The debate of Mac versus PC will continue. You hear this conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table, in the office and even on commercials. Yet regardless of which you consider to be better, it is important that your office equipment accommodate for both. The fact is that despite the prevalence of PC computers in business, there are a lot of Mac users and all of these Mac users face problems with AV connection.
In a land of PCs, all die-hard Mac users in most offices are easily identifiable. Part of why they are so easily identifiable is because they are always asking if anyone has a Lightening Cable, so they can connect to the projector. Because businesses primarily run on PCs, traditional office equipment does not cater to Macs. This is a problem for two major reasons. 1) There are many Mac users that are unable to present from their devices, and 2) It is undeniable that Apple programs are better for some things than others.
To connect an Apple to office equipment, such as a desktop or projector, you need a specific adapter that many offices simply do not have; they are expensive and seen as an unnecessary expense. But trust me, this gets frustrating for your die-hard Apple fans. Furthermore, you just never know when you will invite a guest to your office or event who is planning to present from his or her own laptop; which just may happen to be a Macbook.
It is actually becoming more and more likely that people will be Apple users, as the number of Mac users continues to steadily grow. Back in 2012, Apple announced that it had 66 million users. This is not a number that can be ignored.
There are also some things that can be created on a Mac, that cannot be done on a PC. Many of these actually have to do with visual creations, such as presentations. If you were to look up “better alternatives to PowerPoint” on Google, you will find many blogs talking about an array of new presentation options. You’ll consistently find that many of these are only compatible with Macs. Additionally, many find that using Keynote (Apple’s version of PowerPoint) is a more seamless experience, and the program has more capabilities. For example, you can create interactive, 3D charts, cinematic-like transitions and objects, and reflections on images. And creating these elaborate presentations on Keynote isn’t rocket science; they include over 30 design templates and the creation process, itself is very intuitive.
So you might think, “Ok, well then create a keynote presentation and then just send it to someone with a PC to present it.” But, this is not the case. Although it is very easy for Macs to send this to another Mac, it gets far more complicated (and actually is pretty much impossible) to “send” it to a PC. The PC programs are unable to open and run these documents, and often times if a presentation or document includes one of these elaborate features, it will not convert to a PC-friendly version.
So thus far, creations completed on a Mac have not been easily transferable and viewed by others from the organization. As time goes on, we must begin to update our IT, and allow for an array of programs to be used in the office. By updating your AV system to wireless presentation, you enable both Mac and PC users to display the best of their work to the entire organization, at any time.
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It’s the digital age, and it seems like everyone is online…on “the network.” Since it’s become the norm, many of us forget what attracted us to it in the first place. What we love about the network is its ability to connect…connect people, connect devices, connect information, and connect all of our systems. More conveniently, it allows us to connect from anywhere.
This move to the network has not left AV systems untouched. Now we also expect to view whatever we want, from any device, from anywhere. It was once a luxury, but has recently transitioned into being the norm; it’s what people expect. Yet, even as we transition to the network, we still expect our IT team to manage, monitor, and maintain everything we need seamlessly — including AV.
In the past, there were 3 entirely different systems: the IT network, the AV control, and the AV switching system. But as we all switched to the network (online), the AV control system moved to the IT Network (for many companies). The master AV controller is able to connect to the network through DHCP. Meanwhile, the automation system controls the switching system. All of this can be managed by a server on the IT Network side, and all devices can be connected through IP addresses.
But is AV/IT integration really this simple? Or has the collision of these two worlds created some complications and challenges?
Many companies’ AV departments and systems have essentially turned into IT. However, some companies’ IT departments will not allow AV systems to be on their network, due to security risks and network complications. These separate AV and IT teams are prevalent in healthcare and education organizations.
The argument of separation versus the consolidation of AV and IT will continue to be debated in the near future. However, this debate may not last long, as the largest barrier to AV/IT integration are security and network issues; which are being acknowledged and looked at. And based on our previous levels of innovation in the industry, we can assume that this will not remain an issue for too long.
This year Europe’s, ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) conference discussed the topic of AV integration and its future. You can watch this video for a review of the conference. It is evident that this community understands what dilemmas need to be addressed, what solutions they need to find, and most importantly that education on this topic is paramount. Once solutions are discovered, education and training will be vital to the success of the future of AV.