Building The Mac Office
Building an office around the Apple Macintosh has long been a good business strategy, particularly for SMBs. Macs generally require fewer IT resources and retain their value better than Windows-based PCs -- that's a key consideration for cash- and resource-strapped small and midsize businesses. And the iPhone and iPad, with their strong Mac integration, make it easier for businesses to move into the new era of mobile computing. But before you can Go Mac, you need to know how to get your Mac offi
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The iMac, the iconic all-in-one computer, is still the foundation of a Mac-based office. For $1,199, your desk workers can get a 21.5-inch screen, a 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive. That's more than enough for most office tasks. Sure, you could spend $1,699 and get a 27-inch screen, a 3.2GHz chip, and a 1TB hard drive -- or heck, $1,999 to get a 2.8GHz Core i5 quad-core chip -- but few people need the extra screen real estate or speed.
Getting back to the Mac vs. PC debate, here are just a few of the reasons you may want to consider building your office around the Mac and compatible hardware and software:
1. Macs often require fewer IT resources to maintain than Windows-based PCs do.
2. They're typically not plagued by the malware -- viruses, spyware, etc. -- that Windows machines are. Whether that's due to the inherently more secure nature of Mac OS X or just because the Mac market share is too small to attract attention (there are good arguments on both sides), the result is that you'll spend less time guarding against and cleaning up after attacks.
3. They're not as expensive as you might have heard. Sure, you can find cheaper PCs -- but do you really want to entrust your business to cheap PCs? Windows machines with the same specs as Macs tend to cost about the same amount, and Macs hold their value better over time.
4. They look cool, and the peripherals match. Don't laugh: your office makes a first impression on customers just as your staff does.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
The entry-level model in the Mac laptop line is the 13" MacBook at $999, but it's not recommend that for business use. The 13" MacBook Pro, at just $200 more, gives you twice the RAM (4 GB rather than two), a backlit keyboard, a FireWire port (a real help for performing some maintenance tasks) and an SD card reader -- and it's even lighter. Moving to a larger screen entails a big price jump: the 15" MacBook Pro starts at $1,799. You get more for your money, but it doesn't offers as attractive a price-performance ratio as the 13" model.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
With a new size and lower pricing, the latest iteration of the MacBook Air makes it more of a practical choice and less of a luxury purchase. The CPUs aren't the fastest, but that's balanced out somewhat by the speedy solid-state drives. The $999 11-inch model comes with a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo chip, 2GB of RAM, and a 64 GB SSD, but go-ahead and spend the extra $200 to double the storage. (There's also a 13-inch model for $1,299, but go small or go home.) Pick up the $80 external SuperDrive -- about the size of a CD case -- for installing software.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
The current Mac Pro is a monster and, frankly, more computer than all but a few have any use for. But anyone doing heavy imaging or video work will benefit from the system's multi-core processors, massive storage capacity, and powerful graphics. Pricing starts at $2,499 for a 2.8GHz quad-core Xeon processor, 3 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. Twice that amount buys two 2.66GHz six-core Xeons and doubles the memory. Or max it out with two 2.93GHz six-core processors, 32 GB of RAM, and 6 TB of hard drive storage plus a 512GB SSD, all for less than $12,000.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
The previous iteration of Building The Mac Office recommended Xserve server (soon to be discontinued) or buying the OS X Server and running it on any Intel Mac. But this year, it's impossible not to like the Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server as an off-the-shelf server option. Inside the tiny (7.7-inch-square, 1-1/2-inch-high) box is a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. It also comes with two 500GB full-speed hard drives and an unlimited client license for OS X Server, which supplies file and print, email, Web, and other services. At $999, why look further?
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
To enable all the Macs in your office to share an Internet connection, there's still no better option than Apple's ownAirport Extreme. (Note that it's a router -- the actual Internet connection is up to you.) The Airport Extreme provides WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP encryption but also lets you create a guest network for temporary access. It also supports remote printing and hard drive sharing. It may sound expensive at $179, but few bargain routers have all of the Airport Extreme's features.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
If you want your router to handle backup as well, pick up the Time Capsule instead of an Airport Extreme. In addition to being a dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi base station like the Airport Extreme, the Time Capsule has a terabyte or two of storage all ready to work with OS X's Time Machine automatic backup utility. The 1TB Time Capsule costs $299 -- a less attractive number than it used to be, considering the price of terabyte drives these days, but it's still not bad for a terabyte plus a high-end router.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
MobileMe is not as goofy as it sounds. It's Apple's cloud service and will let you keep your Mail, Address Book, and iCal information synced across multiple Macs, as well as to and from Apple mobile devices. It also provides 20 GB of online storage and backup that can be used to share files with customers and others outside the company. All of that costs $99 per year or $149 for a five-license Family Pack, which adds 5 GB of storage for each sub-account.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Color laser multifunctions are inexpensive enough these days to be an attractive alternative to an inkjet. Brother has been making Mac-friendly machines for a while, and the previous version of Building The Mac Office recommended the MFC-9840CDW. That's still our top, but unless you're in a hurry, you should wait until January to get the upcoming MFC-9970CDW. For the same $700 price, it will print faster (30ppm, up from 21) and offer a longer duty cycle (60,000 pages per month, up from 35,000). Like its predecessor, it supports wireless printing, does automatic duplexing, and comes with a 50-sheet automatic document feeder.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Despite reservations about color laser printers, there's still a role in many offices for a printer like the Canon Pixma iX7000 Inkjet Business Printer. For one, it will print up to tabloid size (11" x 17"), invaluable for proofing newsletters and other publications. It can print photos at up to 13" x 19" and uses five pigment inks and a clear ink to make sure they look good. It has Ethernet for networked capability and can handle duplex printing.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Microsoft Office for Mac seems obvious, but Office 2011 is faster and has a better interface (reminiscent of Windows Office 2010, but in a good way) than Office 2008 -- it's more Mac-like, believe it or not. The Home and Student Edition, at $150, comes with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but it's not licensed for commercial use. For that, $280 gets you the Home and Business Edition, which also includes the new Outlook for Mac, which provides some compatibility with the Windows version.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Apple's iWork is a replacement for Microsoft Office, but that doesn't mean you should skip it either. The $79 suite ($99 for a five-user family pack) has three components: the word processor Pages, the spreadsheet Numbers, and the presentation program Keynote. None has all the features of its Office counterparts, but they all offer compensating advantages -- for example, Pages is an easier document design tool than Word.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
The one thing iWork and Office both lack is a true database. For that, look to FileMaker. Version 3 of Bento ($49), the company's "personal database," has added features that make it a good choice for Mac-based small offices and midsize businesses. Its close integration with existing Mac tools, such as Address Book and iCal, makes it easy to get up and running, and it comes with numerous templates for common business applications. As many as five users on a network can share contact information, notes on phone calls, purchase history, and other customer relations information.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Businesses with more advanced database needs than Bento can handle can move up to the FileMaker Pro line. (FileMaker Pro 11 can import or convert a Bento file, so you can start there if you're not sure.) The standard program costs $299 a seat, while $1,425 gets five licenses and a year of maintenance; other licensing options are also available. For more flexibility in designing a database, FileMaker Pro Advanced will run you $499 a seat; and to let more than 10 people access a database simultaneously, try FileMaker Server 10 for $999.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
The Mac-based office is in a good position when it comes to the new era of mobile computing. The still-slickest smartphone, the groundbreaking tablet, and even the music player (the iPod Touch) have access to hundreds of thousands of mobile apps that can extend your office's productivity to practically anywhere. Bento and the iWork suite are just two of the many iPhone and iPad apps out there that will keep your business humming.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Despite the variety of software available for the Mac, sometimes it's still helpful to be able to run Windows and Windows applications. To do so, pick up a copy of Parallels Desktop 6 ($80), which continues to pull ahead of its only commercial rival. The Parallels Switch to Mac Edition ($100) makes it easy to move existing Windows programs, settings, and files to the Mac for use there, while the new, free Parallels Mobile app lets you access your virtual Windows machines from any Apple mobile device.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
Despite the variety of software available for the Mac, sometimes it's still helpful to be able to run Windows and Windows applications. To do so, pick up a copy of Parallels Desktop 6 ($80), which continues to pull ahead of its only commercial rival. The Parallels Switch to Mac Edition ($100) makes it easy to move existing Windows programs, settings, and files to the Mac for use there, while the new, free Parallels Mobile app lets you access your virtual Windows machines from any Apple mobile device.
SEE ALSO:
Mac Office 2011 Available For Free Trial
Global CIO: The PC Is Dying: Long Live The iPad!
Mac App Store Opens For Business
CES 2011: Catching Up With Apple
Global CIO: Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 Ways He's Rocked Our World
The iMac, the iconic all-in-one computer, is still the foundation of a Mac-based office. For $1,199, your desk workers can get a 21.5-inch screen, a 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive. That's more than enough for most office tasks. Sure, you could spend $1,699 and get a 27-inch screen, a 3.2GHz chip, and a 1TB hard drive -- or heck, $1,999 to get a 2.8GHz Core i5 quad-core chip -- but few people need the extra screen real estate or speed.
Getting back to the Mac vs. PC debate, here are just a few of the reasons you may want to consider building your office around the Mac and compatible hardware and software:
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