Who Says Macs Aren't Used In Businesses?
Arik Hesseldahl
I was
at the Hewlett-Packard analyst's meeting today and a
funny Mac-related thing happened. I happened to sit
right behind a four people folks from Soleil-Cross
Research, three of whom were typing notes on MacBook
Pros.
Now if you've never been
to a meeting full of Wall Street financial analysts,
let me tell you this: Seeing a Mac in the room is a
rare thing. It's a PC fest, full of Windows-running
Dells and Thinkpads and so on. But as you probably
know, MacBook Pros stand out, prominently showing
their lit Apple logo right on the lid for all to see.
Later during a Q-and-A session with CEO Mark Hurd,
Shannon Cross asked Hurd a few questions, her MacBook
Pro caught his eye. "That notebook you've got there
is a challenge to us," he said, adding that he'd be
sure to send someone down to see her later to talk
about HP notebooks. Sure enough, during a break after
Hurd's remarks, an HP exec stopped by to drop off a
few business cards.
Meanwhile, Cross and her colleagues were happily
running all the applications they needed, including a
very slick-looking Java-based Reuters terminal
application. From where I sat, I could see all three
of these MacBook-carrying analysts were very busy and
very productive, sending IM's checking quotes,
staying up to speed on the moves of the market, with
not a single Windows application needed.
Later on Todd Bradley, head of HP's personal systems
group, which is the group responsible for HP's PC and
notebook sales, needled Cross and her colleagues a
little more, saying he "hoped to visit with you and
convince you of the error of your ways."
Nice. Start a sales approach with an arrogant
comment. Great approach, Todd.
I chatted with Cross after all this and asked if she
was in any way swayed by all this odd attention by
HP's senior management. "My problem isn't with HP
notebooks," she said. "It's with Microsoft." Concern
about viruses, spyware and the many hours of lost
productivity that derives from them was the reason
for her choice.