Mac or PC?

Team XLink Moderator Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 1223

The eternal question, which one to get? Which one is better? A Macintosh or a PC?

WARNING: You may encounter extreme sarcasm and possible ill attempts at humor, proceed accordingly.

I am here to give my definitive comparison between the two platforms and hopefully extend a bit of knowledge to someone who may not have experienced one or the other.

A brief history of myself. I work with computers on a daily basis. They are what make me my money, whether its web design, graphic design, video editing, surfing the web or organizing my next drug cartel handoff. I was originally raised on PC's and never really had much interest or respect for the macintosh/apple platform. I know PC's very, very intimately and I often troubleshoot PC's for my friends, keep them running smoothly and all around know the operating system like the back of my hand.

I am willing to bet that the majority of you reading this are on a PC. You most likely will have a pre-conceived notion of a Mac and why you hate it. If you are on a Mac, you probably have a like minded opinion of PCs.

Recently I had a college major switch to a Bachelor's of Art in Digital Motion Picture, and as many of you probably already know, like the audio industry, work is primarily Mac based. This was my informal introduction to the Macintosh operating system (Mac OS) and I must say, I hated initially.

Why did I hate it? It went in the face of all the logic I had developed in operating a PC. You need to understand that using a Mac is not exactly like using a PC. Fundamentally they share a similar concept, but the method in which they go about it is quite different.

As I began to work more and more with the Mac OS, I started to gain a good understanding of how it operates. Some of the major differences are the dependency on a mouse. Because Mac OS X (the latest version of the Macintosh operating system) is based on a Unix platform, there is a major emphasis on keyboard short cuts. Right clicking is also something you rarely need to perform on a Mac, and you will often find that, while the functionality is there, its actually a slower method to performing the method. Once you familiarize yourself with basic Mac keyboard shortcuts you will find your workflow speeding up very rapidly.

The more I used the Mac OS, the more I enjoyed it. This prompted my purchase of a MacBook Pro, Apple's professional grade laptop. Since that acquisition I have fallen in proverbial love with the system. Do I still like PC's? Yes I do, and I will continue to use them. In fact I still run my desktop PC.

What I learned in these last couple months about a Mac now that I own one, has been fundamental in my new found praise for the Mac OS. You see, while there are differences, if you are willing to embrace them, you will find that Apple has created an amazing piece of technology that is actually amazingly easy to use and learn.

I have also reached a place in my knowledge of computers where, anyone interested in buying a computer, I will recommend a Mac over a PC unless they know what they are doing. Why is this? Allow me to explain.

You see, Apple has been putting years and years of R & D into creating a system that is both user friendly and offers a great broad set of tools out of the box. This means that for the average computer user, you will have almost everything you will need from a computer. Photo management, web browsing, web publishing, video editing, scheduling, email and multimedia (DVDs, music, video) all are available out of the box. About the only thing you will probably want to purchase additionally is Microsoft Word, but you would have to buy that with a PC anyways. The beauty of these applications is their simplicity and consistency in both workflow and ease of use. You see, they where all designed to work together and it all makes it easy to learn. For more advanced users, these applications will probably fall short, but there are better "purchasable" alternatives, such as Apple's Aperture for photo management, Macromedia's Dreamweaver for web publishing, Final Cut Pro for editing, etc.

In addition to the great tools provided in iLife mentioned above, the operating system was designed to be interacted with in ways not possible on a PC. Just look up how to use Expose for some interesting stuff.

Now this article may seem like I am kissing Apple's ass. I will say this, I love the operating system and how it works, and I did find my workflow in everything I did on a computer speed up after switching to a Mac. Does this make Mac better than PC? Not necessarily, but it does mean I prefer to work on a Mac know that I know both systems equally well.

In the new Windows Vista, Microsoft has been working to improve workflow and in someways they are making great strides.

Sadly there is a lot of quoted misinformation by Apple as a company, saying things like "Mac OS is more secure than Windows" and "Mac's are more stable". These and other statements are dangerous because they are white lies. They are truthful in very skewed marketing perspectives.

Mac OS X is considered more secure, not because it actually is, (because it isn't inherently more secure); rather there are fewer virus's written for it because many hackers are proponents of the Linux and Unix world of computing and due to market share. It's tough to spread a virus when it only targets 2% of the computer market share. Microsoft Windows XP is thus targeted on a regular bases by hackers and this leads some to believe that it is less secure. With the right updates and a few correctional programs (think Firefox or Opera for a web browser replacement and Spybot for spyware defense) Windows XP can be pretty damn secure.

Windows XP with its additional service packs will run equally as stable as Mac OS X. The difference would be that in general, I find Mac's require less maintenance, although at the same time, someone who knows what they are doing on a PC can set it up to be pretty self maintaining.

Now for a short theoretical, metaphorical and of course, rhetorical statement on the public and technology:

It is my studious opinion that any generalization or hatred towards a particular set of tools comes from a place of "fanboyism" and misinformed opinions. Actually, I will take this even further and state that the general public makes misinformed decisions about technology almost all the time based on misunderstandings. The truth is technology is progressing at unheard of rates and usability and customization are key components that companies take into account and improve upon. The fact is most people's understanding of technology is not keeping up with the advancing trends and thus, decisions they made about a company 5, 10 or even only 1 year ago can most likely now be considered bunk.

It is with this strange and complicated statement at understanding human intellect and the mind that I say the following. Regardless of what camp you reside on, PC or Mac, they both rock in their own right, and if you where to give either one a good try and get over whatever ill placed preconceptions you have about how you should use a computer, why you think the other camp sucks, you might just actually get used to it and not harbor such hatred.

As this was started as a comparison, I will state that I have officially switched preference. I do prefer Mac's over PC's but I also don't hate PC's either.

To all my friends who hate Mac's, guess what, next time you complain that your computer isn't working right or you get spyware, don't come complaining to me. And to my friends who hate PC's, just because Steve Job's thinks his way is better, doesn't mean it is, as much as I love my iPod, its also the biggest piece of shit for basic functionality and its sometimes somewhat illogical workflow.

In the end, I say give both a fair chance, and by fair, I don't mean 5 minutes of frustration. If you have the opportunity (which would be the ideal), spend a week on the one you aren't familiar with to really get a taste of it. Feel free to ask myself or some other know-it-all for help, after all, even I had to humble myself to certain Mac 'experts' because I didn't know the answer based on my PC background.

The world was made for choices. In the context of this subject:

PC users, it means that doing some strange right click on a remote and often hidden green arrow icon near the clock, then followed by a strange and confusing set of dialogue windows, isn't the only way to disconnect that USB hard drive, there are alternative solutions to this task that should be ridiculously easy, such as drag and drop to the trash can!

And for you mac heads, my fucking MacBook Pro died on me a couple days ago and refused to turn on. It was a bitch and a half to get a stupid fucking appointment with Apple Care to get it fixed because their system is fucking stupid! Get over your ignorant, idiotic blanket statements fed to you by Steve Jobs and his marketing department.

The moral? Try something new, embrace a change. Get out of what you think you know, because honestly, (and I don't mean this as an ass) but you probably don't know.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 2075

Having made a switch to Mac a year ago, I share many of your thoughts. I did want to correct you on one point: security. OS X *is* inherently more secure than Windows because it is based on a unix-like subsystem with strict user and group policies. I have yet to see any proof of a virus that can corrupt system files on a Mac without the user specifically authorizing them. In other words, you are prompted to enter the system password (root password) before installer software will write to most directories outside of your home directory (/Users/username). Although some OS X anti-virus software exists (in beta form, anyway), I have yet to meet a Mac user who actually runs any. The only purpose for anti-virus software on a Mac is to detect virus in emails so that you don't pass them on to your Windows buddies.

Sure, the windows install-base provides an immensely larger test ground for virus coder payloads, but let's not forget just how remarkably insecure Windows has been over the years. Ports wide open, innumerable gapping security holes in Internet Explorer and IIS. Things have improved in later versions of XP and I expect Vista to be better, but how can we dismiss this history of blatant negligence on the part of Microsoft's development teams?

Great thoughts, Am0... I'd be interested to hear some of the opposite opinions of users who have tried Mac and stayed Windows (MeanMF *ahem*). Razz

-p

Kai Spammer Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 8681

Ill read this later to much text.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 5024

I love my Mac. Vista runs great on it.

Team XLink Moderator Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 1536

prestige wrote:

security. OS X *is* inherently more secure than Windows

thats cos no one wants to hack the Mac users Laughing

i used to use Mac when i was in university. they are VERY good at running same software on same specs on Windows machine. this is due to probably as there are limited hardware so most software are somewhat optimized on a OSX then in Windows.

Team XLink Moderator Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 1223

While I do agree that from a forthright perspective, it does sound like Mac is more secure, but the fact is, it has hardly been targeted. If Mac OS X was targeted to the extent windows was, I would not be surprised to see a similar set of problems.

Of course at a certain level we are discussing opinions and while I may not fully understand security in a computer at its core, I do think it also relates to how much it is targeted. As they say, if there's a will there's a way.

Team XLink Moderator Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 1223

MeanMF wrote:

I love my Mac. Vista runs great on it.

ya cause Gadgets are cool! Laughing

Kai Admirer Joined: 04 Jul 2006 Posts: 447

Quote Columbo Wink

Just one more thing......

Price. Its the only thing that always puts me off buying a mac, as a 'casual' computer user (browsing/downloads/media hub.....kai Wink

) my pc is a lot cheaper than a mac. i.e. I can buy a few relatively cheap parts, knock 'em together and walla Laughing

Mini-Mac's don't have the HD capacity without buying external drives (for media hub), and a Mac-Pro is way to expensive. I-Mac would be the way forward for me but to get a screen size comparable to what I use now means spending over £1k, which I don't fancy.

When this pc needs replacing, I'll look into it closer, until then....

Another columbo, one more thing, what's the compatability between say XBMC and Mac, and Xbox360 and Mac (using MS Extender). I've also got TVeristy running nicely on my PC to stream video/audio files to my 360.
Would this all come to an end if I had a Mac?

--EDIT--

http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/connect360

Apparently this little beut (only $20) will do the same thing on a Mac as TVersity does on a PC. Lacks some video support (only wmv/wma) but fully lets you listen to all your itunes on your 360.

Team XLink Moderator Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 1223

some good points wiggy. Price never occured to me, but yes, Mac's are generally more expensive.

Although, in the Mac Pro range, apparently its cheaper than an equivelently speced Dell :O. Granted you can build a PC for cheaper than Dell will sell it to you, which I imagine is the case for many of you here.

I dont have a 360 so I don't know the status of networking with it. But I do know that with xbox, there are nice FTP apps that do the job brilliantly.

Kai Spammer Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 1065

Personally I see PC's as the swiss army knife, and Mac's as the multimedia machine. The only real use I can see of a Mac is for people who deal with multimedia on a regular basis. Web design people, Recording studio people, and so on. I've got nothing against a Mac, but for the amount of web design and recording I do, I can just use my PC.

That being said, our local future shop has a Mac with a 42 inch monitor that i'd give my first born to own. Wink

Kai Admirer Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 324

i only read parts of the whole post, it was pretty was written>

I have a PC. My girlfriend has a mac (2). And i must say i still love my PC. Now that some macs can run Windows people like to go that way. But I have no care for the Mac OS and the way everything is set up.
So if i am going to get a new computer, why not buy a top of the line PC that will be ¼ of the cost of a MAC with the same specs?

I think right now MAC is ridding on it's trendy wave that is has gotten from the iPod and sleek designs. I just can't figure out why their computers cost so much.

(and if you now what you are doing, you won't get a virus on your PC. I haven't run a firewall on my PC in over a year. Just be smart on the internet.)

Edit. And they say that MACs are so much better for Video and Audio editing. That may be true. But i think, that gap between the 2 systems has narrowed in those areas.

Kai Lover Joined: 23 May 2004 Posts: 585

Most businesses use Windows so if one wants to have greater convergence in one's life a PC seems to be the obvious route to take.

Outside of work I dont care what I use, both can surf the web, both can open every file type one can come across. So what else is there to choose from? What makes one of them stand apart?

In a word: gaming. Yeh yerh poo poo that if you like but I buy a PC for MY interests, work provides me whatever I need for my business.

If you can afford to upgrade once a year, a high-end gaming PC is by far and away the best gaming platform out there.

I have a lot of love for consoles of course, and plan to buy a 360 next month, but to be honest I am so much more excited about upgrading my PC to dual core, vista and a dx10 capable Gfx card.

Yes security, reliability etc are all issues a PC user has to contend with. However, when I asked myself "were those issues so large so as to warrant forking out extra $ to switch to a Mac, and sacrifice a gaming platform?" I just couldnt justify it.

I dont hate Macs and I am the first to admit that I hate PC's at times and if it helps with your business fine, but personally I just dont see that Macs offer any added value other than the fact that they look pretty.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 2075

_Jo-E_ wrote:

iI think right now MAC is ridding on it's trendy wave that is has gotten from the iPod and sleek designs. I just can't figure out why their computers cost so much.

Elegant design and overall quality costs more to produce and therefore costs more to buy. But why do people pay this extra premium? A precision instrument inspires and enables precise results.

-p

Team XLink Moderator Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 1223

Good points guys, I am glad we can have a civilized conversation about this. The hatemail and fanboyisms are pretty ghey if ya ask me.

As far as multimedia goes, I have to say, no video editor on the pc comes close to Final Cut Pro. Premier is crap compared to Final Cut.

About pricing, yes most Macs are more expensive. But taking the Mac Pro into consideration, its actually cheaper than comparably speced Dell. Of course we are talking workstation level computers here and these in general would be out of the price range for many here, based on their needs.

To the comments some of you made about not needing a Mac, you probably don't need one at all. I just found, after using one for a while, that I just really grew to like the workflow. Prior to this, I would have shared your sentiments exactly, probably with a little hate involved Very Happy

as I was always screaming 'reverse fanboyism'. Razz

For the record, this article wasn't intended as a 'you should drop your pc right now and try a mac, NOW!' Rather, it was, next time you are in the market for a new computer, check out macs, you don't have to buy one by anymeans, and the price may certainly get in the way. But hey, if you approach it with an open mind you may be surprised by what you get, beyond what you thought previously.

Kai Enthusiast Joined: 07 Jan 2005 Posts: 209

prestige wrote:

_Jo-E_ wrote:

iI think right now MAC is ridding on it's trendy wave that is has gotten from the iPod and sleek designs. I just can't figure out why their computers cost so much.

Elegant design and overall quality costs more to produce and therefore costs more to buy. But why do people pay this extra premium? A precision instrument inspires and enables precise results.

-p

I agree with both of you on the matter. Apple added the macbook to their production line for the sole purpose of attracting tight budgeted college students. On the other end of the spectrum you have professionals whom need the quality, precision, and performance (Macbook Pro and Mac Pro). So in the end, I believe that professionals do buy Apple products based mainly on quality, elegant design, and precision. However, college students who tend to just need a laptop in general buy the macbook because of the marketing image that Apple has presented. Also, In addition to the trendy reputation that _Jo-E_ had mentioned (ipod, sleek design) I'd like to say that those mac commercials are pretty convincing. Razz

-Virtu

Kai Enthusiast Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 268

get a motherboard with a intel 915 chipset and everything else you want and have a tru boot with osx, vista, and windows xp. i have everyhting to do it but i have a 945 chipset Sad