GE gives employees choice of Macs as Apple makes inroads in enterprise

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014


General Electric's Chief Technology Officer recently said that the company's support of Apple's iPhones and Macs for employees is a recruiting positive that communicates to candidates that it is a "contemporary company," yet another sign that Apple is continuing to grow in the enterprise market.



The Wall Street Journal offered up a profile of the 120-year-old multinational corporation on Wednesday to illustrate a larger trend toward Apple in the Enterprise.



GE has been operating a pilot project testing out Apple's Mac notebooks and desktops for its employees for over a year. According to the report, the company now has about 1,000 Mac users. Given that GE has roughly 330,000 computers, the Mac has plenty of room for growth within the company.



"There is a learning curve, and we recognize that it may not work perfectly yet," Simpson said of the project. "I think it will continue to grow on [employee] demand."



Those numbers, however, could rise quickly once employees are made aware of the program. The company has yet to publicize the Mac option internally, though it is readying the option across all of its divisions.



"All businesses are participating at some level in making this [option] available to their employees," Greg Simpson, GE's chief technology officer, told the Journal.



Employees at the company have been allowed to choose iPhones in addition to Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices since 2008. Currently, about 10,000 GE employees have taken advantage of the opportunity, while about 50,000 employees still use BlackBerrys.



Simpson went on to suggest that recruitment candidates view support for employees Macs and iPhones as an indicator of whether a company is up to date.



"To find out that we support Apple, we support iPhones, we support Macs, it does take away one question for people, 'Are they a contemporary company or not?'" Simpson said. "I think that is a recruiting-positive thing."



Apple is expected to see impressive growth in its device sales to businesses in coming months. Market research company Forrester Research released the results of a survey earlier this month that points to as much as 50 percent growth for Apple this year. According to the report, new "Bring Your Own Device" policies have made IT departments more open to Macs, iPhones and iPads. Forrester expects corporate and government spending on Macs and iPads to increase to $19 billion this year, while PC spending is expected to slide from $71 billion last year to $69 billion in 2012.











A report from last November claimed Apple is seeing increased adoption of its products among enterprise customers now that it has become "easier to work with."



In its most recently quarterly earnings conference call, Apple revealed that 93 percent of the Fortune 500 are deploying or testing the iPhone and 90 percent of them are deploying or testing the iPad.



Some companies have had an easier time adopting the iPad than the Mac. For instance, Boston Scientific Chief Information Officer Rich Adduci told the Journal that it had experienced compatibility problems between its own systems and Macs.



"The reality is they make a terrific product, but there are some compatibility challenges with our corporate computing infrastructure," he said.



However, the company hasn't experienced the same issues with the iPad. According to the report, Boston Scientific, which makes medical devices, partnered with Apple the day after the iPad was released to use the new tablet for sales. The company plans to move entirely to the iPad by the end of the year, the report noted.



"Technically, we will be able to support everything on an iPad," Adduci said.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    shompashompa Posts: 343member
    Companies can save huge money by moving from Windows to Mac. At LM Ericsson (a 100K worker compete when I worked there) IT support for windows required 1 person /10 employee. IT support for UNIX workstations 1 person / 100 employees.



    The uptime on Unix machines are much higher then Windows.



    The traditional price penalty on a Unix workstation and a HP PC is much less today thanks to Apple. The sad thing about Apple is that they have killed its server line. Back in the PPC days Xserve was by far the cheapest RISC server that could be deployed. As an IT consultant I managed to deploy lot of them replacing HPUX/SUN stuff.
  • Reply 2 of 31
    June 2012 : GE's CEO issued today the following press announcement :



    "Following a thorough analysis of all cost items (acquisition, maintenance, etc ..) we have concluded that PCs are no longer competitive. Therefore, with possible justified limited exceptions in identified limited areas (industrial control, measurement devices, etc ..) we will no longer buy any PC, and gradually replace the existing ones by Macs.



    Furthermore, we have concluded with Apple a strategic agreement to address any remaining issues (migration, etc ..) that Apple will coordinate with other subtier suppliers (hardware or software).



    This decision is now effective. It will not only make our employees more productive, but also, as we have checked it, more happy with at work"."
    hci_researcher
  • Reply 3 of 31
    recrec Posts: 217member
    Whoa, all the growth in these charts is in Apple stuff. This shows the industry is growing, but only one company is reaping the rewards.



    Someone is having their milkshake drank.
  • Reply 4 of 31
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    I don't understand the anti-Apple stance in enterprises. I just got a Macbook AIR, my first Mac, and it's fabulous. Yes, you have a learning curve and for a first few weeks it's a bit frustrated but after that everything is just rosy. But the best part is I'm more productive with it 'cause I love to use it, work with it.

    If they're uncertain about Windows software then just use Bootcamp. No need to be afraid.
  • Reply 5 of 31
    nceencee Posts: 857member
    How much of this will matter, if Apple doesn't up-date it's desktop units. I can't imagine that GE and other power houses can get by with iMac's for all of their work stations.



    Skip
  • Reply 6 of 31
    Yeah it would be great to see more enterprises buying actual Mac's (as well as iPads/iPhones)

    It might even convince Apple to keep the Mac around a little longer..
  • Reply 7 of 31
    Isn't it funny, how home IT has, in general, become so much more sophisticated than corporate IT.



    Looks like they're finally beginning to catch up.
  • Reply 8 of 31
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    The sad thing about Apple is that they have killed its server line. Back in the PPC days Xserve was by far the cheapest RISC server that could be deployed. As an IT consultant I managed to deploy lot of them replacing HPUX/SUN stuff.



    Ditto!



    Damn also that they just introduce Mac Mini Server which for many companies will do the job and at the same time they ditch the capability to host domains also for windows computers.



    Hate that!



    APPLE! CHANGE YOUR WAYS!
  • Reply 9 of 31
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ncee View Post


    How much of this will matter, if Apple doesn't up-date it's desktop units. I can't imagine that GE and other power houses can get by with iMac's for all of their work stations.



    Skip



    My experience these days is that most managers (as opposed to data entry people, clerks, etc.) get laptops, not desktops, so they can carry them to internal meetings, clients, vendors, etc.



    The fact is that most employees can get by with very low-level computers regardless of whether they are using a PC or Mac. Because most employees, depending upon their job, primarily use Exchange email, Word, Excel and a web browser. Some employees will have access to some internal enterprise application(s), which these days, is most likely to be web based. Unless someone is designing their own interface cards that aren't USB or FireWire based, an iMac would more than suffice almost anyone. Only scientific researchers might need something more.



    My experience has also been that there is more of a learning curve switching between versions of Office, especially when they made the radical toolbar change, than between a Mac and PC. A lot of the learning issues attributable to Mac vs. PC is actually the fact that when new Macs come in, they are purchased with newer versions of apps than had previously existed on the company's PCs. The biggest issue in Mac vs. PC is the location and use of the Command/Apple/Control keys and maybe the use of the mouse, but the mouse can be replaced by a "normal" multi-button mouse. In addition, new Mac users might have to learn to use the trackpad, but no one has to use the trackpad.



    There's a certain amount of support that's the same regardless of whether it's PC or Mac: physical failures, such as hard drives; spillage on keyboards, people dropping their computers, replacing stolen computers (and I would venture to guess that Macs are MORE likely to be stolen), network issues, etc. My son-in-law supports Macs in a medium-sized company and he's busy absolutely all of the time, works late hours, etc.
  • Reply 10 of 31
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    Companies can save huge money by moving from Windows to Mac. At LM Ericsson (a 100K worker compete when I worked there) IT support for windows required 1 person /10 employee. IT support for UNIX workstations 1 person / 100 employees.



    The uptime on Unix machines are much higher then Windows.



    The traditional price penalty on a Unix workstation and a HP PC is much less today thanks to Apple. The sad thing about Apple is that they have killed its server line. Back in the PPC days Xserve was by far the cheapest RISC server that could be deployed. As an IT consultant I managed to deploy lot of them replacing HPUX/SUN stuff.



    Your comparing the Mac OS to some other variety of UNIX. The OS isn't what's keeping the enterprise and government from adopting Macs, it's the HW. With any other desktop OS besides Mac OS you can buy or lease the HW from many vendors and still have the same system running on it. That means you can pit them against each other for better pricing. Apple is very limited here and even if they do lower it one time a purchaser needs to look at the longterm because if Apple doesn't give you a discount in the future you will either have to switch machines or pay the premium to stay. This is the issue that has plagued Macs in the workplace since the start, not their quality.
  • Reply 11 of 31
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    Companies can save huge money by moving from Windows to Mac. At LM Ericsson (a 100K worker compete when I worked there) IT support for windows required 1 person /10 employee. IT support for UNIX workstations 1 person / 100 employees.



    The uptime on Unix machines are much higher then Windows.



    The traditional price penalty on a Unix workstation and a HP PC is much less today thanks to Apple. The sad thing about Apple is that they have killed its server line. Back in the PPC days Xserve was by far the cheapest RISC server that could be deployed. As an IT consultant I managed to deploy lot of them replacing HPUX/SUN stuff.



    where i work its 1 help desk to 100 users. 1 to 10 may have been the case 10 years ago but not anymore. and most of the issues are non-microsoft software
  • Reply 12 of 31
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ncee View Post


    How much of this will matter, if Apple doesn't up-date it's desktop units. I can't imagine that GE and other power houses can get by with iMac's for all of their work stations.



    An 8Gb MacBook Pro is more than enough to hand most developer needs. I've upgraded mine to 16Gb, which gives me all the Mac apps I can throw a stick at plus a couple of VMs to handle any Windows users for which I develop. Yes - 16Gb isn't supported by Apple. But it's fully supported by the Intel i7 chip...
  • Reply 13 of 31
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ncee View Post


    How much of this will matter, if Apple doesn't up-date it's desktop units. I can't imagine that GE and other power houses can get by with iMac's for all of their work stations.



    Skip



    I think you're overly pessimistic.



    For the average office worker or executive, any existing computer is plenty fast. Most people do simple spreadsheets, email, word processing, etc. An iMac (or even a Mini) is plenty fast.



    For the limited number of people who need better performance, the high end iMac is, again, fast enough. An i7 iMac maxed out on RAM will handle almost anyone's AutoCAD needs or marketing graphics work.



    A tiny number of people need a super-high-end computer. A few AutoCAD users, tiny number of graphics users, etc. For them, a high end Mac Pro is within a couple percent of the fastest Xeon processors available. The limiting factor isn't Apple - it's that Intel hasn't released significantly faster chips.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    General Electric's Chief Technology Officer recently said that the company's support of Apple's iPhones and Macs for employees is a recruiting positive that communicates to candidates that it is a "contemporary company."



    Wow. Ten years ago, businesses refused to even acknowledge the existence of Macs in the Enterprise. Now, it's becoming a major positive. This type of change is simply astounding.
  • Reply 14 of 31
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    General Electric's Chief Technology Officer recently said that the company's support of Apple's iPhones and Macs for employees is a recruiting positive that communicates to candidates that it is a "contemporary company."...



    Contemporary companies haven't actually used the word "contemporary" since the 1950's.



    I believe he means "modern."
  • Reply 15 of 31
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    Contemporary companies haven't actually used the word "contemporary" since the 1950's.



    I believe he means "modern."



    Are you insisting that contemporary is a less modern way of saying modern, or that modern is a more modern way of saying contemporary?



    In my eyes the word contemporary still feels like a very modern way to say modern, and a very contemporary way to say contemporary.



    Wow, with all this linguistic inquisition and 'word smithing' I feel like a modern day Ernest Hemingway.... or do I feel like a contemporary Jane Austen?
  • Reply 16 of 31
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    Contemporary companies haven't actually used the word "contemporary" since the 1950's.



    I believe he means "modern."



    Really? Then Apple isn't a modern company.



    Look at iTunes. One of the categories is 'contemporary bluegrass'.

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/mus...mporary/id1036



    That isn't, of course, the only example, but it only takes one to show that you're wrong.
  • Reply 17 of 31
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jhende7 View Post


    Are you insisting that contemporary is a less modern way of saying modern, or that modern is a more modern way of saying contemporary?



    In my eyes the word contemporary still feels like a very modern way to say modern, and a very contemporary way to say contemporary.



    Wow, with all this linguistic inquisition and 'word smithing' I feel like a modern day Ernest Hemingway.... or do I feel like a contemporary Jane Austen?



  • Reply 18 of 31
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    I used my first Mac (a Mac Plus) at GE back in the 80s. As time went on we sneaked more Macs into our division, but it was a constant uphill fight against the IT establishment. I remember buying Macs as "replacement parts" split up on multiple purchase orders in order to keep the dollar amounts within my own expense approval level. We set up our own LocalTalk networks for the Macs in our department with unused wire pairs in the company phone system, and used our own modems to connect to outside services (pre-web days).



    Mac users can be very motivated.



    It's been a long time coming, but now that Apple offers some of the nicest laptops around, corporate managers don't want to be using some crappy base model Dell when they, and their kids at home, have MacBook Pros. Same with the iPhone of course, and now the iPad. This in turn puts executive pressure on corporate IT.
  • Reply 19 of 31
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


    This in turn puts executive pressure on corporate IT.



    Not the least because they'll have to downsize radically if everyone switched to a Mac.
  • Reply 20 of 31
    It would be nice if GE would make their software products work on Macs too. Then perhaps their customers would consider them cool.
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