A funny thing happened recently. A survey of 45,000 PCWorld readers found that a majority prefers Apple laptops. While that’s just one perspective from one audience, it represents a trend that Microsoft and Windows PC OEMs should be concerned about.

Large enterprises are too entrenched in Windows to shift the entire IT ecosystem to Mac OS X. It could be done, but like stopping a train, or turning a cargo ship—it would take some time.

Small and medium businesses, however, are more agile and can switch platforms on a whim. And, according to a report by Intermedia, recent SMB tech purchases are overwhelmingly favoring Apple. BGR states that nearly 70 percent of all smartphone activations for SMBs in the most recent quarter were iPhones, and more than 90 percent of the SMB tablet purchases were iPads.

iPhones and iPads are mobile devices, and don’t represent any real threat to Windows. But, if you combine the SMB demand for iOS mobile devices with the popularity of Mac OS X laptops indicated by the PCWorld survey, it paints a picture.

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