Just how much is IBM saving by using MacBooks?

One of the most common arguments both individuals and businesses use against choosing to do their work on an Apple laptop is cost. But, while shelling out for a MacBook may lighten your wallet more than most Windows PCs, Apple claims using a Mac can save users money in the long run.

During the Cupertino company's quarterly earnings call earlier this week, Apple CFO Luca Maestri explained that IBM has saved about $270 on each MacBook its employees use instead of a traditional PC. The improved value, he said, comes from reduced IT costs and better residual value.

Since penning a deal with Apple last year, IBM has deployed more than 30,000 MacBooks to its employees, according to Maestri. At a rate of $270 per MacBook, that would indicate the company has saved more than $8 million by using MacBooks. That total will continue to grow as IBM is adding 1,900 new laptops every week on its way to reaching its target of 50,000 by the end of the year.

These figures help assign contextual value to reports that IBM employees using Macs required far less IT support than their PC-using counterparts. Earlier this month, IBM VP Fletcher Previn told attendees to the JAMF Nation User Conference in Minneapolis that in their recent MacBook deployment, just 5 percent of IBM employees with new Apple laptops needed IT support, compared to 40 percent of employees setting up PCs.

To support its 130,000 combined iPhone, iPad, and MacBook users, IBM only needs a dedicated help desk staff of 24, according to Previn.

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