PC vs MAC

[dbutlerman]

For me MAC only... I try to get all my team-members, family members hooked and sold on mac... not only does it look good, the specs are great, the performance if awesome.. they are abit, more expensive but you get alot for in return and no (or not so much) headache esp if compared to windows...

I used to be on windows forrever, but when i switched over to mac... it was MAC only all the way... initially I liked the design, but when actually using it... BOEM I was blown away... the apps are way better, and usually also better Qualty... windows in my experience and in most ppl that i know experience have been crashing randomly... and needs formatting every 6-12 months... some even every 3 months... my dad used to run on windows I was the one keep fixing it up for him, which drove me INSANE... INSANE, every small problem was...like CHRISS... so we bought him an Imac, and he has never wished to go back again..

It is not only about price but also about experience you have... they are well designed, like for instance the trackpad on the macbook, amazingly well thought off... when I switch over to an windows based laptop...i get frustrated why I cannot scroll with 2 fingers

Try mac for 2-3 months and tell me you don't love it, by the way you need to find ahem, some sites that can give you access to MAC-software ahem for ahem free... try the programs it's awesome...

For games, it might kinda suck but I gave that up a long time ago... I did had problems with APPLE macbooks initially, like stuff that happens with newly released items, but I still love it

And expensive, look at Sony for instance, sony laptops windows based is what I call expensive for the money... Apple I still find pretty reasonable for what you get...altho it is an investment...

You are everywhere lately , but I completely agree. Being the local tech nerd, I got sick of having the fix windows problems several times a day, so I've been talking everybody into getting macs, that may put my tech business out of business though

[ironmarshal]

My wife uses a Mac and I hate it! Nice to look at, but I'll stick with my setup. I use Ubuntu Linux as my main O/S and run Vista (might upgrade to Windows 7) in VirtualBox for those apps that I can only run in Windows.

[Dani]

Been using my macbook pro for some time now, and its so great....Cant find one thing i dislike, i get so much done and things like Photoshop runs uber smooth.

Its expensive and yes you pay maybe 100$ for the design extra but man its worth it..

[gplracer]

I have built over 150 pc's in the last five years. It is used for my watch money and other things. I do Grand Prix Legends and rfactor racing simulations. They are only offered on the pc. There is no console game that is comparable in realism. Now that I have built my own which was not really cheaper but it is now cheaper to upgrade than buy a new pc or mac. After reading this thread I think I will do a hackintosh on a laptop that I have. What the heck?

[Dudemeister]

Well, I've been following this debate for a while, but I guess it's time I chimed in.

I work for a PC manufacturer and I do product development engineering, basically I design the product. So you'd figure I'm a PC, right? Well not really, at home I have an iMac, one custom built PC w/dual boot Win XP and Win 7, a 14" Compal notebook running OSX 10.5.6 which I keep in the living room in case I need quick access to the internet, and a 15.4" Compal notebook running Win 7 which I hardly use.

On a side note, for those that never heard of Compal, they are the second largest notebook manufacturer (ODM) out there:

1. Quanta

2. Compal

3. Wistron

4. Inventec

5. ASUS

6. Uniwill

Anyway, back to PC vs. Mac.

I use both because they both have their strengths and weaknesses, so I use whichever one is best for the job. I think that OS X is the better OS when compared to Microsoft, including Windows 7. Yes, Windows 7 has gone a long way to fix some of the horrible bugs and abysmal performance of Vista, but it still doesn't compare to OS X in robustness, speed and sheer elegance of design.

However, Windows has some software that simply isn't available for the Mac platform, or the versions on the Mac platform are not as well developed.

For example I do a lot of video editing and encoding. I edit the video on my Mac using FinalCut Pro, as I think it's the best tool for the job, but the encoding options that are available do not give me enough control over the encoding parameters, so I use the PC for that. I also do some DVD authoring. On the Mac, DVD Studio Pro has 99% of the features one would need to produce professional quality DVDs. The closest thing on the PC used to be Scenarist, which cost anywhere from $5K to $25K depending on configuration. There are some newer tools available now for the PC (like Adobe CS4 Production Suite), but none that can do what DVD Studio Pro does.

Then there's the issue of security. Someone mentioned that the Mac OS got hacked in a matter of days of being released, true, but it was hacked so it can be used on a PC platforms, not for security purposes. I use my Mac for all the banking, for my e-mail, etc. I don't have to worry about being hacked, infected with viruses or spyware, or having my identity hijacked simply because the OS is so ridden with security holes like Windows is. The bottom line is that the Windows OS is targeted daily by hackers, whereas the Mac OS is not quite there in their sights, or maybe it's the fact that it's underlying core is a version of Linux. Most virus and spyware infections take advantage of Microsoft's activex function to do their stick, and on a Mac that code doesn't do anything.

And then there are the games. Well, that's no contest, There are hundreds of games for PCs and very feew for Macs. Even though Macs have capable hardware most game developers simply don't bother porting their games to Macs because they claim that there aren't enough Macs to make it worth their while. THAT is the lamest excuse I ever heard, and about a year ago I had the opportunity to talk to a rep from a major game developer (which will remain unnamed), and I told him what I thought of that:

There are 10 PC for every mac out there, but if you take in consideration the configurations of those PCs, less than 10%of them would be capable of running games. These are the cheap <$600 PC that everyone buys. While a lot of Macs were bought for business use, over 80% of the ones sold have hardware capable of running most games. So all things considered, there are nearly as many Mac users out there as there are PC users that could be possible buyers. AND if you take in consideration that PC game piracy is rampant, the Mac platform looks even more appealing. Well I got a polite "we'll look int it at our next board meeting", and I'm sure it ended there.

Well, enough ranting. I'm a Mac and I'm a PC. I like the Mac better, but I'm not about to get rid of my PC anytime soon. So that's my nickel's worth on the subject.

[gplracer]

Very nice post Dudemeister!

[opti]

To me it depends on what you want to do, I have both, they are just tools in the end. Work buys all my hardware so Im lucky there.

I use PC much more, and I get more value. The software I use mostly is cross platform (adobe suite) but I you can get a pc twice as fast for the same price as a Mac. The way the Apple does business also irritates me and puts me off them, the prices they charge for what is pc hardware is ridiculous. I dont care about a pretty box and looking hip and smug, its only a goddamn computer at the end of the day. The pretentiousness that comes with Apple really makes me embarrassed to have one at times I must say.

Having said that, there is some great exclusive software on the Mac that is awesome. Final cut, Motion are excellent and my brother uses Logic for music production just to state a few (he is a big Mac fan, has 2). The Mac platform as stated many times before is also very stable.

my 2cents

[dave75]

i've just changed from a sony laptop on windows to an imac new spec and it's incredible. very easy to use. my photographs look incredible, and i would not go back despite the extra cost for a comparable spec pc. it's pretty, pretty, pretty good!!!!

[Dudemeister]

Well, you know what they say... "Once you go Mac you can't go back"

[eddhead]

I bought a MAC book for myself and a comparably priced Dell for my girlfriend about a year ago. At first blush you seem to get a lot more for the money with the PC. The Dell is comparable in features to the MAC pro, high resolution screen, 17" screen, back light keyboard, nice feel, and desktop software. Similar memory, processor, warranties etc... I am not an expert on this but it seems to be that the problem is taht when you buy PC you have to deal with windows. Vista out and out sucks. In comparison, OS is a horse.

I have added Virtual Machine and Windows software (including Windows XP) to my mac so I can emulate a PC when I need to. The VM is only about $75.00. Vista and office package are of course more, but it gives you the flexibility to have both a PC and a MAC on one machine and you can even run them concurrently if you want to.. Works for me and anyway.

[melu]

Changed to MAC half a year ago and think it's one of the best decision that i've ever made. Now I dont even understand why people still run with PC?! Viruses, spam, system faliure and so on.

GO FOR MAC!

[andreww]

Never used a PC, EVER! I've always been a strong supporter of Apple, and never really cared when we were a small minority. In fact, I kind of miss those days. Anyway, I thought this was a perfect thread to make my first post from my brand new Macbook Pro.

For all you mac lovers out there,don't get frustrated with stubborn PC users. !0 years back, 99 out of a hundred people would have that attitude, but now the times are changing!

[guanaco]

lol, macs.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

[bmedude]

I'm a windows guy but love running it on a Mac with boot camp. If your budget allows for one, do not hesitate to get one. I've tried to ditch Windows completely, but I tend to come crawling back after a few weeks. Other than that, Mac OSX is sweeeet.

[freeflypr]

I had PC up to 3 years ago, and its all in the past, thank god!!

also if you want to save some $ for reps, you can build a Mac yourself, I have a desktop Mac that blows away most $4000 Mac for only around $1000.

Hackintosh

also have a Dell Mini 10 Hackintosh for "the on the go" $400.

Go Mac or Die!

[Dudemeister]

I had PC up to 3 years ago, and its all in the past, thank god!!

also if you want to save some $ for reps, you can build a Mac yourself, I have a desktop Mac that blows away most $4000 Mac for only around $1000.

Hackintosh

also have a Dell Mini 10 Hackintosh for "the on the go" $400.

Go Mac or Die!

Hackintoshes are NOT Macintoshes. But then again, we're on a Forum about replicas, so I guess that's what yopu have, a Mac Rep.

I have real Macs, as well as a few PC notebooks with hacked Mac OS X on them. The problem is they never quite work like the real thing. There's always some device that doesn't work right, or is not properly, if at all supported (Power Management comes to mind). But at least it get's your fet wet with what it is to run OS X.

BUt owning a Mac is a different story altogether. So the question is Gen Mac or Rep Mac???

BTW. unless oyu actually own real macs, your final line should read "Go Hack or Die"

[amptor]

I'd agree with the above, hackintoshes don't work the same as a real mac. on the other hand, a mac with windows on it doesn't necessarily work 100% the same as a dell with windows on it due to drivers for some of the internal hardware not being available.

macs have their place: productivity. and I say that because you will find far less distractions in a mac environment than on a pc. there just is not as much software available for mac osx as there is for pc. it has been this way for more than 10 years. but people tend to migrate over to mac with this false idea that it is a more stable computer. there's no such thing as a perfect computer. if there was, someone would make a fortune off of it and apple is not as large of a company as intel. well, they use intel now anyway..so it's relatively the same as buying a pc clone now, just that they allow you to legally run mac osx on it and also support the o/s unlike installing mac osx on a dell which I have attempted before and ended up scrapping the idea because it runs like crap.

imho stick with pc's, nobody needs mac osx and paying premium for a crippled pc isn't a smart move.

[freeflypr]

well writing about my hackintosh made me forget that i also own a Mini Mac, Macbook pro, and apple tv, iphone....

But i got to say that i love my desktop Mac rep, its really fast, and has not given me any problem. (updates and everything) running on OS10.6.2

The mini dell hackintosh 10.6.1 is very good but not great, anyways, i think it could be worst if it was on windows.

So here it is:

once u go Mac-rep, u will never go back-rep!!!

Mac-rep or Die-rep!!!

To be righteous, if your not a techie, go with a gen Mac.

But for me, is like Lani said: I do my Mac-rep for the fun of it.....

[Eton]

I own both, PC and MAC...but if I could, I wouldn't use a PC at all! Unfortunately my job requires the use of a PC, as do the majority of jobs! Either way, both have a purpose!

[freeflypr]

I may add:

I Run on all my Macs and reps (not the netbook), VM ware to run windows XP to run AutoCAD 2009 with no problem whatsoever, plus i run Ubuntu and windows 7

They all run like a charm...

[Eton]

I may add:

I Run on all my Macs and reps (not the netbook), VM ware to run windows XP to run AutoCAD 2009 with no problem whatsoever, plus i run Ubuntu and windows 7

They all run like a charm...

Hey, that's the only reason I use the PC...AutoCAD 2009! Small world

[paneristi_man]

This is a completely misleading thread as all of pc vs mac threads are. The problem is there is no difference with the main hardware components in a mac and a pc. The difference is the software. MACs have a linux based style operating system, this is run by a slim and trim "kernel" of processes that are the guts of your running computer.

internally i believe both mac and pcs run similar hardware usually intel or amd. yes folks it's the software.

in fact i prefer the linux os, i have puppy linux running in my home pc and boot up is just seconds not minutes like my bloated windows xp laptop.

the puppy os can be installed even on a usb stick and be used to boot up. comes with free software for microsoft office equivalent.

[Dudemeister]

...there just is not as much software available for mac osx as there is for pc. it has been this way for more than 10 years....

With respect to the "sheer amount" of software available for the PC, if you put games aside, then the main bulk of PC software is "shovelware". Filler junk that serves no real useful purpose. There are dozens if not hundreds of apps that exist on both platforms, there are hundreds more that are Mac Unique that simply have no equivalent on the PC, just as there are hundreds on the PC platform with no equivalent on the Mac.

But here is the kicker, the Mac can run Windows just as well as a PC, but the reverse is not that well implemented.

...but people tend to migrate over to mac with this false idea that it is a more stable computer. there's no such thing as a perfect computer...

You're right there's no such thing as a perfect computer, but the Mac OS goes a long way toward that goal. The Mac IS more stable, and that is due to one reason: Apple's control over the hardware.

I'm not saying that the CPUs and RAM and HDDs or VGA cards are better (although they have better quality control than most of other PC makers), NO, the reason the machines are more stable is because they (Apple) control the hardware. They specify which hardware goes into it, and they can tailor their software (kernel, GUI, apps, etc) to run on that hardware. By limiting the amount of hardware, they don't have to worry about whether or not some app will run with this video card or that audio card or whatever. Microsoft on the other hand tries to be compatible with every piece of hardware combination available and that's where it it all goes downhill.

...well, they use intel now anyway..so it's relatively the same as buying a pc clone now, just that they allow you to legally run mac osx on it and also support the o/s unlike installing mac osx on a dell which I have attempted before and ended up scrapping the idea because it runs like crap.

imho stick with pc's, nobody needs mac osx and paying premium for a crippled pc isn't a smart move.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you'd ever owned a Mac and compared it to and equivalent PC, you'd see they're not the same. Yes, they may have similar components inside, but the design, construction, quality control and overall reliability of the Mac simply outshines the PC.

How many PC owners here (me included) can say they had no problems with their PC, or held on to their PC for more than a year or two. Not many I'll bet. Now lets see what the Mac owners have to say about that.

Over the past 30 years (when I bought my first Atari 800), I've owned probably more than 50 different computers, but the Macs have always been a premium product, and at the top of my list. For those that can appreciate it's elegance of design there's no substitute.

And BTW, the price is not that high a premium. If you were to look at an equivalent PC machine, the price difference is relatively small. Here is a perfect example: the Mac Mini. See if you can put together an equivalent version (like the AOpen Mini) with the same features for less than $600.

[opti]

I have had Macs crash on me, several times actually. I got rid of my iMac and now just have a the white laptop mac (whatever they are called in mac marketing jargon) I like it, it does the job, but prefer my PC for real work.

I bought it so the mrs would use it since she isnt the most technical person, and "macs are so easy to use and just work yada yada mac rhetoric"

She hated the thing and uses my pc hence I inherited the mac. There are somethings that mac does better than PC's, I hate them more as a company than the computers they make.

[guanaco]

This discussion between PC Vs. Mac fanboys is futile, 50% agree PC's are better meanwhile the other half thinks Macs are better, bleh. I personally believe Macs are a waste of money seeing as you can get the same by buying a PC, install Mac OS and save a lot of money, if you can live without the "pretty white crap"... but I'm sure lots will disagree. lol

Edited January 28, 2010 by guanaco