PC vs. Mac

[Songbird]

My husband got a new Mac for Mother's Day. (His PC died first and his Mac isn't paid for yet, so I'm still waiting). However, I've spent some time on his and I love it. I haven't found it hardto learn. Different than a PC, yes, but everything makes sense on the Mac. We've had no problems with Office and I LOVE the trackpad. I've always had to have a wireless mouse with my laptop because I couldn't stand using the pad, but the trackpad has so many features that I don't need a mouse. I think it's worth the extra $$$, and its been nice not to have any of the virus and poor running issues of the PC. I'll definitely buy my own Mac when I can afford it.

[ryouiki]

I could stand up on my soap box all day, but this topic is pretty much summed up as "use the best tool for the job".

OSX is extremely simple on the surface... which is one of the reasons my family all use Macs now (I haven't gotten nearly any "my computer isn't working" calls since), but if you need serious power it is a full certified UNIX under the hood, bringing with it all the goodies you would expect (and more). I'd agree with Baldeagle... to me it is the best of both worlds... because it can do both the mundane browsing/reading e-mail, etc. work, and then turn around and let me write POSIX compliant software, use DTrace, troubleshoot network issues with UNIX's superior toolset etc... and to be honest I spend 10 hours a day at work fixing other peoples servers/software... so I just want something that works without any hassles when its my personal time.

Of course those are my needs, not yours... so you just have to choose what will meet your needs best. That said, keep in mind "Macs" can also run Windows if you feel so inclined, whereas PC's cannot (at least not legally).

As for price...I feel Apple is reasonably priced in the laptop segment (some will strongly disagree with me here), but their desktops are far too overpriced in my opinion...

Of course after I said all that, and I'm posting this message from my Windows HTPC... because its connected to the big screen (tired of staring at a laptop screen all day)...

[The Annoyed Man]

A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Heard that for years/decades.

My entire business is Mac based. I have two iMacs (27" and an older 24"), two MacBook Pros (17" and 15"), and a MacBook Air (13"). Yes, they can be fun, but they are also legitimate business tools. The question isn't whether or not a Mac or a PC is the better tool....the answer is easy....the Mac is. The question is, are you willing to pay the extra you'll pay for a Mac?

[pcgizzmo]

Been an IT guys (network admin) for going on 20 years. Said I would never go to a MAC. I'm typing this from a Mac Book Pro as we speak. The MAC as others have stated is the best of both worlds. I run Windows and the Mac OS on the machine at the same time and can switch between them seamlessly using a product called Paralells or there is also VMWare View.

My opinion is.

1. Windows 8 is the biggest piece of crap MS has ever put out unless you have a touch screen then it's just OK. Whatever you get don't get it.
2. A Mac is intuitive and you may pay more for the hardware up front but you don't have to pay $100 for every OS upgrade more like $15
3. The hardware is top notch, reliable and can take a beating.
4. You can configure the Mac OS and Mouse so it acts just like Windows. Right click etc..

Once my PC desktop at home goes out it will be replaced with a 27 inch IMAC.

[pcgizzmo]

A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Heard that for years/decades.

My entire business is Mac based. I have two iMacs (27" and an older 24"), two MacBook Pros (17" and 15"), and a MacBook Air (13"). Yes, they can be fun, but they are also legitimate business tools. The question isn't whether or not a Mac or a PC is the better tool....the answer is easy....the Mac is. The question is, are you willing to pay the extra you'll pay for a Mac?

I was talking to someone about this the other day. You can think of Microsoft as a software company who's OS will run on just about any PC and they charge a premium for the OS and PC's are cheap. Apple is a hardware company that has an OS that runs on their hardware. You pay for the hardware up front but OS upgrades are fairly cheap after that.

[lrpettit]

After 29 years switched to Mac. Mac can also be a PC. PC can't be a Mac. You get best of both worlds with a Mac. It took a while to get used to but easier to figure out than Windows 8. So far no compatibility issues with Office.

They're just different kinds of hammers that will both drive the nail once you know how to use them.

[DJM]

Mac, all the way.

I use one when I play a show and its never let me down and still functions pretty well as my everyday computer.

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As a traveling DJ, mine has seen some abuse and I have yet to see any hardware/software failure... Applecare has some of the best CS I have ever seen. They tend to just give away the parts you need if you ever have a rainy day with your hardware.

(Mainly going off of durability and not the OS itself. xD)

[The Annoyed Man]

A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Heard that for years/decades.

My entire business is Mac based. I have two iMacs (27" and an older 24"), two MacBook Pros (17" and 15"), and a MacBook Air (13"). Yes, they can be fun, but they are also legitimate business tools. The question isn't whether or not a Mac or a PC is the better tool....the answer is easy....the Mac is. The question is, are you willing to pay the extra you'll pay for a Mac?

I was talking to someone about this the other day. You can think of Microsoft as a software company who's OS will run on just about any PC and they charge a premium for the OS and PC's are cheap. Apple is a hardware company that has an OS that runs on their hardware. You pay for the hardware up front but OS upgrades are fairly cheap after that.

Finally, a guy with serious PC/Network experience who agrees with me!

That's actually an interesting comparison, and it bears out in my own experience: the buy-in cost is higher for the Mac, but cost of ownership is lower. In my experience, Apple is VERY forgiving too when it comes to support after your Applecare extended warranty has expired. I once accidentally dropped my 17" MacBook Pro. It was on a table next to me, and I reached for something else and accidentally pulled it off the table and it fell hard onto a tile floor. It landed on its left edge, deeply denting it there, and breaking the USB card on that side and an audio controlling board of some kind (I am decidedly NOT a hardware guy). I took it to the Southlake Apple store. They diagnosed it and said it could be repaired with a new case and the two cards, but they would have to send it to their regional repair center (which I think is in north Texas somewhere). The guy checked my Applecare account and confirmed that it was expired, and told me that I would have to pay for the repairs.....which would come to roughly $290 if I recall correctly. Well, I paid well over $3,000 for this laptop—it was a real top of the line unit—so it was worth it to pay $290 to get it repaired, and I authorized the charge. They told me it would take 7-10 business days to repair it, and they would give me a call when it came back in to the store. That was on a Saturday. On Tuesday morning, FedEx delivered the laptop to my door, and the invoice said "No Charge."

Dell/Sony/Etc. would have never done that. So the Apple computer is more expensive because it is better hardware, and then the Apple company supports it better than PC manufacturers because they are cognizant of the fact that they charge you more for it.

I have a rule of thumb which applies to any kind of significant purchase—is the cost of buy-in justifiable by the quality of the product AND the manufacturer's support for that product? This certainly applies to firearms as much as to computers. When I bought a $1730 M1A, and the MIM hammer broke 100 rounds later, Springfield had me send them the fire control group for repair and said that it would take a 2 week turnaround to get it back to me. Seven days later I had it in hand, with a forged steel hammer installed at my request instead of the OEM MIM part, and at no extra charge.

When I authorized my son (who has become a pretty good "shade tree" gunsmith) to attempt a trigger job on my M&P45 and he messed it up, I sent it to S&W for a repair knowing and having been informed that it was not covered by warranty because the trigger job had voided it. I was told to phone them in a week to get the final quote for the repairs (which was going to be in the vicinity of $100 for parts & labor) and give them a credit card number. They told me that it would take a 2-3 weeks turnaround once I had authorized the charge. Seven days later, I phoned to follow up as instructed and I was told that it was already repaired and on its way back to me. I had the repaired pistol in hand later that morning, again at no charge, with a nice note from the S&W Custom Shop stating that they had done a trigger job on it, above and beyond simply replacing the $25 fire control module......and they paid for the return freight.

It pays to take potential customer support into account when trying to decide what brand of a given product to buy, when the price is in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. In my experience, Apple has earned my trust, and if that costs a bit extra, it is worth it to me. It may not be worth it to someone else.

I will say this, last Sunday at church, a friend showed me his new Microsoft tablet....the one that is being heavily advertised on TV right now (I can't remember what it is called). He bought the more expensive "Pro" version of it, which cost him $1000 instead of the less expensive and less capable $500 version. I have to say that I was impressed with both the apparent quality of manufacture and the way the new OS works. Up to this point, ALL Microsoft OS versions have seemed clunky and inelegant to me, and they used the screen real estate very poorly. This new OS seems markedly different. I asked my friend if it was just another tablet, or was it a real computer. He said that the "Pro" version had the full version of the OS, and it was a fully capable computer which could replace a laptop IF the buyer could live with the smaller screen. When I gave my gen 1 iPad to my son because it wasn't truly meeting my business needs as a portable device, I bought a 13" MacBook Air to replace it. I would be very surprised if the next generation of the MacBook Air does not include a detachable keyboard and a touch screen. Apple is going to HAVE to do this—not because my MacBook air is in any way an inferior computer, but because the buying public is going to want those features in their portable devices and Apple is going to have to include them or they will lose market share......particularly with the new windows laptop coming out which has a reversible touch screen which can be used as a tablet.

But I have no regrets about having spent more for the computers I have. It was money very well spent.

[anygunanywhere]

I bought Mrs. Anygunanywhere a Mac to replace her Winders Dell PC. I was hoping that it would minimize me having to resolve issues she raises. It has been a bumpoy road. Apple does not do things the same as PC but so far I think I made the right move.

Main issue is that Mrs. Anygun's eployer's corporate site does not interface well with her Mac so I had to buy Parallels and Windows to allow her to do work from home.

I am expecting a much more long term machine than all of our previous PCs. So far the Mac has been flawless and still performs as it did the day we purchased it.

Anygunanywhere

[92f-fan]

Been an IT guys (network admin) for going on 20 years. Said I would never go to a MAC. I'm typing this from a Mac Book Pro as we speak. The MAC as others have stated is the best of both worlds. I run Windows and the Mac OS on the machine at the same time and can switch between them seamlessly using a product called Paralells or there is also VMWare View.

My opinion is.

1. Windows 8 is the biggest piece of crap MS has ever put out unless you have a touch screen then it's just OK. Whatever you get don't get it.
2. A Mac is intuitive and you may pay more for the hardware up front but you don't have to pay $100 for every OS upgrade more like $15
3. The hardware is top notch, reliable and can take a beating.
4. You can configure the Mac OS and Mouse so it acts just like Windows. Right click etc..

Once my PC desktop at home goes out it will be replaced with a 27 inch IMAC.

Another IT guy here - I agree with most of the above ... Especially about Windows 8

My response to this question when customers ask is :

Do you ever have to use software mandated by work ? Your work or others ?
If so then that software will likely be PC only. Maybe its VPN software or finance package or whatever. Do you expect to use an older hardware with it ? Printer ? Scanner ? There may not be Mac drivers for the hardware. That kind of thing drives my customers crazy when they choose a mac. Over the years its gotten better but ....

You CAN run windows on a Mac and I do. BUT you will need some guts, disk space and experience to dual boot your Mac and you will need to pay for a retail copy of windows.

Apple does make good hardware and in my opinion the quality and the support make it almost worth the cost. My Apple support story is this:
I was trying to setup Windows 7 on my mac using VMware fusion and ran into a gotcha. I had apple care and called figuring it couldn't hurt - all they could says is no we cant help. The lady on the phone was a doll and helped me figure out the issue with the 3rd party app and 3rd party Operating system. Then a few years later I wanted to take the same mac on an international trip. The battery was old and held about 50% charge - I took it to the apple store to buy a new battery. Since its an older battery they keep them in the back. The genius bar employee hooked up a ipod to the mac ran some tests from the ipod - the ipod showed a red code and he handed me a battery. No charge.

Even though I make 90% of my living supporting Windows machines I would by another macbook. Trouble is the one I want is $3000. And I cant justify it till this one dies... Some day Ill have a screaming fast new mac with a huge SSD drive and dual boot it again... Some day ...

[PUCKER]

A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Heard that for years/decades.

My entire business is Mac based. I have two iMacs (27" and an older 24"), two MacBook Pros (17" and 15"), and a MacBook Air (13"). Yes, they can be fun, but they are also legitimate business tools. The question isn't whether or not a Mac or a PC is the better tool....the answer is easy....the Mac is. The question is, are you willing to pay the extra you'll pay for a Mac?

Same here. Magazine publishing. We all have iMacs (27" or so) and then a Mac Pro as our dedicated server.

[sjfcontrol]

A Mac is a toy, a PC is a tool.

Bye now . . .

Chas.

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back!

[WinoVeritas]

Until Win 8, I'd said PC. Stll say PC but with Ubuntu OS - kinda Mac-ish, but sooo much less expensive.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I have noticed that a lot of folks say a Mac is okay because it can be set up to boot as either a PC or a Mac? So a Mac is okay because it can act like a PC and it only costs three times as much to be able to get around to being a PC.

Hmmmmmm

I think I'll keep the PC for 1/3 the price and not have to go through the transformation from Mac to PC.

Bye again!

Chas.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I'll bet this turns into one of the biggest arguments we've had on the Forum. The thread started last night at 7:26 pm and 15 1/2 hours later we are on our third page. Oh this is going to be fun. Thanks to the OP for starting this. It's going to be a great recruiting tool when people join the Forum to weight in on this Ford v. Chevy fight. Maybe they'll also join the NRA and the Texas Firearms Coalition too!

Chas.