Apple’s Increased Market Share and Presence in the Enterprise

What pops into your head when you think of Apple? The iPod? MacBooks? Or Apple’s increasing popularity in the business world? Well, maybe not the last one, so that’s why we’re going to tell you a little bit about it. Originally, the Mac was seen as a computer only meant for use in the home, not one that really belonged in an office environment. Today, some still see the Mac as a personal device only, and that’s probably because of its heavy emphasis on entertainment (i.e. iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto). However, over the past few years, Apple has been making huge strides in the business world, specifically through its success in the adventurous and inventive arena of entrepreneurial business.

This advancement can be attributed to a number of reasons. For one, entrepreneurs are typically people who start their own companies. Because of this, those entrepreneurs who had used Macs in the home transferred their use into the office environment. The Mac had effectively demonstrated its excellent qualities as a computer at home and so the migration made sense. One of the less obvious reasons for this movement is that the Mac is more geared towards a creative environment than the PC. The sleek, modern design of the Mac seems to embody this fact, along with the ease of use that comes with it. For instance, the Mac is generally more proficient in areas such as graphic design, presentation creation, and publishing, to name a few. Many entrepreneurial businesses thrive in the freedom and the creative environment that the Mac provides.

People have also begun to turn to Apple for their businesses because of the level of malware afflicting Windows. Windows, being the top operating system in professional environments for many years, has always been a bigger target for computer viruses, worms and other sorts of malware. The Mac is commonly known to be more stable and safe against most of the malware that has affected Windows over the years. What many would consider one of the most significant ways that Mac entered the business scene is through their revolutionary Smart Phones. Smart Phones (Palm, Blackberry, etc.) are incredibly useful tools used throughout businesses worldwide. Apple’s iPhone combined this tool with a level of personal entertainment, namely, through combining an iPod with a Smart Phone. In fact, the new iPhone 3G integrates with Microsoft Exchange server, yet another big leap into Enterprise for the iPhone. Additionally, just as Apple has made a very visible entrance into the business world on the hips of millions of business professionals through the iPhone, it has also made a more subtle entrance in the offices of some of those same professionals through their servers, desktops, and laptops. From the business-compatible iPhone to the eye-catching, user-friendly hardware and design of the Mac, Apple has taken a very large step into the world of business.