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04/16/2008, 1:00pm, EDT

Wednesday, April 16th

IBM offers Mac switch program

In an apparent attempt to lessen its reliance on Microsoft Windows, IBM has launched an internal pilot program designed to support employees who decide to switch to the Mac platform, according to Roughly Drafted. The pilot program ran from October 2007 through January 2008 and distributed 24 MacBook Pros to researchers at different sites within IBM Research. Of the sample group, 18 users said that the Mac offered a "better or best experience" compared to their existing Windows computer. 19 of the 22 users asked to keep their Macs after the pilot program had expired.

IBM apparently plans to expand the pilot to 50 users in the first half of 2008 and is planning to improve its Mac software offerings and make various infrastructure changes to ensure that Macs are properly supported in the organization. The company has also established a "Mac@IBM" Web site and a group for Mac users within IBM, which currently has over 930 members in 26 countries.

Filed under: enterprise
Other story tags: Windows, Mac, IBM, switch, pilot

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scottnichol

does this finally mean...

04/16, 1:08pm, EDT

that the powerbook G5 is coming?!?

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rubaiyat

Whodda believe it!

04/16, 1:20pm, EDT

The Great Satan has an official Mac User Group!

So the Axis of Evil no longer includes IBM, Intel, Microsoft or Dell, or does it?

Where do we direct our fear and loathing now? My life has lost all meaning.

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jhawk95

forget about the G5!

04/16, 1:29pm, EDT

Forget about the G5 already dude! You have posted in EVERY group this morning, regardless of contect, about a G5 Powerbook that will never come.

Buy a MacBook Pro already. They are 10 times better and faster than a G5 would have ever been.

I have one for sell if you are to cheap to pay full price. But can it already and move on... Apple will NOT go back to IBM chipsets and that is that!

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scottnichol

re: forget about the g5

04/16, 1:32pm, EDT

its a joke.

and i haven't posted this in every forum this morning.

not everything on the intarweb is serious!

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jasong

Just imagine

04/16, 2:17pm, EDT

if IBM had done this when they stood to make money off it by being a supplier of the chips in those Macs . . .

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Pennywigeon

Interesting

04/16, 2:27pm, EDT

You know if you take the letters

IBM

and move back one letter for each you get

HAL

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rubaiyat

even more interesting...

04/16, 4:15pm, EDT

...DOH spelt backwards is HOD!

btw The Altivec in my 3 year old G5 iMac still beats the pants off my late model Intel iMac when ripping CDs in iTunes.

Ahh so many features! So many discarded!

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testudo

so..

-1

04/16, 7:02pm, EDT

they want to lessen their reliance on one OS maker by relying on another.

And just think if they did this long ago when they actually made their own OS, the decent OS/2.

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bearcatrp

IBM was...

04/16, 9:46pm, EDT

a fool to can OS/2 Warp. I loved that OS.

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msuper69

OS/2 ...

04/17, 2:49am, EDT

was a great OS except for the single input queue and IINI files that were subject to corruption.

I occasionally boot it up in Fusion/Parallels just to reminisce. Those were the days!

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