If you think Apple had a great year in 2011, you ain't see nothing yet. While still firing on all cylinders in the consumer market, the company is also making great gains in the enterprise arena.

Forrester Research's (http://www.forrester.com) latest "Global Tech Market Outlook" states that enterprises will spend US$19 billion on Apple hardware in 2012 -- which is 68% more iPads and 45% more Macs than purchased in 2011.

"Apple's products are much more visible in business environments than they used to be," writes analyst Frank E. Gillet. "To quantify Apple's business presence, Forrester surveyed almost 10,000 information workers -- workers that use a computer for work an hour or more per day -- across 17 countries globally and more than 3,350 IT hardware decision-makers in North America and Western Europe. We analyzed the data to profile how information workers use Apple products for work, how much IT supports Mac and iOS devices, and regional and segment variations."

Meanwhile, "USA Today" says (http://macte.ch/CE29B) that Apple is hiring sales executives across the U.S. to get more of its products into Fortune 1000 companies. Microsoft has traditionally dominated the corporate workplace and more than 85% of corporate computers still run some version of Windows software -- but that's changing in Apple's favor.

Last year, 46% of companies in North America and Europe issued Macs to employees, according to Forrester Research. Their study found that 11% are using iPhones at work; 9%, iPads; and 8%, Macs.

"The growing appetite for Apple products in the workplace underscores the changing nature of the corporate market," says "USA Today. "Workers want lighter laptops, tablets computers with longer-lasting batteries and smartphones with apps in the office environment. And information technology departments and buyers are listening."

Now if only Apple would show some love to the professional videography market and release some much-needed upgrades to the maligned Final Cut Pro X. Plus, it would be nice if the company let the creative pro market know what the future of the Mac Pro is -- if it has one.

-- Dennis Sellers