Small Businesses Dumping PCs for Macs For Five Big Reasons

Why are a record number of small businesses throwing our their PCs and switching to Macs? The author, Jason R. Rich, has investigated this question in his book, Mac Migration: The Small Business Guide to Switching to the Mac.

He writes, “For years, Apple was known for offering computers useful to students and to creative people who dealt with graphics, animation, music and images. But now, due to their ever-growing lineup of popular business-oriented applications and their focus on compatibility, Apple’s Mac computers are now in high demand by business people working in all jobs and industries.”

The compatibility between the Mac and PC as well as business-friendly applications are two important reasons that small to mid-sized businesses are looking more favorably to the Mac lineup of computers. Rich identifies five more reasons that small business owners are parting company with the PC.

1, Apple Offers Free File Transfer: When buying your Mac from an Apple Store, you simply bring your PC into the store and a certified Apple Genius (a Mac Specialist) will transfer all of your files and data from the old PC to your new Mac. This can be completed within one business day, as long as an appointment is scheduled; and in most situations, this is a service offered for free.

2. Mac’s OS X Leopard Runs Faster and Better, Crashes Much Less, and is More Intuitive: There is only one current edition of Mac OS X Leopard rather than the confusing four editions of Windows Vista. It comes preloaded on all new Macs. When this operating system is combined with other softwware applications you install on your Mac, you will find great compatibility, and ease of use.

3. Macs Are Virtually Free of Viruses and Spyware: Mac operating systems, like Mac OS X are built on a UNIX base, which is one of the most secure operating systems available. Many of the tools used to help hackers create viruses and other malware are actually designed for Windows. More virus writers are familiar with Microsoft Windows and the IBM platform. What Rich doesn’t mention is that Apple builds into its operating system a great deal of security, which is continually updates for free, constantly providing the kind of safety that Microsoft does not. Users of the Microsoft platform are open to spyware, malware and viruses unless they buy third-party protection like Norton.

4. There Are Hundreds of Business Applications From Which To Choose: Lots of applications come bundled with a new Mac. Address book, iCal, iLife come with your new Mac. iWork and Microsoft Office suites are also excellent for handing spreadsheets, presentations, word processing, graphics, and editing. There are also many applications that are available for 30-day trials at Apple.com Rich doesn’t mention one of the most important things about Macs — they can run Windows. With software like Parallels, or VMware Fusion, it is now possible to work in Windows on your Mac.

Apple Support is Knowledgeable, Accessible and Incredibly Helpful: There is a 90-day free tech support protection offered regardless of where you buy your Mac as well as a one-year hardware warranty. It is also possible to purchase one of several of the Apple support plans, all of which offer access to English-speaking, friendly, very well-trained and knowledgeable Mac experts. This is simply not available from PC manufacturers — and anyone who has spent hours on hold with off-shore tech support 800 numbers knows what real tech support is worth. Rich does not mention one of the other services which has become a well-used and well-loved service: the Apple One To One support. For a small yearly fee, Apple offers one on one tutorials with their Creatives, who will help you to learn about their software, their iLife applications — actually anything that you want to familiarize yourself with. They also offer business advisors who will work with business owners to individualize their equipment and software to optimize the benefits of working with Apple products and the Apple team of professionals.