Study: Apple's OS making inroads with business

Macworld - Apple Computer Inc.'s Unix-based Mac OS X operating system is making inroads in the business community, according to a report by market research firm JupiterMedia Corp. The report tracks desktop and server operating systems in midsize to large business.
The report found that in businesses with 250 employees or more, 17% of the employees were running Mac OS X on their desktop computers at work. In businesses with 10,000 or more employees, 21% of employees used Mac OS X on their desktop work computers.
Mac OS X Server is also doing well with businesses. Nine percent of companies with 250 employees or more used Mac OS X Server, while 14% of companies with 10,000 employees or more used Apple's Server software.
Due to reporting techniques, comparisons to where Mac OS X was last year at this time weren't available. However, Joe Wilcox, a senior analyst at Jupiter and author of the report, characterized the numbers as significant for Apple.
"What we are seeing is Mac OS X taking share aware from traditional Unix installations," Wilcox said. "In some cases, OS X is taking share away from Windows as well."
Wilcox explained that large businesses with expensive Unix systems are opting for Mac OS X when they upgrade for a variety of reasons. OS X is winning out over Linux in some cases, too, said Wilcox, because these businesses would already have Unix expertise on staff. Mac OS X has a good stable of server applications, and it can run traditional Unix applications. In addition, OS X is more viable as a desktop platform, he said.
Jupiter also sees opportunities for Apple with companies that currently run a combination of Unix and Windows machines. With Mac OS X's Unix underpinnings, companies can use Apple's operating system to replace the other two.
Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system saw a marginal decrease in its installed base this year, according to the report.
Wilcox said it's too early to gauge reaction to Apple's recent announcement that it intends to switch to Intel-based systems next year. While cost will be definitely be a factor, Jupiter's Wilcox said hardware isn't always the largest cost center.
"With a lot of these systems, the biggest cost is software, not hardware," he said.
Linux users also represent a big pool of potential switchers, according to the report.
"I'm surprised to see just how much Mac OS X has captured the interest of potential Linux switchers," said Wilcox. "Companies that were considering Linux are now buying Mac OS X instead."

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