Yes Virginia, There are computer platform studies.
Though Microsoft and Intel don't want you to know about them!
- The GISTICS® Study "How to assess return-on-investment factors for new and replacement technology in media production studios" determined that for digital media creation, businesses that use Macintosh computers make much more money. In MBA terms, if you use Macintosh® computers you will have up to 3.5 times higher a return on investment than will shops using Microsoft Windows® machines. You may view this report (Adobe pdf file) in your web browser or you might prefer to download all 675k of it. The Adobe PDF file is compressed in the .sit format. To decompress it, you may download the free Stuffit Expander® software from Aladdin Systems, Inc. It is available for Windows®, Macintosh®, and Linux®.
- When it came time for the Stimulus Company to buy new computers, they put their thinking cap on. Here are the results. Needless to say, since they put some thought into it, they didn't do Windows.
- Probably the largest study of computer ownership costs ever undertaken is the Dual-Platform Support Costs by the prestigious Gartner Group. Technical Support Costs and Dual-Platform Desktops: Managed Diversity is a devastating reproach to those who would tell you that it's cheaper to support an all Wintel environment. Not only did the study find that there is no cost penalty in operating in a dual Macintosh®/Windows® environment, but there is a reduction in support costs as the percentage of Macintosh® computers increased. They found a minimum of 25‰ cost savings when using Macintosh® computers as compared to Windows® computers
- Norris and Wong Associates is a technology consulting firm specializing in personal computer productivity enhancement. They develop custom applications on both Macs and PCs for an exclusive clientele. They are based in San Francisco. Their maintenance study is crippling to anyone that would tell you that you're better off using the Windows operating systems. Here's the summary from the study:
"The above points demonstrate why Windows 95 users can expect system maintenance to be a more complex, costly and painful process than will be experienced by Macintosh users. The Macintosh still has a much better architecture than a PC with Windows 95, and its software has far fewer complex interdependencies. These differences will translate into significant cost and productivity benefits for Macintosh users. " Whoops!
Or you could just real Craig's CoXFiles Column at MacOS Journal Magazine! People around the world consider it one slam-bang tear at the computer industry. Odds are you'll enjoy it too.