Monday, 21 April 2008

IBM “Trying Out New Things” with the Mac

IBM revealed last week that it has embarked on a pilot program to introduce Apple’s Macintosh computers into the workplace.

The test program, which started late 2007 and involves some 100 users, was launched with the intention of finding out if the MacBook laptop could indeed be considered as a good alternative to the PC and according to some, to challenge Apple’s claim of being capable of higher productivity and offering ease of use.

IBM said it does not see an imminent strategy shift away from the PC platform at the moment because the tests that are being conducted will be done in phases over time.

The big blue has tasked its users to run tests to identify issues relating to software compatibility, end user satisfaction and usability. Subsequent tests have also been planned to identify and deal with emerging problems before the computer giant moves forward to make the substantial investment.

Analysts say that another area IBM should take into consideration when testing is the cost involved in supporting Macs on a corporate network.