Top 10 Reasons to Keep Macintosh Out of Your Business

We have customers ask us many times about the one or two Macs they have in their company. Some are examining whether or not to add more or replace Windows computers with a Mac. After decades in this business and experience with all versions of Mac and Windows, I would say that replacement would be a mistake.
Here are the top reasons for not only not putting in Macs in your business, but also removing the ones you have.

1. Security- I hear many times that the reason you want a Mac in your office is because they're more secure than Windows. There are less viruses and other malware because they are less of a target. I will give them that for that reason alone. Unix, the base that Mac is built on, is not any more secure than any other OS, but Windows does have more malware out there so I can understand why someone would claim such a thing. However, almost no one has a Mac server. Even Apple abandoned the X Serve and just allows you to upgrade a client to a server version lacking many features found in the Windows server version. That means you probably have a Windows server in your network. I can tell you from experience I have lowered the security on many parts of a Windows server so the Mac can communicate with it. That makes your entire network less secure.

2. Support- Apple Care is not only difficult to deal with, it is not well supported on a Windows network. Apple will point the problems back to Microsoft when there is a problem with connectivity or speed. I've gotten more assistance from Microsoft trying to fix these issues than I have from Apple in the past. Apple is so difficult to deal with many vendors looking to sell Apple anything will just avoid them such as happened with the Kinect interface that Microsoft eventually bought and used in Xbox and other applications. When the iPhone had a connectivity problem in version 4, Steve Jobs said you were holding it wrong. Apple rarely claims to have made a mistake despite millions of people saying otherwise.

3. Speed- Connectivity between an Apple Mac and a Windows server is much slower than the same connection with a Windows computer and a Windows server. Why? Buried in the documentation you get with a Mac is a little known statement about this. They don't support anything above 20 Mbs when connecting to SMB Windows shares. You may get more than that, but that's the speed they guarantee. Whenever I do side by side testing, I always get better speed from a Windows client PC to the server than from a Mac. Business owners get that time equals money.

4. Applications- For business, there are many more times the amount of applications for a Windows client than a Mac. Most of the time I see Macs using remote desktop to go into a Windows server or computer in order to run the business applications, and that costs more money and time to support them.The few applications like Adobe and other graphics and video applications people used to justify Macs are now available for Windows and cost much less.

5. Money- Speaking of money, the cost of a Mac is at least double and sometimes more when comparing to a Windows computer. Yes I hear that the TCO is lower due to less viruses but when you add in the lack of support from Apple on a Windows network, the lack of knowledge by Apple employees, the lack of Apple technicians, and the excellent AV that is out there for Windows, I am not seeing this cost savings for my clients of which people speak.

6. Functionality- I hear from many Apple evangelists that Macs don't crash as often and just work better. That may be true for people who have no training. Of course Mac is going to work better for the uninformed. It is way simpler to use. My mom has one and she loves it. If you insist on your employees getting trained to use the high tech equipment you give them, Windows not only work better than Macs due to the above reasons, but Windows PCs will make your business more money. Instead of saying why it is they can't run an application because it doesn't exist on the Mac platform, they can be out selling or consulting. And do you really want employees who refuse or are incapable of being properly trained?

7. The End of Macs?- In the WSJ and other reputable publications, there have been reports that Apple is no longer giving their top people to manage the Mac. Here's one from the Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-how-apple-alienated-mac-loyalists-blm-bsi-20161225-story.html
I have also spoken with an Apple insider, who wants to remain anonymous, and he said that he believes the end is near for Macintosh.

8. Virtualization- You cannot create virtual desktops using the Mac, and you can't make a virtual machine using it legally. You can only legally install Mac SW on a Mac. Since 10% of the PCs in businesses are moving to virtual desktops each year, adding Macs would be a huge mistake since you can't do it.

9. Cloudy- You also can't move Macs to your Azure cloud or take advantage of many application virtualization products that are coming out. Mac is being left in the dust.

10. IT Hates it- Unless you have hired one of the few people who loves Mac in your business (which should make you concerned they don't understand Windows servers), your IT employee or consultant likely hates the fact you have them. You can't control them with Active Directory Group Policies, Mac problems used by untrained staff take up way more time compared to Windows PCs used by staff who understand computers, you have to purchase special licenses to make them work (like remote desktop and other backup products), you have to lower security, you can't push out security updates, and you can't image them in batches using Deployment Services in Windows Server and most other deployment products.

There are so many more reasons to not have a Mac in your business, but I risk making it personal, so I will stop here with some form of my detached dignity hopefully still intact.