Microsoft rumored to stop funding employee purchases of Apple's iPads, Macs

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 84
    This will be very hard on the folks in Microsoft's Mac Business Unit. They develop MS Office for Mac which actually turns a profit! How will they get Office on iPad? Maybe they have a special dispensation.



    Then, too, it will be hard for MS marketing to demonstrate how Windows runs on Mac hardware.
  • Reply 22 of 84
    bullheadbullhead Posts: 493member
    This speaks volumes to how crappy Windows 7 is and how much better OSX is. Microsoft's own employees would rather use Macs than crap Windows cloner machines. I think it would be better for Microsoft to focus on improving their OS so their employees do not want to buy Macs.
  • Reply 23 of 84
    straskstrask Posts: 107member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    I'm not sure why they were funding them anyway. I highly doubt Apple funds the purchase of Dells or Toshibas or Android or Windows Phones for their employees (not that their employees would choose to purchase those products, but still).



    The MS employee I know used a MBP to run Windows and said it was the best Windows laptop available.
  • Reply 24 of 84
    Why?



    Google provides me with them if I want them.
  • Reply 25 of 84
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by strask View Post


    The MS employee I know used a MBP to run Windows and said it was the best Windows laptop available.



    I've run into a few issues. If your Windows IT dept. has Remote Desktop, VPN or Active Directory set up where you need to send CTL, ALT, DEL to login there seems to be a problem with Apple keyboards. According to the Apple documentation you are supposed to be able send the required commands, but I was never able to get it to work.
  • Reply 26 of 84
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    I'm not sure why they were funding them anyway. I highly doubt Apple funds the purchase of Dells or Toshibas or Android or Windows Phones for their employees (not that their employees would choose to purchase those products, but still).



    Application development. Dell is a hardware company. Apple is an OS and Hardware plus applications.



    Microsoft is an OS, applications and small scale hardware.



    MS Office testing by staff for OS X is just one example.
  • Reply 27 of 84
    buzdotsbuzdots Posts: 452member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Granmastak View Post


    I wonder if this also applies to the reverse engineering group that buys apple products just so they can dissect them and feed their R&D ideas





    Obviously, that group has been underfunded for about 15 years.
  • Reply 28 of 84
    Microsoft's best product was Windows XP. MS just can't compete in a post PC world.



    What's behind the non-funding of an insignificant amount of Apple products-->SOUR GRAPES!
  • Reply 29 of 84
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mightymike View Post


    Microsoft's best product was Windows XP. MS just can't compete in a post PC world.



    I'd argue that. I think their development tools are pretty darn good, Excel still beats Numbers (aside from Numbers far-suprior formatting and graphing capabilities), and Windows 7 is more stable than Windows XP (I still don't like Win 7, but that doesn't mean it's not a good product).
  • Reply 30 of 84
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by djames4242 View Post


    About a year ago, while out on a photography shoot here in Seattle, I met a guy who was using a Windows Phone device. It was the first time I'd ever seen one, so I asked him about it. He said he hated it and wanted his iPhone back but that his wife worked for Microsoft and they had recently changed their policy to no longer subsidize the wireless bills of employees using iPhones (apparently BlackBerry and other devices were okay; it was strictly Apple devices that were no longer allowed).



    All I could think at the time was, "gee, our products are so meh that in order to get our own employees to use them we have to provide a financial disincentive to use anything else?"



    Actually, that potentially creates an antitrust problem.



    If they simply refused to pay for ANY competitive product, it would be OK. But singling out the largest competitor and refusing to pay for their products dances pretty close to the line.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jasenj1 View Post


    Microsoft needs to remember they are a SOFTWARE company. Software - that runs on hardware. As in applications (oh, and they make a couple OSes, too). MS should be writing apps and games for iOS and Mac (and Android, if there's any profit). Yes, Apple happens to compete with MS in the OS space, but MS should be happy Apple has millions of devices out there MS can put apps on.



    And now that Apple hardware will run MS's OS, MS should be encouraging people to put Windows on Macs.



    Apple is not a competitor. Apple is a platform MS can put their wares on.



    - Jasen.



    Exactly. I haven't seen any numbers recently, but it wasn't that long ago that it was reported that Microsoft makes more money from each Mac user than from each Windows user. Given the very deep OEM discounts for Windows (while Windows-using Mac users would have to pay full price), that's entirely plausible.
  • Reply 31 of 84
    Poor MS employees will be forced to use MS products...



    They will bring in their own iPads & iPhones!
  • Reply 32 of 84
    ktappektappe Posts: 823member
    Even the biggest Apple fanboi, if they stop to think about this, will see a reason for concern. One of the reasons the big Windows vs. Apple war is considerably quieter today than 10 years ago is that Windows and OS X get along quite well now. The two on the same network can exchange e-mail, chat, files. webpages, etc.



    If MS bans Apple products, that status quo will be broken. We need MS products to be accessible from our Apple products. MS servers are a way of life, whether you like it or not. Banning Macs = banning testing of Macs connecting to MS products. And I'm concerned it might also mean banning further development of Office for Mac.



    We will be poorer for this shortsighted action on MS' part, if it proves true. Yes, it will eventually hurt MS, but only after it hurts us first. \



    EDIT: Upon reading the actual letter, it's just Sales and Marketing that are losing Macs and iPads. Not Development or Testing. Move along, nothing to see here.
  • Reply 33 of 84
    diddydiddy Posts: 282member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Actually, that potentially creates an antitrust problem.



    Doubtful - this is an internal policy that is not consumer based at all. There is no trust in this system since employees aren't actually barred from owning Apple devices - a rukle that MS would have several legitimate basis to enforce from.
  • Reply 34 of 84
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    This is so silly. It's like those employees not gonna go and buy their own iPhones and iPads. I guess this kind of gesture really shows how behind Microsoft is and how old their management team is.



    This is like if Twitter told their employees they gonna block facebook at work. You can't beat competition or create something better if you don't know what every other person is using or doing with Facebook.
  • Reply 35 of 84
    dbdukesdbdukes Posts: 12member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by flowney View Post


    This will be very hard on the folks in Microsoft's Mac Business Unit. They develop MS Office for Mac which actually turns a profit! How will they get Office on iPad? Maybe they have a special dispensation.



    Then, too, it will be hard for MS marketing to demonstrate how Windows runs on Mac hardware.



    This impacts Sales, Marketing & Services Group (SMSG), not the Macintosh Business Unit (MBU).
  • Reply 36 of 84
    dbdukesdbdukes Posts: 12member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ktappe View Post


    Upon reading the actual letter, it's just Sales and Marketing that are losing Macs and iPads. Not Development or Testing. Move along, nothing to see here.



    Exactly!
  • Reply 37 of 84
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    Hahaha.
  • Reply 38 of 84
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dbdukes View Post


    This impacts Sales, Marketing & Services Group (SMSG), not the Macintosh Business Unit (MBU).



    Or how about the publishing unit that uses Macs to design their publications?
  • Reply 39 of 84
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tmallon View Post


    What will MS do with all the cash they save,



    A, Invest in security



    B, Invest in Windows Phone



    C, Invest in Tables



    D, None of the Above



    It's funny how even MS uses apple because it just works, and it's cool



    Probably buy more beer so their employees can get tanked and put out more products that suck.
  • Reply 40 of 84
    slawekslawek Posts: 1member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I've run into a few issues. If your Windows IT dept. has Remote Desktop, VPN or Active Directory set up where you need to send CTL, ALT, DEL to login there seems to be a problem with Apple keyboards. According to the Apple documentation you are supposed to be able send the required commands, but I was never able to get it to work.



    fn+control+option+delete
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