Macs in enterprise settings typically last for five years, besting the three-year lifespan for Windows PCs, according to a company that makes software to help businesses manage their computers.
But the really shocking revelation from the report is that more than half of Windows PCs used in big business get replaced within a year.
Macs outlast Windows PCs by a wide margin in the enterprise
Companies typically choose Windows PCs over Macs primarily because they cost less, especially when buying in large volumes. Devices running Microsoft Windows are available from many manufacturers, at a wide range of price points, making it easier for businesses to equip entire teams without stretching budgets.
While factors like software compatibility, IT familiarity and customization options also play a role, upfront hardware cost remains the biggest driver for most organizations.
By comparison, Macs are often seen as premium products, which can make them harder to justify at scale (although the recently released $599 MacBook Neo is changing that equation).
Companies making these sorts of computer buying decisions should pay attention to a new report from Omnissa.
“Compared to Windows, 6.5x more Macs are seen in service into year 6, and 3.3x more Macs are seen in service into year 3+,” noted Omnissa’s report.
“Only 17% of macOS devices were replaced within one year, compared to 54% of Windows devices, reducing disruption tied to frequent hardware replacement,” said the analysis.
Macs are far less likely to crash
The benefits of using Apple computers don’t stop at longevity, though. Employees using Macs also run into far fewer bugs.
“The telemetry reveals that Windows devices exhibit 3.1x more total forced shutdowns (including system crashes and unexpected restarts) than macOS devices,” said Omnissa. “Windows devices experience 2.2x more app crashes and a staggering 7.5x more app hangs (unresponsive software states) than Macs.”
As the report notes, crashes and hangs sap worker productivity.
“A forced shutdown is much more than an IT support ticket — it’s a disruption to an employee’s work that translates directly into lost work hours,” said Omnissa.
iPhone benefits the enterprise, too
Apple’s lifespan advantage extends to iPhones as well. When compared to Android handsets, “the data suggests that iOS devices display longer service life, with twice as many devices in service into year 6,” said Omnissa.
With hackers using zero-day vulnerabilities, system software updates are critical for security on handsets, desktops and notebooks. This is another area where iPhones and Macs have the advantage.
“iOS is updated 8.1 times faster than Android,” said Omnissa. “macOS is updated 1.5 times faster than Windows.”
The long-term cost benefits of using macOS or iOS in the enterprise are starting to overcome companies’ habit of making buying decisions based on short-term savings.
“IT teams are moving beyond viewing Apple adoption as an employee perk and are now examining hard operational signals like device longevity, update adoption, and stability to justify the investment,” said Omnissa.
Who is using what
Apple users might be interested to note that Omnissa can pinpoint which types of Macs are used in different industries. Note that this is a comparison between types of Macs, not between Apple and Windows computers.
“MacBook Pro is the clear choice in the high-tech (84%) and services (61%) sectors, suggesting that organizations are willing to pay the Pro premium when high performance — for tasks like engineering, design, and analysis, for example — and talent retention are paramount,” said Omnissa. “On the other hand, MacBook Air is the preference (56%) in the education sector, where cost-efficiency and portability considerations may influence procurement decisions.”
Apple’s mobile devices are used all over.
“Compared to the Android ecosystem, our data suggests that Apple devices — particularly iPhones and iPads — have become a ‘utility infrastructure’ of enterprises. Much like electricity or email, the adoption is consistent and widespread across the enterprise,” said Omnissa.
More about Omnissa
Omnissa is a software company that helps businesses manage their employees’ work devices, apps and logins in one place. It was created from VMware’s workplace tech division and focuses on making it easier and safer for people to work from anywhere.
This data comes from Omnissa’s inaugural State of the Digital Workspace Report. The company prepared the report based on telemetry data from millions of endpoints in enterprise environments using Omnissa software.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
