So are you a PC or a Mac (or one of those few that really favor Linux)?
Well, I'm not sure I can really take sides. Maybe the question should be which is better, a PC or a Mac. 6 months ago, I would not have felt qualified to answer anything about a Mac because my experience with them was seriously outdated. Now, it's not. After dealing with 150 Macbooks (new unibody ones and 2-year old models) and 2 Mac servers (a new Xserve and an old PowerPC), I feel that I can comment on them without any bias.
Well, let's look at the PC. If you're a PC person, more than likely you are a Windows user. Microsoft's incarnation has been around for almost 20 years (I'm starting with Windows 3.0 and not the run-time versions prior to 3.0). It's come a long way since the days of Windows 3.0. I can clearly remember using 3.0 (in addition to DOS before it) and moved up through all of the versions between it and Windows 7 which I currently use. Yes, I even used the ill-fated Windows ME for a short period of time. Currently, PCs are relatively inexpensive when comparing them to equal hardware on a Mac. The PC has a plethora of software available for it and most software vendors have a version of their software that will run on Windows. Clearly, it is the dominant computer platform out there. As far as software is concerned, you can find almost any software to do almost anything conceivable on your Windows computer. Programs can create files that can be saved, exported, converted, imported and then re-saved in a totally different program. Truly data can flow between different programs.
As for the Mac, I do have experience using them WAY back when the IIe was out and even ventured into the world of the IIGS when it came out. Neat? Yes! Cheap? No! At the same time the IIGS was purchased at work, I purchased my own PC at home. I could have gotten almost 3 PCs for what that ONE IIGS cost. But, to be fair, that was ancient history.
Moving almost 20 years into the future (aka, The Present), I sit and use my shiny white unibody Macbook with Snow Leopard at work, while I come home and sit here with my shiny silver HP Notebook with Windows 7 Professional. Do I prefer one over the other? No. They both have their strangths and weaknesses.
Hardware to hardware, the Macs are just way more expensive. But look at what you get with the new Macbook and suddenly that pricetag isn't so bad. When comparing a Windows laptop with a Macbook at work, my IT staff (a staff of 1 not including me) found that in order to make a Windows PC do what a Macbook can do out of the box, would require extra software on the PC. Once we tallied up the cost of that software, the prices were nearly identical. So as far as cost when actually comparing apples to apples, neither one is cheaper than the other.
Software to software (when comparing the collection of freeware and purchased software necessary to do what the Mac can do out of the box) the Mac has a bit of a lead as far as integration and ease of use. Me? I could easily save, export, convert, import and re-save my files to go from one program to another without any problem. Clearly, using a PC would not be a problem for me. But when looking at the average user, the Mac made working with those files SO much easier. Drag and drop. That's all you do. Drag from one of the iLife Suite programs right into another and that's all there is to it. Easy? You'd better believe it.
Yes, I could go on and on about differences. Viruses? Don't even need to discuss that. Mac wins hands down, uhhh, for now that is. Who knows what the future will bring. Windows has the lion's share of the market, so where do the virus writers concentrate? On a Windows PC, of course. Unfortunately, not having to contend with new viruses on a daily basis does not make it a selling point in my opinion.
So, after all of this, we come to the BIG question.
Is a Mac better than a PC?
OR
Is a PC better than a Mac?
The answer is.........
It's a personal preference and ultimately up to what you are going to do with the computer. If you are just going to email, surf the web, type some letters and maybe chat online DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY by buying a Mac. The cheap little old PC with Windows 7 will more than make you happy. If you are planning on doing numerous projects where you will be combining documents, graphics, movies and any other media types that you can think of, you are probably better off with getting the Mac. I say probably, because if you are computer saavy and can maneuver your way around a PC already, you'd probably be able to do on a PC what others do on a Mac (but then you wouldn't be reading this blog, would you?). It would just take you more steps and a little more thought on how you'd accomplish everything.
OK, before someone jumps up and says "But what about Linux??", for those of you who think that Linux rules and that's all there is in life, come back to reality for a little. The two biggest platforms are Windows and Mac. Linux is for those who love to tinker and get under the hood to see if they can squeeze a few more horsepower out of it. Yes, I've used it, it's OK, but not something that Main Street USA is ready to embrace and take into its homes. If you're a computer wiz, then Linux is for you; go run your cron jobs and work by command line. If not, it's Windows and Mac OS.
Questions and comments welcome.
