[X4U] Trying to get a Mac Laptop approved

[Simon Forster]

On 17 Oct 2008, at 17:59, Ken Schneider wrote:

>> I'd love to know what your company is selling in to other
>> organizations' graphics departments which may be running Apple Macs
>> but is such that your company doesn't need to test / have some
>> knowledge of your devices ability to work in an Apple Mac  
>> environment.
>> Seriously, what is it?
>
> The products are professional and broadcast HD/SD video equipment.   
> You would find this stuff in TV stations, mobile production trucks,  
> rental companies, studios, etc.  It uses a real-time embedded OS so  
> the equipment itself does not use Windoze, Linux or Mac OS.  However  
> you can import graphic files from Macs or PCs via USB or FTP or a  
> home-grown application that runs only under Windoze.  Since most  
> graphic departments in TV stations are Mac-based, I think it's a  
> good idea to go in there with a Mac laptop so show the home-grown  
> app running on BootCamp or Parallels.  Sometimes there are import  
> problems and I'll need to troubleshoot why the Mac files aren't  
> working when transferred over.
>
> So having a Mac in the field would be an advantage for me.  When  
> connected to the company network I can be running BootCamp or  
> Parallels.  When troubleshooting I could have a laptop that can run  
> in both the Mac and Windoze environments.  I thought it would be as  
> simple as that.  However IT doesn't see it like that.

The product is somewhat detached from pure graphics and so I'd say  
that your company can stand by its Windows only policy - unless you  
can prove a compelling reason otherwise.

Personally, I'd be concerned working with a company wedded to one  
version of Windows with close to zero exposure to other OSes given  
that the product needs to work within a heterogeneous environment -  
but then that's probably just me.

As others have said, see if you can make a viable business case -  
you're not going to win the argument on a purely technical basis.

ATB

Simon