Well colour me surprised when after some serious talk with a variety of places, that a mac based business was going to be the better choice. This is in part due to the Intel chip innovation that Apple recently took on.
See, until recently it was a case of do you spend the extra money for a mac, or remain PC compatible? Virtual PC for mac was a chugging piece of crap that had to emulate a PC environment to work. No more!
With the duo core intel chip and BOOTcamp, a mac can be partitioned off on the hard-drive to run both mac and PC software. You get all the benefits of mac while being able to PC software when you need it. The battle for the personal computer just go interesting, and the options for small businesses have increased.
Now most of my friends will be able to tell you how much I love mac computers. When I was kid I grew up with an Apple IIc and IIe. I learnt to program in apple basic when I was younger along with logos. Then the PC revolution struck and I got sort of left behind a bit.
But Apple have come into their own now. Their laptops and desktop computers aren't up to date with PCs - they are far ahead. Apples are all wireless ready, with built in networking and design capability. As several people told me during my research, in three years time I'd be needing to upgrade the PC as it slowed down - while my apple iMac will still be as reliable and up-to-date as it was the day I bought it.
Apple really is all about future-proofing.
Sure there will be even bigger and snazzier apples in three years time - but they don't devalue your existing computer. Look at the brouhaha that broke out in the states earlier this year when a school offered to sell its old apple ibooks. These were ibooks that were nearly five years old, and people got hospitalised in the clamour to get one.
Normally if you say "I have an old laptop selling for $50 US" most people say "what's wrong with it." But tell them it's an apple and they leap at the chance to pick the thing up.
Heck, even here in Wellington I've noticed a growing increase in ibooks and powerbooks. At iplay a large number of people who log on to the laptop network are using apples. At university most of the psychology department uses apples. Walk down the street, and most people with a laptop infront of them will have the unmistakable white apple ibook.
The PC will always be around, it has a lot of things going for it. But the apple is strengthening its position as the must-have computer. Much like Sony overtook the old favourites with the Playstation - to the point that even the xbox 360's sales are doing okay, but are being stifled by people waiting to see what sony is going to release - apple has managed to make having a computer somehow a lot more "cool."
iPod was just the warning volley, a clever business strategy to generate the money needed to build up the business. Now with apple working on producing the ultimate wireless home system that integrates television, computer, ipod, stereo and more - expect to see Mac continue to grow in popularity.
Sure, we used to not have the games. But now with BOOTcamp, there is a serious possibility that mac users will be able to just play them straight off their macs.
But coming back to my business issue, what this all meant when I looked at the cost of the computer we'd need to run everything we wanted in PC terms, the saving was minimal - and there was the issue that it wouldn't be able to handle the design software we wanted to use as efficiently as a mac.
Then there was the reality that in a few years time I'd need to be replacing the system or upgrading it.
On the other hand, I could by the mac and it was all ready to run everything we needed for only a hundred or so more. It would last for a long time and would be able to remain the central computer for the business for several years. I plan to upgrade the system to a powerbook laptop once the business is underway - and because of the design of the iMac, it would still be able to link up to any later peripherals and still run them fine.
In the end, spending that extra few hundred now would save us thousands in the future. Plus with BOOTcamp, if any mac compatibility issues arose, we could switch the system to PC software for those jobs that would require it.
Two computers for the price of one, and both at a better level than if I had just bought PCs.
Fantastic!
So stand back, and prepare for the new mac invasion! :)
Love and Huggles
Conan
Currently Reading:Nine Worlds
Currently Playing: Unknown Armies - To Go; Exalted
Mood: Ready to take on the business world... kind of anyway
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