FedEx Switching to Mac?

[MacRumors]

According to one unconfirmed source, Federal Express may be looking to make a significant purchase of Macs to replace their current PCs.

Reportedly, the move is under consideration due to the recent wave of viruses that have swept the PC world.

While Macs are not inherently immune to virus attacks, most viruses have been written on the Windows/PC platform.

[Savage Henry]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

According to one source, Federal Express may be looking to make a significant purchase of Macs to replace their current PCs.

Reportedly, the move is under consideration due to the recent wave of viruses that have swept the PC world.

While Macs are not inherently immune to virus attacks, most viruses have been written on the Windows/PC platform.

First my Dad, now it's Fed-Ex, tomorrow World Domination !! Mmwwhuuuu Haa Haaa Haaaaa!!!

I sincerely hope a) they go through with it, b)others follow, and c) the source isn't a pile of poop!!

[electric]

That would be huge

[iChan]

Originally Posted by electric

That would be huge

This is GONNA be HUGE

[TimDaddy]

I hope it happens. They are not the anti-captalist hippy weedsmokers that people associate with macs, so maybe some "in the closet" Macheads will come out!

[virividox]

i just hope this doesnt make mac a platform that more virus writters will target

[Interiority]

This would be fantastic news if true, although it's difficult to believe that Macs would be accepted by the multiple layers of bureaucracy and corporate PC types that would exist in an organisation as large as Fedex. Not that it can't be done, especially if they've been a bit clever about building their internal apps with web-based front ends / Java - but there would be lots of arguments about standards, manageability and deployment issues that would probably kill the project before it comes to fruition...

Sorry to sound pessimistic... Think I've just spent too long working for large companies.

[iChan]

Originally Posted by iChan

This is GONNA be HUGE

i love switching stories. whether with individuals or large corporations as i am a switcher myself. i love the way that switchers are so happy... that every little thing excites them. like the little lights in the charger, the two hooks on the power adaptot to wrap around the wire. Exposé, safari, no pop-ups, no viruses...

when jaguar came out, i never really recommended a mac. Well, not as much as today. The main reason was the help files. How could i reasonably expect anyone to be able to switch if the help files caused the conputer to crash 5/10 times??

however, it is time now for some growth i think in market share there was an article on billpalmer.com or .net or something, about how the switch campaign really did work, that we weren't going to be seeing an immediate increase in market share, but what the campaign did was place the Apple brand back into the minds of the masses. and when it comes to a future purchase, they wil consider a Mac.

Since i switched, many have followed. My girlfriend, 12-inch PB, brother 15-inch. Two kid sisters, 12-inch powerbook, albeit, one given to them by me. my dad is getting a PM soon when we move into our new home. Brother -in- Law, moving to a Mac shortly. The list could go on....

My cousin, who is just finishing up a computer science degree is switching when he comes out.

although i mentioned three people there that havn't actually switched yet. I am very confident that they will. what with me constanly nagging them anyway. And showing them all the cool stuff like the backlit keyboard... the wonders of the ipod with macOSX, the build quality. POwermate. iLife, the list goes on and on. Exposé.

I mean, after seeing these things, how could one not change? are people really blinded by the price so much?? I don't think they are like that in Ireland. NOt as much so as in the US. here, we'd pay, as long as it lives up to its asking price. and Appl computers do that in adundance.

[krykert]

I always knew FedEx is the best shipping company--here in the United States, at least--and this just confirms it.

Cool trivia fact: Did you know there's an arrow hidden in the FedEx logo? Can you find it?

http://www.fedex.com/images/ascend/s...press_logo.gif

[TimDaddy]

Originally Posted by iChan

when jaguar came out, i never really recommended a mac. Well, not as much as today. The main reason was the help files. How could i reasonably expect anyone to be able to switch if the help files caused the conputer to crash 5/10 times??

And all this time I thought that I had screwed up my computer with some crap I had downloaded or something.

[Savage Henry]

Originally Posted by Interiority

This would be fantastic news if true, although it's difficult to believe that Macs would be accepted by the multiple layers of bureaucracy and corporate PC types that would exist in an organisation as large as Fedex. Not that it can't be done, especially if they've been a bit clever about building their internal apps with web-based front ends / Java - but there would be lots of arguments about standards, manageability and deployment issues that would probably kill the project before it comes to fruition...

Sorry to sound pessimistic... Think I've just spent too long working for large companies.

But even the smallest of eBusinesses could suffer pains with SoBig, Netsky, MyDoom, Love Bug etc etc ad infinitum. So perhaps the chiefs on high in this mega corp are still smarting and said enough is enough.

It could also be big kudos for the association with Apple. There are loads of companies who are advertising as association to HP at the moment, so why not ride on the back of a wave of cool and practically eliminate Virs threats in one go.

But saying that, I am also waiting to see the day when it actually does come to fruition. I'm not holding my breath.

[legion]

I doubt this is true as most of their databases would be unable to be run with Mac OS X. Just last night I was dealing with a "Customer Advocate" at FedEX concerning tracking and found out many of their interfaces are Microsoft Access designed.

[stefman]

WOW!!

This would rank right there with the Big Mac supercomputer and the beginning of Apple market share growth.

I have a question though, why macs and not switching to Linux? Wouldn't it be cheaper for a company like FedEx that already has the x86 hardware to load Linux and OpenOffice.

[Interiority]

Originally Posted by legion

I doubt this is true as most of their databases would be unable to be run with Mac OS X. Just last night I was dealing with a "Customer Advocate" at FedEX concerning tracking and found out many of their interfaces are Microsoft Access designed.

Ooh - horrid!! I presume that it is just the interfaces that are based in Access - with an Oracle back-end or something. At least that way, the conversion process isn't as bad as it could be. I bet their corporate IT people are just falling over themselves to get rid of Access.

Originally Posted by stefman

I have a question though, why macs and not switching to Linux? Wouldn't it be cheaper for a company like FedEx that already has the x86 hardware to load Linux and OpenOffice.

Excellent point - especially as their PC vendor (HP / IBM / whoever) probably offers a Linux solution anyway.

[evolu]

I bet apple is making a push at companies like Fedex - just look at all the amazing marketing connections they are establishing with Big Businesses. ...an Apple exec goes in to Fedex and pitches why they should switch, gives them a discount on a huge volumed order and everyone wins.

Apple's getting saavy again.

[displaced]

Companies are not happy with Microsoft. They're increasingly seen as offering little in the way of value for money. They can bleat on all they like about total cost of ownership, but the day-to-day experience of Windows admins begs to differ.

The fact that the Mac, albeit a 'proprietary' system, embraces and supports so many open (and free standards) means that it's becoming viable to use them in place of PCs on the desktop, with minimal structural changes to how a company operates.

OS X provides a hell of a lot out-of-the-box. It is truly scary how much companies (like the one I work for) are giving money hand-over-fist to vendors such as Symantec and Computer Associates for firewalls, AV software, network security etc. The Mac's UNIX heritage means things like industrial-strength firewalling, packet filtering and other network/security features are already right there, well documented and easy to configure.

Not only is the Mac a UNIX machine that your grandmother could use, it's also a UNIX machine that your average MSCE-qualified true-blue Windows admin can appreciate (if only they'd bother...)

Well done FedEx for even investigating this move. I'd love to look at doing something similar for our company, but unfortunately we're completely locked in to Microsoft Access (and Access 97 at that!) and don't have the resources to shift to something else.

(although since I started, Mozilla Firebird is starting to spread through the office, as well as a few busted-up laptops with Linux installed for things such as a computer-based answerphone. Baby steps, people... baby steps...)

[Skypat]

Apple's main problem is that they don't have business-tailored computers. What kind of computer could FedEx buy ? iMacs with DVD-R and 32MB graphic cards ? G5 + flat screens ? eMacs ? None of those computers are corporate machines.

I think Apple needs to (1) have a corporate/large business offering (cheap boxes, with smaller hard driven & less powerfull graphic cards), better support and ... a better image in large corporation where Mac OS is (still) seen as a nice little computer for graphists. When will Apple make a strong advertising campaign to fight against those myths !!!

[Savage Henry]

Originally Posted by displaced

/
I'd love to look at doing something similar for our company, but unfortunately we're completely locked in to Microsoft Access (and Access 97 at that!) and don't have the resources to shift to something else.

I think this situation is all too common as it is pratically a carbon copy of the situation here. We've dug so deep we can afford the ladder to get out (That doesn't make much sense I know, but there was a certain amount of share sentiment!)

[Fukui]

Originally Posted by Skypat

Apple's main problem is that they don't have business-tailored computers. What kind of computer could FedEx buy ? iMacs with DVD-R and 32MB graphic cards ? G5 + flat screens ? eMacs ? None of those computers are corporate machines.

I think Apple needs to (1) have a corporate/large business offering (cheap boxes, with smaller hard driven & less powerfull graphic cards), better support and ... a better image in large corporation where Mac OS is (still) seen as a nice little computer for graphists. When will Apple make a strong advertising campaign to fight against those myths !!!

Definitey. If the want more considerations like FedEx they'll need to first become a more International company and start selling real Business Machines.

[Interiority]

Originally Posted by displaced

I'd love to look at doing something similar for our company, but unfortunately we're completely locked in to Microsoft Access (and Access 97 at that!) and don't have the resources to shift to something else.

Same story everywhere. I have several clients with applications built around Access or other proprietary back ends. Having some small successes though migrating systems to open source databases, even with Windows clients for the time being. All I need to do now is start persuading my clients to buy XServes.

Originally Posted by Fukui

Definitey. If the want more considerations like FedEx they'll need to first become a more International company and start selling real Business Machines.

Absolutely. A slim-line headless quiet Mac with integrated manageability features that can be rolled out to call-centre type environments in huge numbers would be just the thing. Wouldn't even have to be that fast...

[phonic pol]

This is good news for Fed Ex. I don't see why more companies switch, I'm sure in the long run Mac's are the more economical option i.e. less down time, quicker routes from A to B, less complication, better longevity and integration etc etc. Workers will be happier too. They won't have to do battle with the MS Office Assistant on a daily basis which should increase productivity!

[Analog Kid]

Originally Posted by virividox

i just hope this doesnt make mac a platform that more virus writters will target

OS X is inherently more secure than the Windows platforms out there. Yes viruses can (and maybe will) be written, but Windows has shipped with all the doors and, er, windows open for so long it's going to take a generation to secure it.

OS X is building on a much more secure base, their Security Updates are regular and effective, and in a corporate environment they'll have admins that can use the UNIX features effectively.

Granted Apple can never stop some idiot from clicking on random attachments and then typing in the administrator password, but a solid base can relegate the problems to the leaves of the network and keep the servers safe.

Even if Apple gets a 50% share (yeah, right...), that will still mean no one vulnerability will bring down 98% of the machines out there.

I think the biggest problem isn't going to be Windows switchers, it's going to be the rest of us who have grown complacent watching viruses pass harmlessly though our email...

[Analog Kid]

Originally Posted by stefman

WOW!!

This would rank right there with the Big Mac supercomputer and the beginning of Apple market share growth.

I have a question though, why macs and not switching to Linux? Wouldn't it be cheaper for a company like FedEx that already has the x86 hardware to load Linux and OpenOffice.

Administration costs. Macs are really much easier to administer. I've never played with the server version, but the clients just don't take much work at all-- even on an all Windows network.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by displaced

Companies are not happy with Microsoft. They're increasingly seen as offering little in the way of value for money. They can bleat on all they like about total cost of ownership, but the day-to-day experience of Windows admins begs to differ.

The fact that the Mac, albeit a 'proprietary' system, embraces and supports so many open (and free standards) means that it's becoming viable to use them in place of PCs on the desktop, with minimal structural changes to how a company operates.

Companies may be unhappy but I've yet to meet the IT professional who advocates moving away from Microsoft. Microsoft is their job security.

A good analogy is my company and my brother's. Both are about 175 employees and are heavily computerized. My company is a Windows shop and we have 4 support people to deal with the daily problems. My brother's company is primarily Mac and they have 1 support person. Imagine savings like those for a large scale company.

[winmacguy]

Originally Posted by krykert

I always knew FedEx is the best shipping company--here in the United States, at least--and this just confirms it.

Cool trivia fact: Did you know there's an arrow hidden in the FedEx logo? Can you find it?

Yes it is between the E and the X (EX) It is a little marketing gimic designed to play on the subconcious of peoples minds. the hidden arrow says/signifies that we are moving forwards to deliver your important package.

http://www.fedex.com/images/ascend/s...press_logo.gif