Apple and Enterprise has been debated to death. This Dash person needs to realize that Apple made choices. Choices NOT to take on the exiting enterprise infrastructure. How do you overcome a bunch of IT managers that are locked in to a popular disaster?

You don't. You avoid them like the plague and let the rest of the world have fun instead with very cool products that are just as productive and yet free of the stigma. The whole "moral" imperative thing is just plain dumb. It's not even ethically imperative. They don't HAVE to do anything at all. It's not like they're hurting the Enterprise market by not being there. They're just ignoring it by their own choice. Is the Enterprise market suffering? No. Are the users? Well, yeah, but they're the absolute bottom rung on importance anyway in the long run.

I saw this take on this guy's blog about Apple's approach to the enterprise/corporate market. It might seem a bit flippant, but I thought the point, while maybe wrong, is plausible. For those who don't want to click, the gist of the piece is that Apple is approaching the enterprise market by letting their products get the attention of the buying public, who, in theory, will start demanding IT let in Mac's to the offices. Essentially, taking a back door approach; riding in on with the people who have to use the tech, not maintain it.

http://yellowbirdman.blogspot.com/2007/08/apple-and-enterprise.html

I don't know who this guy at InfoWeek is, I've not read his stuff before, so I'll reserve some judgement. But that article is composed of writing his opinions on other people's articles. I think it's poorly written (IMHO). He even fails to mention that one of the articles he quoted was from Feb 2005.

I'm a bit disappointed that TMO posted a story about a blog that is about criticizing/discussing 4 other bloggers viewpoints. When does this cycle end and real literature begin? Will someone on MacNN write about TMO writing about InfoWeek writing about Gruber, Dash, Saricusa and Zawinski?
The overall topic is interesting, but I'd rather have had this article directly talk about/link to Dash's viewpoint, and not what some blogger at InfoWeek thinks about his viewpoint.
Wait- this is supposed to be an editorial? Are you sure that heading is right? I don't see much opinion in there.

Moral? Enterprise? He's looking in the wrong direction. A lot of enterprises do some pretty 'immoral' stuff to become big enterprises.

That aside, even Microsoft doesn't have 100% exchange capabilities on their Mac Entourage client.

Apple's Mail app uses IMAP for Exchange server, just like the iPhone.

Either Apple would have to pay MS a lot to get the native Exchange connections or MS doesn't publish all the protocols that connect to Exchange. Or both.

The fact that someone suggests there is a moral obligation for a corporation to move into a market that they don't occupy "for the sake of the users" in that market is asinine.

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MrDash wrote:
The Premise: Anyone who creates technologies that aspire to have significant cultural or social impacts on the developed world has to focus on both our lives at home and our lives at work. Anything less is an abdication of potential, or a failure of ambition, and settling for less denies many people the chance to discover tools or technologies that can improve their lives.

and later:

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MrDash wrote:
if you don't change the way people work, you can't claim to be changing their lives for the better.

(since we spend most of our time at work)
Wow. I don't know about you, but I'll take anything Apple will give me. Of course, I use Macs at work too, but I think he's way off base suggesting that improving home life doesn't count for making people's lives better.

Starting with the phrase "wishful thinking," I expressed a strong opinion, based on my tenure at Apple, about something posted today (even if the source references go back in time). When I elect to write an editorial about something that interests me, I can say what I please -- in contrast to the news. I don't know if I'm troubled or pleased that my opinions were so low key that they went undetected. - JM

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brett_x wrote:
...
Wait- this is supposed to be an editorial? Are you sure that heading is right? I don't see much opinion in there.

LOL. You worked at Apple? I didn't realize! You should mention that more often!

John Martello's actual column on TMO mentions it at the end of each article.

Apple has no obligation of any sort to enterprise, it would seem to me ms would have more of of an obligation to open its software as the dominate player rather then apple as a minor player.

Having worked for Apple doesn't mean Mr. Martello systematically speaks divine (Jobsian) truth.
I have a friend who has worked for Apple for several years as janitor. He doesn't now s*@t about computers ....

Mr./Ms. Guest. Biff was being flippant. If you read TMO for a day, you know that Martello worked at Apple. (I met Dennis Franz once...)

As to your opinion Mr. Martello, I think readers wanted to know if you thought Apple should go after the Enterprise market or ignore it.

Instead you say that Apple's "only recourse" is to concentrate on consumer products. Why shouldn't they try and overcome Microsoft's insinuation? Why not be more like Movable Type and "... meet all the (reasonable) requirements of an Enterprise while still creating a product that delights and inspires...?"

OK, there are no easy solutions, but you say that Apple can't even try. (Perhaps if they did, you'd still be selling and not editorializing?)

So the "moral" issue aside, my reading of your opinion is, Apple has been defeated by Microsoft in the enterprise marketplace and shouldn't even try.

(What about the "X" products? serve, RAID, san...)

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j.martellaro wrote:
Starting with the phrase "wishful thinking," I expressed a strong opinion, based on my tenure at Apple, about something posted today (even if the source references go back in time). When I elect to write an editorial about something that interests me, I can say what I please -- in contrast to the news. I don't know if I'm troubled or pleased that my opinions were so low key that they went undetected. - JM

John- I actually read the article wrong. When you said "This Author, who worked for Apple in Enterprise sales..." I read it as "THE author" as in Mr Dash. (As others have pointed out.. of course I knew you worked in Enterprise sales for Apple, and I have found many of your Hidden Dimensions articles insightful.) Now that I can read, I see your opinion.

I think on some level, we (as Mac users) all wish Apple would just take on the world and make us "right all along" that Macs are "better". And for those who are in Enterprise sales (like my sales rep), it hits home even harder, I'm sure. Of course Apple's products could do what they need to do in the vast majority of enterprises in the world. Email, word processing, Web surfing and file sharing consist of probably 90% of enterprise computer use. But that doesn't mean that Apple should jump in and try to take market share right away.
I believe that Apple's plan is to slowly enter that market by making the best products in the world. If they continue to focus on the user's needs, eventually, the enterprise will come to the Mac. IMO, there's only 2 ways that won't happen- either MS starts making better products, or Apple loses its ability to make the best products. I'd rather have them focus on creating their products than selling their products to people who don't [yet] want them. I think the slow, steady approach will lead to a much better adoption rate. At some point, there will be enough success stories of enterprises switching to Macs that they will be selling themselves.
Just my opinion.

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Tiger wrote:
You avoid them like the plague and let the rest of the world have fun instead with very cool products that are just as productive and yet free of the stigma.

...

Are the users [hurting]? Well, yeah, but they're the absolute bottom rung on importance anyway in the long run.

You bet we are hurting because unlike your implication the iPhone simply is not as productive as other devices on the market. I use the iPhone every day on my Exchange account and the number of issues with just that small feature are continuing to pile up. Receiving duplicate emails, sending emails that get eaten by the phone, simply not receiving any meeting invites (for some reason the iPhone chooses not to show that these items are in your inbox), no wireless synchronization of calendar or contacts. It is not "just as productive" as the other devices I use.