macs

IE market shares slip under 70 percent; Windows drops below 90 percent

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:03:21 -0500

Internet Explorer's market shares dipped below 70 percent for the first time in the wake of the launch of Google's Chrome web browser, and slightly better showings for Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox web browsers. Internet Explorer 8, which is still in development, isn't expected to turn the tide. This is due to its higher penetration in corporations, which is always slower to change.

At the same time, the market share of Microsoft's Windows operating system plummeted to just below 90 percent of the market. This is a figure not seen since Windows 3.11 (a 15-year low, according to TG Daily). This is in sharp contrast to the peak of 97.5 percent from 2002 to 2003.

The figure comes from a company called Net Applications Inc., which monitors a number of websites for systems powered by Windows. Of course, Net Applications' executive vice president of marketing, Vince Vizzaccarro, noted that the slip in November could be attributed to the higher than average number of non-work days, which could skew the figures toward Macs at home as opposed to the Windows PCs in the office.

More troublesome for the Redmond-based company perhaps, is the fact that the slow gains by Windows Vista do not appear sufficient to regain ground lost by Windows XP, as well as older versions of Windows operating systems. Perhaps this helps to explain Microsoft's apparent effort to accelerate the launch of Windows 7, as well as allowing the venerable Windows XP to be prolonged for Netbook makers.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at TG Daily
- check out this article at ComputerWorld
- check out this article at CNNMoney

Apple bumps iMac to 3.06Ghz

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:51:51 -0400

There's been a lot of talk of Macs in the enterprise lately, so now seems as good a time as any for Apple to unleash an updated version of the iMac, its low-end, all-in-one desktop. This year's iMac tops off with a $2,200, 24" model that boasts a 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo, a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics card with 512MB video RAM, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage. If that's too rich for your blood, there are more pedestrian models as well, which start at $1,200, all of which sport 6MB of L2 cache and a 1066 MHz front-side bus. Wondering what that mysterious 3.06Ghz Core 2 Duo is? While it was initially believed to be the first Montevina in the wild, it turns out that it's just an overclocked Penryn that is apparently exclusive to Apple, at least for the moment.

For more on the new machines:
- see this press release

More Mac attacks on the way

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

It's likely that Apple's Macintosh computers are headed for more malware attacks, according to some recent predictions. Sophos, a computer security firm, recently surveyed 355 Mac computer users about the potential for attacks. It found that 93 percent of them expect an increase in malware threats, a jump from 79 percent in 2006.

Since the Mac has been relatively free of attacks in the past, it's inevitable that attackers will turn their sights on such a prized target. The first area to be hit? According to Sophos, it's likely to be financial sites where hackers will infiltrate Apple's software and hardware. And what can the CIO do to protect his system? Stay alert and look into every attack. And if you start spotting more attacks on Macs, get ready to deploy some technology to fight it.

For more on this new hack threat:
- See this InformationWeek article

Macs in the enterprise not welcomed by CIOs

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

With sales of Macs surging, you can bet that these computers, once only seen in advertising and graphics companies, are making progress in the enterprise. Apple sold 36 percent more Macs in the second quarter than during the same quarter last year. As exciting as this may sound, it could prove a mixed blessing for CIOs. Bryan Bowers at Bowers Technologies in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., says that his clients have had problems with strong network security on the Mac. Much of it can be traced to signed server message block connections. He also said that his clients have trouble connecting to network printers from a Mac.

For all the details on Apple in the enterprise:
- see the article in ComputerWorld

Making the switch to the Mac

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

It might be an expensive and painful switch from Windows to Macintosh world, especially for smaller businesses, but some businesses believe that the effort is well worth it. Not only is it cheaper in the long run, but security is better, Macs tend to be easier to use, and interoperability is improved. Advancements in the Mac operating system, along with software and hardware compatibility, make this a reasonable time to consider a switch. SMBs are finding that it costs less than expected to switch to Apple and is less disruptive than anticipated. Productivity gains also are significant, far outweighing staff retraining costs and effort. Plenty of business software also exists today for the Mac, a change from years' past. In addition, there are huge libraries of open source programs that work on a Mac.

Read more about migrating to the Mac:
- read the article at TechNewsWorld

ALSO:
- read this on whether Mac OS is ready for the enterprise
- and this on enterprises considering a move to the Mac

Is the Mac OS ready for prime time in the enterprise?

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

With its stellar (in comparison to Microsoft) reputation in both security and reliability, more enterprises are beginning to consider moving to Mac OS X. Factors that have helped include Apple's move to Intel architecture, the inclusion of infrastructure and interoperability hooks like directory services in Mac OS X Server, dual-boot (and even triple-boot) capabilities, clustering and storage technology, third-party software and costs that compare more favorably to Windows and Linux-based systems. And Apple's other features are also proving interesting to companies, like Mac OS X Server, which provides file and print, cross-platform management, security and collaboration features; and Apple's Xsan and Xgrid storage networking and clustering options. But enterprises are thinking long and hard--a move to the Mac requires a major shift in technology and resource allocation, not to mention fighting conventional corporate wisdom, which has long held that Macs are more difficult to support.

Learn more about how to evaluate a move to the Mac for your enterprise:
- read the article at CIO Today

ALSO: read this on enterprises considering a move to the Mac

Enterprises consider a move to the Mac

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Long considered the domain of die-hard Apple fans and organizations focused on creativity, Macs are becoming a real consideration for organizations of all types. Part of the reason is Apple's consistent defense against the viruses and malware that have plagued Windows-based PCs for years. In addition, many corporate applications have been ported to W3-compliant Web services that are operating system-agnostic and perhaps more importantly, the Mac platform has moved to Windows-compatible Intel chips, which are cheaper and more powerful than older PowerPC processors. Mac enterprise administration has also has become more mainstream and inter-operable with Microsoft's active Directory. In short, it's a completely viable alternative for enterprises today. In general, there is little difference between Apple's enterprise and consumer PCs, so you can't go too wrong. All of Apple's machines are ready to move into the enterprise, depending on the job at hand. It's a simple and elegant product lineup, highly customizable, and will be Apple's seed into the business market--if IT decision-makers can get over their prejudice against equipment that's traditionally been aimed at consumers.

To learn more about the pros and cons of moving to the Mac:
- read the blog at Digit

Editor's Corner

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:01:40 -0500

Apple's still fighting for the enterprise market
The very first computer system I worked on was called a varityper and it was the epitome of clunkiness. My first 'true' PC was an Apple and I fell in love with the machine immediately. Ever since then I've often been the lone voice in the wilderness calling for more Macs in the workplace. But the thundering adoption of PC-based systems, software and tools has continually overwhelmed my pathetic cries for my PC of choice. That's why an article over at Newsfactor today caught my attention. The piece discusses how, despite the saturation of Microsoft in business, Apple hasn't given up on its quest to grab a piece of the enterprise pie. It seems that the dawn of Vista has more than a few companies reviewing their operating platforms and systems and that some businesses are considering the Apple option. It's music to my ears, but I'm not so sure about most cost-centric IT leaders. Let me know if you think its probable for Apple to move into the enterprise space anytime soon. -Judy