[991brothers]

Hey bimmerpost,

I am opening up a new office and have been thinking about getting iMacs for our computers. Do you feel that they are better for business or should I stick with the same old PC?

Thanks in advanced

[kscarrol]

I use a PC at work and an iMac at home. For productivity related software such as Excel or Word, the iMac now uses an Intel processor so files can easily be used on either the Windows or Mac versions of these programs. Macs are generally considered better for graphics but I have no experience to back that up.

[gtron]

ppl like shiny stuff so maybe your employees will think it's "neat".

if all employees are doing more than 50% media like music and graphics then i would say go for it.

otherwise my thoughts are: spend more, do less.

[2011CrazE89]

We use PC's but our marketing department uses Macs.

[davis449]

PC's hands down. Macs are shiny toys and best left for home use. That's the way I see it after 15 years in IT. Before the Apple fanboys start in on me, sorry, your Macs are not the "Graphic Design Gods" they used to be back in the Motorola\IBM days. Also, PC's are easier to deal with support wise. Don't think so? Try finding good business Mac support when you need it. It's hard to find. My dept. (supporting proprietary web apps for healthcare as well as 3rd party add-ons we use with them) has 1 Mac guy. Wanna know why? Hardly anyone in the business world think Macs are important. Dispute it with bullshit anecdotal evidence (Mac fanboys love to do this) all you want...the facts are the facts. Apple's place in the business world: iPhones and iPads. That's pretty much it. Wanna know why? They're shiny toys that make executives and other middle management feel special and important under the guise of ease-of-use. Final word: Yes, you can get shiny, pretty all-in-one in a PC. There are several manufacturers that make iMac-like designs that are simple and effective. So no, you don't need a Mac for that purpose either.

[P1]

I'd say buy PCs; easier to support and cheaper. Plus most people are used to Windows operating systems.

[bkM3]

i dont know what kind of business you have but i would make sure that all your programs are compatible with mac. i use a cloud based software that only works with internet explorer so i wouldnt be able to use macs (not that i would want to anyway!)

[jlstyle]

PC without a doubt unless it's for show.

[zx10guy]

Not to mention, it's well known in the networking circles that Apple's Bonjour is the bane of any network administrator. Various network equipment manufacturers have had to come up with specific work arounds to keep Bonjour from causing problems with the rest of the network.

[NEFARIOUS]

I don't have anything against Mac, but PC is more user-friendly for those with generalized computer skills since even though it's picking up, Macs are still somewhat of a minority and has a learning curve for those who are used to PCs, and problems are easier to repair and diagnose in PCs. If it's all about trendiness, then Mac it is. If you're doing video editing, Apple's Final Cut Pro is better than Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas.

[954Stealth]

Go with PC .... It's the workhorse of the workforce and most people you'll be hiring to fill the office will already be familiar with the interface.
Perhaps front desk/reception/whatever you call it can have the Mac since it is much more aesthetically pleasing

[MrPrena]

Originally Posted by P1et

I'd say buy PCs; easier to support and cheaper. Plus most people are used to Windows operating systems.

+1 on that

[DemolitionJim]

PC's for everyone but the art department, they get Macs.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by NavidM3E92

Hey bimmerpost,

I am opening up a new office and have been thinking about getting iMacs for our computers. Do you feel that they are better for business or should I stick with the same old PC?

Thanks in advanced

What does your office do? What tasks are being done with the computers?

[four7]

There is no hardware benefit to buying an Apple. Both are a PC, both use the same chips, drives, graphics. Unless you absolutely positivity have to run Apple only software, or you have extra cash to spend on a pretty computer. The old "mac's are better for graphics" has been obsolete since they dropped the PPC in 2005. So buy the PC with better specs for a cheaper price.

[WreckerX5d]

Originally Posted by four7

There is no hardware benefit to buying an Apple. Both are a PC, both use the same chips, drives, graphics. Unless you absolutely positivity have to run Apple only software, or you have extra cash to spend on a pretty computer. The old "mac's are better for graphics" has been obsolete since they dropped the PPC in 2005. So buy the PC with better specs for a cheaper price.

I've been saying this for a while. Some people can't understand this concept.

Just get a Windows 7 OS PC's and be done with it.

[Wah]

I had the opportunity to choose a management software, and the one I liked best was mac-based, so I decided to bite the bullet and go all-mac. There are pros and cons to running Apples in the office. The biggest pro by far is that I have not needed an IT guy other than to set up the server in the very beginning. Even that I probably could have done myself if I had the time... networking is fairly simple with macs, especially if you are doing things over wlan. The few issues I've had have been easy to troubleshoot myself, and over all, they have been trouble free. Everything just works. I can't say the same for my windows PCs at home... which always find ways to piss me off.

One huge con to owning macs in a business is that Apple drops support of older OS's and machines fairly quickly. At some point, your computers will not be able to run the latest Mac OS. Unlike, PCs, you cannot easily just upgrade parts to make it work. If you use a particular software that constantly gets updated, you will have to change all your machines when the software requires an OS version that does not run on your older mac. Windows recently dropped support of XP, but it was supported by MS for about 12 years. My 2008 Macs, on the other hand, only lasted about 4 (maybe less) before apple orphaned them. If you run the same programs that need no updates, then this is probably not a big deal.

[danniexi]

I'm an apple fanboy, but even I know that PC is much better for business. They cost less, they are less headache from an IT perspective, and compatibility won't be an a issue when everyone else is on a PC format as well.

Apple only recently teamed up with IBM to dive in to the enterprise world, but it'll be years before they can make any sort of impact against the PC dominated industry.

[UncleWede]

Couldn't you just spend all the extra money to buy the Apple hardware and then drop Win7 on it to do the work???

[grieverr]

Macs are still not optimal for an enterprise solution. Again, the question is, what re your computing needs in this office? How many will you be buying? @davis449 (post 5) said it best.

I'll tell you from personal experience, a few years ago I was working on a project to try and convert a branch of a company to Macs. This is a huge financial company and was a potential big deal if it worked. But alas, it did not and the project was eventually scrapped. Cost was a reason as well as ease of use (in regards to support).

I also worked in healthcare IT for a long time and can agree that doctors love their ipads and iphones. But the apps they use are running on software and databases in large server farms.

If you're talking about a small office and need 5 computers for office personnel, then maybe Macs will suit you fine.

[991brothers]

Thanks for all the input. As we got done setting up the office my partner and I decided to just go with PC's since Macs arent user friendly for everyone. Eventually we might upgrade just for the processor.

[SoCalS2k]

Apple