Another One Goes Mac

Another of my clients has switched to the Mac today. I have an evening of setting her up and getting her things moved over, but should be pretty painless to start with. I think that as things move forward this is going to start being the norm for most people. There really is no compelling reason to use a Windows box any longer when a Mac can do many if not all of the same tasks for less money.

This client is a small company and will allow the users to share documents and collaborate on things without having to worry about location or networks. Add a .Mac account and the need for shared storage goes away as the users can share documents on their iDisks. No VPN, no server, no worries about network requirements.

The real issue comes down to document types. There is Microsoft Office, which is crazy expensive most of the time for what you get. I think the best option is either iWork or NeoOffice. I think that when OpenOffice is native Aqua, hopefully with version 3.0 it’s going to make it very difficult to not take it serious. Until then, NeoOffice or iWork I think is the way to go. I respect the fact occasionally there is a need for compatibility with Microsoft Office, but the more time goes along, the harder it is to justify the price.

There are many reasons to switch, but in the end it’s a personal preference. However, I think as things move forward, people will start to see that the Mac is a much better way to get things done.