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Macs in the enterprise: 6 stats every IT purchaser needs

opinion
Jun 20, 20194 mins
AppleSmall and Medium BusinessWindows

If you run a business and are looking for a way to boost productivity, reduce costs, and improve employee retention, these statistics prove Macs are for you.

A MacBook running macOS Catalina.
Credit: Apple

CIOs across the planet spend a lot of time wishing for unicorns.

“If only there were a technology solution that could reduce costs and boost productivity,” they cry to the great executive bonus gods sitting high in their capitalist sky.

Get a Mac

Times have changed since Apple’s hugely popular Get a Mac ads encouraged so many Windows using iPod users to make the switch.

Millions did, Mac marketshare climbed, Apple introduced iPhone, and Steve Jobs got cross. Now the company sells the most advanced smartphone in the world, and it doesn’t even snap.

You even find Macs in the enterprise.

So, if you happen to run a business and are seeking a way to boost productivity, reduce costs, and probably improve employee retention (which will also reduce costs), I have good news for you.

I’ve come across a solutions provider that can generate the following responses from users:

  • 79% of users couldn’t be as efficient with anything else.
  • 89% say applications are easier to use.
  • 74% experienced fewer issues on the system when compared to others.
  • 40% experienced no issues at all.
  • 94% of employees are more likely to join or stay with a company that gives them a choice.
  • 85% of employees say using this platform makes them more productive.

What platform do you think they are talking about?

Everything seems to be better with a Mac

This is the Appleholic blog, so you can’t be too surprised that these glowing statistics are being shared here.

Nor, I suppose, should you accept these claims uncritically, though they do emerge from an international Jamf survey across 1,500 Mac users in enterprises, so they seem to have some significance.

The data also delved into different industries.

That means we know that IT and human resources departments are more likely to agree that Mac apps are easier to use than apps on other computers.

It also means we know that 87% of engineering professionals feel the same way.

And over 90% of the survey group said Macs make you more productive, more creative, and more autonomous when it comes to handling the technology. They also help improve collaboration.

(Though it does seem a shame you must carry so many different dongles and cables in these days of transition between USB, USB-C, and Lightning.)

You could dismiss these statistics, but I don’t see why.

It is not as if they are unique. Macs always made people feel happier and more productive, but these days this extends to enterprise usage, too.

Want more proof? Look at the stats here, here, and here. Read what IBM, Salesforce, and Cisco have to say. SAP agrees.

Just like Get a Mac

We know the PC market is soft.

We also know there will always be a perception that Macs are more expensive.

It’s a perception that endures. It’s hard to deny the higher sticker price on the box, despite the platform’s many built-in apps, system longevity, industry-leading customer satisfaction, security, and regular software updates.

It’s a difficult argument to make, I suppose.

While 98% of Fortune 500 firms already use iOS devices. Apple wants them to deploy Macs to their business, too – particularly as they seek to replace those aging Windows 7 machines.

I guess the latest Jamf data supports the attempt, particularly as three out of four enterprise workers choose a Mac when they get the choice.

If only there were a winning argument Apple could point to with which to support its charm offensive on enterprise IT.

Perhaps some data that suggests Macs boosts productivity and creativity and also reduce running costs in terms of tech support and employee retention.

Here it is.

(Or will be once Jamf posts it).

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.

jonny_evans

Hello, and thanks for dropping in. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Jonny Evans, and I've been writing (mainly about Apple) since 1999. These days I write my daily AppleHolic blog at Computerworld.com, where I explore Apple's growing identity in the enterprise. You can also keep up with my work at AppleMust, and follow me on Mastodon, LinkedIn and (maybe) Twitter.