A long running belief in technology circles is that Apple’s Mac operating system is used by creative people while Microsoft Windows powers the business world. It is easy to understand why that has been the case, as Windows machines have traditionally been the go-to systems for many companies. However, Apple case for business use has been firmly established in recent years and a recent study helps reinforce that.
A new report from market research firm Canalys, says that Microsoft and its allies are becoming victims of Apple’s ascent to the PC throne. Some of this has been the result of the rise in tablet computing, where the iPad is king and Windows is still struggling to gain some level of traction.
Dell, a major provider of machines using the Windows operating system, is rapidly losing market share, tablets running a mobile version of the OS have negligible market share and sales of devices running Windows RT have been less than promising.
“The outlook for Windows RT appears bleak,” Tim Coulling, a senior analyst at Canalys, said in a statement. ”Hardware (manufacturers) are ignoring it.”
According to the report, worldwide PC shipments increased 12 percent year-on-year in quarter four with 143 million units. Apple’s iPad accounted for over a third of those units sold. The company led the PC market, shipping 27 million units putting its share over 20 percent for the first time.
The case for Apple as a business technology provider has been made and now organizations are starting to jump on board. For companies that are considering making the switch from Windows to Apple, it can be helpful to partner with an IT consulting firm that is comfortable with Mac integration and iPad deployment to ensure they the new system comes out of the box running on all cylinders.
