If 18 of the 24 said that the Mac offered a "better or best experience" compared to their existing computer (i.e. the IBM Thinkpad), but 15 of the 18 (83%) already had "moderate or expert knowledge of the [Mac] platform" - does IBM have enough unbiased data to make an educated decision?
Good question. The answer is yes, because the time to invest in moderate or expert knowledge of the mac is a good price to pay for years of the better experience. Further, this would suggest that they do it as soon as possible, because they will maximize good computer experience that way.
It's similar to switching from qwerty to dvorak on the keyboard. If you only type qwerty, then in order to type as fast at dvorak as you do with qwerty, you must use dvorak for 18 hours. After that, it's faster, and more ergonomic. The best decision is to bite the bullet and switch right away.