Finally, Apple’s Mac OS X operating system should be easily usable for the vast numbers (50%?) of businesses with Microsoft Exchange servers – the soon-coming Snow Leopard OS X upgrade has Exchange support built into Mail, iCal and Address Book. Not before time.
Apple has even allowed you to use Exchange calendar’s room availability and scheduling features – showstoppers for many of Conosco’s IT support customers… at last we won’t have to waste time vainly dissuading execs from buying themselves beautiful Mac laptops, and then screaming when the syncing breaks.
Due out in September for $29 (upgrade).
UPDATE: is this the moment when Microsoft’s hold on personal computers in business is released? Until now, using a Mac with Exchange has been painful – you have to use Entourage, which is a dog and lacks some features. OS X is much easier to use and much slicker than Windows, even W7, and at last there’s nothing left to stop business users switching to it. MS’s hold on the server remains – Exchange rules, especially in its Activesync software that is the only personal-info sync technology that never seems to trip up.
