a client in a lost e-mail? Honestly.”
Beats hunting for a file in any other backup system I’ve ever seen. I
can even search for previous versions using Spotlight.
What you fail to understand about Apple’s back up solution, is that
they’ve made it obvious and easy to use, with the upshot that far more
people will actually use it than would ever go and buy a copy of
retrospect.
I know that you windows pushers are very proud of having memorized the
minutia of an accreted, rather than designed, user interface, but some
of us would rather get our work done than spend hours just coping with
Microsoft’s brain damage.
What shocks me is that you actually advocate that small businesses
pour their money down the Windows drain. Maybe you just don’t know
any better.
-jcr
is that seriously your BEST argument???
That the power button is on the back?
That the packaging “is seriously overdone”?
Not enough USB ports-have you heard of a USB hub?
Mozy *used* to not suppport it?
Control-arrow key is a complicated shortcut?
You can’t just disable spaces?
The keyboard shortcuts are different?
Get new mice-who’s forcing you to use mighty mice?
Also, does it matter if it LOOKS like 2 or one buttons?-it still works,
doesn’t it?
Time Machine-the eye candy is a bit over the top, but why should that stop a
business from getting it?
It backs up your data, doesn’t it?
Only valid points were about Citrix not working and the blackberry syncing
problems.
right on jade!
I found a typo in your article. It should read:
“Mac OS X, properly installed and used in tandem with Web-based productivity tools, is a powerful, powerful alternative.”
ps Was this article slated for April 1st and missed the deadline? :)
Is this seriously supposed to be an objective assessment of Macs for
business? It reads like a bad PC fanboy blog. You say you tested an iMac but
it didn’t have enough USB ports? Those machines have 5 ports: 3 at the back
and 2 on the keyboard. There is NO NEED for an “Ethernet enabler” – that’s the
MacBook Air, an entirely different computer meant for a very specific niche.
The imac has gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n wireless networking out of the box.
And have you ever heard of a USB hub??
The packaging is too flashy? Wow, that’s a dealbreaker. The power button at
the back is a design decision that can be disputed – but I don’t remember the
last time I had to use it (my Macs sleep when not in use).
Then you go on calling Apple commands “goofy”. They’re not goofy, they’re
different. As in “another operating system”. Does it involve a learning curve?
Of course it does. Any new system will force you to learn new things. Saying
the commands are goofy is the equivalent of calling non-English languages
silly. Not very professional.
You talk about driver problems but only mention Mozy. That’s an app. What
actual driver problems did you have?
You also NEVER mention that you CAN run Windows on a Mac, both natively via
the included Boot Camp or via virtualization. That’s a pretty huge omission
for an article that
claims to take a serious look at business computing. But then that would the
purpose of your piece wouldn’t it?
I guess you’ll the hits you were after. Facts? What facts?
I’m sure you won’t even bother reading this since you will be inundated with
hundreds of emails commenting on the total ineptitude of your “guru” “writer”.
Neither adjective suits the author of this head-shaking drivel.
You obviously don’t have an editorial staff or anyone hired to read submitted
articles before they are published. If you had done so you would not be the
butt of jokes on the net. It’s a shame that your lack of integrity in sourcing
your information has lost you countless followers. No one who reads this
article can take anything CNNMoney says in the future as worthwhile or
believable.
The author of this article clearly is does not have the level of
understanding of computer hardware and software to be considered a technology
expert. There are many, many inaccuracies in this article, but I’ll just
point out one.
The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s
edge.Only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another.
This is a ridiculous statement. The feature he is talking about is spaces,
and it can easily be turned off. It can also be changed to include more than
4 quadrants, something he is apparently unaware of. There are other ways to
switch quadrants, such as using a hot corner to bring up a small view of each
and picking the one you want – very handy.
Spaces is not a division of the desktop at all – it is a virtual desktop
feature that many power users like to use to keep their applications that they
are using in groups separate. It doesn’t have to be used and most users don’t
bother with it.
The fact that this guy doesn’t understand that, is indicative of the poor
quality of the article. It is filled with misconceptions, false statements,
and a failure to identify any real problems that there are for using macs in
business – which there are some.
Please get someone with some real technical understanding to write articles
for you.
I’m a bit confused that the author complains about the number of USB ports,
saying that there aren’t enough, but he doesn’t say how many there are. By my
count, the iMac comes with three USB ports on the back, and two on the
keyboard. Granted, one of the ports on the back will be used for the
keyboard, so there are only a net total of four USB ports.
Still, I wonder how many USB ports the author feels are necessary for a
computer to contain? Or what is he using the other three ports for (after the
mouse and keyboard?)
Honestly, I think the author just didn’t bother to figure out that there ARE
USB ports on the keyboard.
~Carter
I appreciate your article comparing the buisness needs of PC and Mac users,
but your conclusion is just not correct…
“Windows Vista, properly installed and used in tandem with Web-based
productivity tools, is a powerful, powerful alternative. ”
Most people I know are trying to get XP back…and are purchasing XP on their
new machines…(clearly this is not what MS wants) …there is very little
tangible benefit for Vista…it takes what was simple and makes it very
complex…not only is there a very high cost to upgrade, but the retraining to
do the simplest tasks is the biggest hit -productivity is down and for no
logical reason. Everything that worked before should work in the new release
and it is just not so.
My son bought a mac…my brother is converting his family’s Vista systems back
to XP…Apple should be paying MS for driving PC customers their way…Vista
is a huge disappointment. MS is just not getting the message and people will
continue to move towards Mac until MS stops forcing Vista on the PC community.
Why fix what was not broken?
This article has a descriptive, concise title that plainly exposed the
article’s premise and hypothesis. Unfortunately, the title did not seem to go
with the article I read. After an opening vignette about why Macs were the
proper choice for a 25-person consulting firm, the author sets out to
illustrate why Macs are not a panacea for any business’s IT needs, but picks
some of the most inane topics to base his conclusions.
The first area of concern for the author was overwrought packaging. In what
way does this contribute or detract to a computer’s business value? Rarely
are employees charged with unboxing their computer, and even less rarely must
they set those computers up. In addition, the slogan “Designed by Apple in
California” was a poorly chosen whipping boy: not only does it not appear on
the outside of the box, but on the container with the iMac’s included
peripherals. Where it does appear, it is set in a light gray font over a
white background. That hardly defines shouting. Thankfully, the author is
sensible in not caring; what boggles the mind is that he cared enough about
this detail to include it in an article and that it made it through the
editorial process.
The next complaint, which would be troubling if it were true, was the dearth
of USB ports. The iMac comes with 5; the Dell Optiplex I am writing this
comment on comes with 6 and new Dell’s come with 6-7 exposed USB ports. The
iMac also comes with 2 Firewire ports standard.
The complains about the Spaces and Time Machine features were also specious.
Not only did the author confusingly describe Spaces as splitting up the
desktop, rather than the more natural and usual description of presenting 3
additional desktop workspaces, he also made a big deal about needing to know
complicated keyboard commands to use it. First, Spaces is completely
optional; it can be turned off, but even if it isn’t, it is not a noticeable
feature. Second, the mouse can be used to change desktops (by clicking on the
menu icon associated with Spaces). The real eye-rolling winner in this
article though is the author’s complaints about Time Machine. Not only is the
interface intuitive and engaging (and fun to use, which is apparently wholly
inappropriate in a business setting), but it allows for a complex and
frustrating challenge to be easy. Additionally, the 1-second fade from
Desktop to Time Machine visually cues the user to what is happening.
In all, this article set out to explain why Macs aren’t right for most
businesses. However, it failed to do that by using examples that are not
important to a business setting. The reason that Shani Magosky gave for
changing from Windows to Mac was not any of the reasons given in the article.
It was that many of the tools that Microsoft sells for collaboration and
office networking (Exchange, SharePoint, etc) are very expensive for small
businesses, and Apple offers a compelling alternative in the form of their
servers and server software. The pricing scheme set up by Apple is very
friendly to small businesses and ends up costing much less. That is the
reason given for switching in the opening vignette, not beautiful packaging or
even blazing internet speed or ease of use. And yet, in the conclusion, the
author states blankly that in the same scenario, Vista is a “powerful,
powerful alternative.” Nobody doubts that; the reason to choose or not choose
Macs is not based on what the author tackled in the article, but rather that a
solution necessitating Windows licenses, an Exchange server and software
licenses for SharePoint can be much more expensive than an equivalent solution
including an Apple server with Leopard Server and Apple hardware.
I was disappointed that the author could not have given some insightful
analysis on the pros and cons of Apple vs. Microsoft solutions for small
businesses. Instead, all the article stated was Macs did not outperform Dells
and therefore there is no reason to choose a Mac over Vista, properly
installed.
“We found that Citrix’s (CTXS) GoToMyPC, my shop’s VPN (virtual private
network) tool, was unstable on our iMac.”
GoToMyPC is _not_ a VPN solution. A Virtual Private Network connects a
computer (or network) to a foreign network. It is not a system for remotely
controlling the desktop of another computer. For more information, see
wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN
GoToMyPC is more more accurately described as a Remote Desktop service, much
like VNC.
The distinction may seem trivial to non-technical folk, but to those of us
that know the difference, such a mistake in terminology puts the entirety of
your article in question; how can I trust your judgement went you don’t even
know what a VPN is?
Reasonable article on the Mac for business use. I’d add that if you’re a
dedicated Outlook user, there is no good equivalent solution on the Mac.
Entourage is not the same and, in my experience, is slow; the Apple apps like
Mail, iCal, AddressBook, fall short (and iCal is slow if there is a lot of
data in it). Having to use something like Parallels and then Windows on top of
that, and Outlook on top of that can be fast enough (I hear), but needlessly
complex. That’s why I just moved back to the PC from the Mac, and my life now
has less stress because I’m not dealing with Apple’s flashy but limited apps.
Regards,
Andy
Just returned from Google I/O. Noticed that most people there had macbook
just like I did.
Some of the initiatives from Google/Amazonwill challenge Windows. Ground is
shifting from underneath.
I admit I am not a business owner.
But I do want to start a business and I have worked on systems that support
this. Google Apps will soon enough be an alternative. I am a subscriber to
Google Apps. I uninstalled microsoft office – get these things done now using
Google docs + Open Office. I do not have a fax machine – get it done over the
web. I do have a printer.
Which business owner wants to be dealing with servers scaling etc.?
Most of what you will need will be available via browser.
The earlier one gets off technologies that are about to become obselete, the
better.
The author of this article is way out in left field. Macs can do everything
PCs can do, and can do it better, and faster. His blatant observation tyat
Macs aren;t better is disingenuous at best, and frankly, downright incorrect.
The real money saver is in the IT department. At my work I have my marketing
department running on Mac’s while the other departments run on PCs. Not once
have we had to call IT due to a virus that can cost other people a full day
without their computer as IT has to format the thing! Time is money, and IT
certainly does not waste time at our office servicing Macs.
Why is this ridiculous article still up?
Hi,
Just to comment on your blog about Apple not being fit for business yet, I’d
like to leave a few remarks.
To me, the majority of this article seems to be of the most part severely
opinionated and flat out superficial. Then again, I wouldn’t expect much else
from the mainstream media.
Anyway, you posed these issues with Apple’s machine:
1) Not enough USB ports
2) Third parties not entirely supporting the Mac
3) Keyboard shortcuts for Spaces
4) Mighty Mouse’s design
5) Time Machine’s interface
I guess I’ll run down the line and point out what I found wrong with each of
these things for you.
1) First off, why would you be using a USB hard drive? If you were entirely
business critical, you would be using a FireWire disk just so you could have
all of you data much more on demand. The USB ports on the Mac are not entirely
intended to be used for things such as hard drives, really for just
peripherals. Such as your ‘Ethernet enabling device’ (which I’m pretty sure
are just called modems, but they surely don’t enable Ethernet, just the
Internet.)
2) What? You mean not everyone supports Apple platform yet? I wonder why,
perhaps for the same reason some skeptics write articles like these.
3) Wow, seriously? There are plenty more things that use shortcuts that need
learning when switching to a Mac. Keyboard shortcuts are one of the easiest,
as you can memorize them just as easily as you did on Windows. Why not even
mention shortcuts for opening up Spotlight, or Expose’, or even the Dashboard?
Shucks, keyboard shortcuts for tabbing through applications! To be completely
honest, Spaces is a feature devoted to productivity. If you’re still using
only the mouse and trying to be efficient, it’s virtually an oxymoron.
4) Yeah, this seems about right.
5) I find the interface for Time Machine to be not only completely usable, but
extremely useful. I’ve found that sometimes back up applications can be
needlessly complicated for the end-user. It’s just copying files, jeez!
But of course, I can understand how an elitist like you may glorify himself in
being able to browse through a complicated file system, but is able to
memorize a keyboard shortcut to no avail.
Anyway, thanks for the read. Sometimes I feel like the media today is ready to
be open to new ideas and perspectives, but then articles like this just bring
me back down to earth.
Have an epic day.
Daniel
Jonathan Blum is not qualified to be your “tech guru”. His recent article
on “Why Macs still aren’t right for most businesses” could have been an
interesting, medium depth piece covering things like interpolation between
Apple’s iWork and Microsoft Office for example, but that’s not what it was.
What it was, was a nitpicking rant by a man who seems to actually expect the
audience to buy this argument against Macs in the business world: “First off,
the packaging is seriously overdone: The slogan “Designed by Apple in
California” posivitively shouts at you from the box. Like I care.”
It was from that point that I knew the piece was irrelevant to anyone who
actually has anything to do with running a business.
I understand that it’s a game of whack-a-mole-in-the-dark to find good tech
journalists, but come on.
Hi Editor,
Better that Mr. Blum’s article would’ve reported on how to integrate Macs in
businesses from veteran owners — they aren’t that hard to find these days —
than trying to do it himself. Simply, Blum didn’t give me enough information
to begin to make an informed decision.
Also, as one of my fellow posters pointed out, “I never take advice from ?tech
gurus? who can?t locate an on/off switch on an iMac.” That on/off switch
remark in the piece should’ve been a signal to an editor to send Mr. Blum a
kill fee.
Thanks,
Wayne Beamer
So really, the issue is not so much that Macs are not good for business, but
rather that transferring information over to the Mac from windows is not easy.
No one said an apple produced mouse, like the “Mighty Mouse” HAS to be used. I
am a Mac fan but hate the mouse. I chose a different mouse to use.
Apple has an ingenious method of tapping the mouse pad on a mac laptop to
simulate a right mouse click. Apple’s Mighty Mouse can also right click…it
can be programmed to do any kind of click. How does the lack of an obvious
button to right-click with make the mac bad for business use?
How is time machine’s graphical scene a problem? Would you rather see an
hourglass icon on your screen instead?
Mac’s are a different operating system than windows…it takes a bit of time
to learn how to use it…but the payoff is tremendous.
Interestingly enough, you fail to talk about Mac’s virus free operation.
Wouldn’t companies benefit from not having to worry about getting viruses or
trojan horses? How many hours and money is wasted on anti-virus purchases and
testing?
Your arguments against using a Mac are petty and ridiculous. Do some real
research!
It’s not really appropriate for CNN to be publishing editorials such as
this. Articles shoudl apply to a large number of people, not just the author,
as this one does. I understand that some people cannot tolerate change, and
switching from Mac to Windows is obviously one that Jonathon Blum cannot
handle. That’s fine, but people don’t need to be subjected to the type of rant
that this article contains.
My wife works in a school district that is primarily PC except for one high
school. She bought a Macbook Pro a year ago. The Cisco VPN was easy to
install and has worked flawlessly. She uses Mac Office 2008. She has
complete access to email and calendars from PC people through exchange server.
Her Blackberry 8300 is syncs to her email without any problems. Furthermore,
she gets voice mail from her Blackberry on her computer.
She uses Parallels and Windows XP to access a database program only written
for windows. Like everything else, this works without problems.
Like you, she did not like the mouse. She bought a Logitech bluetooth mouse
that again works without a problem.
As far as tweaking, when I worked in a PC Shop, the IT staff was always
“tweaking”. Of course I did not see anything in your article that mentioned
the PC virus problem that can devastate small businesses.
I am sure by now you have received hundreds of emails from fanboys, but give
me a break! Ethernet enablement unit??? Can’t find the off switch???
Packaging is too alluring??
One of the dumbest articles I have ever read.
“I and my assistants had terrible problems getting all of our company
programs to work properly.”
I’m not grammar expert, but is it not supposed to be “My assistants and I had
terrible…”?
Regards,
Tyler
Your “tech guru” can’t find a power button on a computer? Well, besides
RTFM, I would say ask a four-year old to show him the first time, and
afterwards, it should become a manageable task. What a turd Blum is.
This article makes CNN look bad. The Mac criticisms are mostly wrong or
lacking substance, and the author’s writing style is very amateurish — he
writes with the vocabulary of someone who hasn’t spent much time with
technology. In fact, a lot of genuine amateurs — bloggers — regularly churn
out much better material than this.
Didn’t you see the built-in gigabit ethernet on the Mac? BTW, they are
referred to as Macs and not Apple computers by true “tech gurus”.
For a tech guy complaining about stuff like where the power button is and
how one company saved $50,000 by switching and then saying that Macs are too
expensive for small shops is kind of surreal.
I would suggest to CNNMoney.com that this “tech” guy lied on his employment
application about his, so-called tech skills.
In other words, he’s robbing you blind.
While I’m certain that this article has received considerable feedback from
hardcore Apple Fans. And that many of the responses have been vile and and
immature.
A company as reputable as this, should really have issues with publishing an
article by an alledged “tech guru” that is suppose to give technical advice to
readers of your publication. Who might take this information, and make
business decisions based on the information gathered here. When the alledged ”
tech guru”, clearly has no idea what he’s talking about.
As a reputable publication, you be concerned with the future credibility of of
the articles read here.
This guy is billed as a “tech guru”. He clearly does not have a clue.
My complaint is not a Mac vs PC issue. This guy, simply doe’s not know much
about PC technology.
this article is not close to the standard i expect from cnn, the author
clearly has no clue what he is talking about, he invents new terms, lies, and
considers that “overdone packaging” is an issue for small business users.
please read the articles that u choose to publish, this one is a total waste
of time.
I must have misread the article title because this reads like a VERY
positive review for switching.
As important, I think Jonahan Blum drops the ball missing an important piece
of the productivity puzzle; and that’s how do you feel working with your
computer.
Goofy or not, I’d say employees are happier working on a MAC rather than a PC.
Happier employees generally do better work. If I own a business, that’s what I
truly care about.
Having switched to a Mac myself, the human element can not be ignored.
Hi, Nice piece thanks, FYI MOZY Sucks when you need to restore check out
Carbonite a far better solution
Cheers !
Greetings Mr. Blum-
I must start by saying I found your article interesting, and also that I have
been a continuous apple user for only 5 years (not counting elementary school
with apple IIe’s) and a PC user for ~16 years.
I have both a PC and a Mac in my home for my graphic design business.
I have a few questions/concerns/points to make about your article since it was
written for a site that gets quite a lot of traffic and may potentially sway
persons one way or the other.
1. Apple’s packaging is part of their entire brand and design recognition
scheme. It’s a brilliant execution of a company branding itself and standing
out in the crowd. Why knock it? All you seem to have to say is “like I care”
instead of pointing out how they do something different than almost every
other computer company out there. They make it an experience from the time you
look at the box, an experience that welcomes you to the world of Apple.
2. My parents have a new iMac and i find the location of the button to be
quite in balance with the design language of the machine, and with apple in
general. It is meant to be as clean as possible. No clutter, no nonsense.
Having the button within a fingers reach around the back of the machine is a
great place to position it, and its not hard to find at all.
3. I can agree with you on the lack of USB ports, and that plagues all of
apple’s products when you compare them to PC’s, however, there’s no reason to
dump one device in favor of another when you can get a 4 or 6 port USB hub
attached to it for less than 10 bucks…and what is an “Ethernet Enablement
Unit”? In all my years of computing, I’ve never heard that term, and besides,
the iMac has Ethernet built in, what do you need to enable?
4. I agree with you on the Citrix issue, I work with a client who’s company
uses it, and it does not work properly with the Mac. However, I also do a lot
of VPN, and I have yet to encounter any issues with either apple’s built in
VPN capabilities, or the Cisco VPN client that is available for Mac.
5. “In general, I found the same number of driver issues as I did with my
Vista upgrade from Windows XP last year”. You have made this statement but you
do not back it up with any proof. Last I checked, 95% of digital devices where
plug and play on the Mac (well not the Zune, but I blame Microsoft for that).
The only “driver” I’ve ever needed to install on any mac was for specific
printers, that’s something you’d get on any machine. I’d be very interested to
know what “driver issues” you are referring to.
6. The desktop being divided into “quadrants” is a feature of Leopard OS that
enables the user to easily separate applications and multi task in a new way.
Additionally, it can be enabled or disabled, and can contain as many 16
separate workspaces to stay clutter free. The keystroke to switch between
spaces is far from “complex” and can also be changed to any key combination
you wish.
7. Keyboard commands in general make far more sense on a Mac. Take for example
to close a window or program on a Mac is command W or command Q respectively.
Last I checked on windows it’s Alt-F4, a combination that is not in any way
easier to remember or easier to reach on almost any keyboard.
8. I use a mighty mouse every day. it took 3 days to get used to it, it’s a
beautifully designed, and highly functional peripheral, even my dad, who is
not a designer or someone who has no more apple experience than 6-8 months and
lives in a PC world except when he’s home, says it’s the best mouse he’s ever
used. I even use one on my PC.
9. Time Machine is a brilliant execution of a backup program, it makes it fun
and simple to find what you’re looking for, additionally it’s continuously
saving everything. What’s wrong with that?
10. You refer to “company programs”. Obviously there’s still a divide in
mac/pc programming, but if you were trying to take a mac out of it’s box, turn
it on and install your windows based programs, that’s a mistake on your part
and shows that you neglected to plan properly on integrating a Mac into your
business.
Obviously you won’t be able to run things that aren’t designed for mac, just
like you wouldn’t be able to run many things designed for XP on Vista. The
difference there is that’s just stupid because Vista is still a Windows
environment, and again, having used Vista I can point blame at Microsoft.
The moral for point #10 is that you may have wanted to look into Mac software
alternatives. I’m sure they’re out there. That seems like poor planning on
your part, and to not mention that in your article says to me you didn’t do
your research and you got burned.
11. You failed to mention the immense number of open source programs that are
out there for Mac. Many of which I use in my small business every day.
12. You also don’t mention the terrificly helpful user community that
surrounds the Mac. You may not have thought to look into that when you were
having the issues wtih your Mac. I have yet to find any site like Macrumors
(macrumors.com) or Apple User Discussions (apple.com) for a Windows user
community that even comes remotely close to the amount of helpfulness and
friendliness that exists at those two places.
I want to state very clearly once again that I am no apple fanboy, and I work
on a PC every single day for hours at a time. but overall, I have read many
articles that are similar to yours, and I wish that people would educate
themselves further on what they’re getting into with any computer or program
before they write an article so that they can purvey information in a slightly
more balanced way.
Thank you for your time, and sorry for the long email.
Sincerely,
Zak Schwartz
This is an impressively poor article. Many of the issues you mentioned
cannot possibly be actual issues for you, iMacs have 3 usb ports on the back,
you take one of those to plug in the keyboard assuming you didn’t get the
wireless kit and you’re now down to 2… but wait the keyboard has 2 usb ports
on it, plug the mouse in to one of those and you STILL have 3 open usb ports.
Even if you had a usb scanner and a usb printer you could still have room for
your external usb hard-drive. Not to mention the fact that if you really did
use all of the ports you’d be better off buying a usb hub for $20 than going
and buying a new HD.
Complaining about the packaging is pretty ridiculous too, but subjective so
I’ll give you that one.
Your complaint about the desktop quadrants is a well documented feature known
as “spaces” which many people love and it’s turned off by default so you
turned it on yourself.
Overall you’re article was pretty disappointingly inaccurate, I’d accept
negative opinion if you didn’t like things that were actually true. I think
your criticism of Time Machine is pointless but it’s a fact that there is some
animation so I’ll give you that one as an honest opinion. Criticism based on
ignorance however is shameful.
How much did Microsoft pay the author of this article?
NO ONE who knew a lick about technology would recommend Vista over OS X or XP.
Vista is a fundamentally flawed OS. No ONE who knows anything about
technology is recommending an upgrade to Vista.
-Chris Ferry
I can’t even begin to start where you are wrong. If you’d ever managed Macs
in an enterprise environment (yes they do exist) you’d know how blissful it
can be. You completely fail to mention the OSX Server and it’s excellent
directory management tools, Apple’s Remote Desktop which makes administration
and rapid software deployment a breeze, or the fact that since it is a POSIX
compliant system you can compile nearly all linux/unix utilities on it and
they work. Oh how about the part that ANY installation of OSX can be booted on
any machine, regardless of hardware configuration, since the OS has support
for all Apple hardware. Windows still can’t do that even though Vista now uses
an image based installer. You nitpick issues like the Mighty Mouse, forgetting
that you can toss all those (as I did when managing them) and replace them
with ANY optical mouse. I could go on but I think the above has made my point.
I’m not an Apple zealot by any stretch, I’m a sysadmin to the core and can’t
stand the fact that your spouting what are opinions, not facts. Seriously, you
praise Vista, widely considered a failure by the tech community, while it’s
just introducing features available 2 years ago in OS X. It’s one thing to
make a fair comparison but you leave out all the important bits that would
actually be a fair comparison, the kinds of facts that would be relevant from
a CTO on down to the user.
Jonathon,
I enjoyed your review but had a few comments.
Wouldn’t your complaints about Citrix and Mozy have been applicable for any new upgrade? I know people still tweaking their Vista upgrades over application issues. When I talk with people about what they want in an upgrade, one of the first questions I always ask is are your critical applications compliant with the upgrade or are there good replacements. I VPN into work all the time but cannot use the ’standard’ corporate Cisco VPN client since it does not support Mac well. But there are others. I use Mozy and it works quite nicely thank you.
I am pretty sure that most people — even most Mac lovers — have not used Spaces nor do they find it useful. I have now had it for 7 months and used it twice. This is not a mandatory feature nor is it even turned on by default.
I do not think you were forced to dump your USB drive for something else. I understand that the assertion made your article’s point better but it is patently not true. I have about 9 USB devices attached to my Mac at all times using a $20 powered USB hub. To say that I need a $400+ device to replace USB items is misleading at least.
You are right about the mouse, it blows.
But with Time Machine, while I agree with you about the UI being a bit goofy but this backup facility comes with OS X out of the box. My mother’s machine is getting backed up and she is completely unaware of it. Even my 70-year old mother could understand what it represented so while I think it is a bit weird, it translated to someone who is computer challenged.
You mention driver issues but, of course, do not elaborate so it is hard to judge whether you are just blowing more smoke or actually had some issues.
My boss has a Blackberry and you are correct getting them to work well with a Mac is very challenging but are small – < 100 person – companies buying BEX servers to handle Blackberrys? My $20 says no…
Nice to see Apple covered even if you got most of your facts slanted.
Best regards,
john
Dear editor:
I often read articles at cnn.com and money.cnn.com and for the most
part I am well pleased with the quality of the articles. However, I
just read the article entitled: Why Macs aren’t right for most
businesses and I had serious issues with the quality of the article.
I will state openly that I prefer using macs to PCs, although I don’t
think that is relevant to my complaint. The issue I have with the
article is that it is intended to inform us about why the mac is not a
viable platform for many small businesses, and yet, as I read the
article I can find only five complaints against the mac: 1. The author
dislikes the packaging (an entirely subjective note) 2. The power
button is hard to find 3. People more familiar with the PC will take
time to adjust to the Mac OS 4. Many of the features of Mac OS are not
designed for small businesses 5. The Time Machine utility is too
overdone and flashy. While I believe there are convincing arguments
that Macs still aren’t right for businesses, this article fails to
make any and so fails in its intention. 1. The aesthetic of the
packaging is irrelevant to business use, 2. The ease of finding the
power button is a minor detail and not a problem for many users, 3.
With any change of primary OS there will be issues of adjustment – one
might argue that the adjustments between Mac OS and Windows XP is
larger than between XP and Vista – but that’s not argued here, and
thus the point is weak, 4. Another irrelevant point in the argument
that Macs are not right for businesses, Windows and Linux based PCs
also have many applications that are not geared towards small
businesses, the fact that it has features you don’t need in no way
detracts from it’s ability to serve the functions you require, 5. Time
Machine is a versatile utility that is unavailable on other systems
and the presentation (again, here the issue is one of aesthetic) is
irrelevant to whether the Mac can perform well for a small business.
I was terribly disappointed by this article. I recognize that there
is a great deal of content to be produced for your website, but please
at least assure that there is some argument made for the conclusions
drawn by your staff.
Sincerely,
Isaac K. Adams
Jonathan,
Your “Why Macs still aren’t right for most businesses” article for May 30th was a rather disingenuous piece of writing. Listing power button locations and packaging designs as criteria for business capability is utter nonsense. Additionally, your criticism over lack of USB ports, Mighty Mouse and Time Machine were equally silly or totally misleading or both.
I’m an IT Director (using both Windows and OS X) and will say that this article offered no significant value to CNN Money readers. I can only assume it was simply link bait or a banal Microsoft shill piece. If you’d like your journalism be taken seriously then I highly recommend you refrain from writing such non-substantive articles in the future.
Sincerely,
David Restivo
Mr. Blum,
I read your article on CNN Money this morning and I would like to say
that your article appears very miss-informed, vague, and petty.
To begin, you claim ‘Macs remain a niche product.’ How so? You don’t
explain why. What, specifically, makes it a niche product? Is it
because it’s a different operating system and will require a bit of a
learning curve? Simply being different, in my opinion, doesn’t make
something a ‘niche product.’
Second, you pick a nit by complaining of the location of the power
button on your iMac. Really? Is that the worst thing you can come up
with? How often do you actually turn the computer on and off? Macs
have a very low-power mode called sleep. I can’t remember the last
time I used my power button. It makes sense to me to move it to the
back.
If I remember correctly, your iMac came with 3 USB ports. Your
keyboard/mouse uses one, or none. The keyboard should have a USB port
on each side for the mouse. Odd are, however, you had a wireless/
bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Most PCs I’ve purchased of late come
with 4 USB ports. Two on the front, two on the back. On top of that,
the two on the front are usually low-speed ports. How much crap do
you need to connect to a computer these days? Printer? If you don’t
have a network-enabled printer, get with the times.
Next, for the record, GoToMyPC is *not* a VPN tool. It’s not a VPN
anything. It’s a poor-man’s remote desktop. Get a real VPN setup
going. Install OpenVPN on a solid FreeBSD system at the office,
install TunnelBlick on your Mac, and get on with life.
You comlain of the Spaces feature of Mac OS X 10.5. This is a feature
that has been desired for a very long time by nearly every Linux/Unix
user. There are endless plugins for Windows and older versions of OS
X. Apple finally made it a staple of the OS. Here, again, I feel
you’re complaining of a feature that you simply don’t like, or are too
dense to utilize. There’s no requirement to use it. Only with
certain workflows do I pull out a different space. What’s complicated
about Control+(arrow) to move around in Spaces?
I’ll give you some credit for your criticism of the Mighty Mouse. I
have one, love it, but can’t stand it at times. I wish I could get
the same mouse with real buttons.
Cheesy eye-candy aside, regarding Time Machine, what similar backup
system does Windows Vista have? Enough said.
As far as syncing your Blackberry, you need special software on a PC
to handle this. Why shouldn’t you need that software on a Mac? RIM
provides a free copy of PocketMac to sync with your Mac. I didn’t
like that, so I purchased The Missing Sync for Blackberry. $49.99,
best money in software I’ve spent in some time. For what it’s worth,
Mark/Space, the company that make The Missing Sync, has a Windows
Mobile version, among others.
Last, you mention that you ‘found the same number of driver issues as
[you] did with [your] Vista upgrade.’ What driver issues? I’ve not
had any driver issues on my Mac in the last 3 revisions of the OS. It
really sounds to me like you’re looking for things wrong to make it
seem controversial and make people like myself write you long-winded
emails describing what an idiot you are.
—–
Eric F Crist
Jonathan:
You are obviously waaaayyyy biased towards PC. What does Microsoft
help pay your salary? Did your bosses give you a hint to sway the
article towards PC???????
Come on, Mac is a much more stable operting environment than Windows
XP or Vista will ever be. Is there more software available for PC?
yes. Does it all work as well together as the Mac? No.
I run a small business that I shifted to Mac 6 months ago. I run
windows under Fusion for the few programs I haven’t migrated to Mac
yet. They work fine together.
In fact, win XP runs better on my Mac than ever before. That’s a fact.
Randy
I am so sorry. I am having a very hard time believing this article was real.
My wife who had never touched a Mac figured hers out better than the author and she is no “tech guru”.
Please.
Is this joke or simply the sort of “journalism” one should expect from CNN/FSB?
Excuse me while I go use my Mac with zero problems.
Stephen Miller
After reading your article I went right out and bought myself a new
iMac. If an uninformed windows fan boy has suck a low opinion of Mac
it must be a great computer. Anyone so stupid they can’t find the
power switch is indeed a dolt, your article really makes no valid
points. You wrongly assume that a windows system is the bench mark
for a business machine, can’t get more 2 dimensional in you’re
thinking than this article, if you are in fact a business guru it
explains the sad state of the business world.
Thomas Carley
This article says it much better than I.
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/17410/
This PC magazine article tells the truth about Microsoft and their
“chrome plated turd” called Vista:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,126159-page,1/article.html
Boy, do you deserve windows……
Jim
Full Disclosure: Microsoft Innovation–An Oxymoron
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,122118-page,1/article.html
I am a tech consultant for Macs and your Mac article is terrible! You’re a tech guru? I’m not sure I should even going to go into details on how screwed up and just WRONG your opinions and views are… ie: ran out of USB ports? Ethernet enablement unit? Did you never hear of a USB hub? Did you not realize the Mac has ethernet up to a gigabit?! Sit through a round of special effects for Time Machine… would you rather Windows ridiculous file system plus does this not tell you that you are indeed in Time Machine to retrieve a file and it is elegant? Can’t sync with Blackberry’s, etc… my clients never had a problem and are soon to be jumping to the iPhone anyways? Plus you got the system for HALF THE PRICE!!!! Packaging is overdone? I think not… it tells me that the company cares about every detail to their systems and makes it an experience… what grey box PC company really does this? Dell? Puhlease! And you can’t find the on switch because it isn’t on the front?!!!!! Are you seriously that moronic that once you realize that it is on the back that you can’t remember that? That it makes the Mac even more appealing!? I think you need to consult with Apple or do more research before writing another misinformed article. Not worth the hassle? Tell that to Auto Warehousing, the biggest aftermarket for car parts, that switched to all Macs and are now saving a ton and loving the hassle free, less IT, friendly Mac. Also, the largest Bank in Japan…Macs. Seriously bad journalism and perhaps you should go back to Windows… you’re just not smart enough to even turn the Mac on.
Ian Graham
“Windows Vista, properly installed and used in tandem with Web-based productivity tools, is a powerful, powerful alternative.”-Puhlease! PCMag and Cnet named Vista biggest tech flop of 2007 and worst OS in the last 25 years… for good reason!
Wow, just read your article about Macs in small business, I have to
say you are so out of touch with the technology world of 2008! We use
Macs in my small business and have done for the last 3 years and the
money we have saved in licence fees and anti virus, not to mention
downtime saved… you can see where I’m going. You are 100% WRONG.
Two words for you – Black Pencil.
If you don’t know what that means, look it up.
Have a nice day!
Regards,
Jamie Kelly
Wow, your article is complete flaimbait. To the point where, I’m actually
writing advertisers. Amazing.
I make macs and PC’s work in the Pharma Advertising world for years. Your
logic is really really flawed. Firstly, there are 4 (microsoft document
format) compatible office suits. Neo Office (free) Open office (free) iWork
($79) and Microsoft office ($159-399)
Second there are more than one vpn client. If Your vpn client was less than
excellent on the PC side, I don’t think you would keep it for the fact that
you have licenses with the company.
Really tho, not one valid argument. Worst OP ED tech article ever. I hate
the mouse, but apple people love it, is not reporting.
“I found the same driver issues upgrading from XP last year”
Seriously, who let you write that? Why do people with no knowledge of tech
write about it?
If you wanna run a story about a REAL COMPANY that runs primarily on macs in
a fully PC world, while retaining full compatibility from the outside world,
lemme know.
Ohh yeah, and you need a new “computer expert”
Jesse Patterson
Sole IT supporting about 40 macs and 7 PC’s in a fast production based
environment. (and I can honestly say I couldn’t do it alone if it were 40
pc’s and 7 macs.
Mr. Blum,
Apple makes Mac computers. The computers Apple manufactures are
called Macs, not Apples. Due to you serious error in this regard I
have chosen to disregard your entire article.
Sincerely,
Don Bach
Dear Mr Blum,
I don’t think ’seriously overdone’ is a fair critique of Apple
packaging – it’s renowned for elegant minimalism.
And I think maybe America should be pleased to see something designed
in California rather than offshore.
My own small publishing business has run contentedly on Macs for many
years, and these days the built-in a/v software makes it an
unbeatable platform.
Still, each to his own!
Regards from the UK,
David Jefferis.
Just a few quick points, tech guru… first, their called Macs, not
Apples. You should know that one, tech guru! Secondly, are you really
serious about the packaging comment? They have won awards for those
“overdone” boxes. Oh, forgot, you like to get a huge box that won’t
even fit in your car, half filled with a computer. What is this, 1987?
Thirdly, really, couldn’t use an usb back up-drive because of your
ethernet cord? Umm, check your tech guru status Johnathan, pretty
simple to take an ethernet cord and plug it into the ethernet port?
Oh, forgot all those Dells and HP’s and what-nots come with eight or
twenty usb ports, umm, NOT! Go buy a twenty dollar usb hub like the
rest of us until all of the computer makers make the whole case filled
with usb ports! Fourth, really, Time Machine to simple for you!? I
mean, open it up, select the file you want to retrieve and oh, no, it
has been retrieved?! Sorry if that is to simple, tech guru. Oh,
forgot, easy graphics are a problem, need text only graphics to
understand. As for the whole blackberry issue, oh, wait, Macs can run
Windows too, or even, gasp, emulate the old, fat vapor OS that it is.
So that problem is solved too. Lastly, 20 companies out of 100, oh
boy, thanks tech guru… it sounds like this “niche” player really has
moved up, thanks so much! Please, first name me a computer maker or
software maker that allows you to have two or three different OS’s on
your computer, and I don’t mean different flavors of Linux. I mean,
Windows, OS X and Linux, mmm, nope, not Dell, umm, nope HP is out too,
oh, hey, is that Apple…. that “niche” player, WOW, you mean they
build a computer that can house all of that! But hey, wait, I want to
go out and buy three different computers, with monitors and what-nots
to run those OS’s, so it must me cheaper than buying just one Mac
computer, right? Oops, sorry tech guru, an Apple Computer.
Johnathan, do you look in the mirror ever morning with a little
devilish smile. I mean, now reading this article, everyone fully knows
that you have been lying about your knowledge of computers. It’s OK,
if you keep writing articles like this one, we all NOW know your dirty
little secret. You stopped being a tech guru once you referred to a
Mac as an Apple computer. On that note, you should write an apology in
your next column asking for the small business world to forgive your
ignorance on tech matters and to maybe disregard the advise you have
given them for way too long. Oh, forgot, call my senior citizen
neighbor, she might be able to help you out, since she just started
using her mac a few months ago. She giggled like a young child once
she read your error filled article.
Have a pleasant day and hopefully the rest of the tech savvy users
send you nicer letters :)
Mark A. Topolski, not a tech guru, just a simple computer user
I look forward to your review of Excel on Mac.
At home I am on the verge of converting to a Mac (with some pressure from my 16 year old son)
But do use Excel at home.
I use both Windows and Mac. Yes, it does take some getting used to when
converting between the two mice and the command quick keys, but neither one is
decidedly better than the other.
As to “Windows Vista, properly installed, and used in tandem with Web-based
productivity tools is a powerful, powerful alternative”….please. Vista
is, in fact, one of the biggest problems in the Windows world. It is an
overbloated, underfeatured mistake that appears to have been sent to market
before it was ready. No fair comparison of Vista and OS-X can avoid the
conclusion that OS-X is far more stable and is more feature rich than Vista.
In fact, I’d suggest that a number of the Linux platforms provide a more
dependable platform than Vista.
One suggestion…..you took a user comfortable with Windows and moved to OS/X.
Now lets try taking a user comfortable with OS/X and move them to Windows
Vista and see what they say.
Despite Mr. Blum?s inclusion in his piece of the many advantages Apple
offers over Windows, his overall hostility toward Apple and its computers
surprised me. For example he commented on the admittedly glitzy and, perhaps,
over the top graphics contained in the Time Machine user interface. But he
failed to add that Time Machine operates automatically, in the background, and
that you don?t even have to open the underlying user interface until and
unless you need to restore a backup.
I was also puzzled by Mr. Blum?s criticism of the Mac?s desktop: ?The desktop
is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge. Only with some
complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another. All the goofy
Apple-centric commands leave PC-trained users constantly fighting to parse out
what the control, option and command keys do.? My own experience was to the
contrary. First, I had used Windows exclusively ? and heavily ? both before
and after I bought my first Mac for my personal use and he changeover was
seamless. I have no idea what Mr. Blum?s desktop criticism was all about.
In fairness, I should add that the Mac?s one button mouse is, indeed, a goofy
anachronism. I have always used non-Apple two-button mice ever since I bought
my first Mac five years ago. Why Apple insists on sticking with its one button
mice is beyond me.
The bottom line is that Apple?s hardware and software provide a far more user
friendly, reliable, and secure computer solution than did any Windows machine
I know about. That Macs can apparently be bought for less, to boot, is icing
on the cake.
Did anyone read this article for accuracy before it was printed?Or was this
satire? I’m confused and amused by this mess.
Great article – keep it up! This should help keep hackers working on viruses
for Vista/etc. I switched from MS to Apple about 3 years ago and haven’t
looked back. Well, I take that back – trying to help my sister with a printer
install on Vista was frustrating. Then with all the service packs, updates,
etc., well…
You’ve spent x years working with MS Windows and a few hours on Leopard and
then have the gall to compare?! Of course some programs are not going to work.
They, like any other program, will need updates.
Anyway, keep it up. With reviewers like you I can rest easy with my new iMac
knowing that you won’t be switching soon.
[BTW - the only reason it takes a bit of time to learn Leopard is because it's
so blinkin' easy to use (unlike you know what)!]
It hardly seems fair that the guy picked to write this article starts out by
saying that he’s not an Apple fan. It is apparent from the very start that he
has a bias against Apple products, and he is not impressed with Apple’s flair
for design and aesthetics. Here’s what I take away from reading this piece:
Macs aren’t for business because of the placement of the power button, the
single button mouse, the Mac key commands, and the fact that his Windows
software did not install seamlessly on a Mac. Is it just me, or are these
complaints absolutely ridiculous? Of course he also says that his Windows
software didn’t install seamlessly on Windows Vista machine either. My
question is why the hell didn’t he try using VPN software designed for the Mac
or remote access software designed for a Mac? Wouldn’t that have been logical
and a much better test for Macs in the work place. Of course Macs are never
going to work exactly like a PC, and Mac users thank God every day that they
don’t. However, this seems to have been Mr. Blum’s acid test. Only when Macs
become as clunky as PCs will Jonathan Blum declare that Macs are finally as
good as PCs are for business.
I think the author underestimates one important fact in his evaluation of
Mac vs Microsoft – security. Macs aren’t nearly the target that Microsoft
PC’s are for virus writers. As a consequence there are virtually no
widespread virus threats for the Mac. And no need to constantly apply
security patches to fix all the problems as is the case for Windows machines.
So downtime for security issues in a small business is far less with the Mac
than a PC. That saves the company a lot of money ( and hassles).
I really don’t think you made much of a case against the Mac. You kick off
by complaining about what’s written on the box. Then you can’t find the power
switch. (Bet you can next time.) Then, after running out of the two
remaining USB ports (you DID plug the mouse into the keyboard, right?), you
replaced your USB hard drive? Sounds like you have quite a few peripherals.
Maybe a powered USB hub would have been a better choice.
“The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge.”
That sounded bizarre … until I realized you were talking about Spaces. It’s
an option; it’s been around in shareware form for Unix, Windows, and Mac since
the ’90s (shouldn’t be all THAT much of a surprise), and – important point –
it doesn’t “divide” the desktop; it multiplies it – in the sense that
everything “on the desktop” appears in each quadrant.
Your opinion about Time Machine, while valid as an opinion, reads like
hyperbole. “Quite possible the silliest OS extension in history.”
(Honestly.)
Up to this point it just sounds whiny and sour. Issues of compatibility with
other software and non-Apple devices, however, DO matter to me and I look
forward to hearing more about that.
Please tell your “Tech Guru” it’s “Macintosh”, not “Apple” when referring to
the computer. Apple is the company.
For a tech guru, Jonathan Blum knows nothing about Macintosh. This fact is
glaringly obvious to those of us who do.
Your tech guru doesn’t know much about computers. I used to provide tech
support to know-it-alls like him who know just enough to be dangerous. They
would totally screw up their machines (Windows by the way), and come crying
for help. Usually, the only choice was to completely reinstall everything and
hope against hope that we could recover their data.
Ethernet enablement unit???? Why not just plug the Ethernet cable into the
Mac’s RJ-45 port?
Get yourself a real tech person.
The writer of this piece obviously came into the project already biased
against Apple. Just because he used an Apple computer ten + years ago, doesn’t
make him qualified to judge them now. The company and operating system have
changed dramatically. His complaints are shallow (complaining about packaging
or program graphics?) which have nothing to do with functionality (purpose of
piece?) and he obviously didn’t read or do any research on how to use an Apple
and what options they (and others) provide in order to make the Apple more PC
users friendly. Clearly they bought an iMac; danced around it like a monkey;
and were mad because it didn’t read their mind, turn itself on and start
running their business for him. How can they generalize themselves as a
business anyway? Where is the supporting argument from an actual company? Its
weird how he was able to find a business that praised using Apple systems for
their company but only had a personal experience as the basis to say Apples
are not good for small businesses? If they actually conducted true subjective
research, they would have found their opinion is not the rule. It is Apple who
is willing to be innovative in all facets of their company and adjust to
attract new customers needs (i.e. intel). Just because you are buried in the
past, doesn’t mean you have to discourage the future.
Reading the article sounds slot like a pc (Windows) person that has always
used windows and has a hard time with change, or convincing his buddies that
he actually likes a mac better. I’ve used both platforms for many years and
switching my small business over to the mac was the best move I’ve made. It’s
easy, it works, it doesn’t restart, it doesn’t take forever to find drivers,
or load new applications. Instead of spending hours troubleshooting problems
like I do on my XP based POS system, I can actually pend time on more valuable
things because the mac works. Maybe with some businesses certain business
software is a better fit on the Windows machines and that’s just life. But for
the everyday small business owner that uses basic business software, the Mac
is 100% easier to use and I would rather do better things with my time than
troubleshooting my computer because something doesn’t work right. As far as
knowing where the power button is, might have taken me a couple seconds the
first time, then after that, it was a piece of cake. Complaining about that
would be like saying the the keyboard on the Windows machine is at the wrong
angle. So my two cents, the MAC is the better machine for everyday small
business owners that use basic business software, and 100,000% better machine
for home use.
Thanks..
Roger
I agree with most of your observations from the perspective of a new user of
Macs. I was a switcher and work within a PC business albeit I am on the road
most of the time. What I have found is that once the delightful graphics are
gone you are back to a computer that is to enhance your work as well as make
you more productive. And here is the beauty of Mac. Once you figured out how
to do it on a Mac, it really does just work. I never have to call tech
support and I rarely need to reboot in the middle of something I am working
on.
Am I a Machead, no. I am a happy customer who is quite pleased that i no
longer have to focus on technology when I work be cause Macs just work. Mac
is not perfect. Its just better.
“The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s
edge.”
Perhaps you are referring to Expose, which is a desktop manager, not the
desktop. Also, though I haven’t used Leopard yet, a co-worker explained that
it has ‘workspaces’ that each can be rotated out of view or back, and Expose
works on all of those too.
For those who use these tools the productivity increase is noticable and
pleasing. It can be intimidating however, especially if a user declines to
explore its features.
You are accurate if you suggest that it doesn’t function like Vista or even
XP. That’s why I prefer it.
Thanks for the FAIR Article on Macs 8)
I did the Mac thing from 1990-99 I had to eat that Mac IIsi w/ System 7! I
paid $1000 more for it and got less support in the end in East Texas.
Even not there are NO Apple Stores around here you have to go to Dallas for
that, Thats around 150 miles.
In some way I want to go back to a Mac, but I have fell in love with
CorelDRAW! Who needs Adobe Illustrator it’s a major pain just to use.
As for a the OS I’m using is XP PRO and a little Linux.
One hurts the Mac is a TV Tuner; $200 on a Mac vs $30 and UP on a PC.
I’m using a X600 Pro AIW card from ATI in my Shuttle XPC.
I’m on the fence at this point, looks like PC still wins in East Texas for
Hardware, Software & Support.
PS your Fonts are TOO SMALL in this e-Mail Form.
I use Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X and help other businesses to do
likewise. I have taught those and other operating systems since the early
1980s.
The author of this article, Jonathan Blum, provides no useful information to
potential business buyers of Apple or Microsoft operating systems whatsoever.
Even my most senior students (in their 80s) have found the Mac OS X a joy to
use in their business and personal activities. Corporate clients, and I have
hundreds, have all found Apple packaging, iMac power buttons, and virtually no
driver issues to-date. My clients use all types of equipment and do have some
concerns with Apple equipment. Not a single one of those issues was mentioned
by Mr. Blum in this article.
I have never heard of any serious business relying on Mozy Backup Service.
Mr. Blum’s unprofessional writing style will send me to Bloomberg.com, FT.com,
and other sources than cnn.com in the future.
This article does not really address main other reasons previously
addressed. Namely, that macs can run windows natively, so that if a company
should want to move to Mac OS X, they can do so. Additionally it does not
address the OS X platform for stability. Rather it goes about ranting about
implementation of specific 3rd party software that isn’t yet apparently easy
on the mac. I feel this is a shallow review which mis-guides the average
user.
Anyway- my 2 cents.
A poster on a forum was commenting on Blum’s article and accused him
of either being a paid shill for an Apple competitor, or of being too
dumb to breathe. About half responded that they thought he might be
smart enough to breathe.
desktop is divided into quadrants
The “Spaces” feature you’re referring to is optional and is turned off by
default. It can be turned on/off in System Preferences.
very odd mouse
You can substitute any standard USB mouse.
James
I think the writer’s bias is evident when he derides the slogan on the box.
How is that relevant, other than to begin “pissing” on the product he’s
describing. I’ve been running my small business with apple products for over
8 years with no significant issues. I don’t know vista so I can’t comment,
but my first observation about ANY software or hardware wouldn’t include the
labeling on the box! You should ask another writer to submit another
evaluation; one with no axe to grind.
Dear Jonathan
You sound like the person who said that Honda and Toyota cars would never be
successful here in the USA.
Go luck with your ford…OOPS! PC
Thanks Scott
One thing you fail to mention in your article, and I understand to a certain
extent is, the “goofy Apple-centric commands” you refer to were the first of
their kind. Remember the Mac GUI (and it’s shortcuts) was around long before
Windows. It was just that windows was willing to license it’s OS to other
computer companies and took a HUGE lead in the OS wars, this is also one of
the main reasons Windows is so unstable. When you make an OS that is designed
to work on just about every machine made, you are bound to have a lot of
issues. Apple makes the OS and the computers and are a prefect fit so to speak
and therefor much more stable. Also you fail to mention the the Mac OS is far
less resource hungry and the actual file size of the OS is far smaller.
Microsoft is notorious for having fat software, tons of unnecessary code
thanks to DOS and/or NT that they use. Unix which the Mac OS is based on is a
far more efficient and not to mention stable base to build on. Linux is also a
good option in the stability department but neither Microsoft of Apple use
that.
Just because you are used to something (like key combinations) does not mean
that it’s correct and everything else is WRONG.
Sorry but you are just projecting about the problems you have/had with your
mac
Definition of projecting
transfer or attribute one?s own emotion or desire to (another person), esp.
unconsciously :
ie mac’s have the same problems as pc’s
In the weird world of pc’s where a fix to bad design is called a feature –
example maximize …… Because the menu bar moves all over the screen and
you are constantly trying to figure out where to move your pointer you get
maximize which puts the menu bar in the same place. Brilliant now i get a
feature fo fix bad design. Most of the windows OS is features to fix bad
design.
Thanks but no thanks.
Stick to your unproductive crash prone futz box PC we don’t care about your
opinion
why don’t you run an article about what happens when some one unknowingly
upgrades their system to vista and blows up their entire computer beyond
repair.
Idiot turn off spaces and you you wont get The desktop is divided into
quadrants that exist beyond the screen’s edge.
Jonathan Blum had better find a new job. He knows nothing about how Mac’s
can help a business. We have had a MAC network system for 10 years, It is easy
to use, we are not subject to virus attacks, and the system never goes down.
For all of us over 30 it is a godsend. Jonathan do your homework, small
business needs MAC’S.
you are a moron…
Continuing to prove that analysts and “tech guru’s” are (apparently) more often just wannabe journalists who can’t do that very well either…
you seriously have no right to be writing for anyone…especially tech articles.
I’m dumbfounded by how completely ridiculous your “Why Mac’s still aren’t right for most businesses” piece (of shite) is.
Only two things fully explain what the f*$k you wrote.
1) Utter ignorance combined with nothing to write about and an impending deadline…kludged onto some deep seeded angst toward all things Mac.
and/or
2) Pay-ola. M$ hooked you up to write this completely FUD-ridden “article”.
Thanks for your time, and good luck with future writing assignments.
p.s. In case you care to hear this…this is my first write to an author complaint type of email…I really think you missed the ball that much.
…….”I was forced to dump my USB hard drive in favor of an Ethernet enablement unit.” — Oh my gawd…this is probably the stupidest thing I have ever read coming from a “tech guru” – truly techno-babble in an attempt to sound legitimate to end-user ignorants…and what, pray tell, is/was wrong with the ethernet enabling (unit) port that comes built-into every iMac? And three USB ports aren’t enough? Ever heard of a USB hub?
Good grief.
Beautifully written. To me a computer is a computer. I just don’t prefer MAC.
As an IT professional, I too find several issues in using MAC.
One question I had is about your testing of the speed. Typical MAC’s come with almost twice the horse-power of other machines. For example, typical Dell or HP will have a dual or maybe a quad core processor, where a MAC will have two dual or two quad cores. This is twice the processing power (not speed). Also, a standard MAC doesn’t come loaded with extra software packages (this is a great plus in my eyes), but the Dell or HP does. These extra programs will also weigh down the processing power and speed.
That said, upon testing speed, did you ever test a truly apples to apples (no pun intended) test? Did you do a clean install for both machines as to keep all the extra junk off?
Personally, when I work on machines, I edit MSConfig, clean up the start up and remove all the extra running programs that the normal user NEVER use.
Just a thought.
Thanks for your article. Can I subscribe to your upcoming articles?
Thanks.
Tim Nafziger
Sisters, Oregon
Next time consult Walter Mossberg, but you complain about the littlest
of things. You complain about the power button. There’s much worse
things I’d like to complain about, but I’d rather tell Forbes
directly. I’ll make sure to send you a copy.
Just read your piece on Macs in business.
I was an IBM guy for a long time. I moved to Mac a few months ago at the strong suggestion of colleagues.
“No problems, Office 2008 and Entourage are awesome.”
Basic, basic stuff I don’t get. For example, I use spreadsheets often. I use a lot of room and thus like the full display full of Excel. For some reason, the documents I create and save refuse to open to full display size. I always have to click and drag and expand and spend time bringing documents to the full display.
I also find lots of bugs with file saving. Despite knowing where I want to save a document, the OS seems to miss opening the right folder about 20% of the time. Easy stuff that should either be easy to fix or never should have existed (never any of these problems with Windows). Same issues with saving files to PDF with the native print driver.
“Keynote is awesome!” Sorry, I don’t get it. PowerPoint is just as easy and good. And so many people use PowerPoint. But try converting from Keynote to PowerPoint and back. What a mess.
Default applications? Tough to get some of Apple’s apps to accept new default applications (cannot get Preview to use Entourage).
The best part about the Macbook Pro. People say, “Wow, you must be one of those cool people.”
Jonathan,
I totally had this silly grin on my face as I read your story this afternoon–what a hoot! But I am a Mac user and have been for about 4 years now and I totally am in love with it, but I also don’t run a small business like you do (one day).
Come on! Come on over to the Mac side, Jonathan!!!
Debbie Girard
I found my iMac very easy to use … I bought the machine
with Parallels and Windows XP Pro SP2 preloaded.
I can peacefully coexist in both worlds … seamlessly.
I am writing this in a Windows environment, and running
Fidelity’s Active Trader Pro to buy Apple stock.
This should pay for the iMac with the 3G iPhone launch
as AAPL stock soars above $200 a share.
Have my iMac and eat it too.
What a concept.
Paid for by Microsoft Save Vista Advertising team. It was very negatively
biased against Apple.
Regarding your article “Why Macs still aren’t right for most
businesses” by Jonathan Blum dated May 30, 2008:
<http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/29/smallbusiness/macs_small_biz.fsb/
Jonathan Blum makes many claims but gives no reasoning or facts to
back them up. Here are some counterpoints to his claims:
1) Jonathan does not like Apple’s high-quality, design-concious
product packaging. Many people do, but how does this have any bearing
on businesses?
2) Again, not that it really matters or has any bearing on business
purchases, but I just checked Apple’s iMac web pages and press
release. Nowhere do they state iMac screens are the “absolute best on
the market”. Apple does say, “Anything you see on the 20- or 24-inch
glossy widescreen display will be a perfect pixel experience. iMac
features a flat-panel LCD screen with 1680-by-1050 resolution (20-
inch) or 1920-by-1200 resolution (24-inch), giving you vivid colors
and breathtaking clarity.”
<http://www.apple.com/imac/features/
and
“widescreen flat-panel display supporting millions of colors”
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/04/28imac.html
3) Business (or any) users don’t need an on/off switch on the front
of their Macs because they won’t use them. Seriously, the only time I
turn my Macs off are when we have big electrical storms. Sleep/wake
(done from the keyboard) saves lots of time vs shutdown/startup.
Businesses should be leaving their computers on for nightly backups,
maintenance, remote access, etc. anyway. If they want to save energy,
they can setup automatic shutdown startup times so their employees
won’t have to spend all that time learning about the on/off switch.
4) It would be interesting to know exactly what peripherals Jonathan
thinks the average business computer needs. After plugging in the
keyboard and mouse, you still have 3 USB, 1 FireWire 400, and 1
FireWire 800 ports free on the iMac. Personally, I would use the
*much* faster FireWire 800 port for an external hard drive.
5) Of course if a business is using or switching to Macs, they’ll be
using the built-in screen sharing, Back to My Mac, and VPN tools
which are free and work great right out of the box without any
tweaking. For Macs controlling windows computers, Leopard has VNC
built-in and Microsoft has free software available for download. His
online backup system works fine now, but he still complained about it
in the article without mentioning the many other Mac-compatible
online backup solutions including Apple’s .Mac Backup. Again, it
would be interesting know know what “driver issues” he had on the
Mac. Personally, I’ve had *none*.
<http://www.apple.com/dotmac/backtomymac.html
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx?
pid=Mactopia_RDC&fid=6573F9F1-8AE1-4DA9-AB5C-F8457ECDAF2D#viewer
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBTKgEND1Is
<http://www.apple.com/dotmac/backup.html
6) When Jonathan talks about “The desktop is divided into quadrants
that extend beyond the screen’s edge”, I can only guess he is talking
about Spaces which is turned off by default. Some business users seem
to like virtual desktops since similar software exists for both
windows and UNIX operating systems. Pressing Control and an arrow key
somehow seems slightly less complex than Control-Alt-Delete which all
windows users have had to learn. I think they’ll be able to figure it
out if they want to turn that feature on.
7) Whether Apple’s keyboard shortcuts are “goofy” or not is up for
debate, but having to learn new keyboard shortcuts is actually the
*only* real criticism in the entire article that holds any water.
Even so, all keyboard shortcuts can be changed to match windows if
they want, or again, they can see what the shortcuts are in any menu
and just relearn this one small part of their computer usage.
8) If business users are confused by the lack of visually defined
sides of Apple’s Mighty Mouse, they can draw a line down the center
of the mouse with a permanent marker, but I see it going something
more like this: “Hey where’s the right mouse button? I don’t see a
right mouse button! When I press on the right side… Oh!”
9) Built-in, automatic, complete backup by plugging in an external
hard drive or adding a Time Capsule to your wireless network is
silly? Much better to hire a backup expert that you pay to do all of
that for you, only to have them be out to lunch when you need to
recover a file, or worse, find out that he didn’t get some of your
critical files because they weren’t in the “right place”. What
business needs automatic backup that all employees can easily use?
Honestly.
10) Jonathan had “a very difficult time measuring any quantifiable
improvement over the PC for average business chores – that kind that
ultimately affect your bottom line”. What about the $50,000 that
Jaffe Associates (the one company quoted in the article) saved? How
about the many man-hours saved over the long run due to faster web
browsing, etc. as noted in this article? How about not crashing or
waiting around for starting up or restarting your computer? How about
the money saved for a smaller IT department? Maybe the complete lack
of viruses on the Mac? With a Mac, you can have ALL Mac, windows, and
UNIX application up and running simultaneously. Not so with any other
computer. I would think these things might affect someone’s bottom
line…
11) I have not had any trouble syncing BlackBerrys or smartphones for
my clients. Without knowing which brands/models he’s talking about,
here are some immediate solutions.
PocketMac has free software for BlackBerry<-Mac syncing
<http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmblackberry/
Mark/Space has good commercial software for the BlackBerry and many
other devices as well
<http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_blackberry.php
Many, if not all of the most popular brands and models of phones are
supported out of the box by Apple’s iSync, built-in to Mac OS X.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/
12) Jonathan’s final comments are contradictory to other parts of his
article and might mislead some readers. “Yes, more businesses can now
go to Macs – I would say they now make sense for maybe 20 companies
out of 100, up from just 5 a few years back. But for the rest of us –
particularly those that need basic computing and basic features –
Apple is still more expensive and simply not worth the integration
headaches for the average small shop.”
I wonder how he came up with those company numbers? I thought he said
before that basic computer needs were faster on the Mac? He should
specify what Apple is more expensive than. I looked at Dell’s web
site and Apple’s and noted that Apple’s iMac is $100 cheaper than
Dell’s One (base models). That is before buying any virus software
for the Dell, the iMac is 200 MHz faster, and the Dell does not have
a FireWire 800 port or a dedicated video card (the iMac has an ATI
Radeon HD 2400 XT w/128 MB VRAM).
Dell’s top of the line One at $2,000 does not compare well with
Apple’s 2nd from the bottom model iMac at $1,550 (adjusted for a 500
GB hard drive) either. Though the Dell does have a Blu-ray optical
drive, the Dell is 333 MHz slower, has a lesser video card with 1/2
the VRAM, and again, no FireWire 800 port.
For $2,000 the iMac is 666 MHz faster and has a 24″ screen, and don’t
forget the better video card and FireWire 800 port. Dell does not
have an all-in-one computer with a 24″ screen.
<http://www.apple.com/imac/
<http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsdt_one
Hey there.
I very rarely comment on articles in the press as most of the time I take it
with a grain of salt and move on.
However this article got under my skin.
How can you condone representing a individual who is obviously NO Tech Guru.
I have a Windows Box at home I play games on. I have a Windows Laptop I use
for study (was the cheapest laptop I could afford at the time). I have a
MacMini for everything internet and download related.
I would class myself a Doctor of Technology if you’re willing to print this
bozo is a “Guru”!!!!!!!!!
I’m a field engineer based in London. We deal with National Newspapers,
Magazines, Huge department stores, award winning Design agencies. We look
after both Mac and Windows servers/computers/networks.
Here are some following observations:
If you want cheap admin machines – buy PC but expect to replace every year.
If you need computers that require any sort of computer power – even large
spreadsheets – Mac’s need to be considered.
If you are replacing server technology or indeed implementing server
technology you will more than halve your costs by going down the Mac server
route. Unlimited licences and cross platform support add up to amazing tech
for the best price with scalability.
These are “facts” from the front line of supporting business computing
needs.
If you are looking for any muppet that prepares to state they are a “tech
Guru” then by all means let me write articles for you. I will be a “Medical
Guru” (i’ve been in hospital a couple of times), “Financial Guru” (i’ve had
to get loans before), “Sporting Guru” (I watch alot of women’s tennis),
“Entertainment Guru” (i’ve seen quite a few movies) …… you get the idea.
As a publisher you have responsibilities to your audience. Perhaps getting
someone with an ounce of knowledge to read over your articles once in a
while may stop the huge piles of responces you have had already over this
stupid waste of space article.
Kind regards
Geoff
Jonathan Blum “Tech Guru”?! You’ve got to be kidding. One more
ridiculously insipid article like this, and I’m never visiting or watching
CNN again. Is anyone even reading over submissions over there anymore?
I am amazed at how biased this article is. First of all, any
self-respecting and half decent sysadmin is going to understand that when
you switch operating systems that you have to sometimes find new solutions
(different software). You criticize OS X for not being able to run crappy
Windows programs that you shouldn’t be using in the first place. Mozy,
seriously? Have you ever heard of rsync, scp, or crontab? If you really gave
the time to look, you would find that 9 times out of 10 there is a far
better solution for business tasks on OS X because it is Unix based. Second,
this article presents some aspects of OS X in a unfair manner. “The desktop
is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge” – for this I
will assume you are talking about Spaces. And, “Only with some complex
keyboard commands” can you switch between them? First of all, Spaces can be
disabled so OS X behaves just like a plain old Windows box. Second, I have
Spaces mapped to the super key and the arrows… two buttons, just like
Alt-Tab. How is that in any way a “complex keyboard command”? And one other
thing, you can control Spaces through hot corners so you don’t have to use a
keyboard. This article is ridiculously uninformed considering it was written
by a “tech guru” that ran OS X for “months”.
Counterpoint:
Two things make your argument against using Macs for small and even large businesses moot. 1.) BOOT CAMP. You now dual boot Mac OS and Windows. Since Intel Macs are essentially PC’s, driver problems and application issues are moot. 2.) Used Macs. Go to http://www.macofalltrades.com to see how affordable used Mac’s are. Don’t worry about lack of warrantee. I bought a Mac from them in 2003 and it still runs without problems five years later.
You didn’t factor in either of the two solutions above in your dismissal of Apple equipment. The fact is that, the ability to dual boot OSX and Windows on ONE MACHINE kills any advantage that Windows might have and gives you OSX to work with when Vista starts driving you nuts (and trust me, it will).
I feel that the Reviewer did a horrible job of providing any true evaluation of using a Mac in the work environment. The Reviewer’s statements are either very subjective, or obvious (whenever you switch computing platforms, you will need to make adjustments).
This review is currently providing the readers with very little valuable information. I hope the Reviewer will do a better job of performing evaluations in the future.
I have always used pcs in my business. Not happy with vista on my two personal machines. One thing I wonder about the article is that the author doesnt mention that you can run run xp on the mac in parallels for my pc apps, or use bootcamp. This is an inportant fact for those considering this.. Obviously I dont want to repurchase all of my software etc.
To anyone here who has based his opinion of Macs on experiences they had more than 3 years ago: you need to look at it again. While I’ve never thought Windows was a good OS, Apple OS was even more unusable at 8 or 9.2, and it took 3+ years for OS X to mature.
But that it did, and now there’s no question in my mind that Apple (at least right now) makes the best PC on the planet.
“only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another”
I think this guy is just technologically illiterate. All you have to do is press Control and the arrow key!
Granted, both OSs have their pros and cons, but a Mac is so much easier to use and setup than a Windows machine once you get the hang of it. Yes, there will be a “learning curve” when switching, but when you happen to use XP or Vista again, you feel like a lot is missing.
Check out the comparison review of Mac and PC in the may issue of Popular Mechanics. They objectively compared a 20 inch iMac with a very similar Gateway 19in Gateway One. Apart from the Mac costing $300 less, they did objective benchmark comparisons of very real world tests. For instance the Mac booted in 28 seconds vs 1 minute 13 seconds for PC. Or the Mac shut down in 4 seconds versus 44 seconds for the PC.
My company uses both Macs and PCs, and believe me, the Macs are dramatically less expensive to maintain. I was able to back up 12 Macs to a Time Machine for $500 and an hour of my time to set up. To provide backup for the PC’s I had to spend $2000 for EMC’s Retrospect backup software and $3000 to hire someone to set it up.
It’s time the world wakes up to the real reason corporate IT departments resist Macs is that it will put many of the people who work in IT out of business because they are no longer needed. Every time I set up a Mac to use our printers, it takes 2 minutes vs 12 minutes for PCs. And the first time was 2 minutes for Mac and 3 hours for PC because it was all so counterintuitive and required calls to Xerox and Dell support for help in understanding how to set it al up. Apple’s Bobjour technology makes it all a snap
I think this guy hates macs because FOX News uses macs. But at least CNN lets Ron Paul get on the air (for like 5 seconds every month). This is a terrible article.
Whether you love or hate Apple, the article purports to be a “money” article focusing on the “fiancial implications” of switching. So how about a follow up with the folks at Jaffe Associates. They’re the ones who saved $50,000. What do they think about the day to day process of switching? And what about CFO Magosky? Were they’re hidden costs?
I’ve been using Windows for the last 20 years, but even I find this ‘tech guru’ suspicious to the point of violating journalistic standards.
While it can be forgiven that a Windows user gets used to using ‘CTRL’ instead of CMD, the moaning about Spaces – a virtual desktop manager – is pathetic.
This guy has used been Apples since 1985? Of course. But not in the last 10 years.
I guess this article should be expected. CNN used to be a great name in objective news, but the past eight years has seen that deteriorate. This article is a computer analog to most of their political news. Shallow, uninformed, preoccupied with trivial details and on the whole biased to an embarrassing degree.
I run a small business that switched to macs three years ago. We have a total of 25 machines in house. In that time we were able to go from 1.5 FTE of IT staff to .5 FTE of IT staff. We’ve had , I’d say, something like 8 or 10 Applecare repairs in that time period. Macs are machines and all machines break. But the rate is so much lower than our history with PCs that we were able to completely change our budget and move from spending money on repair work and IT support, to spending money on equipment acquisitions and staff raises.
Seriously, people. Do a little research of how this is working out in the real world.
You lost my at “The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge. Only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another.”
Huh? I’ve been a mac user for years, I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.
And calling Time Machine “quite possibly the silliest operating system extension in history”. Yikes!
Are you kidding? (Personally, I’d vote for ‘Bob’ as part of Windows 98 or ME.)
1. Last I checked, there’s no such solution as part of Vista.
2. Saved me hours a couple months ago – when switching/upgrading a new hard drive. I would have paid for this app if it were sold as such.
3. There are ways of turning the “special effects” off – if it’s that important.
Note: You’re the ONLY reviewer (or person for that matter) I’ve read/heard that didn’t think it was superior solution for backing up/retrieving/restoring.
Your very subjective and silly complaints (like how a mouse LOOKS) doesn’t help your credibility for an objective review here. Kudos for the ‘experiment.’
Set up along for a Vista machine takes hours just to get it functional (after erasing all the trial virus “protection” apps, Office trial, wireless connections, blah blah blah)
I run my business using both OS’s and if it were entirely up to me, I’d never touch one of those virus traps ever again.
Our employees running XP must spend about 5-20 minutes a day wading through XP or Vista’s virus scans and software/driver updates each day. That’s pretty easy add all that wasted time up and contrast that against ‘zero’ on a Mac.
Good grief. What a terrible article.
Yes, the Mac is a *different* operating system. It has different features and keyboard commands, which are “mac centric”. Boo hoo for you. It requires a little time investment (a couple hours) in order to get up and running smoothly. Are you that lazy that you didn’t learn how to easily change from one space to another? Look up the KB command….it couldn’t be simpler…
This is NOT a good tech writer….intellectual laziness is in evidence.
This guys is your tech guru? Who’s in the news room? Rush? What business was he running – helium balloons? This is the most superficial piece I’ve ever read. Kevin
We switched half the company’s (internet service provider, serving the European retailmarket) desktops to Macs in 2003, another quarter in 2004 and the rest in 2005. Reason: applications had to be converted to webbased versions or replaced by Mac compatible stuff. We save on average $1700,- a year per seat on licenses, hardware and maintanance. Uptime is nearly 100% (7% better than Windows) and we are running all latest versions (Windows we were always trailing, because of license fees). Backend is still Unix and Linux, but the first OS X Server is currently undergoing stresstests.
With Space you can just put the window on the edge of your screen (the side of the direction you need to go) and you will move from a desktop to another one.
No needs to use keyboard shortcut
I prefer to use Macs since I no longer face my machines running slowly and save a lot of time instead of reinstalling Windows and all those software on them.
We use Mac’s & PC’s and the Mac’s have saved us lots of money. While not all software will run on an Apple by default you can always run Parallels and that option works great. Also if your IT people don’t understand how to use a Macintosh (very common) then they really should read the 240-page manual entitled “Mac OS X Security Configuration for Version 10.5 Leopard”. Im sure it will be a big help to them.
Reading through the comments, I see that most authors (and I expect, Mac users) are from larger cities, or places where there is a critical mass of Mac users. But if you live in “flyover country”, the experience of using Apple products is a different story. To wit: About 10 years ago, I had heard enough hype about how good Apple products were, so I purchased a Wallstreet Powerbook, after using PC hardware since the birth of the computer. By the time I shelled out money for all new Office software and a new printer, I was out more than $2000. The computer hardware was a thing of beauty – easy to use and ergonomic. Unfortunately, it crashed more often than the Wright bros. It would freeze and crash with any of my programs, usually taking a lot of work with it. After working with that frustration for months, I finally decided that it Just Didn’t Work, and gave up and went back to my PC; Windows 98 was more stable. In my small town in east TX, there was nobody else who used Macs except for a few graphics artists, and they knew nothing of computers. Years later, I was told that there was probably a bad bank of memory in the computer itself. My point is, that without an Apple store down the street, how is one to know? Again, if you live within 200 yards of an Apple store, I can see taking that chance. But I’ll never gamble on a Mac again. I now live in Brasil, and can’t take the chance that it’s not going to work the way I need it to.
I don’t give to much clout or credit to any “tech guru” that tells me Windows Vista is better than ANY OS, including, ironically, Windows XP.
Thanks for wasting 15 minutes of my time with this article.
FSB EDITORS:
Not being “tech gurus” but rather, editors and journalists, you might not understand how important the PC to MAC migration issue is.
It is a huge issue, a sea change not seen since Windows 3.0.
Lots and lots of people and companies are researching and investing in migrating to Macs (or possibly Ubanatu)
Millions of dollars and people hours are being spent in this endeavor.
This is a VERY serious issue that has very large implications, yet FSB and your “tech guru” obviously do not understand the implications of technology in the business world.
It will be difficult, in the future, to consider any information from FSB, or Fortune for that matter, to have any credibility or merit in this regard.
I am a software / web developer / IT professional and have a Windows desktop and a MAC BOOK Pro laptop. I must say that I have no problems with the mac. I use parallels to run windows xp on the mac for the one app that don’t work on OSX, MS Visual Studio. I do all my other work on the mac and very efficiently.
Disclaimer: although I have a Mac at home (and have owned one model or another since 1985), my primary OS at work and home is Windows; XP at work, Vista at home. Having said that, I am amazed at some of the nits that were picked in this article.
To wit:
* “Your transition from Windows will not be without bumps.” Um, duh. Your transition from OS “Q” to OS “Y” will not be without bumps. Linux to Windows, Linux to Mac, Mac to Linux, Mac to Windows, Windows to Linux…
* Not enough USB ports on the iMac? There’s 3 on the back, plus the keyboard has two (one will be used for the mouse). Need more ports? Try this cool new invention – a USB hub. You’ll like it – I promise! Not enough to damn the whole platform, IMO.
* I’m not sure I understand how “GoToMyPC” qualifies as a “VPN tool”. Regardless, I’ve found it to be flaky on multiple Windows versions. However, let’s not blame Citrix on the instability – it must be Apple’s fault. ;-P
* I use Mozy on our Windows machines and the Mac. The Mac client is poorly designed – often chewing up as much processor cycles as it can grab. I’ve toyed with the idea of choosing another vendor, but it is still the best-fit currently. However, they’ve had a Mac client since Fall of 2007 – how long ago was this written?
* “The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge.” That would be “Spaces” you’re talking about. It’s feature that is entirely optional. “Complex keyboard commands” – this is from a Windows user? Seriously – put the cap back on the Liquid Paper. If you don’t want to use it – don’t. If you do, spend like 3 minutes learning the keystrokes to master it. Oh, by no means should you use Gnome or KDE on Linux – they’ll leave you clutching your autographed picture of Bill Gates.
* Admittedly, the “Mighty Mouse” is anything but. Apple’s biggest Achilles heel is the lack of a decent mouse. Fork over the $30 and buy a decent one from Logitech or whatever floats your boat.
* I’ll admit I wish there was an optional second interface to Time Machine. However, Apple’s specialty is the graphical interface. I recently showed TM to a die-hard Windows user and his jaw popped open (as in “awe”, not in disgust). For a business user, it may be too fluffy; for a home user without an IT department to the rescue, it is cool beans and it gets the job done in a fairly elegant manner.
* Calling Vista a “powerful, powerful” (maybe you have gone for the trifecta and added another “powerful”) alternative? Wow – just wow! I don’t know any company that is willingly converting to Vista. Everyone I know (including my medium-sized software company) only has Vista for testing our products against. My Vista laptop regularly locks up with its Nvidia drivers and more than 15 minutes of any visual media (DVDs, WMP, etc.). Vista’s biggest competition is XP, a fact that Microsoft knows only too well. For companies faced with sticking with XP or at least side-grading to OS X, the Mac can make a compelling alternative.
Having said all of that, no the Mac isn’t the perfect desktop for all businesses. Some businesses are locked into Outlook (as is my company) and MS still doesn’t have a decent, seamless integration for Mac users. OTOH, you’d be giving up all those wonderful virus and malware programs that do such a great job sucking down CPU cycles on your Windows box.
Oh yeah, I can see how locating the power button can be a real “integration headache”… are you serious? These “problems” are the best you can come up with? Sad.
Most of the gripes, maybe all, in this article are what I as a Mac user who is forced to use Windows at work like the most about using a mac.
GotomyPC is not the best program for the Mac. There are others. Do a little research.
USB occupied by ethernet enabler? It’s got wireless. Why do you need this. Macs are about simplification. Go with it.
Getting onto a Mac presents nowhere near the level of issues you get in a Vista switch.
“goofy Apple-centric commands”… Yeah Windows everything makes total sense. It’s not Windows. You can’t justifiably complain that it’s not.
And is Time Machine that bad? Automatic wreless enabled backup of all the data that matters? Oh is it too pretty? Like the box?1
These ridiculous opinion articles annoy me to no end. I want to know why Windows users don’t have to make the case as to why companies should use Windows. If enterprise businesses are successfully running all Mac networks, and yes, there are those that do, then it can be done.
The only reason people claim to the contrary, in my opinion, is they are IT folks or programmers or whatever who know only Windows systems and programming languages. They need they’re bread butteres and they know how to get it.
Fear change. Even if it makes life more pleasant.
While some of his issues are legitimate, it sounds like his expectations from the migration are unrealistically high.
The true cost of IT comes from the support and management costs, not from user productivity, which seems to be the primary metric he is using. His argument that using Office on the Mac is no better than using Office in Windows is a gigantic ‘DUH’ moment.
But reading deeper between the lines in his article, it’s clear that the author probably isn’t a great Windows administrator either.
Oh, and by the way, if the author could have spent 1 minute reading the Help, he could have figured out how to turn off the Spaces feature.
I am a data base consultant with a number of large companies as my clients.
One conpany in particular has thousands of users connected to an array of Solaris servers.
On the desktop is a mixture of Macs and PC’s.
In fact, there are over 200 Mac’s worldwide and just under 70 PC’s.
To manage and support the thousands of Mac desktops takes 1.5 support personnel. To manage and support 60 PC’s, it takes 6 people from the support staff.
How van a business afford NOT to use Mac?
I replied directly to Mr. Blum with the following:
Greetings Mr. Blum-
I must start by saying I found your article interesting, and also that I have been a continuous apple user for only 5 years (not counting elementary school with apple IIe’s) and a PC user for ~16 years.
I have both a PC and a Mac in my home for my graphic design business.
I have a few questions/concerns/points to make about your article since it was written for a site that gets quite a lot of traffic and may potentially sway persons one way or the other.
1. Apple’s packaging is part of their entire brand and design recognition scheme. It’s a brilliant execution of a company branding itself and standing out in the crowd. Why knock it? All you seem to have to say is “like I care” instead of pointing out how they do something different than almost every other computer company out there. They make it an experience from the time you look at the box, an experience that welcomes you to the world of Apple.
2. My parents have a new iMac and i find the location of the button to be quite in balance with the design language of the machine, and with apple in general. It is meant to be as clean as possible. No clutter, no nonsense. Having the button within a fingers reach around the back of the machine is a great place to position it, and its not hard to find at all.
3. I can agree with you on the lack of USB ports, and that plagues all of apple’s products when you compare them to PC’s, however, there’s no reason to dump one device in favor of another when you can get a 4 or 6 port USB hub attached to it for less than 10 bucks…and what is an “Ethernet Enablement Unit”? In all my years of computing, I’ve never heard that term, and besides, the iMac has Ethernet built in, what do you need to enable?
4. I agree with you on the Citrix issue, I work with a client who’s company uses it, and it does not work properly with the Mac. However, I also do a lot of VPN, and I have yet to encounter any issues with either apple’s built in VPN capabilities, or the Cisco VPN client that is available for Mac.
5. “In general, I found the same number of driver issues as I did with my Vista upgrade from Windows XP last year”. You have made this statement but you do not back it up with any proof. Last I checked, 95% of digital devices where plug and play on the Mac (well not the Zune, but I blame Microsoft for that). The only “driver” I’ve ever needed to install on any mac was for specific printers, that’s something you’d get on any machine. I’d be very interested to know what “driver issues” you are referring to.
6. The desktop being divided into “quadrants” is a feature of Leopard OS that enables the user to easily separate applications and multi task in a new way. Additionally, it can be enabled or disabled, and can contain as many 16 separate workspaces to stay clutter free. The keystroke to switch between spaces is far from “complex” and can also be changed to any key combination you wish.
7. Keyboard commands in general make far more sense on a Mac. Take for example to close a window or program on a Mac is command W or command Q respectively. Last I checked on windows it’s Alt-F4, a combination that is not in any way easier to remember or easier to reach on almost any keyboard.
8. I use a mighty mouse every day. it took 3 days to get used to it, it’s a beautifully designed, and highly functional peripheral, even my dad, who is not a designer or someone who has no more apple experience than 6-8 months and lives in a PC world except when he’s home, says it’s the best mouse he’s ever used. I even use one on my PC.
9. Time Machine is a brilliant execution of a backup program, it makes it fun and simple to find what you’re looking for, additionally it’s continuously saving everything. What’s wrong with that?
10. You refer to “company programs”. Obviously there’s still a divide in mac/pc programming, but if you were trying to take a mac out of it’s box, turn it on and install your windows based programs, that’s a mistake on your part and shows that you neglected to plan properly on integrating a Mac into your business.
Obviously you won’t be able to run things that aren’t designed for mac, just like you wouldn’t be able to run many things designed for XP on Vista. The difference there is that’s just stupid because Vista is still a Windows environment, and again, having used Vista I can point blame at Microsoft.
The moral for point #10 is that you may have wanted to look into Mac software alternatives. I’m sure they’re out there. That seems like poor planning on your part, and to not mention that in your article says to me you didn’t do your research and you got burned.
11. You failed to mention the immense number of open source programs that are out there for Mac. Many of which I use in my small business every day.
12. You also don’t mention the terrificly helpful user community that surrounds the Mac. You may not have thought to look into that when you were having the issues wtih your Mac. I have yet to find any site like Macrumors (macrumors.com) or Apple User Discussions (apple.com) for a Windows user community that even comes remotely close to the amount of helpfulness and friendliness that exists at those two places.
I want to state very clearly once again that I am no apple fanboy, and I work on a PC every single day for hours at a time. but overall, I have read many articles that are similar to yours, and I wish that people would educate themselves further on what they’re getting into with any computer or program before they write an article so that they can purvey information in a slightly more balanced way.
Thank you for your time, and sorry for the long email.
Sincerely,
Z. Schwartz
I’m not sure how much of a computer Guru Jonathan Blum is, but I do know that he’s an Anti-Apple Evangelist, which is in full evidence when reading his rant (oops, I meant to say “article”). It was completely unnecessary for him to state that he’s not an Apple fanatic.
The problem is, you lose all credibility with the reader when you write with such a bias, whether you’ve admitted to not being an Apple fanatic or not.
Now I’ve gone and wasted even more time replying to something that not only wasn’t worth reading, but also isn’t worth the electricity expended in order to do so.
Dear Guru, Thanks to your article, I can now use that stupid Apple computer. As so many people
I thought the ON/OFF was at the front and I positioned my mac accordingly. When pushing the
ON/OFF button and only when it was OFF, I could hear a chime and then nothing!!! I could see
some illumination on my wall, but who could think I was looking at the back of the computer. Well
actually, at the back of the screen since there was no CPU included in the box.
Well now I can finally use my mac.
I re-enter my comment after deleting the sarcastic remarks on journalism in the usa
I fail to see how your article describes real world issues in using a Mac for business. I expected to see comments about how certain software packages weren’t supported without a windows emulator or boot camp. All you described was problems that you personally experienced with the mouse, spaces, you ‘issues’ with time machine. I have used a Mac for our business as my computer without issue. For a technology writer, you seem to have basic computer problem solving problems that even my 13 year old can figure out. Buy a USB hub, change your system preferences, learn how to use a computer…etc.
After 10 ugly years of using Windows, and cursing every day for an OS designed by either incompetents or people who just don’t care, we switched our small consulting business over to Mac Pros. Finally, a stable, well-tested OS (UNIX), with a beautifully designed front end. Macs may have their quirks, but they are intuitive and reliable. We never looked back. All the apps we normally use work just fine: Word/Excel — although now we are switching to the cheaper/better Pages/Numbers — Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Maya, Filemaker, Illustrator, and many more. The only two we didn’t convert were Quicken, because Intuit makes it so hard to do it without losing data, and a panorama stitching program we use to generate virtual tours for real estate agents, because we can’t find a good equivalent.
Parallels makes it easy to run both of them. We dream of the day when we can get rid of Windows, arguable the worst OS to be found.
This article was superficial, with no real investigation done. The real reason that many companies don’t want to switch is not because Windows is better, but because it’s what they have and what they’re used to, and they don’t want to go through the pain of a transition. However, it will be the users in companies that will eventually drive many of them to migrate.
I made the switch about 2 years ago, I run my office on macs, we’re about a 100m company. I have found EVERYTHING about macs more intuitive, easier, and much less problematic than a windows environment, simply NO comparison. This article was one of the WORST articles I have ever read in regards to a comparison of 2 products. Anyone that has made the switch will sing the praises of Apple. I even run the office on a windows server, no issues at all. I have windows installed on the macs and use Parallels to run the software, I can honestly say I have opened windows MAYBE 3 times over the last year, there’s just no need for it, and I get frustrated every time I do go into the windows environment, it is not up to par, not even close…. There’s a lot of “fanboy” bashing anytime you read an article like this but the fact is when you make the switch the total experience makes you a “fanboy”. It’s also interesting to me that I’ve never heard of a windows “fanboy”, food for thought huh? Your article was absolutely terrible, no research, you could not even define “spaces” or describe what the function of it is, what a joke……
I manage a school district network with 700 Macs, 1 PC (which we are ditching for a Mac with Parallels), 12 Mac servers, 1 Unix server,; which handle web, mail, applications, and databases. I run antivirus on the web server and 5-6 of the workstations.
I also consult for some small businesses which have 10-20 employees and have Windows workstations and Mac servers. Each business client pays more to keep ten Windows users virus-free than I spend in my entire school district in virus software and time for virus protection and recovery.
Windows users are quick to point out the alleged security vulnerabilities listed on the Mac update lists. Windows machines spend much more time seeking and downloading updates for Windows, Java, security updates and bug fixes, and antivirus definitions than any mac ever does. And no Mac I’ve seen has ever been crippled by a virus infection even with my indifference to running antivirus software.
My Windows clients pay me by the hour to watch those dreadfully slow XP restarts when I work on their equipment. It is very costly for them.
FSB would do well to encourage its tech writers to do more research before they write such articles. I’ve been using Macs since the 128 ages ago. And it has been ages since I used an Apple mouse. Any USB mouse will work on the Mac despite the article’s FUD implication that to use a Mac means one is restricted to the Mighty Mouse. Find the mouse you like and use it, I use the same one at work (PC – large government institution) and at home (Mac). Also any business that uses Time Machine and the Time Capsule for backup deserves a better IT department. It is a backup strategy targeted at personal users, not a business. As far as the VPN thing goes, there are better free solutions than GoToMyPC (really? GoToMyPC for a business solution?).
Mr. Blum,
I read your article on CNN Money this morning and I would like to say that your article appears very miss-informed, vague, and petty.
To begin, you claim ‘Macs remain a niche product.’ How so? You don’t explain why. What, specifically, makes it a niche product? Is it because it’s a different operating system and will require a bit of a learning curve? Simply being different, in my opinion, doesn’t make something a ‘niche product.’
Second, you pick a nit by complaining of the location of the power button on your iMac. Really? Is that the worst thing you can come up with? How often do you actually turn the computer on and off? Macs have a very low-power mode called sleep. I can’t remember the last time I used my power button. It makes sense to me to move it to the back.
If I remember correctly, your iMac came with 3 USB ports. Your keyboard/mouse uses one, or none. The keyboard should have a USB port on each side for the mouse. Odd are, however, you had a wireless/bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Most PCs I’ve purchased of late come with 4 USB ports. Two on the front, two on the back. On top of that, the two on the front are usually low-speed ports. How much crap do you need to connect to a computer these days? Printer? If you don’t have a network-enabled printer, get with the times.
Next, for the record, GoToMyPC is *not* a VPN tool. It’s not a VPN anything. It’s a poor-man’s remote desktop. Get a real VPN setup going. Install OpenVPN on a solid FreeBSD system at the office, install TunnelBlick on your Mac, and get on with life.
You comlain of the Spaces feature of Mac OS X 10.5. This is a feature that has been desired for a very long time by nearly every Linux/Unix user. There are endless plugins for Windows and older versions of OS X. Apple finally made it a staple of the OS. Here, again, I feel you’re complaining of a feature that you simply don’t like, or are too dense to utilize. There’s no requirement to use it. Only with certain workflows do I pull out a different space. What’s complicated about Control+(arrow) to move around in Spaces?
I’ll give you some credit for your criticism of the Mighty Mouse. I have one, love it, but can’t stand it at times. I wish I could get the same mouse with real buttons.
Cheesy eye-candy aside, regarding Time Machine, what similar backup system does Windows Vista have? Enough said.
As far as syncing your Blackberry, you need special software on a PC to handle this. Why shouldn’t you need that software on a Mac? RIM provides a free copy of PocketMac to sync with your Mac. I didn’t like that, so I purchased The Missing Sync for Blackberry. $49.99, best money in software I’ve spent in some time. For what it’s worth, Mark/Space, the company that make The Missing Sync, has a Windows Mobile version, among others.
Last, you mention that you ‘found the same number of driver issues as [you] did with [your] Vista upgrade.’ What driver issues? I’ve not had any driver issues on my Mac in the last 3 revisions of the OS. It really sounds to me like you’re looking for things wrong to make it seem controversial and make people like myself write you long-winded emails describing what an idiot you are.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA… gasp… BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
“Where do I turn it on?!” “What’s with this mouse?!” “If it’s effective buy too flashy, it must be bad for business…”
Nice article, noob. Real rewarding read. Thanks for wasting my time with such a vapid piece of junk.
PC and Mac user. Neither machines crash… ever.
> Once out of the box, the iMac is lovely; the keyboard in particular is my hands-down favorite.
I don’t know about that; personally, I’ve never liked the Macbook-style keyboard. And what on earth is F19 for? Apple keeps adding function keys, but doesn’t use them for anything, and it’s not like cross-platform apps could use them, since pretty much every other computer has only 12 function keys.
> But why should locating the “on” switch be such a struggle? Just stick the thing where I, and my employees, can find it: right up front.
But then it wouldn’t look *nearly* as shiny :-). I’m curious how many people just put their computers to sleep (so they can quickly wake them up and look something up online) as opposed to turning them off at the end of the day; this practice may explain why Apple put the power switch on the back. Now, if they would just figure out a way to have a Power key on the keyboard again, this wouldn’t be an issue…
> But – as ever, with Apple boxes – there were not enough USB ports. I was forced to dump my USB hard drive in favor of an Ethernet enablement unit.
Yeah… that is annoying, but you could have just bought a USB hub. (And should it be “Ethernet *enabled* unit”? Or was it one of those Ethernet-enabled USB disk servers?)
> The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge. Only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another.
This is Spaces; it’s Apple’s implementation virtual desktops, a feature that, as far as I know, originated in Linux/Unix window managers. It basically lets you have multiple virtual desktops to organize running programs in. The desktop is still the same size; you don’t necessarily *need* to use them if you don’t want to, and I’m pretty sure you can change the keyboard combinations.
> The real eye-rolling winner is Time Machine, quite possibly the silliest operating system extension in history. Must I really sit through a full round of special effects – the desktop slides away to reveal some mysterious star in full supernova disappearing into infinity behind my various backups – just to find a what I said to a client in a lost e-mail?
No, you don’t. Time Machine is a backup program. If you want to find an old email, just search for it in Mail (or Thunderbird, Entourage, etc). If you accidentally deleted it, *then* you would want to use Time Machine to find it. Okay, so the interface is a bit flashy, but Apple *is* all about looks, after all.
The issue here really is resistence to change. PC users are so used to patches, spyware, viruses, etc that they are now second nature. Think and read of all the challenges VISTA has brought to the table.
So, any chnage you need to make must be thought through, and there will be challenges, on any change made. The question is, not how rough is the rid through the gauntlet, but how beautiful is your world on the other side?
I run my business on Mac. It is amazing! That’s my 2 cents.
D
Despite this author’s opinion, Apple will become the new, better option to run the office within the next 5-10 years. Apple has consistently built machines that speak to the human creative side, which dare I say, is usually lacking for most IT pros (that should get some nasty replies). As the IT workforce shifts in generation, IT pros will being using more creativity and open-mindedness to better develop solutions for small business as well as larger corporations. IT departments will be looked toward in a much better light, with users knowing that systems actually work and are even enjoyable to work with.
http://blogs.computerworld.com/macs_bad_for_small_business great rebuttal
Hi…
My firm (architectural one) just made the switch for the mac environment and we love it. The workstation simply works. The speed is fantastic and the fact of all things function at 64bit’s simply worth the time and effort to make the switch.
we don’t encountered any major problems and we even switch microsoft office for apple’s iWork and we love it.
By the way we are not fanatic boy’s here. We make the switch because the computers and the operating system just works better and faster than other pc’s, and by the way in our case it became cheaper than a Dell equivalent.
The only thing we still don’t appreciate is the fact that Autodesk don’t have products for the mac side. But even so we are very happy with our switch… We recommend it for everyone from the basic oc user to the professional and heavy-end workstation users.
I experienced the same trouble attempting to use PocketMac SyncManager with my BlackBerry. Try as I might I cannot seem to upload entries from the Mac to my BlackBerry; although I have no trouble synching entries from the BlackBerry to the Mac.
@ Rod Harrell the “highly paid geek”
“Companies have proprietary software and vanilla out of the box software that will not work with Mac’s…”
If a company is going to develop proprietary software FOR THE PC, why in the heck are they messing around with Macs? If you made it for the PC then stick with the PC. If it happens to work on the Mac, then groovy…otherwise, stay where you are. If a business is contemplating switching, they better make damn sure that everything will work. You don’t jump in without looking. But I’m sure you knew that already…you high-paid geek you.
That’s not a virus, it’s a bug that “could” result in the execution of ARBITRARY code, leading to a crash.
i’m not going to comment on the rest of your message, it’s not worth it.
We are an Apple Specialist, and we run our entire business ONLY on Macs, and have for 12 years. We started on OS 7 and we’re now running OS 10.5. We ship products all over the world. Macs easily handle every single business application / task thrown at them. We are a $25m business with 50 employees and one single, lonely IT guy.
Oh, and by the way Steve Body from Greenbrae, CA:
Vulnerabilities are not the same as “viruses”. And the age old myth of “if Macs were more popular they would have as many viruses” is naive at best.
The OS is built differently, and there are too many examples (like not having an easily targeted registry like Windows) on the ‘why’ for me to list here. Having control of the hardware environment and a Unix footprint does help prevent viruses, spyware, etc.
Please, resist to issue misleading comments without proper research- we have enough misleading information from the article alone.
Regarding “touchy and unreliable in some areas of basic network functionality”
WRONG.
Since you did not specify an EXACT problem, I can not address it. However I can tell you we snapped-in a few new macs onto our network (3 months ago) and have absolutely ZERO problems connecting with anything. Including NFS (Sun, just like yours), linux servers, NAS, and so on. In fact, it is blazing fast, stable and a breeze to setup.
But maybe you dont have OS 10.5… Maybe your routers are 100 years old.
Maybe you don’t have good voltage regulation. Maybe your PCs are chewing the network with torrents and viruses.
Maybe the problem is not the mac, eh?
The main problem I have with the article, again as I stated is that he does not address any of the “real” issues that a small business might face, or the advantages they could benefit from.
It all becomes a nitpicking, uninformed rant from an individual that showcased very little knowledge for a technology “guru”.
————
I am disappointed over this blatantly biased article, specially since this has been traditionally a very unbiased source of information.
I work on the IT industry for a big, local corporation, and I agree there could be a lot of hassle for large scale deployments on environments where WINDOWS clients have been running for years.
However, to say that Macs are a “hassle” compared to PC’s in the context of the small business is naive. Troubleshooting PC’s, specially for virus/spyware/malware related issues, and the costs associated with it could be reason enough for many small businesses to switch.
Sure, for an aspiring writer like me its a no brainer, but as an IT professional I can assure you there would be value for the average small business too.
And the author complaints on the location of the “on” switch and the unimportance of the “excessive packaging”, are both lack of design sense and “nitpicking”.
No viruses on Apple? Check out Friday’s Alert.
Let’s face it, Mac is a religious choice – it’s just another computer. If it was more popular, there’d be more viruses written for it – it’s that simple. Who wants perfect computers anyway? We’d all be out of a job …
National Cyber Alert System
Technical Cyber Security Alert TA08-150A archive
Apple Updates for Multiple Vulnerabilities
Original release date: May 29, 2008
Last revised: –
Source: US-CERT
Systems Affected
* Mac OS X prior to v10.5.3
* Mac OS X Server prior to v10.4.11
Overview
Apple has released Security Update 2008-003 and OS X version 10.5.3 to correct multiple vulnerabilities affecting Apple Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. Attackers could exploit these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code, gain access to sensitive information, or cause a denial of service.
I. Description
Apple Security Update 2008-003 and Apple Mac OS X version 10.5.3 address a number of vulnerabilities affecting Apple Mac OS X and OS X Server versions prior to and including 10.4.11 and 10.5.2. Further details are available in the US-CERT Vulnerability Notes Database. The update also addresses vulnerabilities in other vendors’ products that ship with Apple OS X or OS X Server.
II. Impact
A remote, unauthenticated attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code.
III. Solution
Upgrade
Install Apple Security Update 2008-003 or Apple Mac OS X version 10.5.3. These and other updates are available via Software Update or via Apple Downloads.
Wow. This article, combined with all of the comments, gives both Mac and Windows fans a bad name. It only adds fuel to the Mac vs. PC fire. It is not helpful or insightful.
Indeed, there are many things a business should look out for if they’re switching — be it from a Mac to Windows or vice versa. The location of the power button is not one of them.
Businesses — particularly in the small biz range — should consider hardware and software compatibility, of course. But there’s also the human element to consider. How quickly will their employees adjust to the change? There will be short-term costs, will they be offset by the increase in productivity?
Long story short: If your employees can’t figure out how to turn on a new computer, I’d say it’s better to stick with the old models, no matter how much better the new platform is purported to be.
Jerry from Sonora
With you with Entourage …. sucks. So I moved myself to Apple Mail (no IT tech need apply)… have all three of my email addresses in one place and Mail now works well in an Exchange Server Environment. We use AppRiver … try it
My favorite was when he was knocking the Mighty Mouse by saying that the two buttons appeared to be one. Does the average business user, this guy included, have to look at the mouse to position his fingers before clicking something? I don’t think I’ve actually seen my mouse in years. It’s just a roundish lump to the right of my keyboard.
Most of his knocks are about Apple’s award-winning and product-move style. Time Machine, the packaging, the mouse, Spaces. In essence he’s saying “Apple does not produce beige boxes that behave the same as by 386 running Win 3.1, so it’s no good for business”.
FYI “Spaces” or the” screen divided into quadrants that extend beyond the edge” is turned off by default, so… you have to turn it on in the first place and thus this means that the nincompoop of an author found his way to spaces and needless to mention, he could just as well turn it off again.
I run a small business and have been using a mac for the last 8 years… it gets better with every upgrade of OSX, I love the time machine as it saved my butt on more than just a few occasions, i love the fact that everything, and I mean everything is integrated and truly “system wide” like the address book, calendars etc… this means that I never have to digg and search for my contacts, schedule etc… and it saves me time, a lot of time… On the mac you can focus on your tasks instead of being obstructed over and over by security messages etc. Even on the odd occasion that a (9/10 third party software) by a crash, it’s always just that application, never encountered a freezing system. I never need to defrag, my mac never slowed down… hey, just look at how installing an application is sooooo easy, just drag it into you app folder and to quote Steve “BOOM” there it is, and it’s just as easily removed, no traces that eventually slow down the system ( Oh the good ol’ days I had the fun of format and reïnstall Windows in order to get it back working)
Whenever I work on a proposal, a document or whatever I need to get out to my customers, I just drag the doc. onto the mail icon en seconds later it’s ’swooshes’ to them…
So macs = no good for small businesses… that’s a whole load of cr*p.
1) It saves me time, BIG time
2) It’s a pleasure to use
3) I only use the powerbutton maybe 10 times in a year (i scheduled power on and off on weekdays so I never have to use the powerbutton anyway,the mac’s ready for action by the time I got my coffee and sit down at my desk)
4) Syncing works great ! Although I have to admit I got myself a copy of missing sync to get it done… but hey, when i was on windows, I used the syncing software that came along with my phone, I never got it to sync properly and the design of the software was always downright ugly !!! At least, any developper who develops for mac makes well integrated software that just perfectly blends in with the UI of the mac…
5) It just works, up and running in minutes, plug in a mouse, keyboard, hard-disk, anything and it immediately works, I rarely had to get a driver for a periphal… No annoying ‘new hardware found’ messages with a lenghty driver install following…
As far as the keyboard goes… how hard can it be… all of the keys are the same, there’s just 1 key that’s very different and thats the command key, and it’s the most powerfull key on the board !!! I couldn’t live without it… It just amazes my that the ‘windows’ key on a Pc-keyboard is just as good for nothing…
All in all, computers don’t build (design) computers, humans build/design computers and thus there will always be flaws, no mather wether you use windows, OSX or Linux, but your a lot less likely to go wrong with a manufacturer that writes his software for it’s own hardware..
I conclude with this and hereby invite the author to prove me wrong !
The Windows versus MAC debate is narrowing all the time. One of the best selling MAC programs is called PARALLELS DESKTOP FOR MAC.
PARALLELS software lets you run Windows side-by-side (opposite of) Mac OS X on an Intel-powered Mac – without rebooting the MAC itself (this differs from Apple’s Bootcamp, which allows an Intel-based MAC to dual boot in OS X or in Windows).
To make a MAC look like your old Windows PC will cost under $300 — for a copy of PARALLELS and a full version of Windows XP (or VISTA).
Co-existence is not free, but it is certainly much easier now that MAC is Intel-based.
It seems to me the only people that have real problems migrating to Macs are the ones who have bought/use expensive servers and software from Microsoft or other PC-centric companies.
Maybe they should use Mac-friendly software, not complain when they try to shoehorn a PC program/server/service to work with a Mac.
The idea of a Windows based business converting to the Mac seems farfetched. Most businesses that have benefitted from the Mac platform have done so for years. Many, including my own, ran the two systems side by side. Most of the major creative, publishing, and editing software was designed for the Mac and those of us who grew up in that era have never stopped using it. Conversely, the PC was cheap and it worked well for most administrative applications. We were fond of saying, “We earn our money on the Mac and keep up with it on the PC.”
I work on a Mac and a PC every single day. For graphics, my Mac is unparalleled, but I hate the keyboard and mouse. The mouse is a sort of easy fix as a Microsoft Optical mouse can easily be installed on a Mac, but I will never be able to get used to the Mac keyboard. Beyond this, my PC has never crashed, but my Macs regularly crashed so hard I had to reinstall the OS till OS 10 came along. I can’t write on a Mac. All of the keyboard shortcuts are wrong. You know–how hard would it be for someone at Apple to just make an option that would make the Mac and the PC keyboard just do the same thing? If they did that, I just might dump my PC for a Mac–maybe…
I have the first Mac on my county government network. I use Citrix and Excel daily and until recently a Palm device. Other than the less-than-stellar version of Microsoft Outlook called Entourage, I have had zero issues. Two and a half years and I’ve taken less than 15 minutes of the IT department’s time.
I’m no geek. I have no idea why this fellow had so many problems.
Is this a joke? This article?
No “tech guru” could be this stupid. I have to assume this is, as suggested, “flame bait” for hits.
Shame on you.
I work in a pretty advanced graphics environmet and have worked on all mac networks and all PC networks. The PC / Graphics debate is moot in my opinion. I had just as many crashes, freezes and issues with the mac as with the PC. Compatability was an issue with the macs but I hear thats getting better. I personally enjoy the PC for its power and customization. i woulnt dare open up my mac. And all this hate about Vista and Drivers – We had all the same problems with macs talking to our plotters. Im not sold on the mantainence free mac line yet.
Well,what a total BS of an article. Seemed like someone had a deadline to meat and needed 1000 more words. As a Windows users at work, we have HP/Compaq towers with one USB port on the fron at 4 in the back. In my dept of 123 people, no one uses the front USB port for anything other than the occasional jump drive. The 4 on the back are used for…well.nothing unless you bought your own USB mouse and keyboard. The power switch is at the bottom of the tower. So when you sit it on the floor under your workstation it’s damned near impossible to reach without getting on your knees. I never saw the packaging, but who the F cares what is says???
Blaming Spaces wihtout understandning what it is or that its off by default indicates your pulling most of this article out of your rear serial port.
A little research would have made this article needless, which I guess in of itself is reason you wrote it.
Good one
We should all commend Fortune for their “Hire the Handicapped” program. It’s good to see the sub-100 IQ writers can now get a job.
Check back next week when he explains the highlights of the Bush Economic Plan.
Seems to me that Vlad Mazek, a certified and agnostic tech guru, summed it up pretty well here:
AntiMacFanboism as a Religion.
Microsoft has announced that Visual Basic will be restored to MS Office Mac in the next major upgrade.
The power button? Seriously?
Slogan? “Designed by Apple in California.” This is a slogan?
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used chiefly in commercial or political contexts. For example: “Your potential. Our passion.” Or: “Where do you want to go today?”
So five gray words on Apple’s all-white packaging “shout” at you? Compared to what? Microsoft’s packaging? Citrix’s?
Seriously — how did this flame-bait get past the copyeditors? Fortune, you do still have editors, don’t you?
“I had a very difficult time measuring any quantifiable improvement over the PC for average business chores – that kind that ultimately affect your bottom line”
I know it’s hard to quantify enjoyment, and the great feeling you get from being treated like a grown-up instead of child that needs 24/7 supervision, but in most businesses it will certainly affect the bottom line.
I remember the first time I got an employer to let me use a Mac: I felt empowered and respected, and motivated to prove I could do a better job with (for me) better tools.
I manage the IT infrastructure for a visual effects company that operates all three major operating systems; *nix, Windows, and Mac.
Each has its preferred function and role in our company, with a particular platform toolset, and each has its own unique challenges.
Macs have made great inroads in the last few years to provide the features and support that businesses need, but even with Leopard’s release Macs still aren’t *quite* ready for the enterprise. They’re sexy, but often cause IT headaches where they shouldn’t.
Pre-Leopard, the Mac ‘Finder’ utility and network mounts utility worked *very* poorly with heterogeneous enterprise or business-class networks and storage, particularly NFS. Even Tiger’s Finder was as bad as Windows Explorer about networked resources. Windows faced these same business issues a decade ago.
It’s telling that OSX is only catching up months ago with Leopard, and they’re still not quite there yet. Leopard still has Automount and Finder problems, as well as WiFi performance issues that are still being resolved with patches.
Connecting Macs to business resources are still currently a challenge, and will be awhile longer to reach the same level of maturity that Windows has struggled with for the last decade.
Our fleet of 30 Macs are still touchy and unreliable in some areas of basic network functionality that Windows isn’t. We will still continue to use all 3 OS’es; all have their strengths, but none are perfect.
This article was written by a typical computer user who lacks any real systems experience. You learn quick who the idiots are after working in tech for 20 years. I am operating system “agnostic” and I have worked on nearly all of them, especially Windows, OS X, Unix, Linux, Solaris, and several versions of IBM mainframes.
The company I work for runs over 2000 Macs in their call centers, and 4000 Windows computers in other departments. One tech can support 250 Macs, but it takes one tech for every 25 Windows desktops.
Also one engineer can support maybe 10 Windows servers but a good Unix admin can support 50 or more Unix or Appple OS X servers.
The typical user just can’t screw up a Mac like a Windows computer. And this writer can’t figure out how to use a Mac so he probably would have trouble with an iPod too (unlike my 4 year old who is pretty darn good with the iPod, Windows, and Mac).
My 60 year old mother figured out how to use the Mac in a day. My 60 year old mother in law hasn’t figured out vista in 3 months.
You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You don’t like Spaces turn it off. Ever hear of a USB hub? Oh and time machine has saved my butt more than once cheesy GUI or not, Windows has nothing like it.
Say I didn’t hear you mention the level of support a small biz with Macs vs a small biz with Windows would cost.
Also, since when are Mac’s expensive? Last time I looked a MacBook Pro was LESS expensive than a Dell, Corporate America’s #1 computer company, that was configured the same way. And take a visit to eBay, and compare the resale value of old used Macs vs old PCs, I think you’ll see a massive difference.
Yes, I love Macs. But it’s because, they are cheaper, easier, and more reliable than Windows computers.
ps Here in Chicago, a small law firm switched completely to Macs and ended up saving a bundle per year in tech support.
In sum, you’re a dope.
What the hell is an “Ethernet enablement unit”? Doing a search for the specific string on Google I find 8 entries. 7 are article’s criticizing this one.
(Wikipedia has no definition)
(When people either make up words or can’t use the correct technical term it makes me doubt their credibility. Granted if its a brain fart and their searching for the word, I completely understand).
If its a network interface, the Mac’s have GigE and can handle anything slower.
If it is something weird like a Token Ring adapter, say “Token Ring Adapter” .
If your cable company sends you a Cable Modem with Only USB, call is a “USB Cable Modem” and also call it a piece of crap cable modem.
If “Spaces” is so complicated, WHY DID YOU TURN IT ON?
“But why should locating the “on” switch be such a struggle? ”
You can’t be serious? Cup your left hand around the lower left corner of the mac and your middle finger touches?
If this is a struggle, then the complex start button functionality in vista must have you absolutely flummoxed.
I absolutely love my personal PowerBook G4 and was thrilled when my small firm switched to Macs, but then the problems began. Problems syncing Blackberry mail and calendars. Problems with the mail server. Problems with file syncing. Issues with accessing the server-based calendar. Trouble figuring out an easy way to create an intranet that all employees can publish to from anywhere. VPN troubles. We’ve had to order everyone offline in order to reboot the system several times this year- never had to do that on the old Windows-based network.
Although we all love the hardware and have adjusted to the new OS with much more ease than we’d feared, we’ve concluded that Macs are great for individual use, but not so great for workgroups.
I’ve heard grumbling about ditching our Macs and going back to PCs. I hope we don’t, but I can understand why they’d want to.
Sorry for my English, but the author of this article seems that only uses a computer for e-mail, like my grandmother, and that’s OK.
But if you are a serious user try to record and edit music in a PC under Vista, and then you’ll understand the difference.
Time Machine my friend was not thought to rescue e-mails only, was to go back and bring back your whole environment, in my case hours of recording if due to a unexpected error occurred. (generally due to a bad coded plug-in from a different company).
So, if you are a PC guru, I’m a Mac genius.
i’m dissapointed by the lack of reaction from the people that are responsible for this site, and article.
scowley’s reaction didn’t improve things at all, she only made it worse, by pretending thatthe freelance writer are trusted and experienced.
and the author himself should, at least, explain what he meant when he pretended that the iMac only has 1 USB port (instead of 5)
i can imagine that he copy and pasted from an article about the Mac Book Air (a big mistake, but at least an explanation), i can also understand that, MAYBE, someone configured spaces for him in such in confusing way that he got lost.
but i just can’t accept that he doesn’t correct his article, or explains it.
Dvorak does this for hits, he admitted it, but this site should be above that.
i’m not going to let this one rest, this is way beyond acceptable “journalism”
calling him a tech guru makes this the worst article i have ever read, even worse than that idiot Enderle who thinks that microsoft helped Apple to write Mac OS (when they were nothing more than an early developer, like me and hundreds, if not thousands others)
you have the choice, explain what happened, of never allow this guy to write anything for you, ever again.
(i don’t have anything to say, i understand that, but this site should understand that those are their choices, to remain somewhat credible)
You and your employees can’t find a power switch on the back of a computer? Seriously? Good gosh, all those buttons on the keyboard must be utterly befuddling to you then! You have my sincerest sympathies. Please don’t bother to reply to this comment, as you will be forced to deal with those pesky keyboard buttons.
By the time I got here, there were too many responses to read, but I would like to add a few points.
I am a Mac Fanboy and have been an apologist for many years.
Most of the issues mentioned in the article are ridiculous and related to a lack of knowledge about using the Mac. If someone has no idea how to use a Mac then he should have someone help him set up a Business network. Blaming the Mac for having different key strokes is stupid.
On the other hand, my major issues with the Mac in the workplace only revolves around MS products which, by design, work better on the PC. This is a topic that could take pages to discuss, but is NOT DEBATABLE.
My office is Mac only, though we do have 2 computers set up for windows emulation due to the need to use IE7 to access a few websites, which is poor programming and may change because of the rise of the iPhone.
Ugh. The bias just seeps from every word in this hit-piece. Absolutely awful journalism.
Every Windows-based business I know — every single one — has in the last year switched to either Mac OS X or Ubuntu. They are avoiding Vista en masse.
Lol, tech ‘guru’ that can’t find the power button. Granny?
I never take advice from ‘tech gurus’ who can’t locate an on/off switch on an iMac.
Thankfully Apple is too smart to be distracted by criticism from a jackass who describes virtual desktops as ‘a screen divided into quadrants that extend beyond the edge’. I can’t believe this description of a very useful feature comes from an honest desire to evaluate an iMac…its like describing a television as ‘a complicated gizmo that must be fed special signals that are very difficult to produce before it is useful’.
As for all those ‘complicated Apple keyboard commands’, I look at my F8 key differently than this ‘guru’ does, apparently.
Finally, the market is flooded with Dell econo boxes. If that works for you, by all means buy one. An iMac is a different animal altogether, and unlike the ‘guru’ who wrote this drivel that passes for meaningful content, I do not long for iMac to become more like every elcheapo Wintel box on the market.
Jackass.
I run a financial business where we use both MACs and PCs. Every employee is a sophisticated computer user and all have to be able to use both PCs and MACs.
With one exception, every single employee we hired had PC experience but no MAC experience prior to working for us.
All (100%) of my employees prefer MACs. Though we have a number of dedicated computers in our business, we give everyone a choice as to what they have on their desktop. All of our current employees have MACs. My experience has been that a new employee with PC experience will start with a PC on their desk. After working with both, most ask to switch within 4 to 6 weeks.
What can you say……
“Designed by Apple in California”
ps Apple’s customer support is based in America, too.
You’re not using your mac correctly. The quadrant “think” is totally optional and you can adjust it to fit your screen. Time Machine can also be adjusted so you get just what you want. It is about twenty five times easier than using a PC. I have both and the PC is like a dinosaur compared to using the mac. They are not even in the same universe with the graphic interface, and even though Microsoft has copied virtually every single thing Mac has done, it is still like riding in an old station wagon as opposed to a new BMW.
You have a PC preference and it shows throughout your article. All I can see is that you didn’t really do your research.
PC’s runnign on ANY version of windows including Vista are awful.
Blum is clearly liying when he complains about what he calls “quadrants” (spaces)
if u don’t use spaces (and there is no need to deactivate it), all applications will load into the default space, Spaces is completely invisible, UNLESS u actually use those “weird” key combinations.
he is also lying when he says that he had to choose between 2 USB devices, on a computer that has 3 USB ports + 2 on the Keyboard (1 being used for the mouse)
and he is lying when he pretends that he needs a USB device that enables Ethernet, because Ethernet is included.
it’s not just incompetence, he is LYING, LYING, LYING (and i’m sure this message is going to be censored, but at least it will have one reader)
on his website Blum says “Blumsday abides by the highest standards of professional journalism.”
WHATEVER !
Dear Guru
It seems like you try to use your Mac as if it is a Windows PC. That is like trying to use a Porche as if it is a VW!
“To few USB ports I couldn’t hook up my external drive.” Most Mac users use FireWire drives (witch is faster in real world), and we don’t have as many perefirals, so we don’t need as many USB ports. I have tons of free ports on all of my Mac’s at home and in the office. That’s like blaming Porche for not being able to drive on the wheels from your old VW.
“It doesn’t run the software I want and Excell doesn’t work as it should.” Does that mean Windows isn’t right for former Mac users, since they can’t use iWork and iLife? There are many exclusive titles for Macs and for Windows, but there is enough software for each of them to get your work done problem free.
If you think that investing in new tecnology is enough, and you don’t have to ajust some ways of working, you’ll be stuck with the crappy workflow you have today.
I work at a Danish architect firm using both Windows and Mac’s. It’s strange, that everybode thinks it’s no problem for new architects that are used to working on Mac’s to work in Windows, but it’s very difficult for Windows users to learn to work on a Mac. I don’t think that’s true…
I use macs exclusively for both personal and business use. However, I do not recommend them to friends who need to use a computer for financial or business applications. Macs work for me, though, as I work in the adult entertainment industry and do a lot of media editing and I highly recommend them in that case.
To say Macs are great for everything is simply not true, and it’s due to a lack of software. Yes, they can run windows natively now, but why pay the extra money for a mac if you don’t need OS X?
Add that to extra costs training people unfamiliar with OS X and it’s easy to see why Apple does not do corporate sales. This is not part of Steve Jobs’ vision.
The guy can’t figure out how to use Spaces and I’m supposed to take his opinion seriously?
I just read David Barrack’s comments and I agree with him totally. His sentiments and reasoning for the deficiency in the review article are exactly those of mine.
Wow, this is a very inane and tepid analysis of why Macs are “just not worth the hassle for most small businesses.”
Let me pick apart the article.
The article absolutely offers no credible reason for why Macs are not worth it for most businesses until around the 9th paragraph! Wow! And right before the 9th paragraph, the author rants about the “Designed by Apple in California” quote that is found on most Mac product packaging. So far, when the reader gets to this point of the article and no substance has been offered yet as to why Macs are insufficient, the reader is likely to think the author is somewhat incompetent as a reviewer.
The author writes:
” But – as ever, with Apple boxes – there were not enough USB ports. I was forced to dump my USB hard drive in favor of an Ethernet enablement unit.”
This is semi-valid. It is probably true that most Macs do not offer as many USB ports as PC machines, but this is not a major problem. Use a USB hub! iMacs come with I believe 3 USB ports. You can easily plug in a 4 port external hub and gain extra ports that way. So, while true that there are not as many USB ports for some users, it is not really a valid argument as to why Macs do not work well for businesses. Moving on.
The author writes:
“Then came the software issues. We found that Citrix’s (CTXS) GoToMyPC, my shop’s VPN (virtual private network) tool, was unstable on our iMac. Our Web-based backup service, Mozy, did not support Mac solutions when I started testing, but has since released an upgrade. In general, I found the same number of driver issues as I did with my Vista upgrade from Windows XP last year – with both systems, you’ll need to do some tweaking to get everything on track.”
Is this so much a Mac issue or the fact that we’re mostly in a PC-centric world? Nay, let me rephrase that. We are mostly in a Windows-centric world. This is not a totally valid argument. GoToMyPC is a PC-Windows centric solution. It’s like saying because dotMac doesn’t work with Windows, dotMac is deficient. That’s just wrong.
The author writes:
“The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge. Only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another. All the goofy Apple-centric commands leave PC-trained users constantly fighting to parse out what the control, option and command keys do. And there is the very odd mouse. Apple devotees swear by the touch-sensitive shell of the “Mighty Mouse,” but its top left- and right-click buttons still look an awful lot like just one.”
Again, not very valid argument here. The desktop quadrant you’re talking about is called “Spaces”. You can turn it off. If you turn it on and use it, you can’t expect it to exactly work like a Windows program with the same command keys. C’mon! You are measuring the Mac against the standards and solutions offered by Windows and that is just wrong. You need to measure the Mac according to other standards such as usability, ability to get work done etc.
Let me use another analogy. If you were comparing say Chinese and English, you cannot say that because Chinese grammar is not like English, Chinese is a deficient language. That is using English standards of proper grammar and evaluating it on Chinese which is a totally different language! Or, let me extend this even further to talk use the analogy of ethnocentrism. Europeans when they first arrived on the shores of West Africa often thought West Africans were barbarians because they were not behaving in ways that Europeans were familiar with. That is ethnocentric because they are evaluating West African behaviours on the standards of European culture. Moving on.
The author writes:
“The real eye-rolling winner is Time Machine, quite possibly the silliest operating system extension in history. Must I really sit through a full round of special effects – the desktop slides away to reveal some mysterious star in full supernova disappearing into infinity behind my various backups – just to find a what I said to a client in a lost e-mail? Honestly.”
Not a very well thought out argument. You can criticise Time Machine’s GUI interface as a bit cheesy but that does not really add strength to your argument that Macs are not ready for small businesses. If you argued something like “Time Machine does a poor job of doing backups because (making up an example) it hogs the CPU every time is backs up which is every hour”, then that argument is quite valid. Hogging the CPU every hour leads to an inability to work well with the machine. That would be a valid point. But, this is just a hypothetical example. Moving on.
The author writes:
“Yes, Apples can be easier to use, but expect real trouble with some applications, such as syncing your Apple to not-Apple portable devices like BlackBerrys and smartphones. I and my assistants had terrible problems getting all of our company programs to work properly.”
Here is finally a somewhat more valid point. You say that Apple’s sync program does not work very well with BlackBerrys. I do not now if this is true but if so, it is a valid point dock against the Mac because BlackBerrys are quite ubiquitous in the business world. However, the next sentence in your argument is deficient. What company programs do not work well with Macs? Could it be that because your company was built on a Windows-centric system that it does not work well with non-Windows technology?
In sum, your article has done nothing to demonstrate how the Mac is deficient for small businesses. You have only succeeded to demonstrate that you have certain prejudices against the Mac that are primarily based on not willing to learn new ways of working (.e.g, learning new commands that are not part of the Windows system but part of the OS X system) and primarily based on wanting Macs to replicate the way Windows works. That’s ridiculous because then you might as well just stay with Windows and not move on to Macs.
I don’t think you are qualified to review Macs if you are not willing to fairly try out methods of doing things that are not Windows-centric.
I am not saying that Macs are necessarily ready for small businesses usage. I don’t know since I don’t own a small business. What I am saying is that your prejudices have blinded you to evenly review and criticise the Mac. There are certainly areas where the Mac can improve or where it is deficient, but you have not made any headways into demonstrating that.
A thoroughly disappointing article.
I think this article really misses the point… for a small business, Macs are prefect since the cost of ownership and management is so much lower than what you find using Windows. I’m the IT manager for a small manufacture that runs a mix of Macs & PCs running both Windows and Linux. I spend much more time managing Windows than any of the other systems, sometimes spending hours trying to get a simple printer to behave correctly. I rarely spend this much time on the other systems other than updates for OS X or Linux. The only problem I have seen with Macs is a good low end accounting software. Currently there are only 2 choices: QuickBooks Pro which does not process credit cards or MYOB which is horribly slow if you get more than 2 people using it at the same time… making it unusable. From my research, these 2 programs are horrible on Windows too. I’ve also found that if a company is only supporting Windows, their software is probably not very good anyway and there are plenty of other solutions out there around this.
Back in 1990, Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California headquarters was entirely Macintosh. There was ONE computer tech for the entire building.
Flash forward a few years, and they had converted entirely to PCs. Now they had two or three computer techs for EACH DEPARTMENT.
Strange. So you go from a solid, stable, easy to use technology that’s cheap to maintain and exchange it for one that’s nothing but trouble for a huge increase. Excellent business strategy!
And now companies are going back? They took a long time to come to their senses.
Amazingly vapid article. As most have pointed out the writer never mentions virus or malware issues. Instead he devotes lots of words to items that have NOTHING (repeat NOTHING) to do with the topic he’s writing on. For instance, what exactly is his small business? How does he use his computer network. Is he multi-national; international? Mail Order??? No, REAL facts, just blather about the packages. I can’t wait to see what he says about EXCEL… But, that’s software NOT hardware; Maybe he’s never heard of the available software that runs windows on a mac. But, to tout this writer as a technology expert is an insult to your reader’s intelligence. But maybe it’s a reflection of your own (ms. editor) lack of depth on the subject and your “trust” has been misplaced. Again, this is not about computers, it’s about sloppy and biased opinion under the GUISE of journalism. Perhaps you simply can’t do better.
“btw, what is a “USB Ethernet enablement unit??””
I have one of these. On my AirBook. A cable with with USB on one end and RJ45 female on the other. I use it to connect my AirBook to wired Ethernet. Apple sells them for $29 USD. An item with a very large gross margin percentage.
I recently opening a medical practice and I only have Macs. They wirelessly connect to each other and to the wireless printer. The practice management software which handles everything from scheduling appointments, patient records, and billing services was built from the ground up on a Mac and runs flawlessly. Overall, having a system like I have is much less of a headache than a Windows system and in the end was much less expensive. And to make matters better, I have no issue with viruses, trojan horses, or malware.
Wow. I just want to say that I was hoping to write a comment and get on with my day but instead spent 1/2 an hour trying to get through other people’s comments on this obviously touchy issue.
I’m a technology coordinator for a school district who has managed both Mac’s and PC’s on a network and tried to push for greater Macintosh adoption. I would like to make the following points / observations:
-If you cannot train your employees to locate the power switch on a new computer, you have bigger problems than whether or not your going to use Macs or PC.
-Macs are easier to maintain than PC’s for reasons that have already been elaborated on; PC tech guys don’t like Macs in part because a) they don’t want to learning anything else and b) greater adoption of Macs could mean less need for them
-Anything that can be done well on a PC can be done equally as well on a Mac but the reverse is not always the case (I.e. video editing, multimedia production). The fact that many industry-specific applications are becoming Web-based is making the operating system more and more irrelevant from a compatibility standpoint.
-The newer versions of OSX server (10.4 and 10.5) are easier to configure than Windows server 2003 and provide all of the functions of Microsoft Small Business Server w/ out Microsoft’s ridiculous licensing fees; a “power-user” non-IT person with conceptual knowledge of networking could set up and maintain an OSX server w/minimal outside support.
-The best argument against using Macs in business that I’ve heard recently is that the new version of Microsoft Office for Mac does not support Visual Basic Macros (probably a deliberate move by Microsoft to discourage the adoption of Macs in business).
-People who use Macs spend less time dealing with problems and more time doing things that move their organizations forward.
The only thing the MS has going for itself at the moment is inertia and the fact that organizations still think that saving some money on the initial purchase of computers is worth the long-term costs that using an inferior platform will produce. Apple has a superior product.
I already wrote your advertisers, mostly stupid wirless carriers who won’t care, but yeah,
total flame, greenlighted on CNNmoney.com
amazing. Nice “guru”. Seriously, there are better informed tech writers in kazakstan.
Ok. It’s obvious that this article was just flame bait to attract people to click through so they get email addresses and hits.
There was no substance to it and the author’s criticisms were just plain silly.
As far as the title “Tech Guru” is concerned. Well he should know that all Macs come with Ethernet and many USB ports. Sorry mate but you just lost the guru title. Maybe “tech ignoramus” would be a better title for you to use in future.
Tech Guru???
I can’t help but from here on I would have to force myself to take CNN Money serious!
We’re a highly profitable business. We run our own web-sites, including e-commerce and weekly updates on macs. Our accounting and budgetting is done on macs. Our core is design, running on macs of course…
We rum a mac server that has not been down in over THREE YEARS!!! Immagine that!
What’s this guy jabbbing about word-processing “tasks”. Our people have between 7 and 15 apllications open all day long on their macs, some running up to 8 diferent mail-accounts in 2 different mail clients, all simultaneously. If Citrix’s Gotomypc screws up on a mac, that is because it’s flawed; we use other software, including Back to My mac without any issues in multiple sessions. The criticism of the mighty mouse is pathetic; you can use any mouse with macs these days! Who in theur right ind uses a blackberry anymore when you can carry a full blown unix in your pocket on an Iphone?
Lastly, I would be curious to know exactly what “company programs” this guys “assistants” couldn’t get to work on a mac, I am sure my retired dad-in-law can help the out!
Reversely the comments here: I would say that for 8 out of 10 “small shops” who need “basic computing and basic features”: get yourselves a live, get Macs!!!
The closing line “Vista, properly installed in tandem with web-based productivity tools” is a joke in it’s own right!!!
Hi Gregory…
Beautiful words, and so true, indeed..
Microsoft doesn’t understand the consumer, knows near to nothing about screen-ergonomics ans usability, the Windows core is rotten to the bone!
If Microsoft wants to survive, they etter port their software-portfolio to Linux and Solaris…
The author is bothered by placement of an on/off switch? Is he then bothered that on Windows you must click on the “Start” button to “Shutdown” windows. So how to I “Close” Windows … well of course …. click on “Start”. Clearly this was “Made in Seattle”.
I used PC’s for 20 odd years. It is reasonable to say that with a PC most employees need their local IT many times a month, if not weekly. I tried a Mac. Yes, there are differences with short-cut keys, the way the mouse works, etc and there’s a short learning curve to get over. Once there life becomes easier. The power button is in the back (on the iMac) because you usually only touch it a few times a year or maybe a 2-3 times a month. The author focuses on the difficulty using 3rd party software with the Mac. It’s true there are many 3rd parties that do not support the Mac. Blackberry does not have a desktop manager for the Mac so you must use Parallels to do this. That’s surprising in Blackberry’s case. When switching to a Mac, though, all of this must be reassessed. We switched to Google Mail and Google Calendar. It all works and syncs beautifully. When opening an iMac you already have desktop sharing, video conferencing, etc. Microsoft Word, Excel, and all that? Why not reassess and look at Google Documents, which also have corporate packages. Collaboration of documents and built-in versioning are all there. No more e-mail of a gazillion versions using MS Word and Outlook.
So the author in general needs to understand, when you do something different don’t insist on doing the exact same things. Otherwise … why do something different? Some of that thinking is based on the age-old IT executive who is reluctant to change because of fear of change. That person will change under terms that no process will have to change, no learning curve will be endured, and the switch will cost the same or less. This seems to be the basis of the article. The questions that need to be asked are how productive and creative can people become when the technology is placed in their lap.
In conclusion, here’s a real-world Mac situation that I experienced a few months ago. A colleague in Switzerland was having questions about an application. He used iChat to see what I knew. When then had a video conference through iChat (the audio is over VoIP so no phone charges). As we talked he then gave me control of his desktop and we talk (face to face, virtually) as I used his application with his data to demonstrate a few things. That was it. All of that was done without any extensions or 3 party applications on the iMac. Neither one of us had training on how to do what we did. The whole collaboration worked.
Now I should mention that for cases where I MUST have a windows application I use Parallels in “coherent” mode. I literally run those windows applications seamlessly on the Mac in “parallel” to running OS X. Apple provides an alternative to Parallels with their Bootcamp product.
I get it!! This “guru” must write for The Onion right? This “guru” almost cost me a new keyboard when I read this:
“The desktop is divided into quadrants that extend beyond the screen’s edge. Only with some complex keyboard commands can I slide from one to another.”
The “quadrants” (virtual desktops) are optional and easily disabled. The “complex keyboard commands” to access it: F8.
This guy is your “Tech Guru”? Delayed April Fools?
This tech guru is funny. I mean either that or he is the most obvious M$ bribed columnist in the history of tech journalism. Can’t find the power button? Find it once…remember it’s location 6 or 7 months from now when you next need it. Hate that the computer is designed in California? What? That is business related how? Are you actually a tech guru or a 12 year old video game player who is named l33t h4×0r 4Lif3?
I’m an Art Director for a Chicago ad agency…so of course we use Macs. The deadlines are too short, the work too important, and our sanity too valuable to even consider PCs.
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22USB%20Ethernet%20enablement%20unit%22
No results found for “USB Ethernet enablement unit”.
One word reason to use macs. Antivirus software on windows sucks. Ok, 5 words.
Start Windows, load Norton Antivirus or similar, load zone alarm or similar, load Ad aware or similar, and hope there’s enough CPU cycles left for Word, that is if you disable macro viruses.
Using windows is like driving a car with only 2 lugnuts on each wheel. An uneasy feeling.
Go Mac and quit pushing a hose uphill. There are much better ways of doing anything you want on a mac. You don’t need Windows on your mac either. Just cut the cord to Redmond and get your weekends back.
Hey! Sudden inspiration! Maybe Blum is a closet Apple fanatic … and he is doing this (and sacrificing his own reputation and maybe even job) to drum up the to-be-expected backlash of comments from enraged Apple “fanatics” just so that more people will hear of just why Macs are just better! Is this true? Sir, I salute you …
In my opinion Macs are for people with a lot of disposable income who want to look hip when they are using their laptop at Starbucks.
That’s why your opinion, like the opinion article masquerading as tech info, are, in a word, worthless.
You don’t know what you are talking about. Kindly stop talking.
Why does the “Macs are always more expensive” crowd consistently ignore the fact that, at least in this case, the Mac solution was half the cost of the $100 K Windows solution? So much for the ‘overpriced Mac’ myth.
Hey, Chris, London, ON … “Complete dribble.” Nice one! Just like “complete drivel” but with more slobber …
You know … the biggest insight I got from the article by Blum wasn’t about Windows or Macs … I knew most of the facts already anyway. The biggest insight is that Blum is no tech guru. He reveals, if not his biases, at least his sheer incompetence. Much of the “issues” that he raises have to do more with /his/ lack of comprehension about the features (Spaces which he doesn’t even name and which can be found on the Windows platform as well with the right add-ins, Time Machine, etc). I respond finally to this response from Stacy Cowley that Blum is the regular tech columnist — you need a new one. The old one is breaking down.
For small businesses or large corporations though, I’m not convinced that Macs have a compelling advantage.
John H,
Your arguments are at least rationally expressed, however there is a simple advantage that a pure Mac company of a certain size achieves over a Windows company and that is freedom from Microsoft’s egregious CAL (client access licence) charges.
Purchase an Xserve and you get unlimited CALS included in your version of OS X Server. Purchase Windows Server (even as Small Business Server) and you start paying for more CALs the moment you get to Employee #6.
Here in the UK, a 75-user environment on SBS2003 will cost you around £1000.00 for the initial server and another £4500 in additional CALS for the other 70 users.
That’s £75.00 in hidden Windows tax for every user.
And that problem only gets worse once you’re locked in and beyond the 75-user limit of Small Business Server.
Trust me, I’ve done the sums.
The author says the screen is divided into quadrants and you have to use buttons to get things that are off screen? Is it possible this guy didn’t know about spaces and how to use it or shut it off if he doesn’t want it. That’s believable considering how silly, petty, and poorly researched the article is.
Is Blum Serious? This is almost funny! I have used Macs in every aspect of business and have always surpassed PC functionality in every aspect of computing. What bothers me is people consider this to be a reputable comment. Mr. Blum; you’re an idiot!
I make that statement without any evidence. Just like your article. Your article had the best way of starting, siting an actual company that saved tons of money switching to mac “for the same functionality” and then continue to show your own personal experience of the mac. Like Chris Milo says, I hope my competition reads this and listens to you because if they do in my town, I clearly have the advantage in my industry. You certainly know nothing about computers or small business Mr. Blum and I am offended that they even published your article. I will go out of my way to make sure everyone I deal with in this world, knows that CNNMoney is crap and only after money, not actual news. You must have been paid by Microsoft because that is way too much spin on something that could have actually turned out to be informative. Shame on you CNN!
Wow. What a stupid article. I’m surprised Fortune let such crap go to print. Mac Daily News already did a pretty good job of chewing it up and spitting it out, but one point bears repeating: he says Macs are more expensive but his only discussion of pricing is that of a company saving 50% buying Macs. It doesn’t take a logician to see that his argument doesn’t follow.
Reliability — that’s all I care about. I run a 6-desk office and am the director as well as the tech guy. With 6 PCs, I was CONSTANTLY defragging, spyware scanning, virus checking one of them. If not that, I was dealing with a hardware issue. I’ve since replaced three with Macs. And…nothing. No problems. No spyware. No viruses. Nothing. I turn them on and turn them off. That’s it. They work like a kitchen appliance does. I’m NEVER EVER going back!
MacOs vs Vista?
oooooo theres a real battle of the titans. Neither has anywhere close to the market share of XP.
Besides if your going to adapt to using a new OS, you could do much better switching to a free one.
After doing research on Mac, I was hoping to switch our server, two desktops and a notebook over to a Mac.
Then I read the story and thought – Hmmm, perhaps not. Maybe this guy knows something or two about Mac and therefore I should stay with the Micro$oft OS and keep the risk of losing all my data one day.
Then I read all the great comments left by others. Thanks eveyone. I still working on my plans to switch. </p)
You call this joke your “tech guru”
ya gotta be kidding, right!
you mean that this kind of half-baked FUD+BS is the best EXPERT advise you could offer SOHO switchers?!
… from a guy who cant even figure out how to use the CTRL key? … as in CTRL+ARROW!
(which is the default modifier to navigate in the SPACES virtual desktop … and if the “expert” didnt like that /simple/ key combo, then he could have gone to the System Preferences app to change the Time Machine ‘control panel’ himself!)
i could go through each of his vacuous points one by one … however i would be wasting my time & yours! … suffice it to say if you want /useful/ practical advise from/for switchers then just go googling cuz there is lots of serious columnists at famous *COMPUTER MAGAZINES* who covered the switcher experience in great detail!
(NOTE: there is NOTHING wrong with criticizing macs but it needs to be done on a rational & factual basis — which nonetheless usually produces a /glowing/ endorsement of the cost/benefit case for switching to the mac).
LESSON LEARNED: eliminate this bozo from your “must-read” list …. and reflect seriously on how the editors at MONEY/FORTUNE picked such a technically illiterate techno-peasant to be their “expert” ….
… cuz if this clown is indicative of the quality of their /computer/ expertise, then maybe the you will need to start thinking twice about whether you want to spend any time with the SOHO /financial/ experts at MONEY/FORTUNE!
sometimes i dont think publishers appreciate just how much damage to the overall brand is done by seemingly small blunders like not having the same high standards for amateurish ‘contributors’ as they do for the well-respected, professional journalists on staff.
it’s time for the publisher to tell the editors to stop hiring ‘entertainers’ (take a look at the sidebar to see his, er, ‘performance’ from MWNY viz modbooks: WOW!)
real journalists will do just fine, thank you very much!
… and if you want to get the end-user’s perspective, then at least have the intellectual honesty not to call then “experts” — instead, just roll out the flame-bait, and enjoy the ensuing page impressions, and let the loudmouths be loudmouths … but dont try to pass off a circus as an opera!
I have been running my business on Macs for seven years and started working on them professionally in 1991. With that experience behind me I have to ask:
Is the point of this article to perpetrate FUD? (Translation: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, an antiquated method of perpetrating propaganda). It’s nice to have Mr. Blum sort of suggest Macs, and certainly skepticism about any change frequently pays off in perspective. But this backhanded criticism of Macs in the article is just plain bizarro silly. I don’t think the article is helpful to anyone! It comes off as some weird piece of anti-Macintosh marketing ad purchased by Microsoft. It’s reminiscent of the bad old days when certain ‘technical journalists’ dared not criticize Microsoft without also taking a swipe at Apple seemingly so as not to lose Microsoft ad revenue at their magazine. In other words, what was the point of this article?
The worst bizarre statements are right up at the top under the headline:
“Apple is flashy…”
Subjective much? Apple is ‘flashy’ is a backhanded way to say they are vacuous. Flashy these days means Paris Hilton. And we know what she’s worth. A more insightful investigation about what an ‘Apple’ (actually called ‘Macintosh’, as written on its box) really is, beyond being visually pleasant, would be helpful and expected of any technical writer. So where is the depth of investigation?
“…but still more trouble than it’s worth for basic computing tasks.”
I have heard there are a few people that are so ingrained in the cranky lack of intuitiveness in Windows that they find the Mac interface ‘difficult.’ Well, some people actually like Paris Hilton. I work with both Windows and Mac OS X and I find exactly the opposite of this bizarro statement to be true. When I help my Windows clients with their OS problems I make an awful lot more money than when I work with my Mac clients. The reason is very simple. It is a big pain in the backside working in Windows. Basic computer tasks in Windows become a remarkable chore.
So please everyone! Use Windows and make me more money! But sadly I have a solid conscience that demands I be honest. You need to choose the computer that best performs the specific tasks you require. The choices in business are Macintosh or a Windows PC. What shall it be? Why not BOTH? Macs do both! So that makes the choice dead simple. And when you buy a computer it is essential that you consider ROI (return on investment) and TCO (total cost of ownership. I suggest you compare the Windows PC to a Mac running Mac OS X. A hint: You won’t find any studies in favor of the Windows PC. They don’t exist.
What I do when I personally need the occasional Windows-only application is I start up my virtualization program of choice, which is Parallels (but VMWare has its benefits as well), and run Windows XP. Works just fine, or as fine as Windows ever is.
Final point: People like to criticize Mac users for being ‘cultists’ who ‘flame anything bad said about the Mac’. Yeah, both platforms have plenty of raving loonies. But the fact is that the number of articles that slam the Mac out of ignorant hatred of anything not Windows is beyond comprehension. This is how it works: If you goad someone into becoming upset, typically it works and they respond in kind. So if Mac users slam this, IMHO, pointless article, why should anyone be surprised?
:-Derek Currie
Here is what I know about Macs in business.
The reason Apple has been so slow to be embraced by companies is their own IT staffs. Macs are easier to use,
don’t break, have no viruses or spyware. With Apple, who needs IT? Microsoft has been telling them that they will lose their jobs if the leave Windows. Ask the IT guy what he uses at home, a Mac.
With the new iPhone, Apple Xserve and Xraid product lines, Apple will be the system to beat for business very shortly. Microsoft has lost the battle with poor R&D and
it’s inability to right better softare.
If anyone would like to switch from Windows, contact me.
I offer file and document transfer, application training and productivity seminars on “How to Get 40% More Work Out of a Mac” email me at mbrennan1121@comcast.net or call 612-388-9224
Mac is much easier to use in business and at home. The cost is more expensive, but there are fewer problems with viruses (actually, my work and home computers have never had a virus) and there is less down time because the computers are so much more intuitive – not to mention they are not subject to freezing or crashing. I cannot understand why Mr. Blum finds them substandard for business use.
I’m very confused, the title of this article is “Why Macs still aren’t right for most businesses” the author then goes on to say nothing but good things about the equipment except that it cant run software that he wants it to from such huge names in technology like Mozy and Citrix (two names I heard for the first time while ready this article).
The single most important part of the article was the story from Jaffe Associates. Microsoft $100,000 Apple about half the price. My accountant taught me a very important lesson when I started my business, “keeping your cost low is the single most important thing you can do to have a successful business”, Jon, go mosy up to your citrix and get some real work done!
My company switched to the Mac back in 2002. We have never looked back. My IT staff is now just two people who focus on programming projects that build our business, not the time/money sinkhole of technical support. Two people to support over 100 computers/servers. Cant do that with Windows. Not to mention…gone are all of the insane licensing fees.
From a business standpoint, one of the best decisions I ever made.
I hope all the small businesses that my small business competes against read and believe Blum’s article. I want all my competitors to have Windows systems while my team uses Macs. Then, while my competitors are constantly restarting their machines and fighting viruses and struggling with poorly designed software, my company will be eating their lunch.
I have been running my businesses on Macs for years, and have never run into a problem. We even use an iMac with POS software for inventory and store management. I built our entire website using Macs and take a Macbook with POS software on it whenever we do trade shows or markets.
Personally I like the extra security a Mac affords in addition to the much more usable graphics programs.
We even maintain our farm and cattle operation with a Mac.
Blue Heron Organics & Natural Products
How times have changed! Now, instead of the Mac being a “toy” it compares in a “ho-hum” way with a PC. Fact is, as a life long Mac user, I am noticing that all of my business associates are sheepishly switching to Macs. I never hear of anyone “switching” to a PC. Macs are effective business tools. The hassles are in ridding oneself of the PC experience.
I suppose I may drag myself to read the rest of the article but this early statement stopped me in my tracks:
‘First off, the packaging is seriously overdone: “Designed by Apple in California” is prominent on the box. Like I care.’
This is wrong on so many levels it boggles the mind.
First: How is the packaging overdone again? There is text on the package! What else is overdone? He does not mention anything else!! So he is overwhelmed over a sentence on the packaging. That is it.
Mr. Blum is just signaling his bias in case you do not catch it later on. He dislikes the company and even the smallest detail will piss him off.
Second, it appears that Apple is proud to design their product in CA. Maybe he finds this pride to be annoying or offensive or a waste of his time. Does he hate all of America — or just California–or just Apple? I wish he would clarify this in a future article about the superiority of non-American brands.
Third, Apple packaging is considered by almost everybody else in the known universe to be simple and elegant and understated.
Fourth, Mr. Blum’s attitude works against him because it blatantly betrays his bias — or at least it makes him look petty. It undermines the credibility of everything else that follows in the article.
Great tongue in cheek article about Macs. This guy should write for The Onion. Or compose jokes for comedians. I laughed and laughed at “First off, the packaging is seriously overdone:…Like I care.” That line could be said by a great comedian like Will Ferrell when playing one of his idiot characters. At any rate, I glad to see that Fortune and its writers still maintain a sense of humor amidst all the death and destruction around. Keep it up. I think I’ll renew my subscription!!
Sigh. Personally I have a Mac, my business still runs on XP. I have been thinking through the switch and thought this article might bring up some “um duh” I didn’t think of that reasons to/not-to.
Designed by Apple sticker? Power button not on the front? The mouse *looks* like one button? Time Machine has graphics?
What does this mean to a business? Nothing.
I throw the sticker out.
Does the power button slow down workers — I’d hope not once you tell them where it is.
Don’t like the mouse, switch it. Any computer we buy each user has their own mouse preference they eventually switch to. It’s not like it’s the only mouse that works.
Are the graphics slowing backup retrieval down, or does their presence make it easier for the average user to recover their own files and not need to phone the tech guy?
I honestly don’t know if one would be better than the other, they each have advantages. But at least take the discussion to a *business* level if you’re talking about SB owner’s — initial cost, down time, maintenance time, things present/missing that increase workers productivity, etc.
And Fortune…come on. Did you pay for the article or did he offer it for free?
Just to clarify this: Jonathan is our regular tech columnist (you can read his archive at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/blum/index.html), and none of his articles for us are based on any previously existing material for other outlets such as his Blumsday.com blog. All of the articles we run on CNNMoney.com/smallbusiness and in Fortune Small Business are works we pay for, written by experienced freelance writers whom we trust.
-Stacy Cowley
Fortune Small Business Web editor
I have two PCs in my office, one running XP and another using Linux. At least twice a week the virus software I was more or less forced to purchase to retain some amount of peace of mind tells me that it has found an “unwanted program” on my PC. My first thought is, “hm, I wonder how many it didn’t find”.
I don’t have that problem on my Linux PC, nor do those who use Macs. Thats worth a few extra bucks in my book. Would I run a small business on an Operating System that is a target for every Russian mobster and script kiddie in the world? Not a chance. Its just not worth it.
In their mind Apple lost the PC war long ago and relegated the Mac as something used by delusional zealots. Since everyone else was buying Windows based systems, people who bought into something else must of had something wrong with them. Never mind the fact of the Mac’s superior user experience. Never mind of the fact that Mac’s are less vulnerable to virus’s, malware, spyware and trojans. In the corporate world, before Microsoft, there was IBM. At one time nobody could imagine anything else but IBM in an corporate environment.
Now we see the same mentality when it comes to home users choice for personal computers. Why should the Kool-Aid drinking Microsoft fan boys be so surprised. With all the un-addressed vulnerabilities inherent with Windows, poor user experience, poor out of the box experiences and the total failure of Vista, is it no wonder people are looking for alternatives?
Microsoft has been getting away with murder for years. They’ve ignored their customers. They’ve run rough shod over their competition. Their hubris has led them down a road of inevitable failure. Microsoft is slowly fading into the past. Their wares are like your fathers Oldsmobile. Apple defines modernity, they are leading the way into the 21st century. It looks like Microsoft’s old ways won’t work going into it. Unless they clean up their act, and figure out how to be innovative, like IBM, they will be yesterdays dominate computing platform.
Taken from author’s homepage (blumsday.com)
“For a small fee, we can quickly customize or localize blumsday.com blog items for your audience. See example.
For a little more money, we can produce an original story on a topic that originated on blumsday. See example.
For just a little more, we can report and write an original story or produce audio and video reports on any technology-related topic. See example.”
So, how much is someone paying for this ridiculously inaccurate article. And Fortune…come on. Did you pay for the article or did he offer it for free?
This so-called(clown) tech guru should be fired because he has no clue as to what he is talking about. I have been using a Mac at home and in our business for a couple of years and it was the best decision ever.
The points he was making only wanted me to go run out and get another MAC especially about the power button LOL!! This guy must be technically challenged and yet he writes for CNN in their technology section…not good.
You may like to write but a tech guru you are not. You failed on many points:
- complained about packaging
- ethernet enablement unit???? What is that? Macs have had built-in ethernet long before PC manufacturers considered it.
- you couldn’t find the power button? Again, is this real?
- “desktop is divided into quadrants” – PLEASE tell me you don’t consider yourself a tech guru. Do you know what virtual desktops are? Do you realize they’re optional? Do you realize you can control how to maneuver through them if you wish? Do you realize you can change the number of virtual desktops?
- do you have a problem with touch sensors? Is it that hard to comprehend that a mouse has 2 sensors versus 2 buttons? Do you still find the scroll wheel confusing? How about those laptop trackpads? Does it confuse you that the track pad doesn’t actually slide in the direction you’re pushing?
- time machine is too much eye candy? Don’t like a system that can show you EXACTLY where your lost file/info is?
- No quantifiable improvement? How about no removing of junkware upon turning on the computer. No need for anti-virus installations or updates. No 50,000,000 Windows updates to download and restart the computer.
You have proven that you are nothing but a computer user from 1993 or 1994, and only have experience with DOS and/or Windows 3.1. Go play with your Coleco Telestar Ranger and stop writing tech articles.
The ‘Apple Fanboys’ are all upset over obviously misleading and biased opinion disguised as an objective article. Like always.
Lessee. The “tech guru” says that his Mac gave him trouble because it didn’t work just right with just the apps that he used with his PC, and he implicitly resents paying for design features that he doesn’t value. At the end he says Vista is great as long as your apps are web based (so that Vista only has to run a web browser) and you do “basic” stuff.
I’ve been using Macs intensively since 1984. In business, academia, in PC shops etc. I use them now (6 of them) in a small medical practice. No outsourcing needed; no web based apps. What I can’t buy cheaply, I just create with Filemaker – including the practice management system. Everything works, pretty much all the time.
Its funny, but even before reading the comments I could predict the responses this article would get. If it were not for the many things the author did acknowledge worked great on a Mac, it could pass as a troll with its comments regarding packaging and the Power button, which folks most duly commented on.
Despite the irrelevant comments and lack of substance in the article, I am going out on a limb here and say that the author might be right to some extent. Macs have reduced the price differential, but over the years Windows XP has reduced the ease-of-use issues greatly. As for the Windows ecosystem, it’s much more targeted in virus attacks, but this is compensated by the presence of tons of support and third-party freeware tools like AVG or ZoneAlarm which have personally kept my PC chugging along with no problems. For home/school use I still think Macs have a great advantage (I got my son a Mac as soon as Leapord came out) if not for anything else, the excellent iLife package and other parental control features to name a few.
For small businesses or large corporations though, I’m not convinced that Macs have a compelling advantage. Let me say that I’m not a Windows fanatic, I’ve just grown to be more agnostic about Operating systems with time. Back in the 80’s and 90’s Macs were indeed far ahead of any Windows systems. I should know, because it was my job to sell Macs to small businesses at a time when they cost 3 times as much in Asia. Macs did make big inroads into the Advertising and Desktop Publishing markets. I fought hard in 97 to buy a Mac but was overruled by my wife. My Windows XP laptops (I’ve had 3 different ones in the last 7 years) have been very stable and not suffered any crashes either despite being on standby for days on end. Playing around with my son’s Mac, I was a little bit of an anti-climax for me…I went out and bought David Pogue’s “Switching to a Mac” book to see why a former Mac “fanboy” couldn’t get excited about their latest and best. Maybe its just me, but I believe that today, Macs are marginally superior but not compellingly so as to switch, especially for a small business user who is using a PC running XP (I haven’t used Vista so I won’t comment).
Author complains about his Windows backup system not working flawlessly with the Mac. How about a reputable cross platform or Mac backup system? I mean, does the author expect Chevrolet parts to work on a Ford? I think the article displayed the author’s ignorance more than anything.
Huh? Mac’s are not good for small business???? If this were 1985, I’d agree. My small media production/advertising firm could not operate without Apple. I would love to pay 50-70% less for PC’s but they could never get the job done. Unpack a Mac, turn it on, you’re in business. If you need virtual connectivity with machines that are 100% compatible out of the box, you’re in business. Blazing speed and staggering increases in productivity, you’re growing your business. Oh, I certainly have my criticisms of Apple as a company, but I can never fault their product. We’re 100% Mac and gladly pay the premium required for their systems. In our small business, return on investment is all I care about. Macs generate revenue that PC’s cannot, end of story.
If you ride the short bus, then this writer’s complaints might have some relevance for you. Things like finding the power switch (my 4-year-old had no problems), figuring out how to use a USB hub or plugging in ethernet are all skills that Mr Guru had issues with.
His article is short on honest appraisal and long on creating doubt, his real goal in this article.
One thing is clear, he doesn’t understand computers very well. The notion that the “Apple-centric commands” on a Mac are somehow “goofy” compared to Windows macro commands is just idiotic. The Mac OS is FAR more consistent in the use of such commands than PCs are. How he can come to the conclusion that this is a criticism of Apple is beyond me.
And the criticism of Time Machine’s background is beyond “goofy”. As Vista adds new eye-candy that requires a MUCH more powerful computer to see, OS X’s such visual elements require only the most basic of computers. I run Leopard and its “core animation” features fully on a five-year-old PowerMac G4 with no issues.
Once you make the shift from command-line to GUI, animation and graphical enhancements are inevitable and useful. Certainly Microsoft thinks so, so his complaints about design in Apple computers from the packaging to the interface are just silly. He needs to pull his head out of 1980 and smell the clock cycles.
Are Macs perfect? Absolutely not, but by comparison to Windows of any flavor a Mac is a far more robust and secure platform by an measure and for almost any task, business or personal. Unix works.
JoeL
Atlanta
The person who wrote this obviously has an anti-mac bias. I am a PC user, but I even I can smell a rat!
Nice try, you joke.
Chris,
You know why you notice all us raving Apple fanboys …. because there are no raving PC fanboys. Hmmmm …. wonder why? Maybe because Apples … just work.
Do your life a favor like we all did … try one someday. Once you go Mac, you won’t go back.
It is possible for someone to like Linux or Windows as well or better than a Mac. They all run the same types of programs and do the same things. I’ve used all and there really isn’t that much difference if you have a PC with high end components.
In my opinion Macs are for people with a lot of disposable income who want to look hip when they are using their laptop at Starbucks. That’s why they have a 2/3rd market share for PCs above $1000. Maybe you have to pay extra for all those ads that convince you how cool a Mac is to own.
I could write what every one else has written about a PC threatened guy … forget it. I switched myself and family a year ago and soon my company. Why? Apples work intuitively the way people work. PC’s work how a tech at MS works.
Stable op system, user friendly and highly customizable. Yes, it does not work well with Microsoft based machines. Who does?
Apples … just work.
Time Machine is a decent and easy to use backup solution, not “a silliest operating system extention in history.”
btw, what is a “USB Ethernet enablement unit??”
never heard of one and could not find one besides this article’s mention.
good luck with the Guru.
Channon,
Thanks for the CoRD reference. I’m going to give it a try. But the company VPN is on Cisco, hence, I would need the cisco config files. If I remember right, there was a specific windows function or file in the Cisco client that was not available for the Mac version (no surprise here). I’ll try again to get the Cisco VPN running…just for fun.
I can’t believe a piece like this would get through your peer review process. Maybe you don’t even have one.
Lack of USB ports, fancy packaging and the fact that the writer could not find the power button have nothing to do with the topic.
The writer has absolutely failed to analyze and address whether Macs are good for businesses to adopt. Not compelling at all, and given the heated response of others, I’d say Blum has completely discredited himself on this one.
Complete dribble.
Not to mention that on a Mac you can run Windows XP or Vista if you really can’t live without them! I also find it ridiculous to complain about lack of USB ports and for that the writer had to drop his USB External HD and switch to an Ethernet one! iMac has a total of 5 USB 2 ports and if that is not enough that I doubt, there are tons of USB hubs in the market for 20-30 bucks! He also complained about his VPN app was unstable on Apple OS X, yet he forgot to mention that Apple’s OS X has its own VERY STABLE VPN. The most ridiculous part for me was that he complained about the Apple mouse. I’ve been using the mighty mouse for months and I LOVE IT with its multi directional roll-ball + Right and Left Click + the function buttons on each side, but again if you don’t like it you can get tons of third party alternatives. A very biased poorly written Apple bashing article. Sorry I don’t buy it.
I am a long time user of Windows. In fact, I’ve always bashed Macs. But once my company switched, there is no turning back. There is simply no comparison.
I understand the comment about the power switch.
When I encountered my first Mac in 1989 I could not figure out how to turn it on. I expected a big 1/0 button like those IBM machines had. After failing to find it, I asked a co-worker and they laughed and hit the triangle button on the keyboard.
I did not have to be shown that more than once.
In 1997, I switched to Windows for compatibilty reasons and the 1/0 buttons were all hidden on the rear of the system unit.
Now, I have an iMac and use the power button about 6 times a year.
Matt:
You took the words right off of my keyboard. We use an all XP machine network. So I was just looking for info on what we might expect when we eventually upgrade.
All I got out of this story is “gee whiz, upgrading a network might result in some inconvenience!” Can you imagine?
Hi Jonathan,
Your free X-box and Zune player will be shipped to you in days!
Anyway, have to go, now…
I’m too busy jumping ship!
Kind Regards, Bill
One thing that was not clearly addressed in this article was the stability of the operating systems. I am quite sure that the MAC operating system will be much more stable than any Windows system when you get all your applications running. I imagine a business would spend far less in operating system upkeep if they went with Apple.
I normally don’t give in to obvious link bait articles like this, but this one was so egregious I had to post a comment.
Some of the main complaints listed in this article:
- The author didn’t like the “Designed in California” sticker
- The author took 15 seconds to find the power button (which feels about 10 seconds too long, but whatever – I can understand how some people may have problems dealing with actual 3-Dimensional objects….)
- The author didn’t like the default key combination for switching virtual desktops in Spaces (which is purely optional and can be turned off at any time)
- The author didn’t like the flashy UI of Time Machine, an optional, *free* integrated backup system. In fact, that’s his “real eye-roller”.
Wow! You sold me, that’s for sure. Macs really are terrible! You’ve got to be kidding me. Was this meant as a satire and I missed the joke??
Was the few extra links to this article worth all the credibility you’ve permanently lost?
There are some serious issues that “tech gurus” would have to face when switching from Vista to a Mac. But none of them are listed in this article. Absolutely worthless.
I had been a PC user all my adult life, until about a year ago, my company switched to Mac. Despite having to learn a new OS, I found that in only two weeks after switching to the Mac, my productivity was up by about 150%. Got one for use at home a few months later and think they’re great for both personal and business use.
Of course if you want to know if Macs are good for a corporate environment, don’t ask this “tech guru,” ask corporate users! A February ‘08 survey of 2,200 U.S. corporate computer users found that 53% of Mac OSX 10.5 were “Very satisfied” with the OS. That beats Windows XP’s 40 by double digits and utterly dwarfs Vista’s measly 8%!!
Picky, picky, picky.
Who cares about the packaging? Well, I mean who cares other than the article’s author. Who cares about features that are able to be easily disabled?
I used Windoze only because I needed access to the MLS and Winforms, and then, only because they have not had the good sense to port their product to Mac. But since I got Parallels…
I am a live long Windows user who also used Amigas, Macs and Ubuntu boxes. A computer is a tool. You evaluate a tool for the purposes you need the tool for. If all you need is email, a document writing program and connectivity, almost any computer will do, even those $200 laptops they’re giving away… that being said, I have been a Mac user for the past 8 years, since 1999. When I use Windows, I find myself infuriated with the constant dialog boxes and lack of detail. Why must I download the drive…why can’t it already be installed? Why does it take 3-4 times as long to load a software program on a Windows box. Why are installations so sloppy? Why do security alerts constantly pop up? Why not make an operating system that lets you do your work while it does its. Those are questions I have for Windows machines. Most of this article is nitpicking from a long time Windows user not looking for enhanced workflows. If you make your computer work FOR you, you would definitely want to check out a Mac box. The difference goes deeper the longer you use it and the more you explore under the hood. If you make a living by doing things on a computer, it’s a smart choice, worthy of consideration. If you and your team marginally use computers, you would need to evaluate what people DO on the computer, with what software, and then find the best solution. The title of the article was obviously biased, and a patronizing blanket statement.
This article was written by the PC guy in the Mac commercials. Way to go PC!
While reading this article I just got the feeling that there was not enough research put into the transition. My company migrated from pc to mac about 6 weeks ago and we experienced no hassles and everything from license transfers to data migration was a breeze. Frankly, any “bumps” were solved in less than an hour.
Moreover, windows can run on a Mac in BootCamp or through a virtualization product. My advice, keep windows handy for a little while for “comfort” but the fact will be once you Mac you won’t go back!
Here we go again with the Apple fanboys all upset over the article. Each architecture has its own pluses and minuses, get over it people.
What you guys, that are commenting, don’t understand is that Mac Office is not Windows.
Also people would need to run Mac Office on their Macs because the rest of the world uses Office.
Also switching to Vista is easy for user population that are already running XP Pro. What you guys fail to see is that corporate populations aren’t going to be running Vista Ultimate on their machines. No they will be running Vista Business. Which is slimmed down and doesn’t have a lot of the bloat.
I have seen environments where the majority of the end user population was running 2000/XP and the graphics department was running Mac. Now that is an example of putting the right OS in the right places in an organization.
Mac and PC users need to live together. Not attach each other like a bunch of fanboys.
Mac isn’t going anywhere and neither is PC, so pull your head out of your asses.
This is a classic slow week article where the author relied on the Apple brand to get hits on a piece that was fluff at best.
Please give your readers some credit for doing their homework and don’t present yourself as any type of a guru.
SB owners are not dumb. They will investigate application options before the acquire new hardware etc. If Apple works for them they will use it if not due to some mission critical app being Windows-only they won’t. It is that simple.
This is a day late and a dollar short fluff piece that is not even biased it is just laziness. CNN you can do better than this flotsam.
Wow – I had no idea Apple had 95% market share! Based on these comments, that’s the only logical solution one can draw.
Or perhaps all the Windows users are busy working while the Mac people… (that was a joke.)
We’re a small financial mgt office and there is not a snowballs chance in hell we could ever switch to Mac’s even if we wanted to.
We develop in .net which has drastically reduced our development costs and time, we have tons of Intranet stuff going on, we use a laundry list of the advanced MS SQL 2008 functions, we pound the hell out of Excel and SAS and STATA and use software like Bloomberg and other proprietary data/trading systems, we use server virtualization and storage virtualization, and our place is reasonably secure- mac ain’t gonna happen in our environment.
Could the average user who makes use of basic office functions and Internet and email use a Mac daily? Absolutely – but that’s what my grandmother does and that’s why I recommend she go with one.
If that’s all you need to run your business, more power to you, but I’m not sure how that makes a Mac anything more than a pretty typewriter and post office, and for that stuff, I think a PC does it just as adequately with OpenOffice or Google Apps.
We have never had an issue with virus’s or malware or spyware- that stuff pretty much stopped in 2002 for all but the most naive user. The random crash stuff doesn’t really happen anymore either, but it makes for a good story for people who think the business world runs on Windows ME.
But, judging by the responses, we’re now in the minority because everybody has already “switched!”
I agree the article was somewhat meaningless, but boy do you fanbois take this stuff literally like we just insulted your dog or something! YIKES!
To Jonathan Blum:
Nice attempt at a tech article. But, might I suggest that you don’t quit your day job.
What? This IS your day job??
Uh oh…..
I’ve run four small businesses on Macs since the late 1980s and been able to fund all new equipment from the money we saved by not paying for Windows goofs like Mr. Blum. I don’t know how much MS slipped him for this nonsense, but I’d never let him in the door.
I have to agree that this article is devoid of merit. Although the author does not like the location of the power button this is hardly an important issue. Viruses, spyware, ease of use, total cost of ownership these are important issues, none of which are addressed in this article.
It seems to simply to be an opinion piece which reflects the author’s preference for Windows because he’s used to Windows. Please alert us, with a Breaking News headline when CNN decides to hire reporters who actually know how to report.
I am a WAN Administrator for very LARGE Entity. I love M$ because it keeps me employed and allows me to have a wonderful life.
At Home… I have (3) MACS all less than a year old. Vista definately changed the picture.
I too use a MAC as my PC @ work. Of course it is not attached to the our backbone but through Sprint Wireless I have what I need.
There have been times where I performed functions that XP could not do for my customers (Video, etc.) easily on XP.
If we converted to Mac’s… maybe there would be no need for so many IT Specialists? Hmmm
I am disappointed over this blatantly biased article, specially since this has been traditionally a very unbiased source of information.
I work on the IT industry for a big, local corporation, and I agree there could be a lot of hassle for large scale deployments on environments where WINDOWS clients have been running for years.
However, to say that Macs are a “hassle” compared to PC’s in the context of the small business is naive. Troubleshooting PC’s, specially for virus/spyware/malware related issues, and the costs associated with it could be reason enough for many small businesses to switch.
Sure, for an aspiring writer like me its a no brainer, but as an IT professional I can assure you there would be value for the average small business too.
And the author complaints on the location of the “on” switch and the unimportance of the “excessive packaging”, are both lack of design sense and “nitpicking”.
the results of the evaluation the author made running a mac and pc side-by-side were anectodal in my opinion. even small businesses have access to internal or IT consultants who would probably do a more thorough investigation. not only do applications behave differently but user interfaces are different from vendor to vendor – ask someone who has switched from using hp routers and switches to cisco gear. if you drive a 4-door family sedan and switch to driving an SUV, there are things you must know up front not to do when driving SUV vs. a lower gravity vehicle. the operate nearly the same but have more distinct driving characteristics. not an apples-to-apples comparison. i operate a small videography shop using 3 macs and 2 canon gl2 cameras. i couldn’t imagine being asked to switch to using pcs. none of the software i use to edit video and mastering dvds run on pcs. that has to be taken into consideration up front when considering using a different machine that is expected to do the same tasks.
I find it rather ironic to criticize Macs for any bugs and/or instabilities that may be encountered when trying to run Windows and MS programs which were written primarily for Windows PCs. I think the criticism should be aimed at Windows. But consider this – if Windows software was written to run flawlessly on Macs, what would it do to the PC market? Exactly. Software that was written specifically for Mac runs flawlessly because it is running on a technically stable machine with a stable OS. Why blame Mac for buggy, unstable Windows software that doesn’t even work well in its own native environment? The fact users can run Windows on a Mac, and actually encounter fewer problems than they do when running it on a PC says a lot for Mac.
I have less than 5 employee’s and microsoft lic was 20K….I have tech support for only one user who is still on Windows XP. I run windows once or twice a month when I do payroll.
News flash!
If you are trying to use software chosen when only Windows were part of the picture, then you might have some issues when you get a Mac!
Of course that says nothing about whether there are perfectly functional options that work with both types of machines. It just says that you didn’t choose those options. There are VPNs and backup services and such that work wonderfully on both platforms – you just happen to have ones that don’t. It’s possible with any platform to choose subpar software.
To paraphrase… “Setting up the machine and connecting peripherals and networks were brain-dead easy… But oh my God! the box screamed an irrelevant marketing message and it took us 15 seconds to find the power button!” So let’s add up the total of time spent reading irrelevant marketing messages and searching for the power button and compare that to the extra time involved in setting up a PC with peripherals and networks. That sounds like a pretty quantifiable improvement to me. Toss in the time saved by not having to install virus software and fight viruses and their effects on a continuing basis, and those quantifiable numbers mount up really quickly.
Most of the rest was ludicrous quibbles with trivialities that happen to be different on Macs and Windows. If you don’t like the quadrants of the Spaces feature, then turn them off. I do. And the last time I actually looked at my mouse to decide what button I was clicking was back in the days when Apple shipped the round mouse. (They do make some boneheaded decisions at times.:)
Hint: The disclaimer at the beginning about being ‘no Apple fanatic’? It wasn’t necessary – the article oozed it…
“First off, the packaging is seriously overdone: The slogan ‘Designed by Apple in California’ positively shouts at you from the box. Like I care.”
YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. Absolutely asinine. Perhaps the fact that there is far less packaging and slimmer boxes for the gear is more important than phrasing used on the boxes.
PC in Kalamazoo:
Cisco’s VPN client is specifically for Cisco VPNs. I can only use it for one network that I access.
The VPN utility of the Mac OS (10.4 and 10.5) work for me, but it is rather obtuse to set up, particularly for a Mac.
For a remote deskop session, try CoRD (freeware), which has worked great for me, and supports multiple VPN connections, something Microsoft’s Remote Desktop client does not.
I am surprised by this author’s negativity and conclusion:
“Apple is still more expensive and simply not worth the integration headaches for the average small shop. Windows Vista, properly installed and used in tandem with Web-based productivity tools, is a powerful, powerful alternative.”
My company’s VP of IT “upgraded” to Vista about 14 months ago, with a brand new $1700 PC. Two months later, he was so frustrated he scrapped the new PC and bought a $1400 Mac PowerBook. He so loved the computer, its ease of use, functionality, compatibility, and above all else, SPEED, that the entire company is switching over as we retire our PCs. We still run a Windows server, but down the road, that may change, too. It is worth noting that the physical design of the laptop is of such a higher quality than a Dell or HP, that one must factor that in when comparing price. The physical comparison is like Apples to lemons.
I must say, everything is so much FASTER on the Mac, with the exception of loading applications. BUT, it’s a stable OS, and with plenty of RAM, I just leave all the main applications running (about 8-10 at any given time). There is not that frustrating PC latency every time I want to open a new file. It amazes me that the Mac interacts with the Windows server faster than the PC. All the basic applications are pretty much the same, except that Apple’s Mail client is so much more “modern” than Outlook. The integration with the address book, calendar, and maps is so far ahead of PC’s time. And, by the way, the iCal’s shared calendar feature with iGoogle is simply genius.
My conclusion is this:
1. If your office is running on XP and everything is fine, everyone is happy, and it’s serving your needs, then don’t change a thing.
2. BUT, if you are considering switching to Vista, you will be doing a disservice to your employees to not consider a Mac. Vista is no less “different” from XP than is Mac OS. And Mac OS runs a whole lot better than Vista.
I switched my ergonomics consulting company from being Windows based to Mac based 10 years ago and have never looked back. Best decision I ever made. As a business owner, I switched because of all the time wasted with Windows crashes, buggy software, complete lack of any kind of useful support by hardware and software vendors, and virus exposures. I knew nothing about Apple computers when I decided to switch and I was an EXTREMELY heavy Windows user – and a techie and an engineer who had been on Windows software development teams. I thought to myself “there has to be a better way” – and I went to the Apple Store in New York and sat in on numerous “FREE” training sessions (tell me – where do they do that for Windows – nowhere that I know of!), and I had 2 Apple technical staff members in the store spend nearly 2 hours showing me how to do what I wanted to do in order to convince me as a business owner that I should switch. I could not believe the quality of service I received. I’m not running Leopard yet – but I do have Windows XP and Windows 2000 that run satisfactorilly in Virtual PC for the less than 1 percent of the time that I need a technical program that is only Windows based. 99.9% of everything that most business owners need can be handled with existing Mac based software. The quality of a Mac and its ease of use is just in a league of its own. There really is no comparison to Windows. In my opinion, the writer of this article has a real chip on his shoulder about Apple computers and it clearly comes through in the way he writes. As an engineer who was at one time responsible for ordering, setting, up and training a staff of 200 engineers all across the United States with Windows based computers for a major company, I think I am more than qualified to say the writer does not know what he is talking about. He ought to speak to some real business people out in the real world who have “made the switch” rather than just shooting off his mouth with his own quite biased opinions based upon such a limited sample of uses and software and other needs that he thinks businesses need – which they do not in most cases.
What I didn’t read, and have found to be true (blasphemy as it sounds), if you install XP or Vista on a MAC you’ll get a much more stable experience. All the components that go into a MAC system are carefully selected to work harmoniously together. Many windows boxes randomly select components, and you just don’t get the same rock solid user experience.
Tech guru? Give me a break! You can’t find the “ON” switch? This article reeks of ignorance. How about the complete lack of viruses on a mac? Or the fact that it’s integrated search features make finding files almost instantaneous? Or even the simple fact that it doesn’t crash! Are you going to tell me that Vista stacks up?
He slams “spaces” (a feature designed to expand your desktop space) because it’s “confusing,” but doesn’t mention that Vista has NO functional equivalent. Translation: I didn’t understand it, so I didn’t like it.
Next he slams Time Machine! This is outright laughable, considering that Time Machine is an integrated, free, comprehensive, unobtrusive system recovery tool. In case you aren’t familiar, Macs automatically back up your system every hour without you even noticing it. If you need to switch to a new machine, or accidentally loose a file, you’re always covered. Does a PC have an equivalent? Correction: A free equivalent, that works anywhere near as well? Answer: Nowhere close. And this guy actually complains because it has a well designed user interface! Would he prefer that it be a command-line program a-la MS-DOS?
The meat of this negative review revolves around the fact that Macs work differently than PCs, and since the reviewer prefers PCs, that’s a negative. It’s the equivalent of giving a Mercedes a negative review because the cup holders are in a different place than his old Chevy Nova.
If anyone is reading this article and considering purchasing a Mac, please disregard the ill-informed opinions within. If you’re sick of your slow, insecure, virus-riddled PC that crashes every five minutes, get a Mac and see the difference yourself.
Firstly, which were you using? The sub-heading says Mac Air vs. Vaio, but the article was about an iMac. They are different! Are you comparing an iMac with a laptop?
But anomaly aside, the question should be, ‘Why use a PC when you can use a Mac?’ I spend 95% of my Mac time doing what I WANT to do, and 70% of my PC time trying to get it to work/remove viruses/reboot, etc.
Vista is so useless that PC manufacturers are refusing to support it, and XP presents so many problems that I try to do as much work as I can on the Mac.
Well now. After reading all these comments it seems to me that either all the Apple pro’s were the only ones to reply or that Apple computers are really a viable, if not much better choice, in most all applications. The reviewer is obviously biased and failed on too many points to numerate here in his pro PC argument. As a long time Mac user I have found that the new Intel based machines have totally closed the gap and have passed their PC competitors on all counts. Its no longer “think different” with Macs, its just “think smart”.
Hi Rod Harrell Boca Raton, FL
judging by what you say, you must be very, very well paid, or you live somewhere, in other planet…
By the way, in what planet are you living?
You know what? down here, we use lots of machines, and most of them are driven by something we call “ELECTRICITY”.
Look, we used to have some old machines, called PCs that were controlled by some kind of old fashionned software… We got rid of them! —What a relief!
Do you know what the term “electrical computers” mean? —There have been large shipments, of that stuff into the USA, these days!…
What the hell is that!? Check it out, and tell me something.
Thank you,
Your article was all about sour grapes.
We were all PCs back in the 80’s (owned the very first 4.77 IBM) but got tired of fighting with the beast and went all Mac in 1991. We’ve never looked back. I still have a beige G3 running our scanner. These things never break, crash, or have viruses–is your tech guru a masochist?
Technology should be transparent and intuitive. PCs and Winblows are just the opposite. And the quality of the type on the screen of a PC…don’t even get me started. Long live “designed in California.”
You need to realize that more college students are using macs than pcs and even more younger kids are using macs too. Once this generation graduates and begin to run businesses of there own I believe the transition from pcs to macs will take place.
this article was lame.
First, I am not a Mac zealot.
Lane is annoyed by stupid things
the things I get annoyed by are more real, like not being able to resize a window by grabbing it anywhere you want. But still.
he doesn’t mention the HUGE DOWNSIDES to PCs running windows like:
1. regular interruptions requiring you to install upgrades to programs, most of which are security holes in MS’s software or upgrades to the program that makes sure you did not STEAL this copy of windows from Microsoft — that is far worse by the way than “made in California” – what other company regularly checks t make sure you didn’t steal their product. How insulting is that?
2. viruses – the threat of which disappears with a Mac
3. spam, spyware and bloatware — disappears with a mac
frankly, those things are enough.
in my humble opinion
First of all, I would like to agree with almost all of the users here that the author should have just wrote “I don’t like Macs because I don’t know how to use them” and left it at that.
Secondly, to Alejandro from Boston – I think the article and most people here were discussing small businesses, not 30,000 personnel firms.
I think Jonathan was out to lunch when he wrote this article, I have been using MACs since the late ’80s for my graphics business and all the paperwork associated with it. I love my MACs and they must love me, since they never ever gave me any problems. Last year I bought the iMac (24-inch screen), it’s elegant, clear screen and a joy to work with.
I run 4 companies and have piles of macs and PCs. The Mac hardware is clearly superior. Widows machines in the past were necessary not because the Mac lacked anything but because some software developers didn’t have the engineering ability to write for both platforms. Huge mistake.
The issues described by the author of this article were all actually showing the software developers shortcomings although I think it is also user error because I use much of the software he was describing as unstable without issue. It is glaring that the software developers refusing to stay up to speed would be good companies to bet against long term. Now with the ability to run windows native if you really need to(BTW I recommend XP over vista as the lesser of the lessers).
Macs and apple software are clearly more stable and reliable so when I put my trust in a machine and an OS that will affect my business and most importantly the people who rely on my business primarily my family, I would be irresponsible to use a less efficient, less reliable system that has an pronounce immune deficiency.
I’ve used Macs extensively since the old OS 7. While they works fastastically for graphics and movie editing, they have some serious drawbacks for an office environment. The intial cost of implementing Apple products is exceptionally high. I recently setup the company I work for (7 employees) on a Microsoft SBS Server environment with 7 new PCs for under 10k. We use our computers extensively, and I even tried out Macs for alot of our tasks. They failed to be able to keep up mostly due to the lack of software support.
Macs are shiny and look great, but they lack the ease of use in most business environment. I bought a Macbook Air the first day that I could preorder and so far I love it, however, I wouldn’t use Mac for business critical applications.
Hey, since when is running windows apps and software on a Mac, operating a Mac? The problem with windows users is they think like windows users. I’ve had the latest Mac since 84 and “never” use MS apps. MS doesn’t exist. You don’t need anything windows as most Mac apps like Neooffice or iwork or appleworks or even text edit read/write to PC apps, so why do you need windows at all? If your going to be Mac then be Mac. Don’t be whining about Mac running PC stuff.
Macs are the only computers we use for my business. We love them! But we’re competitive by nature, so we’d prefer everyone else listen to the author’s advice and stick to PC’s. Please! :)
We are replacing around 80 PCs with Macs. These come at the request and wish of our staff. The author mentioned that raw speed was the only productive benefit. However, one really important point was missed, staff morale. How much is that worth? Yes, the quote for the PCs this year was $188 less than the Macs. The Macs do have better internals. We thought $188 was a great investment into our staff if having a Mac is what they wanted.
We have a setup with VMWare and spaces in Leopard that make switching from OSX to Windows very nice. The Macs work great in a business and extremely well in an education environment. Our staff look forward each day to use their Macs and staff morale has increased.
Wow. I’ve never seen such a bias article in my life…and I’m a PC user (considering a switch).
You’re actually complaining about the packaging??? Are you serious?
Next you complain about the location of the power switch. For god’s sake, once it takes you all of about 15 seconds to find it the first time, unless you are suffering from a serious case of short-term memory loss, you won’t have the same problem–ever.
I couldn’t make it much farther than this in the article because it was obvious that you were not going to get any objective information from it.
My suggestion to the writer–find a new career.
I support both Macintosh and Windows machines in my work for a large (40000+) corporation. The author seems intent on complaining that Macs are not just like Windows machines. To my users, that’s just the point.
We give our users freedom of choice on their OS. 10 years ago, 5% chose Macs. Today, that number is 60% and is still growing. Of those who have switched, NOT ONE has been sorry that they did. My workload for basic computer support has shrunk dramatically in that time, giving me the time to explore new technology to expand the services we provide in new and helpful directions. Our central IT people provide platform-neutral services that all our users can access with ease (file, database, e-mail, calendaring, collaboration, …).
The author of this article needed a bit of help to get over the learning curve (Command key instead of Control, etc.). He clearly didn’t have it or seek it and resorted to an extended whine about how it was different and he didn’t want to understand how or why. This sort of work isn’t worthy of Money or CNN.
We run Macs. It’s really simple, businesses running PCs are not forward thinkers and should be avoided.
Who is this “guru” anyway?
My business is a commercial photo studio, serving advertising agencies, publications, and corporations for over three decades, so we have been on Macs all along. Most of our clients are either Mac or have a graphics department running them. There are some who don’t, so we also have to stay well informed about pcs too (we have one). It’s been our observation that the difference in cost/usability is stark, and that most would switch to Macs if they only understood they could.
Two members of my family are highly paid, geek, cutting-edge computer consultants and they disagree with Mr. Harrell. Macs are much cheaper over time, they are easier to use, essentially virus free, and the compatibility issue is pure mythology at this point. Anyway, there is superior software for the Mac for every kind of task.
Your “tech guru’s” objections to the Mac seem more about personal bias than real issues. Put the power button in your face? Come on.
The CNN tech guru doesn’t know what virtual desktops are? Seriously? Spaces is nothing knew. It has been in computing for decades. But, as usual, Apple’s implementation is elegant and easy to use. Don’t like it? Turn it off! Don’t like the keyboard command to switch? Change it? Too many, or too few desktops? Change it. Unbelievable.
Fortune:
How can you call this person a “tech guru”. He is clueless! “The desktop is divided into quadrants that exist beyond the screens edge” – this is a clearly documented feature that many of us enjoy, but a couple of clicks can turn it off if you find it too complicated. The location of the power button is a problem? Unlike most PCs, you only need to use it ONCE on a Mac, not several times a day.
Honestly this sounds like an anti-Apple rant from someone that is too tightly wound around MicroSoft’s little finger.
I have supported both platforms in the past, and I can say that most users don’t have these issues making the switch. And I agree that Apples are not right for everyone or every business, but make your decisions based on a real look at your needs and the choices available, not this un-thinking, under-researched diatribe.
The short form of the article would have been: I had decided I don’t like Macs and then ran a biased test.
My version of this would be: I am looking into every new version of Windows and always find it is not fit to run my business on it.
Of course there are companies that can do this, but usually they are larger operations which have a dedicated IT department that takes care of the problems you run into. The smaller ones who do it suffer big time and pay a lot of money for consultants that keep their computers running.
I have used Macs since 1985. I have found they are easier and less trouble to work with than PCs.
The one big issue that has never really been resolved is the lack of program options. Many times there is only one good option for a particular type of program, or just one option…period.
I think Macs are more (or at least used to be) durable and long lasting than most PCs in the market.I still have an old G4 that I use because the programs I use on it no longer exist, or have become outrageously priced.
I read this article and was a bit dissapointed in the view the author takes. Instead of my small business trying to retorfit my old, stogy, applications and ways of doing business, shouldn’t I be looking to make my business run better when I look to new technology. I think it is great he points out that old technology is not smooth when implemented on new technology, but Apple should be looked to as an enabler; an enabler of new technology, processes, uses for, and implemnetation of my future business practices.
When I buy a new Ferrari, I don;t try to retorfit it with a carborated engine system.
What a strange article. As I read on I got the impression that the author was determined to write something that would childishly start another Mac-PC flame war, and nothing else. When you read the title you get the impression that the author found major issues when in fact the Mac was just not a Windows enough for his taste. That is like buying a Lincoln complaining because its more luxurious than a Ford Focus.
My understanding about Apple computers is that they are based around beautiful industrial design and a drive to make mundane tasks (such as backing up) a little simpler and a little more pleasing. Sure, the eye candy in Time Machine is prominent, but does it detract from the functionality. I’d argue it does not. Time Machine backs up data on a regular basis and presents it in a way that technophobes can understand.
What is wrong with having “Designed by Apple in California” on the box, even if it is just to hide the fact that the units are made in China because the American workforce costs too much for the company to be profitable?
Is it Apples fault that companies such as Citrix are not capable of writing quality software? I have used Citrix on and off for years and it seems that they are incapable of keeping up with the times. I think the Authors love of Microsoft Office 2008 is very telling. This is one of the worst Office for Mac incarnations since the original Office 6. It is slow on Intel and really really slow on powerpc; taking upto three times longer to boot. They removed vital code that allow plugins such as Mathtype to work correctly. On top of that they changed the handling of inline images in the Mac version, which prevents you adjusting characters pasted into a line of text. It works perfectly in the Windows version, but is crippled in the Mac. This is clearly a bug because if you switch Word over to the compatibility mode, this feature works again! Go figure.
the author seems to be quite clueless about computer technology. It seems a bit icy to him or to her to make such bold points given the very visible lack of familiarity with information systems – home or business. It would have been smarter to draw on others than going by this person’s own anecdotal experiences.
There’s something about this article that’s just fishy. The author complains about “curious features,” including that “The Desktop is divided into quadrants that exist beyond the screen edge.” First off, is your “tech guru” truly so ignorant that he’s never heard of virtual desktops? Second, since the virtual desktop feature is turned off by default, the only way the tech guru could find it to complain about it is by deliberately activating it.
Seems like the author had it out for Mac from the beginning by being annoyed just by the packaging. Who cares? I have been an avid PC user and switched to Mac because of a colleague who showed me his Mac with VMWare running windows. I have almost 20 years of tolerating PCs and just one year on the Mac now. I would never go back to windows PC. I can’t believe I tolerated such for so long. I am sure all the authors compliants about Citrix etc would have been fine had he been running VMWare. Just as soon as a Windows PC can run Apple OS, I’ll believe that the Windows might be coming to parity. For now, Windows is dated and not even close to providing users what they need – performance, reliability and user friendly.
He could have just said he just doesn’t like macs and saved a lot of time. We use macs at our company and they are much less hassle than the pcs we run. The newest computers in the office are pcs since we regularly have to replace them.
Computers are tools and for most people a tool they don’t know very much about (as in most office workers). He should reload a system on each and compare those times. To be fair, he should have to reload his windows machine 5-10 times and the apple once. I bet he wouldn’t touch another windows pc following that experience.
The keyboard issues are largely because Apple did the obvious and MS copied but changed it. Don’t blame apple for that.
Most of the minuses are obvious if a user is using unique services that are likely not written to standard.
With all respect to your tech guru, my experience is very different. Sure, there are some businesses who are so entrenched in Microsoft & Windows specific software solutions that it makes no sense to switch to Macs. But there are a lot of businesses whose solutions are not chained to one platform that are ripe for switching. And no, they aren’t all graphics or design businesses. Lawyers, retail stores, medical offices, veterinary hospitals, travel companies, movie theaters–just a few examples. Business owners are tired of being told it’s the Microsoft Way or the highway, and Apple, along with ACNs, Apple-certified professionals, are making change happen.
As a small business owner reading the article, I was really hoping for concrete examples of how the machine was simply not able to do what a business needs to do. For example, may be there are critical business software applications from SAP or Microsoft that would not run. Instead, it sounds more like a Windows person complaining about differences in interface. Huh?
I paid the $99 training at our local Apple store to learn about Apple interface and products and find no problems switching between my XP and the new Leopard interface. They are different, each has its strength but the Apple interface definitely works for me and my employees.
This is a disappointing article, all fluff and no meat. Who cares about placement of power button? The “Core of the Matter” section said the author could not find any quantifiable improvement; does that also mean there is no quantifiable detriment? So they cancel out? What is the point?
If all this article can complain about is power button placement and the author’s inability to switch interface or personal opinion of the Apple interface, then it is useless to business owner. The title is misleading and CNN’s Small Business editor ought to be ashamed.
What a waste!
Tech Guru?
Seems the beginning of the strong move from PCs to Macs is hard to stomach for some. Your ‘tech guru’ is valiantly faking ‘objectivity’ while suggesting that Macs, although they deserve your interest, may be a WHOLE LOTTA TROUBLE!
And on what planet is it true that PCs are NOT A WHOLE LOTTA TROUBLE?
We’re in the beginning of a massive move from the thuggish brawn and massive incompetence of Microsoft to the expert and future defining innovation of Apple.
Your guy doesn’t see it. He’d be more helpful leading the change rather than getting run over by it.
I’m part of a big CPG company that has only PCs and is very restrictive on it. systems (as most traditionally old GPC companies are). I’ve been hooking up my personal mac laptop (ibook, Powerbook, MacBook) ever since 2001, all by myself and without telling IT (they do not allow it). I started with OS 9 and now I’m running OS x 10.5.2. I have ran the following suites to connect with my company’s system: outlook (the very old one in os 9), then Lotus Notes+Corporate Time (IT decided to go Lotus in 2002), then Outlook and Exchange server (IT decided to go MSFT in 2004). As a guy working for marketing, as long as I could access email, shared drives and open up word excel and PPT, I have been OK.
I have had my glitches with MSFT office compatibility, specially with excel and entourage (their calendar sharing in 2008 is terrible). And the Cisco VPN just does not work (although I have tried over and over again). So my insurance is parallels that gets me into the VPN and solves any office issue.
I have tried three times to get back to my company PC laptop (it is sitting with a nice permanent screen saver) to leave my macbook at home, but I keep coming back to the reliability of my mac: for presentations, to look up documents and files with spotlight (IT will not allow google desktop on a pc), for video, and images editing and viewing, and to avoid weird crashes and surprises. I am still amazed by the number of times during a week that PC guys struggle to project a simple presentation with their PC. Unbelievable. It has never happened to me on my mac. And that has been worth all the time dedicated by myself to get it working. If you need tips, let me know, I think I have seen a lot in 7 years.
Well, we’re going on twelve years as a Mac office with 32 workstations and several Mac servers.
– Never a single virus.
– Never a single loss of data.
– Never a single security breach.
We don’t even run anti-virus software. We found that it was simply not worth the expense of buying, installing and updating.
Now, had we been running on Windows all these years, I dare say it would be an entirely different story.
Nice article. I have seen the opposite. I moved 95% to Linux about 2 years ago and now when I try to support people with Windows Vista it drives me nuts. Why do the control panel applets change location every release of Windows? What’s this stupid security thing where a person cannot copy a file into a certain directory unless they first copy it to the desktop and from there? Etc ad infinitum. In stark contrast, the new Mac is just about as close to a standard Linux Desktop as you’d ever hope to see. Its differences are as slight as those from Gnome to KDE or from one distro such as SUSE to another such as Ubuntu or Fedora. I like the new Macs and think Apple has really raised the bar. I hope everyone else leapfrogs them soon.
We have been using Mac’s to run a 6 store restaurant business for 13 years. We just replaced 13 year old Performas with new iMacs. For all those years we had to get outside help for those system just a few times. Wonder how long a windows machine would have lasted or how many times I would have seen a Microsoft “expert” in those years? Any level headed thinking person would know the Total Cost of Ownership comparisons here would weigh heavily to the Mac’s favor.
Ultimately, I’ve used a PC more than a Mac in my years so feel well qualified to say this was one of the most short sighted articles ever written.
The author should not br aalowed near computers.
I have an iMac, Powerbook, and iPhone at home but use a Thinkpad provided by my work. I love the Macs and use them for all personal stuff but I must say I am impressed with the Thinkpad. 6 months of use and no virus, spyware, crashing, etc. Everything has always worked including wireless and backups. For compatibility at my firm (30,000+) I just dont think a mac and the related software would cut it.
So for $80 dollars I installed VM Ware. I virtualized my old Windows XP desktop to a single file. My ENTIRE OS with data and files was about 15GB of space. Used a USB hard drive to copy the file over. Then plugged it into the iMac and copied it over.
My old PC is now running Ubuntu Linux. My Mac is now running Windows XP in a virtual session in a window.
I upgraded my iMac to 4GB for less than 100 dollars.
BTW
Windows XP can’t even USE or SEE 4GB of RAM. More like 3.2GB even if 4GB is present.
I find it very ironic how the world is moving in MASS to Apple and anyone who mentions it is labeled a MS HATER or an Apple FANBOY.
Apple is giving users what they want and need. It is high quality hardware and software but worth every penny.
MS lost the customer because they thought their monopoly wasn’t going to give the customer any chance of a choice.
Ironically, Apple updates their OS every now and then with no problems but every time MS updates their OS their are MAJOR problems. Like the recent one with SP3 and Windows XP.
MS has already ditched Vista and is telling everyone now how great Windows 7 will be.
I need a computer NOW that works. If Windows 7 turns out to be great and cost effective then I will consider switching back from Apple.
Right now Apple gives me the most for my money AND gives me choices.
MS just gives me lies and insults.
Something you failed to mention (along with viruses, malware, etc) is support
I am the sole IT admin for a company with over 100 Macs and 70 users in 6 different locations. I don’t have a team or people working for me. I am the only line of support and I do my job with ease. Lets see someone with 100 XP/Vista machines do that.
My company has been using Apple computers since before I arrived here. Being a longtime PC user I was very skeptical at first. That skepticism was very quickly overcome once I realized the ease of use of the Mac and how the entire company was networked so easily and more importantly, reliably. We move video and graphics files around daily both inside the facility and to and from clients. Moving video by the way is considerably more time-consuming and potentially difficult than simple Excel & Word documents and yet we do this all day every day without issue. After 10 years of using Macs you could never get me back to a PC.
Sorry – Seems to me that Jonathan should do his research better. I agree strongly with most of the other commentors on this article. Jonathan does not know what he is talking about and should have asked for help with the “trouble” he alludes to. Write it again please!
I have used MACs since the late 80s (for all my creative AND business productivity), and every one of my friends and colleagues that see the work I produce all ask the same question: “Oh you must be using the new MAC OS 10.3 or greater w/ Leopard and Photoshop 10.x.” Oddly, I explain…”…why yes of course I am designing/working/doing evrything on a MAC. But I still use OS 9.2.2 with Photoshop 5.5.” They are absolutely stunned. The point? My “old” MACs are still so damned good and strong (NO viruses, no crashes, no bugs… just perfection), that I use MY brain and let my (3) MAC G-series on OS 9.2.2 just “do their thing…. compute and deliver what I input into the box.” All I have to worry about is being creative and then archiving my finished projects to external drives. I am upgrading, rather – buying a NEW iMAC (and more) this month to get w/ the 21st century. But Never ONE problem or issue with my old (3) MACs in well over 10 years. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? There’s nothing to fix. They simply kick ass.
OK, so because the box says “Designed in California,” you didn’t figure out to turn the Spaces feature off and because Time Machine is organized graphically so you can pull a back-up file out much like you would a file in a file cabinet, users SHOULDN’T switch to Mac, even if it costs them half of what a Vista upgrade would? Let’s not forget that while making the transition may mean some headaches in the beginning, how many problems does an XP or Vista user have not only setting up but just keeping things running? I’ve been running my business on an iMac for 4 years. I set it up once and haven’t had to mess with it since. No software problems, no blue screen of death, no endless “wizards,” no viruses, no security holes that require daily updates. What windows user can say that? Suffice it to say, your complaints seem awfully petty particularly when you consider the myriad long-term annoyances and down time the Mac so gracefully avoids.
If you ONLY need your computer to perform basic typewriter tasks like print word documents and do spreadsheets, then you can still manage with a cheap PC running windows. I am still using a Dell Dimension 4400 that I bought in 2002 at work running XP and it does just fine for email internet use and office. However for a few dollars more you can upgrade to a mac and do the exact same thing PLUS a whole bunch of other stuff like music, movies, pitcures, video all on a much more stable and easy to use platform. You will DEFINITELY have less virus problems and breakdowns on a mac, albeit there is a little learning curve involved. This has been my experience.
Wow, you are WAY off. You basically criticize the Mac because it isn’t just like WIndows. No kidding. FIrst, you can run Windows (and all Windows applications) on the Mac if you want to, either through Boot Camp or virtualization (Parallels or VMware). Second, there are no viruses, malware or the like to worry about, so no need to buy those utilities that slow down the computer, and pay subscription fees. Third, you are looking for the same brand of applications on both platforms, which makes no sense. You should be looking to see if there are comparable products available for both platforms, even though they may not be the same brand. Fourth, you clearly have no appreciation for aesthetics. The Mac hardware (and software) is beautifully designed. Why would you want an ugly on/off switch prominently displayed? Fifth you judge each machine unfairly. For example, you criticize the Air because it has one USB port. Hello – it’s an ultra-portable!! And unlike the thick but small PC ultra-portables with their cramped keyboards and screens, the Air is thin and wide. It’s still small but by making it thin but full size it’s easy to actually USE. If you want to slog through the nightmare that is Windows Vista, fine, go ahead. The rest of the world is unshackling itself from Microsoft and moving on to other, better solutions. The Mac is more reliable, more secure, cheaper (for COMPARABLE hardware), and easier to use. And it’s elegant.
Macs don’t play well with others. They could easily work seamlessly within a Windows Active Directory Domain (other Unix boxes do), but they don’t. Their approach to network-wide permissions is totally buggy. Not to mention that setting up file sharing with any sorts of network-wide permissions is just completely broken, with the Macs often forgetting what folders they are sharing between reboots. And yes, this is after the 10.5.3 update.
The most disappointing thing is that they could work seamlessly within a Windows world. However, Apple has chose deliberately to break all these things. At least, I guess they must have, because the same open source stuff they rely on works fine on Linux.
This was an useless article. Most of the issues are caused by Microsoft and no where does it mention the instability of the MS product lines. Micorsoft has gotten even worse over the last few years. The market is clearly shifting away from MS to other, superior technologies. Hope the author has a great time driving home to his prefab home and TV Dinner, in his Ford Taurus. Article like MS these days, below average.
Another review from a person too far gone down the Microsoft road to make an actual unbiased presentation. I am in IT, was Microsoft based from the moment Microsoft DOS became available (CP/M before that point), and still successfully made a complete and total switch last year. Are there differences? Yes. WIll it require small amounts of adjustment at first? Yes. Is there anything a PC can do that a Mac cannot do? No. Is there anything a Mac can do that a PC cannot do? Yes, as evidenced by practically no warranty repair issues (no serious hardware failures), plenty of software options, an excellent operating system without crash or stability issues and an overall happier place for the IT guy.
I’ve been an Apple Systems Adminitrator for years now.
So maybe I am a what you call ‘Apple fanatic’.
I can understand some of your points of view.
But others are just hooked up the wrong way.
What I mean is for example:
If Citrix isn’t capable of bringing out a client that works on Mac, then that’s not really Apple’s fault.
It’s really Citrix you should blame for their rotten software.
Why don’t you just connect you PC Mouse?
I agree with you that Time Machine looks a bit strange.
That does not however change the fact that Apple has got a backup system for the everyday user that windows does not have.
And at last:
If you really want to check things out then maybe you should get an assistant who knows Mac OS X and not rely on a guy who has the same ‘Windows only’ focus that you seem to have.
Not one word about viruses — doesn’t your author see that as an advantage to running a Mac over a Windows machine? How much time does the average Windows user spend fighting off viruses, suffering loss of productivity from crap infections in the Windows OS which kill productivity. Also, no mention of the overall improved quality and longevity of Macs over Dells and other Windows boxes, as well as built in stuff you have to go out and buy for your Windows machine.
You forgot to mention that number one issues facing everyday business running windows. Viruses, adware and other malware. Running on mac for 3 years now. Besides the having the power of UNIX on my fingertips, my 1.5 year old powerbook still runs as fast and as flawlessly since I got it. I am a software engineer and I use my machine every day 10 hours a day.
Also, time machine is awesome. The point was not the graphics. Finally a backup system that is easily understood by anyone with a brain.
Also, if you don’t like spaces, which allow you to have multipe desktop just clikc system configuration/spaces and turn it off.
I have never had a windows machine that lasted more a few months before becoming unusably slow and packed with viruses and junk.
BTW, I also run windows using software called Parallels. I run it so that i can test the software i write which is usually for both Macs and PCs.
In completely disagree with you. Not having to reinstall the OS every so often is well worth the small learning curve.
Switch to a Mac, trust me it will be cheaper in the long term. The cost of ownership is so much cheaper. When you get your second mac, if you are using time machine it will get “all” of your data from the previous one without the need to even talk to a techie. You will never be able to accomplish this with a PC.
I am a systems engineer consultant..that means highly paid geek to come in a fix and or improve a businesses computer architecture. I have worked with Mac’s and PC’s both are useful however, Mac’s in my experience are utilized in the design industries such as clothing, PC’s are used everywhere else. Both systems have been out there for quite some time but Mac has just not got the point to be compatible with all… Companies have proprietary software and vanilla out of the box software that will not work with Mac’s. If they want their share of the market they need to get off the high horse they have put themselves on and stop the juvenile marketing. Instead, use the energy to create great systems that will be compatible and ease of use for end users. That is my two cents worth…
I’m sorry but your “tech guru” is either paid by Microsoft or is one of the usual Windows IT zombies who only get away from their game/computer screens long enough to attend the latest MIcrosoft Developers Conference.
“Apple is flashy, but still more trouble than it’s worth for basic computing tasks”??? What year is this guy living in 1995?
More and more I see Directors of Engineering sporting Macs at conference tables and it seems the only ones buying Windows only machines are those who buy their computers at Wal-Mart for writing emails to mom and those same IT weenies.
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Jonathan Blum’s review on Basecamp:
“What started out as amazingly easy gradually became costly and complex.”
Jonathan Blum’s review of Google Apps:
“Cheap software can become pricey when the learning curve eats into your business’s productivity. ”
Jonathan Blum’s review of Apple Macs:
“Apple is flashy, but still more trouble than it’s worth for basic computing tasks.”
There are multiple comments here questioning Jonathan Blum’s tech credentials. Blum’s review of Basecamp, Google Apps, Macs all follow the same pattern – appreciation of some of the neat features, but confused over some of the tech features. Basecamp is confusing, Google Apps is confusing Macs are confusing, etc. Ridiculous!