Which is better, a PC or a Mac?
Apple made a splash with its advertising comparing the Mac to the PC. Now Microsoft has fired back with their own commercials touting PCs as a better value. So what are the true facts? It all depends on how you make the comparison and what's important to you. But I think the real discussion should be about how well the two platforms work and the differences in hardware. Here are ten points to compare.
1. Starting up - Turn on a Macintosh from sleep and the screen lights up instantly, networks are quickly found, and the computer is ready to use a few seconds later. The same with closing down. PCs take much longer. This means you're more likely to use the Mac like a radio, turning it on and off to retrieve information without giving it a second thought. Advantage: Mac
2. Viruses - Macs have no significant viruses, meaning you don't need to run anti-virus software that slows the computer down and takes your time. (Yes, technically there are occasional virus that are harmful to a Mac, but it's nowhere near the problem it is with PCs). Advantage: Mac
3. Versatility of Programs - The availability of programs for the PC is vastly superior to the Mac. In most categories, you'll find dozens of programs for the PC and only a handful for the Mac. While you can run Windows virtually on a Mac, you wouldn't buy a Mac for just running PC programs. Macintosh addresses this shortcoming by supplying more of its own excellent programs in the purchase price. But if you want to run the thousands of PC programs get a PC. Advantage: PC
4. Stability - Macs crash less because the OS is more stable and Apple has more control over the software. With the huge variety of PC software and hardware and the less stable Windows, you run into more problems. Advantage: Mac
5. Customer support - Computers of all brands tend to have problems. First year repair rates tend to be a little better for Macs. When you need help Apple offers good on-line support out of Canada and terrific help at their Apple stores whether you purchased your computer there or not. Advantage: Mac
6. Hardware choice - While Apple's notebooks are beautifully designed you're limited to fewer choices of size and functionality. No Mac model comes close to the portability of the netbooks that weighs under three pounds, nor does Apple make a product comparable to a PC tablet. Yet. Advantage PC.
7. Ease of use - PCs are harder to set up, more difficult to add and remove programs and more difficult to connect to your wireless networks. Macs are closer to being plug and play. Advantage: Mac.
8. Operating system - Mac's OS-X is more advanced and more stable. It's more contemporary in appearance and there's no registry and special files to contend with. Advantage: Mac.
9. Cost - While Apple's products are now closer in cost to PCs, especially if you consider the value of the applications that are included, you can find PCs as much as 20% less. Advantage: PC.
10. Business integration - If your company uses Windows servers and your email and data access are tied to your corporate network then you need to use a PC. Advantage PC.
Conclusion:
Apple wins 6-4. The bottom line is the Mac is less of a hassle, is easier to use, and works more like an appliance. But if you want a much wider choice of software and hardware and need to run the latest PC programs because of business requirements, then go with a PC.
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It's an operating system, not a religion.
Spoken like a techie, not like an evangelist.
:-)
It's also not a lifestyle, no matter what Apple's marketting department tries to tell us.
Whichever one meets the user's needs better. Otherwise, who cares, really?
I know HERESY!!! I speak it fluently.
Is HERESY object oriented and strongly typed or dynamic functional?
:-)
Definitely Object Oriented.
For X = 1 to 1000000000000, Step 1
Print "It's a feature, not a bug."
Next x
There are several falacies here which not only horribly misinform people, but demonstrate a scary lack of technical knowledge.
> Macs have no significant viruses
http://ant
Macs are just as capable of getting viruses as any other computer. Moreso, when you factor in that less than 1% of Mac users own a virus scanner.
If your computer is connected to the internet..
> Macs crash less because...
This is 100% "opinion represented as fact". Windows wouldn't have a 96% market share if it was unstable. I can count on one hand the number of times my own Windows machine has errored out in the past ten years.
If a Windows machine crashes, most of the time it's going to be a hardware problem... which isn't a Windows problem. OSX or Linux would likewise crash from hardware problems, because the Operating System is software.
I for one am happy to see a comparison
PC!
Mac!
PC!
Mac!
PC!
Mac!
You're stupid!
No, you are!
You're stupider!
Shut up!
Make me!
I'd say that about sums it up.
Love this. Thanks.
PCs virtues are all about its ubiquity, not its quality.
I'm a ctrl alt delete kind of guy, I'm comfortable with it.
linux.
I posted a long, serious comment and decided it missed the mark. Here's the deal, guys: it's not the hardware that counts, it's what you do with it. I like a guy who can grab any computer in sight and make it sing.
20-year-old argument. And I really think it comes down to a few simple principles:
1. Total cost of ownership - consider the time you spend finding and downloading drivers for all of your peripherals; cleaning up after viruses; trying to get things to work with your computer. Which one do you know now? Consider learning curve. Your time is worth a whole lot more than the cost of the hardware and software, so that's what you should be thinking about.
2. Working for a big corporation that has standards? Follow them, because the corp will have done a cost-benefit analysis and has already considered total cost of ownership when it negotiated special prices. Just be nimble and learn to use whatever they put in front of you.
3. Have special software needs? 95% of people use a few standard software products, so who cares how many software packages are available? If you have special software needs then let the software package drive your decision. Otherwise it's a nit.
A Mac is the better computer for most users based on #1. But really most people should know how to use whatever computer is available at the moment. After all, technology changes rapidly. If you can't adapt quickly, you're going to be as obsolete as your grandma (well, your great grandma anyway) in five years. It's a tool, not a life partner.
Once you go mac, you never go back.
Agreed. I don't know one person who ever went back to a PC after getting a Mac.
Biased sample fallacy-
http://www
I see people go back every day.
Mac just doesn't let you do enough, and it costs far too much. Also, the answer to every Mac-related problem is "spend more money".
If you are a limited needs user (web browsing and listening to music), Mac would probably be great for you. But if you want a lot out of your computer (gaming, business apps, etc) using a PC is best.
Also, there are serious problems with Apple not disclosing bugs or security problems for years. For example, Leopard was a complete disaster, but you wouldn't know it from listening to anyone. A ton of users ran the update and were trapped on a blue screen after booting, yet Apple's "great support" were censoring any mention of the problem from Apple's support forums.
Another example is all the problems OSX has been having with wireless networks. "Tiger" introduced some kind of bug, and hardware which worked perfectly started randomly disconnecting from wireless. This is another issue Apple not only censors any mention of, but refuses to address.
Apple's support motto seems to be "if we ignore the problem, it won't exist". That's why they train people to claim that OSX is immune to viruses and bugs, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Not a single statement in your entire post is true.
I swore I wasn't going to get into this, but I guess I just can't help myself (I don't want to hear it, Ghost).
I see no one go back. Ever. I work on a Mac from home and often visit local coffee shops to program and crunch data. The one consistent thing that I've noticed is the huge increase in Mac ownership among the people that I see there, including friends, acquaintances, and strangers. Of the people that I know who use Powerbooks, exactly zero of them have had the experiences that you describe. This of course does not mean they don't happen (I've seen all of them and more on the apple forums), but you're implying that it's commonplace, and it's certainly not.
Leopard was not and is not a "disaster.
Rant continued:
As far as the Mac being "limited" in it's capacity, the only convincing cases that I can think of are Microsoft Access and certain PC games. Apart from those specific applications there is nothing that a PC can do that a Mac can't. After all, it's simply FreeBSD with a few bells and whistles. I use it for scientific programming all day, and if it can run weather simulations then it can do anything (although you'd be a fool to use anything but a super computer for this).
As far as the virus stuff goes, only a total n00b would claim that Macs are "immune" to them. That's just nonsense. Everyone knows why hackers don't waste their time writing Mac viruses (< 7%).
jsgaetano,
Where did you pull this total fabrication from? First of all, Mac's OS doesn't get the blue screen of death. That's pc. Even when the Mac fails, you don't get "the blue screen", you would get a grey screen so right away I know you're lying or have been lied to. Second, if you knew anything at all, you'd know that Mac is not limited to "web browsing and listening to music". Computer generated art software runs extremely well on a Mac; in fact, Pixar has converted to using all Macs. Thirdly, I have not experienced one solitary problem with any of Mac OS. Nada. I have had tons of issues with Windows. I'll admit, I haven't experienced that many issues with Vista, but certainly more than a Mac OS system ever has.
Oh joy, a Mac vs. PC flame war. How exciting and original.
Can we please stop doing this? It's like a thread that started in the eighties but instead of ending it just migrated around the internet for the past two decades.
Also, I'd like to say that Mr. Baker absolutely had to know this would happen. I blame him for this ridiculous, petty instigation and everyone else for totally falling for it. You guys are like lemmings.
Yet you are here, extolling the virtues of your sanctimony. Get over yourself.
Whatever, man. Sorry for spoiling what appears to be an enjoyable activity for you. I find it totally played out and annoying. Get over the flames.
I feel like the deck was unfairly stacked with points #4 and #8. Both are woven with the OS-stability issue and the overabundance of PC software. It would have made more sense to just leave them as one point and choose a completely different point to square off.
This article feels like an ad for Apple. I've used PCs for over 20 years (even before Windows OS) and Macs for over 15 years. I've never had a problem setting up or updating a PC...or adding new devices. I'd say any PC software or hardware I've added since 2000 or so has basically installed itself on my PC or came with easy instructions. And I've had just as many issues with Macs stalling as I have had with PCs. In general my impression of Macs are that they are tempermental while my PCs have been workhorses.
Perhaps a more balanced approach would be to list pros and cons of both PCs and Macs...and even rate accordingly for new users vs experienced users. In the end I think it's important for people to be adept at both platforms. I enjoy going from PC to Mac, depending on my working conditions and options.
"At Apple he led development of the second- and third-generation Newton MessagePads, served as director of Entry PowerBooks and orchestrated Apple's development and manufacturing strategy in Taiwan for portable products."
http://www
So you have received money for marketing apple's products?
Its really poor journalism not to disclose such things
It would have been really poor journalism even it he had.
:-)
See Philip G. Baker's Profile
As openly noted in my profile, I have worked for both Apple and PC companies and have not had any relationship with Apple for 13 years. In my current work as a technology journalist and author, using both a PC and Mac, I constantly am asked about whether to buy a Mac or a PC.
These queries, combined with Microsoft's current and Apple's past ads comparing one another's products, makes an assessment very timely. If this article was written a couple of years ago before Vista, the conclusion would likely have been different.
I realize this is a topic that is hard for some to read objectively, but that's the way it was written. I would urge you to consider other opinions as well. Recent comparisons have been written by Harry McCracken, former managing editor of PC World www.techno
One thing I would add is this comparison is meant for the average consumer computer user, not the corporate user who has the skills to configure his/her PC to bypass many of the issues.
It seems really irresponsible to be telling people they don't need virus protection on their computer. If it's connected to the internet, or to other computers, it needs virus protection.
Look, we've been hearing this debate for years and years now and the result keeps coming out the same: Mac is vastly superior to PC. Now, I don't pretend to be a technical guru; I know next to nothing about inner workings of a Mac or a PC. But I do know how it functions from a practical standpoint. I've used both Mac and PC at work. From personal experience, Mac has always outperformed the PC in every way. I personally own an iMac. I will never buy a PC. Ever. I recently convinced my sister to buy a Macbook. She had only used PC's before so this was a major change for her. She now swears by Mac and would never go back to a PC. She daily sees the difference between the two and is astonished just how much better Mac is. Faster, easier, more powerful; I could go on, but the result is the same. Mac is best. Sorry, PC. Better luck next time.
A Mac does outperform the PC in every way... until you need a piece of software that does not exist for Macs. Try designing an integrated circuit on a Mac. Try laying out a PCB board or try making a complex mechanical assembly (like the case of the Mac). Nope. The Mac can't do it and most likely never will. And that's OK. After all... it has been designed on a PC.
:-)
One advantage of a Mac, though, is that you can run Windows via Boot Camp, then add on VMWare or Parallels to run them side by side. I have XP set up with VMWare on my MacBook Pro, and I designate 2 GB of memory to each when they're running together. I mainly use it for programming .NET or SQL, which I can't do with the Mac side, but it's a combination I can't get if I'm running a PC.
Of course those applications are the one's my family runs all the time.
But for people living in the real world . . . Macs work right out of the box with all the applications most people need.
And why would I want to make an "integrated circuit"? Or lay out a "PCB board"? We're talking about HOME COMPUTERS here, KillTheMessenger. You talking some high tech mumbo-jumbo that the vast majority of Americans won't be doing. For the more common computing needs, Mac is it!
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