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FedEx Switching to Mac?

An insider's perspective

Well, first of all, I can say definitively that there are no enterprise applications here that use MS Access as a back-end and I know of none that use Access as a front-end. As a developer here at FedEx and a heavy home-mac user, I would LOVE to switch, but I haven't heard anything. FedEx used to be a mac shop several years back, it would be great to be again. That's all I feel I can say about this in a public forum.

Thanks many posters for the FedEx compliments!

MacDaddy38017
 
Insider Information

Macrumors said:
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.
Click to expand...

Actually, we in marketing here at FedEx used Macs exclusively through the mid-1990's. They weren't really used for any Mac-specific purposes, however. I don't see any reason that could hold up the migration back, since MS Office is the main tool. There are certainly some Access applications out there somewhere, however.
 
Macrumors said:
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.
Click to expand...
Whoa, whoa, whoa there...

Don't you mean to say that Macs and PCs probably get the SAME amount of viruses?! In fact, we probably get way way more. So many more that the people who write computer viruses look down on the other people who write viruses for Macs. Oh yeah, that's pretty much common knowledge around the virus writers...union.

So if you don't want to be made fun of and laughed at real super hard, then you probably shouldn't be stupid and try to write something like that for the Mac.
 
I used to for a call center consulting company where I had the opportunity to visit around 20 call centers. Most were Fortune 500 companys and were focused on customer technical and/or product support.

In late '99, I visited and toured a FedEx call center in Overland Park, KS (they have (or had at the time) more than one). They were the only center that I visited that *did not* use Windows computers. Instead, each customer representative had either a unix box, or terminal on their desk. I believe it was a Sun system running Solaris, but when I asked the center manager for details, he didn't know any answers.

I suppose as long as the system was up and running without a hitch, he was a happy camper.
 
Let me clarify

trueSpace8 said:
Actually, we in marketing here at FedEx used Macs exclusively through the mid-1990's. They weren't really used for any Mac-specific purposes, however. I don't see any reason that could hold up the migration back, since MS Office is the main tool. There are certainly some Access applications out there somewhere, however.
Click to expand...


There are no ENTERPRISE apps, there are however most likely some niche department apps out there written in MS Access. I happened to have written one of them, I confess.
 
jocknerd said:
The emac/iMac is not a business machine. I wouldn't want either one of them in my business. What happens if the screen dies? You've got to have separate monitors for easy swapping.
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That's certainly a valid criticism. However, in the iMac's favour, the all-in-one design makes it easier and quicker to install (and move, which can happen quite a bit in open plan offices). Plus, its form factor is both space saving and ergonomic.
 
djcobb44 said:
In the 2 years that I worked for FedEx Express, there were 3-4 times that viruses resulted in a complete shut down to the tracking system across the country, not to mention cash registers. Needless to say, customers were frustrated, money was lost, time was wasted trying to resolve issues and looking up prices. The problem is that all computers are tied to a central server, and if that server goes down, all computers across the country do too, so replacing computers in each FedEx station will probably not happen, but replacing the main server at HQ probably would make better sense.
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Doesn't the tracking system still use AS/400s as it's backbone?
 
Hmmmm.... That's funny.

The FedEx computer that our receptionist had for years, up until about 8 months ago, was almost certainly a Mac. It looked to be a rebranded Performa 636... minus any removable drives and extra ports on the back. The interface was also very Mac-like... I'm sure my fellow addicts here can pick out an OS 8 or 9 screen anywhere they see one, no matter how dressed up it seems to be... The computer was pulled out of here and their services were migrated to a web interface. I'm only suggesting that I don't think they ever had any particular aversion to Mac based solutions. Just a thought.
 
jcshas said:
This would be the shot in the arm Apple has needed for a very long time - a major presence in a large enterprise. Its high time OS X/Macs made the move onto corporate desktops. Hopefully Fed Ex's influence will convince others to follow suit!
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With Microsoft considering an interim release of XP (read, worthless) to continue the revenue stream and dupe those who purchased 3 year upgrade protection, now is a good time for all competitors to strike. Time to put up or shut up. Linux has no viable offering, the Mac, this is Apple's best shot, but pricing and inability to purchase cheap replacement parts and the overall cost will probably be prohibitive, but who knows.
 
Frobozz said:
Because Linux really isn't a viable alternative for a desktop computer. Supporting Linux and it's hodge podge of propritary software is just as much of a problem as you can imagine. At least with the Mac you have a clear OS vendor with well established companies that provide excellent third party software.

I can imagine they'd replace computers in one of three locations: offices, terminals, or back end hardware. I doubt all three would happen at once.
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Bull. What does the average corp user do on their computer? E-mail, Web, printing, some proprietary software? All of which can be implemented on Linux. Hell you can even run Office 2000 on Linux. These excuses are about as old as the ones some misinformed ITer spout out against Mac OS. Users do not need to know how to deal with the OS. All they need to know is how to launch their apps and interact with those apps.
Its IT users that need to know the OS to fix things, yes like it or not things DO breaking on even Linux or Mac OS. So as long as you can go file -> print. Can type www.insertwheteverhere.com in their browser. Can open and manipulate Office documents. Linux IS a viable solution.....when properly implemented. You can't take a copy of SUS off the CompUSA store shelf and drop it into a large scale environment. It takes planning. It will take consultants and it will take some basic training on the users part. But it CAN be done. Short term it will cost companies some growing pains and some serious upfront cash to implement but long term Linux can save companies money.
 
SiliconAddict said:
Bull. What does the average corp user do on their computer? E-mail, Web, printing, some proprietary software? All of which can be implemented on Linux. Hell you can even run Office 2000 on Linux. These excuses are about as old as the ones some misinformed ITer spout out against Mac OS. Users do not need to know how to deal with the OS. All they need to know is how to launch their apps and interact with those apps.
Its IT users that need to know the OS to fix things, yes like it or not things DO breaking on even Linux or Mac OS. So as long as you can go file -> print. Can type www.insertwheteverhere.com in their browser. Can open and manipulate Office documents. Linux IS a viable solution.....when properly implemented. You can't take a copy of SUS off the CompUSA store shelf and drop it into a large scale environment. It takes planning. It will take consultants and it will take some basic training on the users part. But it CAN be done. Short term it will cost companies some growing pains and some serious upfront cash to implement but long term Linux can save companies money.
Click to expand...

Why run a Kludge API bridge to run Office 2000? What about Office XP and the next versions, and all the other apps. Wait and hope for compatibility, pray for no glitches or lost data... I don't think so. Linux isn't going to save that much money. Not on the desktop, not in user training.

edit: BTW, which distros run Office 2000? More money going up in smoke figuring that out.

Click on the XP start button, now click on the KDE or GNOME equivalent. You want me to give that to Betty Boop? Get real.

This is what Kills me about Linux people. Stop trying to tell people, oh, it's good enough. It's just as good as, you can jump through these hoops and then shoot a bank shot off the Sears tower...

Just fix it. And if you don't, then don't whine about no one wanting it on their desktop.

Let me see Open Source desktop apps as polished as Office XP or Keynote. Visio or InDesign, or even MS Publisher. Then we can talk business desktop.

edit: Linux and Open Office are simply not as good as MacOS or Windows XP for consumer and general business desktops. JMO of course.
 
wow, fedex to macs?

I visited FedEx as a vendor a few years ago, and the were a big unix shop on the back end, and doing a lot of citrix/windows for various things.

I suspect that there are a lot of technical thumbs up for FedEx moving to MacOSX, the main one being that it's a real unix-like system. If this is being driven by Real IT (instead of, say, the desktop support group) then it'll probably happen.

The downside right now is the almost complete lack of system management tools for MacOS X. Of course they could write their own, since it's just unix, but a commercial solution would be superior.
 
Apple's corporate move

If Apple is serious in getting into Business Computing, they really need to license IBM as a reseller and/or mfg. of Business PCs running Mac OS X.

Wouldn't you like your company to give you a new box they acquired for their usual rate of around $1000/box, that runs Mac OS X + Office? Possibly IBM Blue or Black in color and even possibly Cube shaped? You plug your current mouse and monitor in and IT hauls your old PC away to be given to charity.
 
krykert said:
Cool trivia fact: Did you know there's an arrow hidden in the FedEx logo? Can you find it?

express_logo.gif
Click to expand...

Besides the one in the "F" when magnified 150 times?
 
Another unknown fact?

It looks like Fedex is considering to go back where it started. I remember a couple of years back an insert in some magazine where the most popular logos designed on Macintosh were displayed and praised. Guess what? FedEx logo was displayed prominently as one of the achievements of the work that can be done on a Macintosh platform.
 
krykert said:
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?

express_logo.gif
Click to expand...

That arrow thing is pretty cool!

I'm a FedEx fan b/c their tech has always been better than UPS (not to mention Airborne or USPS).

Want to redirect a package to a different location before it arrives?

- FedEx: Sure!
- UPS: We have to make a failed delivery attempt first, then we can do it. :confused:

Want a package delivered to your gated apartment complex, or to the building manager?

- FedEx: Yup. And you can set up all future packages to be signed for by manager.

- UPS: We don't even try to get into the building. Pick it up at the depot. You can have someone else sign for package, but only on a per-package basis after a failed delivery attempt.

I am not suprised that FedEx has their tech screwed on tighter.
 
eddyg said:
A Worm wouldn't necessarily have to have administrator access to do the sorts of things that the Windows worms are doing. It can read the address book, send emails, delete just about all the Applications, and the users files all without the admin password being entered.
Click to expand...

Maybe. A corporate user would not have admin privileges. Therefore a script could not delete apps. (regular users can only read and execute apps). It could delete the user's files, yes, but that's what backups are for.
 
Skypat said:
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 !!! :mad:
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xserve
 
Other companies using macs

I was just in a Little Caesar's the other day and they use macs for their menu displays. How did I know? Because one of them had a kernel panic and needed to be restarted. Judging by how long they took to get my Crazy Bread I'm pretty sure no one knew.
 
mikeyfern said:
I was just in a Little Caesar's the other day and they use macs for their menu displays. How did I know? Because one of them had a kernel panic and needed to be restarted. Judging by how long they took to get my Crazy Bread I'm pretty sure no one knew.
Click to expand...

Were these OS 9 Macs? Or OS X?

I doubt they were OS X Macs.

And I thought Little Ceasars shut down..... :confused:
 
tace said:
You plug your current mouse and monitor in and IT hauls your old PC away to be given to charity.
Click to expand...

What happens in the real world:
1. Take to your local school.
2. Ask for a tax write off for $2000 on a $200 machine.
3. School tosses it because it's so outdated.
 
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