The bMighty Blog -- Hardware & Software

Thirty years ago, rap music was considered little more than a fad. "Ignore it and it will go away," was the mainstream music industry's stance. A few years later, Apple Computer made a splash with its Mac Classic computer.

It was adorable and functional, but hardly considered a contender for the business desktop. The Mac was quickly eclipsed by desktop PCs.

While sales of rap recordings have recently begun to slip lower than a hip hopper's pants, sales at Apple (having survived many near-death experiences) are stronger than ever.

In fact, sales for the fourth quarter are exceeding Apple's expectations on the success of the iPhone and the new iMacs. "What surprises us is the high-end $1799 model is also doing well with 'prosumer' customers," said analyst Shaw Wu, quoted by AppleInsider.com.

Many of those prosumers might more accurately be called small and midsize business users. The trend is called "consumerization," and these Mac-enchanted folks, and their consumerizatin' ways are making IT's job harder, writes ComputerWorld's John Brandon.

Reasons for alarm include possible compatibility issues with

• Network security
• Email server configuration
• Customized corporate applications
• Network backup support

The extent and severity of the issues vary of course. But the strong growth of consumer demand for iMacs, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and Mac Pro servers indicates that the migration of the Mac onto traditionally non-OS X small business networks will continue.

Are MacBook flippas getting all up in your network? Are you trying to stop the invasion, or do you welcome the challenges and potential payoffs?

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