Yes, I admit it, I’m a closet “granola head” and I’m coming out because I’m sick and tired of all the mainstream PC users in this industry bashing me when I mention Apple Macintoshes. Someone has to stand up and defend the good name of Apple in the ski business.
An article in the September issue of SAM stated that only “literary types or granola heads” use Macs for their computing needs. In fact, these machines are deeply entrenched in more high places, low places and in-between places around the ski industry than you may have thought.
SANY uses a program called FileMaker Pro for our main data base. (Recently, a new “Windows” version of FileMaker pro was introduced for PCs and I understand it is doing quite well. Gee, imagine that!) This data base manages our complete ski reporting network, mailing list and part-time invoicing system, no small task given the amounts of data we crunch. Along with the very powerful operating system called System 7 (which, incidentally, Microsoft’s Windows looks strangely similar to. Wow, imagine that!), we can operate our data base, spreadsheets (Excel) and accounting (at once! or Peachtree accounting), desk-top publishing (Ready, Set, Go!) and word processor (MacWrite II) all at the same time. I might add that all of our programs were purchased off-the-shelf and formatted in-house for our needs alleviating the customary marriage of outside programmers and their bills.
All our machines are networked, adding a dimension to productivity previously unattainable. By the way, networking our machines together was achieved for less than $80.00; no additional software or hardware was needed, other than a few cables, just plug in and go. This has turned out to be an incredibly powerful management tool. And the tedious and cumbersome file commands or programmable “macros,” as they are known in the PC environment, are already built in and universally used in Macintosh programs and thus shorten the learning curve for multiple applications.
Unless your company is the size of Kodak, the horsepower of a standard Mac will suffice for most business needs. A middle-of-the-road Mac II series would have the following attributes:
- Built-in networking capability
- 20-MHz 68030 processor; optional 68882 math coprocessor
- 3MB of RAM, expandable to 17MB
- Apple SuperDrive; 40MB or 80MB internal hard disk
- Serial ports SCSI and ADB video support
- System 7 operating system, HyperCard and support functions
Along with other features, this is priced at approximately $1,990. Keep in mind this is mid-line and there are several options much cheaper than this with adequate horsepower to get the job done.
One of Mac’s strengths is in the area of desk-top publishing and graphic design. You could literally engineer all of your marketing materials on your desktop, in some cases, eliminating the need for an outside agency, printers and the like. Imagine the cost savings. I count the dollars accruing back to the association every month, what a pleasure that is!
Since Zenith, Compaq and the Japanese are falling behind in notebook/portable technology, guess who is leading the pack in sales? You’re right, Apple. (Holy cow, imagine that!) With the introduction of the Powerbook, your office now has wheels with the proprietary technology of the Macintosh at your fingertips.
Certainly, both environments (Mac & PC) have their strengths and weaknesses, but to exclude Mac, especially in front-line applications, would only be an oversight, if only because of the ease of use and functionality of the Macintosh. More application in the data base, accounting, desk-top publishing, word processing and CAD among others, are being introduced every year. This presently provides a wide array of choices for today’s busy users.
Mac has translator capability with MS-DOS programs, which can be read and converted into a data base format compatible with Macintosh. And with the new agreement between IBM and Apple, it will be a short period of time before you will see interchangeable applications.
So, what purpose does all of this serve to the ski area operator of today, other than to offer more clutter to an already confusing subject? Well yes, it offers more choice, but it also offers a better fit for your needs. Mac technology offers the opportunity and power to do it yourself, eliminating outside consulting services, which can get quite costly.
If you don’t have big bucks to sink into hardware and software, I suggest, before you make that all important jump into the world of automation or add to your already existing system, you do yourself a favor and check out Macintosh.
— Robert S. Megnin
Executive Director, Ski Areas of New York, Inc.
