Xserve poised for the bigtime; if Apple can deliver enterprise-class service

“‘The mentality of the enterprise market is quite different,’ [Jason Castan of system integrator Emperor’s Mind] says. “You’re talking about people who will spend $500,000 or $1 million in a single purchase. Sure, they are price-sensitive, but they are much more concerned about longevity, big picture, tender loving care . . . They want to be supported… When you are into deals that might add up to $1 million or more on one stroke of the pen, then washing the feet and cooling the brow of the client becomes a lot more important. ‘Once the price is agreed – and Apple can be very competitive here, too – money becomes pretty much irrelevant,’ Castan says. ‘Support, understanding of their needs and their business; those are the big issues… Apple now has the product, the price and the operating system,’ Castan says. ‘Now it’s all about meeting the clients’ real needs,'” reports The Age. Read the full story here.