Mac at Work

Apple published a web page showcasing the advantages of Mac at work. Macs are great home computers, great student computers, partly because the simplicity of home and school environments allowed Macs to be judged by its own virtues. It's not the case at work. Work environments contain lots of peripherals, databases, and devices that interoperability poses serious problems. Apple is excellent at Apple device interoperability, but often doesn't work with other technologies. Despite all the advantages Apple showcased, Mac at work is still a tough topic to talk about.

Currently, there are several classes of people who used Macs consistently at work. Graphic designers and app developers used Macs for obvious reasons. Macs also have some popularity with managers that may leave interoperability issues to IT. Better interoperability is clearly the way to go for Macs to be more workplace friendly.

There are several issues. The simplest is peripherals like printers. Because Apple is not a dominant force in workplace computing, there is little incentive for printer vendors to develop drivers for Macs. Often printer determines the choice of computer, ironically. Paperless office is a solution, but expensive. The main improvement likely has to come from Apple partnerships that guarantee interoperability.

At a deeper level, Microsoft Office is serious trouble for Macs, because its document rendering is slightly different from PC versions. Google Workspace may be a cross-platform alternative, but its functionality is limited. Until Apple comes up with a effective strategy against Microsoft Office, there seems little hope that Macs can seriously challenge PCs.

The sector that Apple may quickly improve is business people who don't rely on Microsoft Office. They read reports prepared in PDF by subordinates, prefer user experience to interoperability, and appreciate apps like Keynote. There is a obstacle for Apple. Enterprise services often require Windows to work. The solution is likely cross-platform web apps. If Apple can make enterprise services deliver via web apps at low cost, there is significantly more sound reasons for Mac at work. Windows Server is formidable, but it's not insuperable, and certainly even IT people may dislike the Windows Server enterprise framework.

There is place for Mac at work. Let's see if cross-platform apps and interoperability may transform the workplace, for better.