For consumers , the Macintosh ’s pelvis quotient is being hammered home with one of the declamatory and most memorable advertising campaigns in Apple history . But the enterprise is n’t getting any of that attention .
Despite being roundly ignored , embodied America seems to be perking up its collective capitulum a bit to some of Apple ’s new product . The society ’s switch to x86 processors , though elbow room too long in coming by some accounts , has open doors to some enterprise accounts that otherwise would have remained shut . business organization that make the switch to Apple more often than not begin by using Mac desktops and laptops , but many finally fine-tune to the Xserve server program .
When it comes to Apple ’s hardware and software , corporate customers cover being happy campers indeed . But financial support and service of process are another story entirely .
“ I in spades say Apple ’s endeavour support is lacking compared to someone like Sun , which is very good , ” said Andrew Oliver , director of procedure atLiveWorld , a supplier of Web conferencing services for companies include Intel , BEA Systems , Campbell Soup , and eBay . LiveWorld has an Apple data center deployment of about 120 Xserve dual - CPU system .
“ Their baseline support is too weak and is frustrating , ” Oliver said . “ Once we upgraded to their enterprise support program , that meliorate , but anytime you desire to step out of the loge , they almost want to wash off their work force of you . They do need to point up there . ”
That frustration with support , however , has n’t stopped LiveWorld from making a major commitment to work up its infrastructure around Apple equipment during the past few years . A chiefly Sun Microsystems and Solaris house , the ship’s company in 2003 found that it could get more electrical capacity and performance with an Xserve server and Xserve RAID system at a low cost than it was get through its traditional meshing contrivance vendor .
LiveWorld adjudicate to prove one Apple organization and was so pleased with the performance that the company is now in the first place a Apple house , with the vast legal age of its servers , depot and PC deployments now Mac - base .
“ Most of the masses I spill to in the diligence are a little surprised when they line up out about our infrastructure , ” Oliver enounce . “ Our server are host in a commercial-grade data center . Two days ago , we were the only Apples in there . Now , when I take the air around the floor , I see at least a dozen other companies that are using Apple to some level . We are still a little oddball , but I call back lot of other businesses are beginning to see note value in Apple , although for most , taking the plunge to change their whole computer architecture is something they are n’t going to do . ”
Rob Enderle , an analyst at The Enderle Group , say Apple ’s market portion in the endeavour rest nearly nonexistent , with perhaps a 1 percent full penetration . Enderle said barriers include Apple ’s longstanding nemesis — the Wintel platform — the absence of a proven go-ahead route map , tough memories of late Apple drive in the enterprise and the company ’s lack of commitment to the market will likely keep it a bit player in the enterprisingness . According to Enderle , Apple made a bit of an enterprise effort a X ago but “ abandoned ” customers when there was insufficient progress in the market .
“ The initiative market place is a problematic food market to penetrate , ” Enderle said . “ It typically takes a expert chunk of a decade to become a executable vendor , and building up an ecosystem can take a substantive amount of time . The enterprise tends to be a relatively low - margin job , where companies tend to buy in the mid- or bottom line of product offerings . winner in the endeavour is a pain in the target , with foresightful sales cycles , and foresightful product cycles . ”
Charles Smulders , an psychoanalyst at Gartner , said he has seen no existent variety in Apple ’s approach to the enterprise . “ Apple is not pursuing a broad enterprise strategy , ” he enounce . “ Most IT departments remain repellent to introducing Apple because of the cost to support an extra platform . However , overall Apple usage within enterprises may have uprise slightly as part of the ‘ consumerization of IT ’ that has seen consumer , rather than the IT department , have increase influence over driving technology espousal in the enterprise . ”
Apple seems unbiased to its success in the enterprise and allocates most of its resource in terms of advertising dollars , executives dedicated to the market and to its extremely successful consumer efforts . The company sell , on average , more than 10 million iPods per tail .
Not that it ’s doing seriously in computers . For the most late quarter cease in March 2007 , Macs present 56 percent of Apple ’s product revenue , and portable account for 59 percent of all Macs sell . Apple shipped over 1.5 million Macs in amount , and over 10.5 million iPods during the quarter , representing 36 percentage growth in Macs and 24 percent growth in iPods over the year - ago poop .
Still , the companionship ’s on - again / off - again romance with incorporated customer can also be illustrate by the following : Apple ’s public intercourse section provided some assistance for this clause by pointing a writer to relevant entropy on the corporate Web site and by providing a customer contact . But the company correct to cater an executive for an interview and would not respond to e - send questions about its scheme for the enterprise market , abduce committal to other pressing labor .
The general neglect of the enterprise is a tough pill to swallow for some of even Apple ’s heavy supporters , but it ’s a fact of aliveness they have learned to work out around .
“ I just do n’t know that it ’s ever been part of Apple ’s corporate DNA to be a business - addressing company , ” suppose Chip Pearson , better half for strategy and developing atJAMF Software , which makes a suite of products aimed at enabling Mac carrying out in the enterprise . “ Someone I know that work at Apple said it best : ‘ We’lre not drop dead after the go-ahead . The enterprise is come after us . ’ ”
Przemek Wozniak , IT manager at place furniture supplierTayco , routinely auctions showroom furniture . A few years ago , he found a used Xserve system that the Toronto - based company could basically swap for some of its used furniture . Wozniak figured he had little to lose and started the scheme off with some minor undertaking . He now has three Xserve platforms run most of the company ’s connection applications . Tayco will turn over Apple again for future server need , but Wozniak is not ready to commit long term .
“ Apple is one of the more difficult party to mold with , but we did come up a very good adviser , ” Wozniak said . “ We have two IBM servers as well , and to get support is so easy . The account rep will take care of anything for you . living from Apple is really nonexistent . ”
Eric Seiden , a frailty president at wholesale distributor and importerInterState Screw Corp. , has been an Apple client and urge for more than a decennium . But he values flexibility , cost and usability before brand loyalty . InterState has roughly 10 Macs , 10 PCs and 10 Unix AIX car . Some applications , like United Parcel Service ’s shipment software , execute only in a Windows environment , and personal computer are also used for accountancy . Unix systems are used for stock list direction . Seiden turns to Apple for every other user and app that he can .
“ Apples do n’t crash , ” Seiden say . “ There is so small keep needed for Macs that I feel comfortable using them as much a possible . ”
For all his ebullience , however , Seiden uses IBM servers . “ IBM serving is fabled . They do n’t make excuses , ” he state . “ At Apple , they have so few people in the company even maneuver at the enterprise . I ’m really mystified . I do n’t sympathize the system of logic behind it when I conceive there is growing number of multitude like me who would gladly consider Apple for their servers . But as an IT professional , I have a obligation to my business to check that if there is a trouble , I can have spry , quick and gentle answers . ”
New diligence like SWsoft ’s Parallels Desktop for Mac and Apple ’s Boot Camp have made it easier for businesses and institutions to make the replacement to Mac screen background by allowing users to go in either a Mac or Windows environment .
LiveWorld uses Parallels and now has about 85 pct of its engineering science squad on Macs . The squad can now easily test the capacity of any web browser app on one platform instead of having to preserve a miscellany of system , Oliver allege .
“ The move to Intel has really been a positive thing , ” he said . The PowerPC - based PowerBooks “ were underpowered , ” Oliver said . But the Intel - based MacBooks have “ make up that well . It ’s a substantial machine in carrying out , reliableness and rugged ability . It stands up well . ”
Wilkes University in Wilkes - Barre , Pa. , earlier this year became one of the first colleges in the country to make a campuswide electrical switch from Windows - based PCs to Macs . Next month , the university plans to buy approximately 566 Macs , the arcsecond of three such one-year purchases be after in a $ 1.4 million , three - class curriculum , said Michael Salem , CIO at Wilkes .
Apple ’s move to Intel and the liberation of Boot Camp set aside what Salem said he felt was superior price performance and reliability while enable exploiter to operate both Windows and Mac software .
Some of the university staffers and faculty members were apprehensive about the move , he allege .
“ As presently as they find out the word ‘ Apple , ’ they like a shot started worrying about their app and how they ’d pick up to use it , ” Salem said . “ We did a bit of explaining about what Apple is now and how it is really up to them to decide how they require to operate . Now they ’re finding Mac diligence like GarageBand and sustain real delirious about how sluttish it is to create podcasts and multimedia system introduction . ” ”
That undertide of Apple cool and aloofness rest as secure as the continuingMac - versus - PC ad , and some business are finding they can loosen the collar enough to take reward of Apple where possible .
“ Is Apple taking a barb at the endeavour in those advertizement ? Maybe a fiddling , ” said JAMF ’s Pearson . “ It ’s a hearts - and - minds campaign . It ’s a undecomposed start , and I ’d care to see them take after that up with presentment from an go-ahead sales squad . In the pith of every one of those fogyish business guys , they yen to be that young , sarcastic hipster . ”
Sidebar : Leopard more gear to nontechies
Mac OS Server Version 10.5 , code - named Leopard , scheduled for release in October , will in all likelihood have a circumscribed essence on corporate America ’s Apple acceptance level . Leopard is targeted specifically at pocket-sized businesses and workgroups , provide “ even nontechnical exploiter to countersink up and deal ” the program , according tothe company .
That pronounce , Leopard will include some options for IT professionals , include reflex shape for data file and printing machine share-out , as well as more options for e - chain mail , calendar , address Word and backup .
Enderle tell Leopard should also address some interoperability issue , making the Mac operating system able-bodied to more fully mix with Windows .
Tayco ’s Wozniak say he believes an advantage of Leopard will be the consolidation of some novel features such as an open - source calendar and Remote Authentication Dial - In User Service ( spoke ) authentication . RADIUS is intend to work in both local and ramble situations in , for example , Apple ’s AirPort wireless stem station .
LiveWorld ’s Oliver say Leopard is await to improve the ability to add together clump to post waiter .
“ Most of these new features can be done now if you need to do it yourself , but with Leopard Apple is mistreat up to a more racy operating arrangement , ” Oliver said .
