From the plaas to the city – How Mac helped Abdul cultivate a name in the Cape tech space
Abdul Khalfe shares his full-circle story dreams of how he wants to bring the 'Apple' back to the farm through his tech expertise.
From an Apple on a farm in quaint Western Cape to becoming a big-time apple at data tech firms in the city – Abdul Khalfe has a story that starts with humble and quiet small-town beginnings just outside of Zoar, Western Cape.
Abdul is a managed services engineer with expertise in managing Apple products for some of his clients. But starting his formative years on a farm didn’t dwindle or wane his hunger to immerse himself in the tech space – instead, it reaffirmed his resolve.
“My passion – my fascination with technology began early on, and it’s really been the driving force throughout my career,” explains Abdul.
“I grew up with no neighbours – basically no friends. It was just me and my siblings – and I think technology helped us bridge that gap, not having a huge tight-knit community.”
Being isolated from the main town and community daily meant that Abdul and his family relied on tech to stay informed and connected with their community while living on the outskirts of the town.
Onboarding an Apple computer helped make life on the farm easier for his family and helped them resolve day-to-day issues with significant improvement.
“It allowed us to solve a lot of problems. It really allowed us to make life easier for us on the farm where we were able to solve simple problems by making use of some Apple technology – which was available at the time,” shares Abdul.
“That for me I think was the start of where I realised ‘Okay, I want to take up a career in technology’.”
Having started playing around with tech during those formative years, Abdul was able to hone his tech skills and capabilities – allowing him to seamlessly adapt to new tech and software he was introduced to.
“It was something that came like second nature to me. It was easy for me to pursue anything in technology because I was so accustomed to solving problems – especially using Apple products, because of the environment that I came from,” he says.
Living on the farm, and now running heavy tech software is no small feat – both need people and equipment that can juggle tasks and have lasting durability. This is a feature Abdul is grateful for in Apple devices – especially the MacBook.
“Because of the durability, and also the fact that we didn’t need to purchase new devices often – compared to a regular PC where you’d need to upgrade every three to four years – we were able to save while solving our problems. It was just compatible with the environment that we were in,” explains Abdul.
Once he made the move to Cape Town in his teens to pursue his tech career dreams, Abdul’s world opened up even further – accompanied by his reliable Mac.
After his studies, Abdul built himself into the role he holds today.
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to design and architect multiple solutions for our clients pertaining to Mac OS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS – in circumstances where it’s affected,” he shares.
“The feedback I’ve received in return from our clients has been great – which has allowed me to move from several up to where I am now.”
As for the products that he finds indispensable in his day-to-day needs – it’s predominantly his trusted MacBook.
“My Apple MacBook Pro is an absolutely essential item for me to be able to not just be mobile, but also do the advanced computer algorithms that I need to complete to fulfil our client needs,” explains Abdul.
This tool is particularly useful, Abdul adds, when he and his wife travel back to the farm in Zoar to visit his family and he needs something with durability, power, and reliability that will keep him connected and productive.
“If you talk about mobile computing power – at this stage, the MacBook Pro has unparalleled performance. It seamlessly handles the demands of my work,” Abdul enthuses.
“I think the battery life is excellent, it has a really nice screen, and I can take it to almost any environment and it shines. For people like myself – developers, the MacBook Pro is at the top.”
Beyond his prized MacBook, Abdul also makes use of an iPad and iPhone in his personal capacity. Another benefit Abdul finds useful from the Apple and iStore teams is the resale value offered on Apple devices.
“We are able to trade in our devices now – which is a better option and a more environmentally friendly option,” Abdul explains.
“If you decide to buy an Apple device today, if they release a new MacBook Pro in a week, you can literally take your previously bought MacBook to the iStore where they’ll evaluate it for you and, if it’s in great condition, you simply pay the difference between the model you brought back and the new model.”
Apple products have not only revolutionised Abdul’s workflow through its seamless integration, processing power, and cross-device communication and collaboration – but his lifestyle as well.
“The fluidity and the transition between devices and the intuitive user interface are instrumental in maintaining a streamlined and efficient work experience. What I mean by this is that I can use any Apple device – I can take my iPhone now and I can walk outside and continue a call started on my MacBook and it will be a seamless experience that the person on the call wouldn’t even notice,” explains Abdul.
With his life this plugged into the Apple way of life – Abdul has even convinced his wife to embrace the integrated ecosystem of Apple devices when they started dating. Now, they are both regulars at their local iStore and are grateful for the informed and helpful services they receive.
“I think the iStore service has been invaluable,” he explains. “The team’s prompt and responsive and they have deep expertise and are able to provide solutions for customers in store.”
As for his next steps, Abdul hopes to work even more closely with Apple products and become a consultant on Apple ecosystems where he can develop custom solutions for clients to ensure they are making the most use of their Apple devices.
“Whether that’s application management, configuration management, security or threat analysts, mobile device management, or out-of-the-box solutions – I could see myself consulting and doing that full time in my personal capacity,” he shares.
And to honour his roots and the place he first got bit by the Apple lovebug, Abdul also hopes to help pay it forward and uplift the community he grew up in – small town Zoar.
“I would love to make it a full circle journey at the end of the day,” he shares. “I want to make a contribution within my community.”
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