Going to work on an Apple: factors affecting microcomputer use in business organizations

Abstract. The use of computers in organizations may be influenced by both technical and social factors. In addition, the way in which these factors operate in any specific organization may be affected by the particular type of computer being used. This paper reports the results of semistructured interviews with users of Apple Macintosh computers in three different organizations. The relevance of factors identified in earlier interviews with academic Macintosh users to the use of microcomputers in the business context is considered. It was found that, while there was considerable individual variation in attitudes to microcomputer use, many of the factors identified in the earlier study were also present in the business organizations. Some reasons for the attitudes found are discussed.