Apple SBS?

By James Gaskin, NetworkWorld.com, 09/02/06

Faithful Reader Milan states, correctly, that in our discussions on small business servers we never mention the revamped and well regarded servers from Apple. Guilty as charged. In an article on a competing Web site rating reader votes this summer, the Xserve G5 server from Apple won their Small Business (fewer than four processor) category.

I'd be happy to play with an Apple server and report back. The problem is not any dislike of Apple products on my part but the terrible PR attitude on theirs. I have never received a single review or test product, hardware or software, from Apple in 18 years of writing full time for technical magazines. The only times I've used Apple equipment were due to friends in the technical department of the local Apple office slipping me hardware out the back door. Talking with other writers over the years confirms my experiences: Apple provides the least help to writers of any major vendor of hardware or software.

Contrast Apple's stinginess with Microsoft's generosity. Yes, they're the company many love to hate, and I take my share of shots. But most writers will tell you the PR support from Microsoft leads the industry. Any Microsoft product I ask for will magically appear the next morning. When I first reviewed Microsoft SBS (Small Business Server), they sent an HP server with the software installed and an HP laptop as a client. Irony fans revel in the fact that many complaints about Microsoft are written on a PC with a Microsoft OS and Microsoft Office, including most of mine.

Just about every company beats Apple when supporting reviews and evaluations. Only one software vendor repeatedly refused to send software, which has a real cost to them of maybe two dollars: Apple. Hardware represents a much larger real cost to vendors, obviously, but many vendors make life easy for reviewers and columnists (hence you hear their names often). HP has always supported this column, at times filling my office with printers and other hardware. Iomega sends new REV drives and NAS (Network Attached Storage) boxes each time they upgrade. Linksys and Netgear, prime players in the SMB networking market, give me carte blanche on their catalogs any time I ask. Many smaller companies, especially in the NAS market, offer early production units for long-term testing I know they could, and probably need, to sell to get all the revenue they can and keep surviving.

The reality is that constant deadlines require constant product. I can't afford to buy an Apple product to test for a month, write about it, and sell it on eBay for a huge loss or leave it on the shelf. I've been thinking about getting a Mini once the prices drop as they get phased out, but I haven't decided. Apple fans, let me know how you feel about my plan.

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Comments

I don't know who you've tried to get your stuff from at Apple, but they have an entire Dept. for sending out trial equipment to people, the product seeding Dept. Anytime I want to try the newest and greatest from Apple I just call our Sales Rep, sign a few papers and a demo unit is at my door a week later. I have done this with all of Apples products all the way from the mac Mini up to the Xserve. Now of course you can't keep the equipment, it must go back ib two weeks, but that should be enough time for anyone to give any product a detailed evaluation.

James, if you have any problems getting what you need, let me know and I will get you in contact with my rep.

Posted by: Phil Grace on September 3, 2006 09:40 AM