Apple gives 11 reasons why businesses should use Macs (Excel is one) | ZDNet

We are defined by our decisions.

But in making those decisions, we’re influenced by so many organizations telling us to favor them.

Which makes me wonder: How do businesses decide whether to go Mac or PC?

Do their software needs drive it? Does their finance department drive it? Or could it be some sense of sheer brand preference, sometimes disguised as taste?

I only ask because Apple has just released a new page on its venerable site, a page that insists there are 11 reasons for businesses to use Macs.

How did Apple get to this number? Did it involve input from SEO experts? Or is 11 simply a more auspicious connotation than 10 or 12?

You’ll be stunned into charming your CFO when I tell you that the number one reason for businesses using Macs isn’t the price. No, it’s the M1 chip. This chip is so good, according to Apple, that it’s two reasons.

The first lies in its power. The second, its speed.

Some may be concerned, however, that the only speed comparison offered is between the old and new MacBook Air.

Let’s glide, though, to Apple’s other arguments. There’s battery life, affection from your IT department, compatibility with systems in companies that don’t have an IT department, and, wait, here’s price.

No, not price at purchase. Price “in the long run.”

Apple presents a Forrester study that says: “Compared with a PC, a single Mac could save you $843 over three years.”

So, it could save you $281 a year? You’d have to use a lot of Macs to impress your CEO, given the other costs conversion might involve.

Apple’s reasoned, lyrical waxing continues, however. There’s security, there’s iPhone compatability — because almost every American has an iPhone. (Please work with me here.)

Then, quite naturally, is Apple’s marginally haughty sniff that people love Macs and, it seems, don’t love PCs. (I declare my bias. I’ve always used Macs.)

I’ve saved, though, the most delicious reason for your company to buy Macs until this glorious dénouement.

Apple’s reason number 8 is Excel. Yes, Microsoft Excel. It’s in the headline: Excel. And so much more.”

Says Apple: “All the business apps you need run beautifully on Mac — from Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to SAP and Dropbox. And thanks to the Apple M1 chip, popular iPhone and iPad apps for work can now run on Mac, too.”

Also: Microsoft’s unified Office app is now available for iPad

It’s moving that Apple uses Excel as it headliner. This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that some CFOs are desperate to wean their employees off Excel and onto more glamorous apps. They claim too many people rely on Excel far too much and its scope is deeply limited.

Still, one of the world’s most carefully tended walled gardens wants businesses to know that Microsoft and Google services are a reason for blooming success.

Welcome to the Enlightenment.