Nightmare No. 1: Apple's eye not on businesses

Apple has traditionally turned a blind eye when it comes to supporting Macs in the enterprise-and that's bad news for Mac engineers trying to keep up with the PC counterparts.

When , for instance, plans to release a new PC to the market, the computer maker will give the machine to its enterprise customers a month earlier. Systems management engineers can test and certify their standard Windows build, VPN and third-party applications. When the new PC hits the market-and business users want it-the engineers are ready to support it. Mac engineers, on the other hand, get their hands on a new along with everyone else.

To be fair, Apple does provide good support for enterprises in a small slice of industries, such as broadcasting, advertising and graphic design, says Gartner's Kitagawa, yet there are no signs that Apple will support the Mac in enterprises more broadly. So the burden falls on the internal IT department, often a lone Mac pro, to find alternative Mac solutions and support.

Nightmare No. 2: Windows developers deliver weaker Mac options