Things are changing in Seattle, where Mayor-elect Mike McGinn wants to chuck the Windows-based PCs out the window - to make room for the Mac.
That’s because, unlike outgoing Mayor Greg Nickels or runner-up, Joe Mallahan, iPhone-using McGinn wants the best tools for the job, running the city, 13 miles from Microsoft's Redmond campus.
Did we mention yet that Microsoft is based in Redmond, a suburb of Seattle? We have now. That’s all we’re saying about it, OK?
Here’s what the Mayor-elects “people” said:
"We've asked the city IT folks about it [switcing to Macs] and they're looking into it for us," said transition spokesman Aaron Pickus. "They were talking about new computers for the mayor's office anyway, so right now we are looking to see if Mike and the mayor's staff can work on Macs."
Another detail - the transition team rejected the BlackBerry devices they were offered when they took that post, choosing instead to take on four iPhones to handle the job.
In an echo of this excellent piece in the Wall Street Journal (which basically points out just how consumers mostly use better technology than they get to use in the office), Pickus also points out: "It is in part a way to stick with the technology we were most comfortable with during the campaign, and in our personal experience.”
Via: Microsoft Blog
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Comments
muahahaha
BITCH SLAP TO MS!
Redmond isn't a suburb of
Redmond isn't a suburb of Seattle. It's a separate city.
Still a Suburb
Smaller cities that are part of the extended Metropolitan Area of a large city are called suburbs. They are still separate cities.
Redmond.
True, but it is in what is, by official consent, known as part of the "Greater Seattle Area".
Correction
Microsoft is based in Redmond, a town located to the east across Lake Washington from Seattle. Check Google maps.
And note that this request is only for Macs in the mayor's office and not the city offices as a whole. The city IT director is a complete Microsoft fanboy and has actively worked against Macs in the past. Gonna be interesting to watch this one. Maybe it will open up some jobs for Mac savvy folks.
Semantics
Seattle is the largest city in the region and has been for decades. Only recently have towns such as Redmond, Bellevue and Kirkland started expanding and coming into their own.
Regardless of their location seperated by a lake and/or the fact that they have buildings taller than five floors now - they are still considered "suburbs" of Seattle much as they were when people settled there back in the day on the out-skirts of the Seattle city limits.
People should be able to use
People should be able to use what they're most comfortable with, as long as it doesn't cost the tax payer extra money just to use something else. This is a non-story.
Why is it a non-story? We're
Why is it a non-story? We're on a 9-5 Mac site, so when an incoming political team in a major city, and one where Microsoft is located in its backyard, is pushing for Macs, it's NEWS!
Comfort shouldn't be the only reason, but there are costs in learning curves, etc., so if the incoming team is Mac-based, even if it costs a bit more upfront (less in ongoing tech support down the road), then Seattle should embrace it-- even outside of the Mayor's team!=
If the city IT guy is so anti-Mac, then maybe it's time to find a replacement!
Give users what they prefer
Many users have their own platform preferences. If they are supported in their own choices, they become more productive and happier. Systems administrators should be trying to support their users, not dictate limited options. In this broader context, it is difficult to quantify the increase or decrease in cost in supporting a heterogenous computing environment.
Blah blah blah. Sounds like a
Blah blah blah. Sounds like a smart move in contract negotiations to get some discount on their new contract with Microsoft...
Macs for the Mayor
They have finally got a forward thinking intelligent mayor in Seattle.
I should hit the new mayor up
I should hit the new mayor up for a job....
Nothing more than politics.
Nothing more than politics. He could probably care less about what OS the city is using.
Politics ? preference ? or prenups ?
I think Politics would of been McMicroGates making the greater Seattle Area Free online an Prompting His goods here. Preference is in the hands of the user, every time Im in one of the Apple stores which are pretty strategically located in the realm.. there BBbusy ! and with the troubles microsoft keeps having, Well that brings the Prenuptial thought. I know businesses Have Mac in the house, Not sure of any Cities. I don't think it's a Spurn, just a better mate.
Smart move
I knew that there was a reason that I voted for this guy other than the fact that he is articulate and is forward thinking!
Not on our budget deficit!
As a Seattle resident, this is outrageous.
Regardless of ones computer preference, it is unjustifiable in a city that currently has a massive budget deficit to be talking about wasting money (yes, it is a waste - it will have no effect on his production) on a frivolous but large scale computer implementation.
I'm sure with this change we will be funding a bunch of hunyaks to get trained and experience all kinds of government screw ups because of the change.
NO.
NO.
NO.
Time to get out of the rut, have computers that just work
Having worked in city government for 5 years, the amount of time lost to Winbloze updates, corrupted software, and the bloated features of Office is staggering. If I had the money that is related to lost productivity as workers sit waiting for updates or for a tech to troubleshoot system hangups, I would be even richer than Gates. My current position allowed me to use my Powerbook (not even a current MacBook) with Bento and iWork. The ease of use combined with the consistency and coordination of the software features has enhanced my productivity. For six weeks, I have encountered no system lockups, no reboots, no corrupted files, none of the frustrating and non-productive problems that Winbloze creates. No outrageous support costs to deal with, either. Tech loves Winbloze because it has built-in and lifetime job protection.
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