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Business Justification for Mac’s in the Workplace

Posted by on Dec 26, 2011 in SEO, SEO Industry, Uncategorized | 9 comments

Every company I’ve ever worked for has issued PCs to their employees. I hate it. They are ugly, they break, they get viruses, they are slow, the operating system is terrible… PCs drive me nuts!

I don’t know how IBM sold their horrible line of ThinkPads to every major corporation in the world, but they did. And now, like a decedent from a sinful race, we are all forced to live in a PC based culture which is frankly poison to everyone and everything that it touches.

Now I present to you, “Business Justification for MacBook’s in the Workplace”

  1. Your MacBook doesn’t need an antivirus program
  2. Your MacBook won’t die during a presentation
  3. Your MacBook won’t make you feel like a fool when you are in a meeting with a creative agency
  4. Your MacBook won’t give you back problems, because you won’t be lugging around an 8lb brick
  5. Your MacBook doesn’t need to be rebooted 6 times a day
  6. Your MacBook’s operating system gets better when new versions are released
  7. Your MacBook wirelessly syncs to your iPhone – which should be standard issue as well
  8. Your MacBook let’s your AirDrop files easily to nearby computers
  9. Your MacBook has a built in camera for video conferencing
  10. Your MacBook easily connects to new wireless networks without the need to fiddle with IP properties
  11. Your MacBook lets you multi-task without things grinding to a halt
  12. Your MacBook doesn’t have a loud fan pumping out heat from a poorly designed motherboard
  13. Your MacBook has a search feature that actually locates files
  14. Your MacBook makes employees happy

If you have 100 employees and you can improve an average of 8 minutes of productivity a day with the above benefits… At an agency bill rate of $100/hr. you can save $297,000*/year. If a fully featured MacBook cost $2,900 each, you’ve just saved enough money in productivity to justify a new computer for each employee in your company.

*223 working days * 8 minutes a day = 1,783 additional minutes / 60 minutes = 29.73 hours * 100 employees = 2,973 hours * $100/hr = $297,000 in cost savings

  • http://twitter.com/TofSalcedo Tof Salcedo

    Thanks Dan. It’s actually very common for people who haven’t use a mac that it’s expensive, the thing they don’t realize is that they may cost a bit more but the benefits, the productivity that goes with it is invaluable. Like you said, they may even save  a lot of money in the long run.

    And yes I agree and its fact that a Mac makes employees happy. :)

    • http://twitter.com/dancristo Dan Cristo

      Hey Tof,
      Exactly. Macs usually have a higher price tag, but the productivity benefits outweigh the costs in the long run through efficiency. Funny thing is these crappy thinkPad’s aren’t cheap either. Especially when you factor in replacement parts. 

      I thought that corporations would save big money buying in bulk, and they do, but the IT folks say thinkpads are not that much cheaper than macs.

      Usually it comes down to policy, switching costs and IT not being able to support Macs as well as windows.

  • http://www.socialsavvygeek.com Laura E. Pence

    I switched to Mac years ago. My company is all Apple all the time. Can you imagine someone from a Social Media Marketing Agency called Social Savvy Geek showing up with a PC? Me either. 

    • http://twitter.com/dancristo Dan Cristo

      Sadly, I can. ’nuff said. :)

  • http://twitter.com/dino_dogan Dino Dogan

    ahhhhh, so, is Mac a new version of Microsoft? If so, I want it! :-p

    • http://twitter.com/dancristo Dan Cristo

      yeah. In a way they are.  Except, Microsoft is really the new version of Microsoft.

  • http://twitter.com/benbarden Ben Barden

    Ideally, employees should be able to choose the platform they feel comfortable with. I’m most comfortable with Windows.

    When I started working for a digital agency, I chose Linux. I wanted to learn it. I hadn’t used it before. A little over a year later, I decided to go back to Windows. I simply didn’t enjoy using Linux.

    I do think it’s vital for tech staff to know the basics of Windows / Mac / Linux – it’s not always needed but it’s a good skill to have. And if you try each platform for yourself, you can make an informed decision as to which one you like using.

    I know people who are happy with Windows, those who are happy with Linux, and those who are happy with Mac OS. I know people who have switched to a Mac and never looked back, along with those who have tried the Mac only to move back to Windows. Different people feel comfortable with different things :)

    What makes me happy is having a high spec laptop with the OS of my choice. I love my iPad, but still feel happier with Windows than Mac OS.

    • http://twitter.com/dancristo Dan Cristo

      Hey Ben,
      Great points. I actually agree with you in theory that each employee should be allowed to use whatever OS they like. Of course that’s a nightmare for IT. So they needed to put everyone on a single platform to scale.

      The sad thing is that switching costs are very high for large companies. Now only that, but the majority of employees aren’t used to Mac’s and they’ll get frustrated and will actually be less efficient because of it. 

      But there are companies, like Laura’s for example that made the switch early on for obvious reasons. I just wish my company would do that so I wouldn’t have to be PC by day and Mac by night. 

      Of couse I bring my Mac to the office as well, but it’s such a pain to hook up to the network – I need to call security and get a new password every time. 

      It is interesting that you favor PC over Macs. I guess we’ll wait and see what the new generation of OSs offer in the next few years.

  • Anonymous

    I didn’t realize that my PC made  me UNhappy until we switched. Now whenever somebody asks me to fix their PC (oddly this happens quite often) I think, “Wow, this takes forever to boot up. It’s so loud. Yikes.”

    My Mac makes me happy :)