Discussion on:

How to select the best Mac laptops for enterprise users

Until Macs have proven Enterprise Management available to the platform any discerning IT department should take a pass. For years IT has been responsible to prove compliance and lower TOC. In the current Mac environment that isn't possible.

Macs do have it available. You can do this from the Apple Server remote administration utility. I highly recommend going to Apple's website and looking at the X-Serve features.

There are also third party devices and applications that allow you to manage Macs as well. Kace provides one as do others.

OK, if I were to use a MAC for video editing using finial cut, what would you recommend. This would be used for remote shoots. Thanks

There are times when a Mac is a good solution, but there are also times it's not. And not all Apple's hardware is equal.

For instance, if you give presentations at various locations and depend on using on-location hardware like video projectors and such, stick with a PC. The non-standard video ports on Macs make them less than ideal for presentations. If your adapter is lost or malfunctions, chances are good the venue won't have one you can borrow. And if you need to move your presentation to their computer you'll encounter difficulty with fonts and display issues when converting to their (likely) Windows-based projection system. So I take issue with the articles pitch to assign Macs for most any position in the company.

Second, for enterprise use I would not recommend the Air or MacBook lines. Go MacBook Pro or not at all. While the technical specs in the lower lines may be sufficient the hardware is not built to the same standard. I have only two MacBooks left in my organization, all others have been replaced with MacBook Pros. My plan is to never buy another MacBook or Mac Air laptop again. In a hostile environment like a high school our users need better construction.


This goes for you too, IBeHim. I would recommend the 17" Macbook Pro for video editing on location. A friend of mine travels all over the world doing video production work, it's what he uses and it does a great job. Anything less and you're looking to be disappointed.

Erik,

Great and helpful article. Thank you. I think I'll be getting the new MBA. Being that this baby will be commuting with me, what type of case would be best to protect it from the daily bumps and bangs?