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We are just past the five-year anniversary of the first Apple Silicon Mac (M1 MacBook Air), and the long-term impact of that transition is starting to show up for both Apple and IT teams. MacPaw’s new Mac Admin Survey for 2026 paints a clear picture of what life looks like for IT teams managing Apple hardware. Macs are lasting longer, IT teams are relying more on automation and maintenance tools, and AI is quietly becoming part of everyday IT team workflows. At the same time, resource gaps are growing, and most teams are understaffed. IT teams are being asked to support larger fleets with fewer people, and they are turning to community support and new tools to keep up with ticket volume, etc.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
The Mac is lasting longer than ever
One of the most mind-blowing findings in the survey is how long Macs now stay in service at the companies of those surveyed. Almost half say their Macs remain in use for three to five years, which is a direct reflection of how amazing even the M1 Apple Silicon chip is. M-series machines are not aging the way Intel hardware did. They run cooler, perform the same on day one thousand as they did on day one, and simply do not need to be replaced as often. I still own an original M1 Air, and it still runs great.
For IT teams, this shift changes the entire rhythm of hardware management. Instead of planning for regular replacement cycles driven by performance issues, teams are focusing on keeping people productive and minimizing downtime. In some ways, this hurts Apple because The longer lifespan also gives organizations more breathing room in their budgets, and also allows them an easier time going for higher end features (more RAM, larger storage, etc)When a Mac lasts four or five years without becoming a major issue, it lets companies invest in better management tools, stronger security practices, and improvements that support the people who rely on these devices every day. The machines are holding up, so IT can focus on the experience around them. Of course, Apple makes money from selling hardware, so there is that to consider, but overall, the Mac is at an incredible place hardware wise.
Doing more with less
I spoke to someone in the IT industry recently, and we talked about how in IT, projects are never done. Did your team roll out new software? You support it forever. Roll out new phones? You’re now the phone department. The survey makes it clear that IT teams are being asked to do more with less. Nearly 1/3rd of Mac admins say they are already using AI in parts of their workflows. That usage is not coming from a place of excitement. It is coming from necessity. The report shows a rise in admins who feel they do not have the resources they need.
IT is deploying more devices than ever. Security is always a major concern, tet staffing is not scaling at the same pace. What is filling the gap is a mix of community knowledge, IT automation, and a growing set of AI-powered tools that help IT admins troubleshoot faster. The survey shows that more than 1/2 of respondents are now using maintenance or optimization tools to keep Macs running smoothly as well.
When teams cannot hire, they start to rely on communities and vendors that bridge the gap. Places like the Mac Admins Slack and Apple’s official support forums and documentation are becoming the first place teams go for help. The knowledge exists, but it’s just scattered across the world. AI will likely help surface that knowledge faster, but the need is already here. The Mac is easier to support than ever, but the scale and the expectations keep rising. IT teams are adapting because they have no choice. I have more ideas here that I’ll expand upon in my article next week.
Security and Apple fleets
The survey also shows an 8% rise in admins who want simpler patching and software update workflows. This is not surprising. As the hardware becomes more stable, the work shifts to maintaining a well-functioning software stack. Users rarely think about updates until something breaks. IT teams constantly think about them because a single missed update can create ripple effects across hundreds or thousands of machines if there is a zero-day vulnerability. Apple has improved this story a lot with the modern M series architecture and better enforcement of updates, but there is still room for tools that simplify what happens between the user and the OS.
The Mac is not hard to secure, but the environment surrounding it is becoming increasingly complex. AI-powered threats are here as SaaS sprawl increases. More work is happening in the browser instead of local apps. With remote work still common, IT teams are expected to keep all of their Macs safe and updated without ever physically touching them, while also not bothering users.
Wrap up
MacPaw’s survey shows a platform that has matured faster than anyone expected. Macs are lasting longer, admins are relying more on automation, and AI is slowly becoming part of daily workflows. At the same time, IT teams are understaffed, dealing with more complexity than ever. The Mac is holding up its end of the bargain, but the ecosystem around it continues to grow, and that is where the real frustrations now reside.
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
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