It’s been an age-old question… an argument of who’s better, Macintosh or the PC. It’s a fight that’s loomed since the late 70s when Microsoft announced Windows was going to be standard on all IBM computers, and Apple was going into all schools. The war was on, the fire lit and the explosion took place.
I’ve truly been fascinated by this feud for years, a feud almost like the Hatfields and McCoys. It has gotten to the point that we have forgotten what we are even fighting about. Honestly, after using a Mac and a PC, I realized that there really is no answer to the question; we are fighting for no good reason.
Last summer I purchased a MacBook Pro. I’ve been an avid P.C. user since 1995, so it took some adjusting on my part since it’s different than a Windows platform. What I found was honestly amazing between the two and this fight.
First of all, the fight is between a Mac and a PC. You’ve seen the commercials where a nerdy executive is representing the PC and on the other side is a cool guy representing the Mac. The Mac says it can do everything the PC can do, only better, and the PC runs for cover. Well, that argument is really null. What I mean is, a PC is a computer and so is a Mac and they use the exact same hard drives, memory, etc. as each other even down to the processor. The only difference is style. We forget the argument isn’t about Macs and PCs; it’s about OS (operating system) Windows vs. MacOS. The real argument should be between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft does not create any computers, just software, while Apple creates both. It’s funny that the companies can’t even get the argument straight anymore.
After I received my Mac and started to learn it, I found that there is no definitive winner. It simply comes down to choice. There will always be some that prefer Macs to PCs and vice versa; you will never be able to convince that the other is better, even if it’s in black and white. Both PCs and Macs have their benefits and hindrances, but in the end it comes down to taste and what you feel most comfortable with.
Apple’s operating system is by far more secure, and it does load faster than Windows Vista. In the eight months I’ve owned it, there was only one time I had to “force quit” on an application. Apple is the caviar of the computer world; its components are the same as a PC, but is like the designer clothing line to knockoffs. You will expect to pay a minimum of $1000.00 for a bare bones computer with MacOSX today. Some models range from $3,000 to $4,000. Apples have been known for two decades as the artist’s choice for a computer. They have excellent pro software and Macs are the industry standard.
If you try to network an Apple computer on your Microsoft network, good luck. Files are not compatible with Microsoft, and if a computer has Microsoft Windows, it won’t talk. However, you can install Microsoft on your Mac, and network. But seriously, do you need two operating systems? Personally, this is one downfall to the Macs that I’ve found. I like to network my computers at home; instead, I’ve had to do the poor man’s network. I also found that I can’t view videos on my Mac that are done in .WMV formats. I can only view .mov, MP4 and some MP3s. Until the web sites utilize a uniform movie format for both the PC and Mac, this will cause a slight problem. Macs are just not very compatible with Windows and Microsoft programs at all, so if you need programs, you either have to get them from Apple direct or you have to make sure the box says it can be installed in an Apple.
Microsoft has produced some of their major signature programs for a Mac such as Word, Outlook and others. Keep in mind, you have to buy the Apple version of it.
As for Windows, people say that Vista stinks and is a complete waste of your money. On the other hand, I also hear people raving about it. In my experience it’s been slower and crashes more often than any of the previous versions of Windows. The look and ease is good, unlike Mac which does take some learning to use their operating system. Also, it is not as hard as DOS on either computers. In Windows Vista’s defense, I have seen some amazingly fast and stable systems.
Windows has a broader selection of software titles, unlike Mac. It’s far more in budget for a student or low to middle income family. Some laptops are as inexpensive as $400.00, and a full desktop can run you as little as $300.00. Again, the PC is like the department store brand of computer and not as “elite” as the Mac; however, the PC will get the job done.
Here is the bottom line… the computer is only as good as the person using it. Your computer, if you operate it right ( do not download a bunch of junk tool bars and empty your cache files, temp files and other Internet junk), will work for you. Heck, I do that with my Mac. When buying the computer of your dreams, look into the price and see if it’s going to do what you want it to.
If you’re going to do movies, you don’t want a 120 gig hard drive with 512 megs of memory and a AMD processor. It will crash your system. You need to invest the right amount of money to get the proper requirements. We, as Americans, try to cram stuff in and make things work that just won’t. Instead of bellying up to the bar and admitting we were cheap, we blame it on the computer manufacturer and Windows.
My advice is to buy what you like, and buy according to what you need the computer to do. If all you’re doing is e-mailing and web surfing, then a smaller more cost efficient machine could easily do the job; however, you won’t have much success running HD video off it.
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