In this fourth part of our feature article on our 2002 AEC CAD IT Survey we move onto the type of IT information which is the most compelling and interesting from an OS platform perspective. This clearly touches on the various debates about which OS platform is superior, at both the hardware and software OS levels.

What We Looked At

We asked what firms spend on workstation hardware cost. We also asked how often they replace their workstations. Our cost range options were as follows: a) $1k - 1.5k b) $1.5k - 2k c) $2k - 2.5k d) $2.5k - 3k e) $3k - 4k and lastly f) $4k or more. Everything was presented in US dollars and respondents did some conversions if they were in the UK or another country.

For replacement cycles there were the following choices: a) 1 - 1.5 yrs b) 2 years c) 3 years d) 4 years and e) 5 years. We asked how long they keep their systems before upgrading not how long they keep their systems. The difference is important. We were not interested in seeing how long PC's last compared to Macs (all of the general industry data already says that Macs last 1.5 - 2 years longer or more); we were interested in replacement cycles, the cost associated with them, and the drivers of the cycle itself.

Workstation Costs

The QuickTime movie below will present graphics of the information we will summarize below. The results of this part of the study are fascinating for the unpredicted variances, especially when you see the platform differences. For instance, Mac-only firms were clear across the spectrum of costs, some choosing to spend less than $1500US for workstations while many others spent upwards of $4000US. This was not the case with Windows-only firms. Their cost was more congregated around the $2000US price point. Mac/Win firms were also spread across the spectrum of costs but were more evenly distributed. The question is why? (View the movie below to see bar charts)

Once viewable, hit the play button to move through. the slides.

Explanations

68 percent of all Windows-only firms spent between $2000 and $2500 on their workstations. On the Mac side 30 percent were at that category while another 32 percent were at the $3000-$4000 range. The chart titled, Percentage per Platform per Cost Range in the QuickTime movie illustrates this clearly.

One of the factors affecting price was the cost of the monitor. We made that clear in the survey form. For over a year now Apple has been entirely flat panel-based with its systems and we suspect that this is affecting the divergence in cost. On the PC side of the market, companies like Dell and HP are just now moving aggressively on offering matching branded flat panel displays. Apple hasn't offered an Apple-branded CRT is quite some time. We think this is contributing to the higher and wide variance in Mac systems costs.

Detailed Results

Again you can view some of this information inside the QuickTime movie above but we have broken the chart we are discussing above down for you here. These figures illustrate the percentage of firms (based on OS) that bought workstations in a particular range of price. (eg: in the first group, only 6 percent of Mac firms bought machines in the $1k - 1.5k range):

Percentage per Platform per Cost Range: ($1k - 1.5K)

• Mac Firms - 6 percent
• Windows Firms - 17 percent
• Mac/Win Firms - 13 percent

Percentage per Platform per Cost Range: ($1.5k - 2K)

• Mac Firms - 15 percent
• Windows Firms - 17 percent
• Mac/Win Firms - 17 percent

Percentage per Platform per Cost Range: ($2.0k - 2.5K)

• Mac Firms - 30 percent
• Windows Firms - 68 percent
• Mac/Win Firms - 22 percent

Percentage per Platform per Cost Range: ($2.5k - 3K)

• Mac Firms - 9 percent
• Windows Firms - 0 percent
• Mac/Win Firms - 27 percent

Percentage per Platform per Cost Range: ($3k - 4k)

• Mac Firms - 32 percent
• Windows Firms - 0 percent
• Mac/Win Firms - 17 percent

Percentage per Platform per Cost Range: ($4k plus)

• Mac Firms - 9 percent
• Windows Firms - 0 percent
• Mac/Win Firms - 4 percent

These results reflect the size of our study to some degree. For instance we didn't get any PC-only firms that spend in categories above $2.5k. We find this odd. Surely there are PC firms who spend more but perhaps their PC-only bias is a reflection of their IT cost orientation. Perhaps these firms are thrifty when it comes to information technologies and spend as little as possible. What doesn't make sense is why there are mixed platform firms that spend handsomely on $3000 plus systems. Clearly in looking at the data more closely and doing peer group analyses this information is revealed in our full report.

Life Cycle of Workstations

Mac users are for the most part aware that they spend a little more money on their computers, but they also are aware of the life-cycles possible with them, as compared to PCs. In our study we found that while Macs are noted in the industry for longer potential life (use), in the AEC CAD industry where performance is clearly a concern, users need to upgrade their machines prior to the end of their usefulness. What we were interested to know was do Mac firms replace their workstations less often than PC or mixed platform firms?

Our study shows that both Mac firms, PC firms, and Mac/Win hybrid firms keep their workstations approximately 3 1/2 years. A very good detailed breakdown is illustrated in two charts in the QuickTime animation above.

Cost Implications

We have our average cost per platform in our detailed study because it needs extensive backup and explanation. Mac users are spending more on their systems at initial purchase time but there are detailed reasons for that. The cost of going Mac versus Windows versus Mixed platform goes beyond how much you spend per machine and how often you replace it. Another critical issue is how much you spend in IT support in your firm and what IT resources and network services you can afford to deliver to your staff. The perennial PC/Mac debate has often centered on the assumption that PC's are harder to maintain and thus IT cost are higher, greatly offsetting hardware cost alone. That assumption is becoming challenged on multiple fronts as raw graphics-compute performance to price ratios on PC's are pressuring Apple to deliver faster Mac systems at increasingly lower price points...something the computer maker has struggled to do historically and in recent times.

[Editor's note added: 7:55pm, 7 Feb 03] It is clear from this report's findings that Apple has significant challenges posed for itself if it cannot find substantially improved (performance wise) microprocessors at competitive prices in order to bring system prices closer to Intel or to leap them in performance at the top end.

This is why we asked about automated backup systems, accounting systems, and database use. We wanted to see what kinds of technologies are deployed in firms and understand the variances based on firm size, platform group, CAD group, and other criteria. The next page deals with some IT cost issues in the survey.

You can see much of this information in slick Keynote-based QuickTimes movies, click here.

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