Mac vs PC (and why this is a dumb discussion)
All right, I really, really, reeeeally need to get this of my chest. I normally do not really participate in this classic discussion, mostly because there is no point. Everybody who knows something about computers has an opinion in this field, and whether it’s a valid one or not, it’s really hard to convince one side of anything good about the other side. I’m a Mac user for 5-6 years now, and I love my Machine, I will never disrespect anybody with a Windows computer. Not because I feel sorry for them, but because it’s their choice. At the office i’m forced to use a Windows Machine, and we joke about this all the time, but I don”t have the techno-babble-skills to win from those geeks (believe it or not, i’m the designer, the other guys have a lot more IT-fu then I will ever have.), so that explains where this frustration comes from...
Let’s get a few things out of the way before we start.
- I’m a Mac, so don’t try to hard and read between the lines. I”ll be fair, have an open mind, be sarcastic here and there and expect the same from the reader.
- Mac’s are PC’s... I know, so stop saying they are not. PC stands for Personal Computer, and a Mac, yes it’s personal (most Mac geeks will NEVER share theirs, so ultimate personal) and if you didn’t guess, it’s a computer too.
- I’ll shut up about Linux, because I hardly ever used it. Linux is a whole different animal in my opinion. I do feel like the Linux experience leans more to OSX then WIN, but costs a lot less.
- Chrome OS, well, it isn’t really out there yet so.... but for all you Android users, don’t forget u’r using Webkit... Open Source software from Apple...
- I use a Mac, BUT, I work in a Windows environment at least 8hours a day and used it for over 10 years, so I think I can write a fair article about both.
Mac’s are much more expensive.
Well, at first glance they are, Mac's don’t come cheap. But they also do not come in cheap plastic parts, full of stickers, low-res, low quality 72dpi screens and demo-ware. All Mac's come with 8Mb lvl3 cache by default, that”s a lot of gold, LVL3 cache is the gold inside the processor, more gold = better performance = more dollars. Most standard Windows Machines come with 2-3Mb. It makes a bigger difference then you’d think. Then when you compare the excual hardware, you will see that Mac’s are no low-level entry computers, if you compare them to the high-end computers of some other manufacturer, Mac’s actually are cheaper (compare HP’s Envy series with the Macbook). And finaly, Every Mac comes with the iLife suit. iLife is no demo-ware that gets uninstalled as soon as possible, it is used by almost every Mac user.
I want a pink one.
The greatest thing about a Windows Machine in my opinion is the sheer never-ending variety and choice. You can buy a mini machine that you can hide inside your drawer or a giant that makes your dresser feel like a smurf. Mac's come in 9 variations, and that’s it. With Apple, you have to buy into one company’s take on what is important about a computer experience. This makes it easy for Apple to fine tune every part in function of one machine, where a Windows computer can be like a frankenstein’s monster, full of parts of other machines. Great if you know what your doing, not so great when your the average computer user. Ow yeah, Mac's are good design, nobody can deny that, there is a reason why all self respecting designers love these things.
OS.
The quality gap between the two has shrunk to almost nothing anymore. Windows 7 works great. OSX is amazing too. I miss a lot of basic functionality when using my office Windows Computer, but thats more of me being a Mac guy then a bad thing about Win. I love Terminal, Finder en Mail,... Putty, Explorer and Outlook are no-where near as good. Putty is’nt even a standard Windows program. Apple still has the advantage of the previous point, building machine and OS at the same time, tweaking it perfectly to each other. That will always be a necessary evil for Windows, at least until Microsoft starts making computers. Comparing OS’es isn't really fair anyway, because you can easily install Windows on any Intel Mac. OSX on a Windows Machine is a bit more of a challenge, but it can be done. For those who have, and did’t like it, trust me, the OSX-not-on-a-Mac experience is in no way comparable with the real thing.
Mac's don’t get viruses.
That’s just not true. Hackers just don’t bother with Mac's because there are not enough of them around. But it’s perfectly possible to get viruses or any other pain-ware on your system.
Mac's don’t do games.
Mac's can run windows, natively and virtual, so any piece of software that is available for Win, is available for Mac. Plus, ever since the App Store, Steam for Mac and Onlive, there is more then enough games to pick from.
I guess this article turned out very different then I intended it to be. But it all comes down to tastes, I love my Mac, I don’t mind using the Win7 computer at the office, but it’s not my taste. The best thing of all about the PC-or-Mac decision? Despite what impassioned partisans may contend, it’s not a big, existential question. Whether you buy a Windows system or a Mac, you’ll find that the Web is the Web, that good software (much of it free) is plentiful, and that printers, cameras and nearly all other hardware work fine.