Apple Inc (AAPL)

[clearsailing]

I certainly can't speak for enterprise computing support but ... having worked closely with large IT groups at companies in the past (now I just have one person), the attittude was always that they just plain felt comfortable with what they had. It was what they always did and you can't go wrong doing what you always did (??!!?) They would readily admit that the PC side had lots of problems but the Mac side just couldn't handle what the PCs do plus Apple would be out of business soon and there is no sofrtware for the Mac.

I think IT professionals are not risk takers and are not innovators and certainly would not change things and worry that it might not work and they would be out of a job. What is the average age of a seasoned IT manager? I think this is an area where major change happens over geologic time periods. (can you say Y2K?)

I think some of the advances with OS X and the continued failings of Windows will cause some to look at the Mac but unless there is a lot of push by Apple in this area it will be very slow change or acceptance of Apple (awaiting a turnover of existing IT managers and their assistants).

One IT group I worked with had one staff member who when OS X was at perhaps the Jaguar stage used a desktop wallpaper that was OS X-like. He loved it and would always show it to me. He was the constant source of ridicule. When he got an iPod, he was a complete outcast. (that group probably had an average age of 28 and their manager and assistant were 45- 55 (it would be interesting to go back to this group and see what there thinking was)