The Great Mac vs. Windows Debate

[matei]

We're a Mac household. We've got 2 MacBook Pros and one Mac Mini, which is our media hub and server.

I really like the quality of Apple software and hardware. Sure it is more money than a PC, but in my opinion you get what you pay for.

You can do nearly everything on one platform as you can on the other, and if you can't do it in Mac - you can always install Boot Camp and run Windows.

I found that once we switched to Apple, I spent less time tinkering with the computers, because everything that I wanted to do more or less worked from the start.

Less time tinkering, more time doing productive stuff. Of course, this is just my experience.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I was raised on a PC; my family owned one since I was six years old. For that reason, I will probably always have a little more of a preference for PC's. However, I bought a used iMac about a year ago for use as a second computer, and also I was curious as to how a mac would work for my everyday computing needs.

I can definitely see the benefit of both platforms. I used to be more of a gamer, and PC's have always had the upper hand there. However, these days my gaming is few and far between, so my slightly older mac works perfectly fine for school work, email, and internet.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've never owned anything but a Mac -- the company I used to write for was doing some work with Apple in the late '90s, and one of the results of that was that I was issued a free machine, the first computer I ever owned. It was surprisingly easy to use and it spoiled me for ever owning any other system.

I still have that first Mac, which I use mostly for doing audio work. My main machine is a 9-year-old G4, one of the first built (the serial number is two digits), and it's outlasted two monitors, three keyboards, and four mice. (I should note, though, that I don't play games on it, or use other high-memory applications.)

However, I wouldn't recommend Mac laptops -- mine is a 2002-vintage Powerbook, which was given to me by a co-worker after she upgraded, and it's been nothing but trouble -- broken hinges, loose connections, and a bum logic board have all had to be repaired at one time or another. My sense is that they value sharp-looking industrial design over durability in these machines -- I don't know if the current product is any better, but I'd step carefully.

 

[KittyT]

WINDOWS! Ease of use, universality, and price. Windows machines really do cost a lot less.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I've just got a new laptop. I wish I could have got a Mac, but £399 Toshiba versus £899 MacBook, well.... I can buy a lot with that extra money! I do now have the over-cautious parent that is Vista now though. :rage:

I use a Mac at work, and much prefer it.

 

[anon`]

I'm no help here. I build my own and pretty much run Linux, though I've got some Windows XP machines because they aren't as worthless some would have you believe.

I'm sure you're going to get a lot of opinions more studied and informed than mine, but I've been working with this stuff since about 1989 so it's not like I'm totally ignorant.

Macs are still a low-maintenance, short learning-curve, high expense option. Yes, you can spend about the same amount on PC hardware that is comparable, but you don't have to. My aunt likes to read e-mail from her kids and play solitare. That doesn't take much machine and a full-on Macintosh would be wasted on her.

PC hardware is pretty much commoditized -- you buy 'em like you buy a coffee pot or whatever. Upgrades can be more affordable on a PC than a Mac because of this commoditization and because Apple still maintains a stranglehold on system specs. This also means there's a lot more choice when it comes to purchasing hardware for a PC.

I run a Linux desktop and a couple of servers by choice. It's not just that Linux is free (as in beer), but I am reasonably comfortable with the relatively smaller tech support base and "rolling my own" from time to time.

Okay, it's late and I'm rambling. Good luck with this.

Mark
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Well, this is pretty much my response. Except that I run Linux because--in addition to being Open Source--it's scary fast and crazy stable. It's also much more power-user friendly, if that means anything to you. I also run a dual boot with WinXP.

Now, despite Apple's asinine ad campaigns, OSX does have one huge thing going for it: it was forked from BSD, which was itself forked from UNIX. As a result, OSX has much of the speed and stability found in the Linux kernel (which drew most of its inspiration from UNIX).

Apple is depressingly oppressive about hardware, though. Upgrade options are extremely limited compared to your average descendant of the IBM PC.

Personally... I don't think they're worth the cost. YMMV.

 

[pgoat]

Thanks Miss N, and to the mods for moving me here.

 

[Smithy]

Windows XP here.

I've used both Mac (only with work) and Windows and have no huge preference. Both have their pluses and their minuses.

 

[pgoat]

too bad there wasn't a poll on this original thread!

I am still intrigued to try a Mac (maybe the iMac, though that integrated thing scares me) but then again if we get a Dell or a Lenovo, maybe we can use the rest of our dough for a new bed (and stop waking up with neck/back aches).

It IS a lot of money for the Mac - but then, we use a computer almost as much as a bed these days, so I'd rather not skimp. But I appreciate those votes for the iMac vs. the MacPro. We do NOT make movies - I might someday use ProTools to do home music or whatnot - my friend uses his 7 yr old G4 for that with no issues. basically I'd like to be able to watch a video without glitches, snags, etc. Last night I found an amazing video clip of John McGlaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on you tube, and on our machine, the picture and sound were awful, as usual.

I know I don't necessarily need the MacPro to get better quality than our present old gal, but would you all say the performance gap for this type of viewing is/isn't worth the expense (of a MacPro over PCs or iMacs)?

 

[scotrace]

When buying a PC, remember to factor in the cost of software, the cost of future upgrades to software and hardware, and the ongoing cost of malware protection.

Having owned numerous Macs and used both platforms at work, it is always surprising to hear the argument against upgradability of a Mac machine. I've replaced and upgraded hard drives, RAM, video cards, periphs, etc., in every machine I've ever owned without fuss. Of course, it's more that just "unclip sides, unplug and replug," but it isn't difficult.

My own work office is now 100% Apple. My work is extremely spreadsheet, word processor and presentation dependent. I also do a lot of work with photos, web creation, etc. I do not have a copy of MS Office. It went straight into the trash when it came with a recent machine purchase - the trial version of Office was pre-installed, and to buy it at the end of the trial period was over $500. Conversely, the iWork suite I bought for it was $79, and I MUCH prefer it. None of my colleagues is aware that the Word docs, Excel sheets and Powerpoint presentations they get from me were not created with Word, Excel or Powerpoint. And I can turn out all of it in a third the time I used to devote to Office creations do to the streamlined ease of use. As a bonus, I regularly get asked by co-workers "how do I make my stuff look this good?" The answer is "you can't."

I learned on a PC in the early nineties, used them intensively through about 2000, made a really scary switch at home then, and have gradually weaned myself off anything not Apple ever since. For me, why anyone would give actual money for a Dell is a complete mystery. They are in practice no cheaper when equipped in a comparable way. Yes, I can buy a cheap Toshiba notebook for $400, as opposed to a $900 Macbook. But over the life of the machine, in total dollars spent, the Macbook will cost less, last longer, and have resale value if you decide to go in a different direction.

Having founded the local Mac User Group, I am hopelessly biased and militant so you should probably disregard my advice and listen to everyone else here.

Lizzie, I would think your Powerbook experience is atypical, or perhaps mine is. My Powerbook from 2001 is still in use. I replaced the battery and Airport card, but that's it as far as correcting failures.

 

[twobarbreak]

This has become an interesting topic and debate over the years no doubt...but i sometimes think it could be 2 different topics, desktops and laptops.

I like gaming, and at one point film editing so i have always built my own computers. It's the cheapest way to have yourself a top of line powerhouse of a computer built for speed and graphics. It goes without saying windows XP has been the standard for gaming for years, and AVID with Pro tools for film editing , that with about 5 gigs of RAM and XP stripped down to bare essentials. Times have changed, AVID is not necessary and Vista is really nice but it's such a resource hog, that too must be stripped down to run at speeds best for gaming and it can be unstable when doing so.

as for Virus's and so forth, i don't use any Virus software, i keep it wide open for optimal use, and yes i get all sorts of virus's ,i simply clean my computer once or twice a week. It's kind of a pain , but it's what it takes for my needs.

If you know what your doing, this is the way to go. however, if you don't know anything about computers i strongly recommend staying away from windows and Internet Explorer.

If you surf the internet a lot and are looking for a lap top, Mac is a much smarter decision. You do not need to know anything about computers for one thing, and second if you "must" have windows you can install windows on it as well and run "boot camp" which allows you to start in either OX or Windows.

I bought my first Macbook in June, for traveling and work and knowing i'll never game on a laptop i thought i'd take a friends advice, and I'm thoroughly impressed. I just installed Leopard OX about a month ago and again i'm blown away with it's features.

Id like to say there is a downside to having a MAC but honestly, there isn't anymore, being you can run both windows and OX...but honestly, why would anyone want to run windows in the first place unless your a gamer...either that or you use cracked programs, which are more difficult to find for OX.

I Have adobe CS3, Final cut pro, i use DJ1800 along with itunes for djing, quicktime pro and VLC. For most Browsing i use Firefox because of all the Plug in's i enjoy using, however i also use Safari sometimes and I've been tinkering with Opera.

The Macbook has never crashed, froze or had any problems and for 1,200 bucks it's the best decision i've made.

The worst decision i ever made was dropping 2,000 on a sony Viao laptop. not only was it slower but it crashed and few times and i had to do clean installs.

so thats my 2 cents...unless your a gamer, or a tech head why bother with windows. Even if you find yourself a "cheaper" computer, it won't be cheaper in the long run, it will last you a year or 2 if your lucky depending on how many times you get it serviced ,cleaned, reinstalls...all stuff you don't need to do on Mac OX...

good luck..

 

[RIOT]

Mac user here. I've been at it since the Quadra. I know, I am not really the person to ask about any advantages/disadvantages between the MAC and the pc as I have never really spent enough time with the damn thing. Currently using both the G5 PPC/30"HDD and the MacBook Pro 2GB DDR2 both running on OSX 10.5.1, CS3, K4, etc. I don't know, I can't really see myself using any other platform other than the Mac.

OT. What is everyones take on that new MacBook Air? It looks like it could hurt someone with those edges lol

 

[Miss Neecerie]

.

OT. What is everyones take on that new MacBook Air? It looks like it could hurt someone with those edges lol

My issue with the MBAir is that the lack of a user replaceable battery means that you get 5 hours time. After that you cannot pull the 'traveller trick' of having another precharged battery and you swap out for another 5 hours.

Not to mention having to send it off to the mac-store to get replaced if and when it dies, goes wrong etc.

Other stuff ....is silly, but the battery issue is a giant error.

 

[KittyT]

I do now have the over-cautious parent that is Vista now though. :rage:

You can turn all that Vista BS off.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Universal

Isn't arguing that one platform is universal thus you should use it, a bit like saying "Everyone wears jeans and tshirts and so should we' ?

 

[Twitch]

Gaag! Who brought this back? Which is better Ford of Chevy?

The serious question is to those who switch to Mac after PCs what do you do with what can account for a few thousand bucks in programs for PCs? Throw them away and buy Mac version? Whoa!

 

[scotrace]

My issue with the MBAir is that the lack of a user replaceable battery means that you get 5 hours time. After that you cannot pull the 'traveller trick' of having another precharged battery and you swap out for another 5 hours.

Not to mention having to send it off to the mac-store to get replaced if and when it dies, goes wrong etc.

Other stuff ....is silly, but the battery issue is a giant error.

Yep, that's stinky.

I'm reading that the battery replacement is actually straightforward (no honest need to send back in*), but still not the sort of thing you could do the traveler trick with.


*unless you mind voiding the warranty!

 

[pgoat]

I used to work with photojournalists and I believe the pro Mac powerbooks were the norm for them (I imagine you need every edge you can get when uploading a bazillion pics with bullets whizzing and grenades exploding all around.....)

At least one guy (who was about to shoot the Athens Olympics) had the screen on his brand new powerbook fail (some kind of weird 'bubbling' effect which i heard was a common bug back in '04 or so). Other than that he loved it.

 

[skyvue]

what do you do with what can account for a few thousand bucks in programs for PCs? Throw them away and buy Mac version?

"If I start wearing fedoras and suits, what will I do with all these baseball caps and T-shirts?"

New Macs run PC apps via programs like Boot Camp, so you won't have to replace a thing.

I use a PC at my jobs and two Macs at home, and for me, it's Mac by a mile.

 

[KittyT]

Isn't arguing that one platform is universal thus you should use it, a bit like saying "Everyone wears jeans and tshirts and so should we' ?

Yeah, but there's a HUGE difference between computers and clothes.