MacNoob

I have a big problem with my Mac.  I like the way it looks.  I like the way it works [all the time].  I like OS X and the software that runs on it.  The problem I have is that, after using my Mac I don’t want to use Windows machines at all.  Why is that an issue?  I own 4 PCs, my job requires I use two others and administer 120 more.

This is not a recent problem.  It began in October, 2007, the day my MacBook Pro arrived.  Back then I just thought it was because the Mac was new but I’m pretty sure that has worn off by now.  Back then I had a habit of mistakenly pressing [ctrl + c] on my Mac to copy text.  Now I have the problem of pressing [command + v] to paste on my Windows machines.  I truly have crossed over.  Is Apple coding some sort of mind control into OS X?  I never thought I’d live to see the day when sitting down at a PC would be completely distasteful.

This must be what the married guy with four kids feels like after falling for his twenty-something secretary.  I’m still obliged to care for all those PCs but I really used to love doing it.  That’s why I’m in this field.  Yes, I’m one of the lucky few on this earth who turned his hobby into a vocation.  Back to my dilemma.  Of course, my predicament isn’t nearly as dire as the secretary guy’s, but I’m still stuck with all those Windows machines at home and at work.  If I had one-tenth of one percent of Steve Jobs’ money this wouldn’t be a problem at all.  I’d just donate all my PCs to charity and replace them with Macs.  I’m certainly not a pauper, but don’t have near the disposable income to make that sort of wholesale changeover.  I guess I just need to be patient and nibble away at all those Windows machines as attrition dictates.  Where is a good ol’ natural disaster when you need one?…

…hurricane Ike would have been a perfect opportunity for some unfortunate “flood damage”…or maybe…a lightning strike would do it.  I could erect a lightning rod and connect it to my house’s electrical ground.  I’ll need to make sure everything I want to keep is unplugged when the thunderstorms come…

This is silly.  Is my Mac tempting me to commit insurance fraud?  A man can dream, can’t he?  I suppose it’s just going to take me a few years to convert completely.  After all, I collected all those PCs over a period of a few years.  Maybe five years from now they’ll all be just a bad memory.  Perhaps that is a little too harsh.  After all, working on Windows machines has provided me with a good livelihood for quite some time.  Let’s face it, the opportunities for enterprise Mac admins are sparse at best.  It almost sounds silly using the words “enterprise” and “Mac” in the same sentence.  Not that the concept is completely unthinkable, but twenty years ago [when I started]  it was.  For that, you have to tip your hat to Microsoft.  While Apple was busy donating and promoting their product to educational institutions, Microsoft set out to build an enterprise juggernaut that still dominates the corporate landscape today.  And while Apple steadily chips away at Mr. Softie’s market share, they still show no signs of becoming a significant enterprise player or targeting much of their R & D resources toward that end.  Don’t believe me?  Just have a look at Craigslist or Monster and see how many companies are looking for OS X admins.

One ray of hope is the iPhone.  With Exchange support and its ability to be wiped by admins, the iPhone looks like Apple’s first full-fledged attempt to wedge itself into a real chink in Microsoft’s enterprise armor, Windows Mobile.  I know many of my  Treo & Blackberry users would swap to the iPhone in a minute if it were approved by the corporation.  Almost every one of them has asked me if it was possible to do so.  It’s the same with Macs.  People I work with see mine and ask if they can have one too.  More of them are discovering Mac & OS X through friends, family or co-workers and buying their own or hitting me up to spring for one out of my budget. Unfortunately, we employ a couple of mission-critical applications that are Windows-only or I’d be happy to sprinkle a few Macs throughout our network.  The point is, cool is cool, and Apple’s growing market share is showing up in the form of customer pull for IT managers to include Macs in their enterprise plans.  When enough people of appropriate rank within corporate America feel the same way I do about their Macs, some sort of critical mass will be reached, I’ll get to buy and administer more Macs and loving my Mac won’t be such a problem.  Till then, with PC prices in the toilet, it looks like I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next hurricane.  Not really.

 Email This Post