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Microsoft gently reminds employees to steer clear of iPad purchases on the company's dime

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Mar 21, 2012, 5:47 AM

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Microsoft gently reminds employees to steer clear of iPad purchases on the company's dime

Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing, Services, IT & Operations Group (SMSG) sounds like a huge department and whatever it decides internally is likely affecting tens of thousands of employees. SMSG has recently issued some internal memos aiming to remind Microsoft's sales and marketing peeps they should be using Microsoft products, not some wimpy tablets or laptops with half-bitten fruits on the back.

This has been a Microsoft policy for a while - not to allow anything but the good ol' Wintel machines or Windows Phones be puchased on the company's expense. That's alright - we aren't exactly imagining Apple employees running around armed with PCs and Nokia Lumias in their turn.

Alain Crozier, Microsoft's CFO of Worldide Sales&Marketing, has allegedly detailed the request in this internal email:

From: Alain Crozier

Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 1:17 PM

Subject: Apple Purchases

Within SMSG we are putting in place a new policy that says that Apple products (Mac & iPad) should not be purchased with company funds.

In the US we will be turning off the Apple products from the Zones Catalog next week, which is the standard purchasing mechanism for these products.

Outside of the US — we will work with your finance and procurement teams to send the right message and put the right processes in place.

The current purchase levels are low, however we recognize there will be a bit of transition work associated with this. Details of historical purchases in the US are provided in the attachment to help understand the changes that will be needed.Thank you for your support and leadership on this.

Alain Crozier

CFO | WW Sales, Marketing & Services Group

WW SMSG Finance

Asked for confirmation on the above policy, Microsoft has neither confirmed nor denied it, but we'd wager to guess it is a daily routine at Redmond for expense invoices to get tossed in the bin when they contain "Apple" in them, even when coming from the company's cafeterias.

source: ZDNet

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.