Have Apple Laptops Crossed the Enterprise Chasm?

Originally posted on Communications and Technology Blog - Tehrani.com, here: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/have-apple-laptops-crossed-the-enterprise-chasm.html.

What my Trip to Silicon Valley Taught me About Apple

There is constant debate about what the future is of Apple and Microsoft and after a trip to San Jose, CA this week where my company met with over 175 leading tech companies it seems Apple is in better shape than ever. Yes, Cupertino has had record iPhone and iPad sales as of late but this week, more and more top execs told me they are switching from Windows-based laptops to Apple.

But more importantly they are evangelizing - they are pushing me and others to switch as well. As you may recall, it is these top execs that brought the iPhone and iPad into the enterprise and forced IT departments to integrate them into the enterprise.

And we can expect this trend to accelerate. Why? Consider that journalist Joel Evans of ZDnet considers the 11-inch MacBook Air, the best laptop he has ever owned. Obviously there is no higher praise.

Ben Rooney at the Wall Street Journal says the future of Microsoft is Mobile and while in-part this is true, the bigger opportunity is to develop a laptop and desktop OS which is as sleek, fun and intuitive to use as Apple's products. Moreover, there needs to be close collaboration with hardware vendors to ensure consumers are presented with hardware and software combinations which are as as sleek, well-integrated and well-thought-out as those from Apple.

I tackled this issue a while back when comparing the differences between computing solutions from Intel and Apple. The chip maker touts product durability while Apple keeps adding more glass to its products. Obviously vastly different approaches to designing and selling computers. And yet, it seems while Intel thinks durability is a selling point, it is apparent that consumers prefer sleek designs.

The way I see it, unless something drastic happens at Microsoft to help it reposition its solutions, Apple still has tremendous corporate growth ahead of it - especially when you consider the additional revene boost of selling apps and music to all these soon to be company-sanctioned laptops and desktops.