PowerPC Bows Before Intel Lord
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Surprisingly, most businesses may not. Forrester Research recently released Mac processor data in its report "Enterprise Desktop and Web 2.0/SAAS Platform Trends, 2007." The analyst firm surveyed 50,000 users from 2,300 companies month-by-month in 2007.
Among businesses, the majority of Macs used PowerPC processors in January. By December, more than two-thirds of business Macs were Intel-based. That's a surprisingly fast conversion. Granted, the base of users is smaller and potential conversion cost is less burdensome when replacing, say, five Macs compared with 5,000 PCs.
Forrester gave no reason for the rapid conversion, but I'd bet money on the allure of Intel processors. There are perceived IT management benefits—and not necessarily real ones—about running the fleet of PCs on the same microprocessor.
Then there is Windows, which Intel Macs can run separately with BootCamp or concurrently with virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop. Whatever the reason, the rapid conversion—and that means new hardware sales for Apple—again affirms the good business sense behind the Intel processor switch.
Compare the situation to Windows Vista, whose system requirements are so onerous, most businesses are forced to upgrade or replace hardware before adoption. Cost factors aside, there are psychological differences between a forced upgrade and one done by choice. Some IT managers may show the emotional range of Cylons, but they're still human beings with emotions. Good feelings absolutely impact the purchasing decision process. Technology firms can deny this, but they're the ones in denial.
