Why Irish Companies Are Choosing Apple for Their Teams

Walk into almost any Dublin tech office today and you'll see a sea of MacBooks. What was once considered a designer's or developer's preference has become the default for many Irish businesses — from startups in the Docklands to established firms across Cork and Galway.

Here's what's driving that shift, and what it means for the teams responsible for managing those devices.

The Move to Apple Silicon Changed Everything

When Apple released the M1 chip in 2020, the conversation changed. MacBooks with Apple Silicon offered performance that matched or exceeded Windows laptops at similar price points — with significantly better battery life. For employees who spend their day on calls, in documents, and across SaaS tools, the MacBook became the obvious choice.

Irish companies noticed. Many that had standardised on Windows began offering MacBooks as an option, and most new hires chose them.

The Employee Experience Argument

Attracting and retaining talent is a real challenge across Ireland's competitive tech sector. Many employees — especially those with experience at larger tech firms — simply expect Apple hardware. Offering Windows-only devices can feel like a step backwards to candidates used to MacBooks and iPhones.

Several Irish HR teams have told us directly that offering Apple devices is now part of their employer value proposition.

iPhones as Standard Business Phones

Beyond laptops, iPhones have become the dominant choice for company-issued phones in Ireland. The security posture of iOS, combined with Apple's regular update cadence, makes iPhones easier to manage and more secure than most Android alternatives for enterprise use.

With Jamf, managing a fleet of iPhones alongside MacBooks from a single platform is straightforward — one set of policies, one dashboard, one enrollment process.

The IT Management Challenge

The growth of Apple in Irish businesses has created a skills gap. Many IT teams are experienced with Windows environments — Active Directory, Group Policy, SCCM — but less familiar with macOS and iOS management.

Apple's management model is fundamentally different. Instead of Group Policy, you have MDM profiles. Instead of SCCM, you have Jamf. The concepts are similar but the tooling and terminology are distinct.

This is where working with an Apple-specialist like Mactaba IT makes sense — rather than upskilling an entire internal IT team, you can leverage dedicated Apple expertise remotely.

What Good Apple Management Looks Like

For Irish businesses with a growing Apple fleet, the fundamentals of good management are:

Centralised enrollment via Apple Business Manager so every device is under management from day one
Automated provisioning so new hires get a ready-to-use device without IT involvement
Security baselines enforcing FileVault, passcode policies, and automatic updates
App deployment so core tools install silently without user action
Remote wipe capability for lost devices or departing employees

All of this is achievable with a properly configured Jamf environment — and once set up, it largely runs itself.

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