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Ben Parr over at Mashable recently posted an excellent article on what the return of Steve Jobs may or may not mean to Apple.

Two events recently motivated me to revise my 2007 article entitled Mac vs PC: Why so many businesses are switching to Macs.

The first prompting came from a conversation I found myself engaged in with a friend  in which we debated the merits of overall effectiveness of Apple Computers over that of PC’s for use in business.  His position being that Apple Computers are not open source.  Now I’m not an IT guy but as far as I know Apple was the first major computer company to make Open Source development a key part of its ongoing software strategy.

The second thing that prompted me was a visit to one of the Starbucks on University of Pennsylvania’s campus.  I counted 7 laptops being used while I was there.  Six were Macbooks, and only one was a PC.  Now, I’m a common sense sort of guy and common sense tells me that when one computer platform becomes wildly popular with the leaders of tomorrow that computer platform will likely become the leading computer platform of tomorrow.

Casting common sense to the wind still, an increasing number of operations, both small and large are taking a calculated look at Apple Computers and deciding to run their business operations on a Mac. There are many reasons businesses are turning away form PC’s and to Apple Computers to cure their computer blues. In this article I’ll share what I feel are two of the main reasons businesses are switching to Apple computers to run their businesses.

Top 2 reasons businesses are deciding to switch to Apple Computers

1. With the release of it’s Mac OS X lines of Leopard Servers Apple has actually begun to target small businesses.  Apple designed the server preferences with the small business in mind.  The thought being that small businesses often need the features of a server but lack the budget to hire full-time IT staff.  Only Mac OS X Server combines the latest open source technologies with Apple’s industry-leading manageability and ease of use. And because it’s all based on open standards, Mac OS X Server can easily integrate with existing network infrastructures and provides services for mixed-client environments.
2. Big businesses are switching to.  Business people are beginning to realize that Apple computers and it’s Mac OS X (operating system 10) are the most ideal platform for managing their businesses. Surprisingly it’s not just small businesses that are making the big switch to Apple computers. Among the business elite that have switched, at least some of their departments, from PC’s to Apple computers are Home Depot, Goggle, Oracle, and the U.S. White House.  Even social media giant Twitter runs on Apple Computers. And as I’ve mentioned before I run my small business and this blog on a Macbook.

Ok, what’s driving the switch from PC to Mac?  What’s driving it is PC’s to often just don’t work.  The fact is that we all want the same things when it comes to computers. We want our computers to: work every time; be 100% compatible with our enterprise and applications; and have a high degree of immunity to the prevailing threats out of the box. Apple computers represent the best option to accomplishing these things. Consider this small list of Mac facts.

• Macs are built on the worlds most reliable operating system…Unix.
• Apple’s custom operating system OS X isn’t just Unix but, with the exception of its user-interface and management tools code, it’s open-source Unix. Apple integrates and specifically tunes its hardware for an additional 80 open-source projects, such as Apache, MySQL and JBoss for the Mac.
• Your average Macbook user is more secure than their PC counter part.  The software running on a Macbook is more secure because OS X was developed after the widespread adoption of the Internet, so Apple “designed it to be secure by default.
• Most Mac technical support personnel argue that the machines are far simpler to manage than Windows boxes. According to an article in Macworld when Genentech Inc., a multibillion-dollar biotechnology firm in South San Francisco went through a upgrade on both its Mac and Windows systems, one technician could completely upgrade six OS X machines per day, while on the Windows side, one person could complete only two or sometimes three PCs each day. And for the entire company, seven technicians handle nearly 2,500 Macs.
• Macs have a lower TCO (total cost of ownership). Most experts will tell you that the difference between TCO for an equally outfitted PC and Mac are not much different. But when you take into consideration the soft cost of being down and dealing with tech support that’s so widely associated with PC use the Mac blows PC’s away. Not that I would recommend that anyone do this but I have not run virus software on my Macs…ever. Consider this If you own a small business with 10 employees on PC’s what does it cost if you get a virus and only half your employees are down?
• Winn Schwartau, the network security expert whose well-known Mad as Hell series of articles carefully disassembled the truth behind the crumbling Windows infrastructure, conducted a test to determine which TCO (total cost of ownership) is lower that of a PC or a Mac. His reason for conducting the test was to determine if the higher price that Apple charges for it’s Mac computers is justified. He was astonished by the results, “For my small enterprise, owning a WinTel box for three years costs twice as much as owning a MacTel. When I talked with several of our clients, I found that the burdened cost of ownership per PC - just for support - ranged from $1,300 to $4,000 per year.” He now recommends that all small enterprises and home offices migrate completely. You can read Schwartau complete article by clicking here.

All Apple computers can run multiple OS systems. Yes, in case you’ve had your head stuck in the sand for the year or so all Apple computers can run Windows operating systems simultaneously with Apple’s OS X operating system. Apple has effectively eliminated any reason that a person needs to purchase a PC.

I could go on but the fact of the matter is that personal computer choices are just that…personal. However the choice for businesses is far more logical and calculated. Businesses seriously consider things like TCO, security, and down time. If you evlauate Mac vs. PC and are honest with your answers you will likely find that you can get many of your enterprise endpoints more secure than ever for a lot less than you thought and decrease your down time to boot (no pun intended).

Finally I think there is a 3rd reason businesses are swithing to Apple Computers.  Steve Job’s strategy to rope in young comupter users and indoctrinate them is working.  My daughter is 12 and wants more than anything a cool Apple computer…and I plan to get her one.  The idea of influencing the influencers of tomorrow is smart, brillant…at least I think so.  Not long from now the kids I saw last week just kicking back a Starbucks on their Macbooks will soon be department heads, CEO’s and entrepreneurs.  Many of them did not just start using Macs, their parents used them at home.  By the time they reach the working world they would have logged thousands of hours in on their cool Macbook Air’s.  Instead of switching to PC’s I think they will find ways to incorporate Apple Computers into their working environments.

What do you think?

Twitter uses Mac Computers

Back in 2000, due to problems I was having with my Dell, I moved all my computing needs both business and personal to a Mac.  My first Mac was a PowerBook G4.  Today business people and entrepreneurs are quickly beginning to understand what many Mac users have known for years, that Apple computers can not only handle virtually every business application a PC can handle, but also provide a more stress-free computing experience.

Here are 10 things every business owner should know about Mac Computers.

1.  Today’s Macs are more intuitive and stable than PCs running Windows Vista or XP, and they can even run Windows applications.

2.  Mac users also worry less while surfing the web, since the Mac OS X operating system is not susceptible to spyware or viruses.  I have not run virus protection or any type of spyware on any of my Mac’s….ever.

3.  Apple computers come with a Mac Genius:  A Mac Genius is a Mac experts who speaks in layman’s terms and is knowledgeable about the Apple products. Every Mac comes with 60 days of free technical support by phone or in person.  Apple’s technical support (for those who pay for the optional AppleCare program), which features unlimited in-person or telephone support from  Apple has virtually eliminated long hold times for telephone support and welcomes users to receive in-person support or repairs at any Apple Store.  Recently I stopped into my local Apple store to get some help with building a database to manage my prospects and customers.

4.  Making the move from PC to Mac is easy:  Apple also now offers a free service that will transfer all of your existing PC data to a new Mac when it’s purchased at an Apple Store. For an additional $99 a year, Apple will provide one-on-one training on any Mac to get new users up to speed on the differences between the Windows and the Mac OS X operating system.

5.  No need for a PC:  Recent hardware upgrades now allow Macs to run Windows XP or Vista, meaning that if a Mac version of a popular business application isn’t yet available, the user can run the Widows version without experiencing slow processing speeds or other hassles.

6.  Microsoft Office runs on Mac:  Undoubtedly the number one question I get from those tinkering with the idea of coming over to Mac is …..”does it run Microsoft Office”.  Yes, Microsoft Office runs on a Mac.

7. You can share files with PC users:  Compatibility issues with data and files created on a PC vs. a Mac have been virtually eliminated, making it possible for PC and Mac users to communicate and operate better together in a work environment.

8.  You can count your pennies on a Mac: Popular money management applications that were once available exclusively to Windows users, like Quicken,QuickBooks, are also now Mac compatible.

9.  Free Stuff: While Macs come with dozens of useful applications built in (including the iLife ‘08 suite of programs), Apple’s website offers a download section, which allows users to download shareware or 30-day free trial versions of thousands of first- and third-party software applications, including many popular business applications.

By trying software before purchasing it, users can determine which applications are best suited to meet their unique computing needs. Any Mac OS X software application will run on any current iMac or MacBook, so there’s no need to worry about matching up system specifications, processor speeds, sound card or graphics card compatibility.

10.  It’s easy to stay connected: BlackBerry, Palm Treo, Windows Mobile or Apple iPhone users can also sync data between popular Mac applications and their mobile devices using first- and third-party software, such as Mark/Space’s Missing Link application ($39.95).

The only way to know if you’re a Mac is right for you is to try one. The sophisticated, ergonomic design of these machines might catch your eye, but the functionality and ease of use that will definitely meet your business computing needs.