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simX

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 28, 2002
765
4
Bay Area, CA
I thought this was an interesting article, about how many company executives are getting training for their computers in secret because they don't want to show their employees any weakness.

Oh, yeah, I particularly liked this quote:

“When they find out they’re not the only ones, it’s like this weight has been lifted off their shoulders and they say, ’Really? I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what the two mouse buttons are for?”’
[emphasis added]

:rolleyes:
 

baby duck monge

macrumors 68000
Feb 16, 2003
1,570
0
Memphis, TN
sounds to me like apple needs to infiltrate some of these meetings. i can just see it now...

"i don't know about this whole two-button mouse thing"

"i didn't either, that's why i switched to apple. their computers only come with one mouse, and i don't have to feel dumb anymore"

"yay for apple! let's all go out and buy new dual g5s with 23" apple displays. and also every other accessory we can manage."


that would be sweet.
 

yamabushi

macrumors 65816
Oct 6, 2003
1,009
1
I keep telling people that execs would buy Macs if Apple spoke business. In fact, a convincing pitch from a sales rep could land Apple millions of dollars in a single sale.
 

rjvamp

macrumors newbie
May 25, 2003
4
0
Takes more than a Sales Pitch

Hi

Interesting Posts. I use both Mac and PC. I do wish we could use Mac at work, but let me ask a few questions about some MAJOR client and server applications ....

Where is PeopleSoft for Mac?
Where is SAP for Mac?
Where are Enterprise CRM packages for Mac?
Where are the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Tools for Mac?
Where is Enterprise Messaging and Collaboration Tools for the Mac? (E-Mail, Calendar, NetMeeting/Collaboration, Team Tools)

The answer is the software packages do not exist (to my knowledge - please correct me if I'm wrong but I have looked) and this is the reason Mac has not made it into the Enterprise on the Client level and in some instances in the Server Room.

I agree there are many executives that do not feel comfortable with Technology. In fact that is part of my job - Executive Support - providing Just In Time tips to help them make the most of their IT Investment.

Standardization is the key to cost savings in the Enterprise and without full support of MAJOR Applications, Mac will not make the cut.

Do I think that the Mac is easier to use? Some days I do. But it's a matter of opinion. I use Windows 2000 Pro on a Compaq Evo N610C at work and have no problems with it.

I do hope there will be support in the future for Major apps - but unless there is a good Business Case with a good ROI, the Software Vendor won't make the gamble.

Cheers!
 

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,782
7,514
Los Angeles
It is an amusing contrast to previous generations of executives, for whom it was considered beneath their dignity to do their own typing. That's what secretaries were for. The boss would never have a typewriter. These days, when the boss networks, it's more likely to be over TCP/IP than over a golf game!
 

bousozoku

Moderator emeritus
Jun 25, 2002
15,698
1,872
Lard
rjvamp:

As far as I know, those application suites do not exist, not because they can't be done on Mac OS X, but that there are not Apple servers large enough to justify development. Of course, we've only seen Sybase ASE as a database platform. Oracle 8i, (9i, 10i, 11i) for whatever reason, is still not available. I can't imagine that they would even bother with the client software for those applications unless there was a sufficient group of scientists and creative people already using Macs.

The e-mail and calendaring, etc. have existed in various forms for quite a while.

Doctor Q:

Don't be fooled. Many current executives want staff assistants to do the work for them, including e-mails. I've worked for a few where they want the assistant to do the typing for the whole department.

It's great to see that executives might actually speak the correct terms at the correct time and know what the computer can actually do. :)
 

Dangerboy

macrumors newbie
Oct 15, 2003
23
0
An aside

Kind of an aside, but I've always noticed that the upper management types who, at most, do email and light word processing, are the ones to get the latest and greatest. At my last job, the owner had a dual G4 (wouldn't be surprised if he had a G5 now) with a 23" flatscreen for his office -- all, admittedly, for his ipod. In fact, he was usually on the intercom looking for the network admin a few times a day 'cause what he was doing on his computer was so important.

Of course, the peons in the art department who really needed that sort of heavy lifting had stuff that should have been a doorstop. Maybe instead of learning how to use a computer, these guys should pay attention to who needs them the most.
 

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,782
7,514
Los Angeles
The "Shark Tank", a regular feature of Computerworld newsweekly, reports on funny customer service and I.T. department stories. A recent one, as I remember it, told of an I.T. department that was told regularly by top execs to upgrade their notebooks to "the latest thing", when lower-level workers were the only ones who actually needed upgrades. The I.T. guy found that he could just clean the keyboard and stick an "Upgraded" sticker on the cover, and the execs would be perfectly happy.
 
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