The Mac has long been the undisputed alpha male of the creative industry, much loved by PR agencies and ad companies. But what about real companies out there in the real world? Is it possible to actually run a "proper" company that has bought ledgers and payrolls as well as lovely graphics and expense accounts?

Apple's latest "Switch to Mac" campaign, currently causing a flurry of interest in the idiosyncratic computer company, has prompted people to look seriously at the Mac, with its friendlier interface and cutting-edge design. But what puts many business users off is the seeming lack of choice when it comes to software.

Certainly when you come to compare the business software available for Mac and PC, the Mac is the unloved, if rather pretty, stepchild. For while in almost every conceivable category of business function there will be at least one, and often a lot more, PC applications, the pickings for the Apple are at best patchy.

But says Nick Volte, European sales director for Intego, a Paris-based software house that works closely with the Mac business community, what most SMEs need is not exotic business planning software but some fairly standard software that is easy to update, easy to use and, above all, reliable.

The bulk of most SMEs' computing needs fall into two categories: basic office software (for example, spreadsheets, presentation software, email, web browsers and word processing) and accounting software.

Microsoft has assiduously courted the Mac community by producing its own flavour of Office. Mac Office v.X is the latest release. As with the previous incarnations of Office, v.X talks seamlessly with the PC world. Compared with Office on a PC, however, the Mac is a very thin offering, containing just four applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and a Mac version of Outlook, known as Entourage.

For those whose religious beliefs prohibit them from using Microsoft products, the world is a colder place. AppleWorks is shipped as standard with some Macs and has a good stab at emulating Office, but unless you live in a bubble, its lack of inter-operability is a fatal flaw. The other core software every company needs is accounting software. Fortunately for the Mac user, there are two rival companies, both of which have well-received products, slugging it out:MYOB and Hansa.

So while it might be possible to run a business on a Mac, why would anyone chose to, given the PC's far greater choice in software? According to Jonathan Hulse, group marketing manager at Microsoft with responsibility for the Mac world, it is just a question of horses for courses: "Most Mac users are very passionate about being Mac users and what the Mac stands for. Design is very much at the forefront."

But while Microsoft is keen to court the Mac business user, Hulse admits its offering is far from complete. "We used to do Project [business planning software] for the Mac, but the market was too small. And we don't offer Access [a database program] for the Mac, but there is a very good application called FileMaker Pro already in the market."

One company that has gone the Mac way is Impact Development Training Group based in the Lake District. The company trains businesses in team building and development. The Mac's look and feel, and "otherness" were important factors in the choice of platform, says Caroline Airey, the company's finance manager.

The £10m-turnover company is fitted with Macs throughout, from the training consultants to the finance department. There isn't a PC in the place. "The Mac fitted very well with the image we want to project - the image of the way we are," says Airey.

But for Airey, it couldn't all be about style:it had to deliver substance. "What was important was that it was a seamless experience; we wanted to be able to communicate both internally and externally without any problems. That has certainly been what we have found," she says. The company was founded on Macs, but as it grew and diversified, there came a point when running the company accounts on Excel (for Mac) was not sufficient. Airey admits they wobbled. "We considered buying a PC just for the accounts department, but in the end it wasn't necessary."

The company invested in Hansa Financial, a business suite that also offers companies complete customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) facilities.

Airey admits that part of the reason for sticking with the Mac is the cost of changing over, but she says it isn't misplaced loyalty. "The Mac seems to be more user-friendly than the PC. We get people in who have never used a Mac before, or the software. It takes about half an hour at the most to train them up."

One recent Apple development has got the hardcore hi-tech companies buzzing. Apple has released a new version of its operating system, called Mac OS X. What has impressed software developers is that it is based on another very powerful system, Unix, but has been wrapped up in a very accessible, user-friendly way.

For technology SMEs the Apple suddenly has become a very attractive option. Stephen Jay, managing director of Hansa, says Mac OS X is the most reliable operating system around, bar none. "It combines the strength of Unix with the friendliness of the Mac."

"It is now the system of choice", says Scott Law, managing director of Metachange, a new online payment company due to launch early in 2003. The company, which has gone all Mac from the outset, was attracted by the powerful new operating system to develop its online billing system, which allows web users to pay in up to 11 different ways for small amounts of online content.

They found enough other Mac applications to run the rest of the company. "Most of the mainstream applications are now cross-platform," says Law.

Fortunately for Apple, the Mac has a strong base from which to venture into more mainstream business. So were you to decide to base your business around the Mac, unless you wanted to run, say, a chemical works, you will probably find what you are looking for.

There is no "killer app" - the must-have program that is essential for business success. You can run your business on a Mac, but it is a brave and, it must be said, idiosyncratic choice. But then wasn't that why you chose the Mac in the first place?

Help panel: jargon filter

Mac OS X: Apple's new operating system for the Mac, based on an existing and powerful system called Unix.

PIM: Personal information manager. A program that allows you to keep contact details, diary dates,etc all in one place.

CRM: Customer relationship management. Enterprise-wide software applications that allow companies to manage every aspect of their relationship with a customer, aiming to build lasting customer relationships.

ERP: Enterprise resource planning. Any software system designed to support and automate business processes, eg manufacturing, distribution, personnel, payroll, financials.

A is for Apple and applications

Accounting and office applications are the cornerstone of every business. For the Apple user the quality software is at least as good as that for the PC.

Office v.X
Microsoft,£449 inc VAT

Designed from scratch (this is not the PC version wearing a Mac disguise), it looks like a Mac program, feels like a Mac program and behaves like one, for better or worse. Entourage, the personal information manager (PIM) program is an excellent tool, tracking appointments and contacts, and is a powerful email program. For even the busiest executive, Entourage will handle your needs. Now that Microsoft has released a tool to sync your Palm, Entourage has everything you could need. Be warned though - importing data is not always that simple. The key improvement to Word has been the ability to select multiple blocks of text. This allows you to apply formatting commands en masse rather than one at a time - a surprisingly useful tool. On the downside, Word X turns in a rather sluggish performance (on a bog- standard iMac) and is prone to crashes.

PowerPoint on the Mac features support for Apple's QuickTime video format, which means your presentations can be even longer but at least something will happen in them. And Excel has been given a lick of paint. And customisable keyboard shortcuts. Oh goody. Microsoft Office is like the poor - always with us. Like it or loathe it, the chances are every business is going to use it. In which case Office v.X fills the slot.

Pros: Looks excellent. Communicates near seamlessly with PC versions. Excellent productivity enhancements.
Cons: Expensive. Word is sluggish and crashes.

MYOB Accounting Plus Version 11
MYOB, £299 plus VAT

Every business needs a solid accounting process at its heart. Few programs can match MYOB version 11 for value for money, coming as it does with stock control, payroll functions and, in the Accounting Plus version, multi-currency support.

As every SME knows, there are no shortcuts when it comes to accounts, but MYOB does cut the drudgery. Setting up is relatively simple (although a strong familiarity with business accounting is needed) and the process of "following the money" has been well thought through. MYOB's ability to reconcile online bank statements is a blessing for sole traders wanting. The process is not flawless, and requires a certain amount of grind on the user's part.

But MYOB's biggest, and for many, fatal, flaw is that, under Mac OS X at least, it won't run across a network. While that won't worry a sole trader, larger SMEs are going to find that an absolute must.

Pros: Simple to use and set up, well thought out interface.
Cons: For the Mac user, a rather too PC feel to it. No multi-user mode.

Hansa Office/2
Hansa, £350 plus VAT, extra user £200 plus VAT

This is a lot of software for your money, although curiously it lacks a payroll support, which is a glaring weakness. That aside, and it is a big aside, it will handle every other aspect of tracking sales orders, stock, invoices, receipts, purchase orders and receipts. It supports multi-currency transactions and the package includes customer letters and to do lists among other functions. Furthermore, the program hides its talents well, so that the user interface, while not exactly welcoming, is simple, clear and powerful.

Designed to grow with your business, Office/2 is not aimed at sole traders but small companies, in particular ones that are growing and want a finance package that grows with them. Where the suite scores over MYOB is that it is fully network capable, has built-in support for multiple companies and scheduling, and collaboration tools. A powerful package.

Pros: Flexible, powerful, multi-user.
Cons: No payroll support.