A recent email leak seems to suggest that Microsoft will soon ban employees from expensing Apple products. While they are not prohibited from buying Macs and iPads for their own personal use, the company is banning departments from purchasing Apple products for employees. Furthermore, Microsoft will be phasing out any existing iPads and Macintosh computers.
While Microsoft is refusing to comment on the story or email published by Tom?s Hardware, the message is allegedly from Alain Crozier and is part of Microsoft?s Sales, Marketing, and Services Group. According to his Microsoft profile, there is indeed an Alain Crozier listed as being the Corporate VP and CFO of said group. So, even if this is fake, at least the pranksters did their homework.
Assuming that the internal communication is legitimate, a total ban of any Apple devices seems drastic. I can understand that Microsoft likely wants its employees to use home-grown products (or at least not products from their main competitor). Conversely, I can empathize with the few users that have grown accustomed to performing their job duties using the Apple devices, services, and interfaces. If they are primarily Mac users, for example, the adjustment to working in Windows while growing up with with another OS may be tough.
From the email leak alone, it is not clear exactly who?received?the communique. After some consideration of the illogical nature of hampering internal developers and Apple-related?product teams, it is unlikely that the Apple ban would be enforced throughout the entire company. After all, Microsoft has also started developing iOS applications, including Kinectimals, SkyDrive, and OneNote, there are teams working on Office for Mac, and so on. Rather, the email would make the most sense when applied only to customer- and public-facing employees. Marketing teams, PR?personnel, and the sales force are likely candidates to have?received?the Apple product ban email. By ensuring that the public sees only Microsoft equipment being used by employees, it helps to foster an image of Microsoft standing by its own products. In areas of the company not under public scrutiny, Microsoft could continue to allow developers and engineers to use Apple products. The result of that arrangement would give Microsoft the best of both worlds.
One likely cause for the ban is Microsoft?s increased presence in the mobile market with Windows Phone 7, and the impending launch of the mobile device and traditional computing interface unification that is Windows 8. The company is still the underdog in the mobile space, and it?s likely feeling the pressure from Apple as it tries to grab a larger slice of the market. Essentially preventing employees from using the competitor?s products may be one way to keep them focused on Microsoft?s own ecosystem of products. If employees have to use MS day in and day out, they might be more likely to have that experience trickle into and affect their personal lives, including what products and device are recommended to others.
Preventing employees from using Apple products is not necessarily a bad thing for Microsoft to do, especially since it?s footing the bill for employee equipment. Being able to exert more control and deliver a focused, unified fleet of machines makes the IT department happy and has the potential to create a tighter knit employee environment.
Of course there is something to be said about knowing the competition. Such hands-on and real-world usage information can then provide Microsoft with feedback on what the company should do for its own products. The scenario where employees would be allowed to use Apple products to work for Microsoft sounds like a perfect pool of market and development research data to me.
Read more at Tom?s Hardware
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