Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Apple Targets the Small Business Market
Friday, July 23, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
Microsoft has seen its fair share of success recently. In a blog post, the Microsoft Windows Team revealed
that 175 million copies of Windows 7 had been sold, a record pace
of over 7 copies sold per second. Furthermore, 16% of all PCs in
the world now run on Windows 7, quite a feat for a product launched
less than a year ago. While Microsoft celebrates with its fastest
selling operating system in history, Apple has announced its
strategy to commit to a surging industry: small business.
According to a post on WSJ.com, Apple is beginning to "boost
efforts to appeal to small businesses" by hiring engineers
experienced in "implementing computer systems for clients and
proficient in networking hardware and server platforms."
Apple's presence in the small business market has been a hit and
miss-while some companies take pride in utilizing Macs and OS X, as
opposed to Windows products, the pricing and on-site service
availability have been sticking points in further commitments from
small enterprises. Especially in a lagging economy, small business
owners look for "cost-conscious alternatives."
Apple will adapt a new strategy by focusing on small business
growth. Traditionally a consumer product producer, Apple has
witnessed growth in media, design, and other creative firms. With
the success of the iPhone and iPad, it's hard to ignore the impact
that Apple has made on the technology industry as a whole.
In order to execute a small business strategy, Apple stores have
dedicated one salesman to managing accounts with local businesses.
They have also looked into recruiting a sales staff to form "a
specialized team that negotiates leasing and pricing terms for
business customers." Look to see similar executions throughout all
of Apple's 300 locations.
To further dive into their strategy, Apple has established an
incentive program to "manage the growth of these new business
initiatives."
It is no surprise to see Apple's attention shift toward the
small business sector. According to the WSJ.com article, "North
American businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees are expected to
spend $310.8 billion on information technology this year." To add
to that, projections show a 6% increase for next year to $328.3
billion.
With on-site support and possibly cheaper hardware costs, we'll
have to see if small businesses take the leap from traditional
Microsoft products to consumer-friendly Apple services.
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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