Breaking the Domain 2: The Apple of my Eye

Apple is a 2.08 trillion dollar company that you can't help but see one of their devices when you're walking down the street. However, most small businesses and enterprises alike have sworn off Apple products for their business needs with Apple only making up about 23 percent of the enterprise market share in 2021. So, why is it that you see an Apple device in the hand of every other person you pass in the street but they don’t make up a fourth of the devices used for business? Well, there are actually a few reasons for the slower adoption of Apple devices in the enterprise that include:

• Management: Most enterprises and small offices need a way to manage multiple machines and users at once. The Apple ecosystem just doesn’t offer this and their inter-polarity with the solutions that were being used by organizations just isn’t reliable enough for most organizations.
• Vendor Support: With most enterprises running on Windows vendor support for many enterprise apps just feel 2nd class on an Apple Device vs their Windows counterpart.
• Price to Performance: Macs are expensive and most of the time IT budgets are tight for organizations. This coupled with the fact more often than not a PC counterpart with the same specifications as a Mac will cost you less.

So at this point you are probably reading this and thinking to yourself as a business owner “Yikes… Apple isn’t the answer to my business needs”. Well actually I think that you should be because I believe Apple is currently in a position to turn this all around and here’s why.

The Rise of the Web

The rise of the cloud and web technologies has transformed the way that software is consumed by end-users. Most daily business operations are probably completed inside of a browser and those that are not are probably being consumed as a service. This consumption model makes it a lucrative play for vendors to make sure their application experience is the same across both Mac and Windows. This means that the type of device the end-users are using becomes less relevant. Opening the door for Apple devices to provide the same experience for business users as their Windows counterparts.

Unified Device Management

Many device management solutions are filling the gap that Apple left. These solutions give Apple devices’ the ability to link to Microsoft cloud solutions like AzureAD and Microsoft 365 making Apple devices easier to manage at scale than ever before. This also allows for a unified solution to manage both Mac and Windows devices along with an organization's end-user profiles across whichever type of device that the end-user prefers and is more productive with.

Apple Hardware

In 2021, Apple released the M1, their own ARM-based processor. The release of their own chip may have shocked some but also changes the conversation around price to performance of Apple devices. The M1 variants of Apple devices are now considered the highest performing Apple devices to date. They also allow for increased battery life with some devices reaching up to 20 hours. This makes most Apple devices perfect for c-level executives that don’t want to be connected to their chargers or users that will be in the field for long periods of time. Also, these advantages and performance improvements didn’t come with an increase in the device's price tags. This closes the gap from price to performance with Apple devices making Apple competitive with their PC counterparts.

So in conclusion, I think that it speaks for its self that in the coming years we will see Apple make a move into small business as well as Enterprises as the cloud grows, management solutions bridge the gaps, and Apple improves its hardware.

If you are looking to implement Apple solutions or need an existing fleet in your business. Contact inquiry@lockedheart.tech or call (470) 440–0548 and our Apple specialists will be happy to assist you.