There’s a ton of biased bullcrap out there when it comes to Apple vs. PC arguments. While the current Apple ads may be funny to some and somewhat truthful to others, I can’t buy that PC’s just suck, even though I use a Mac in almost every capacity.
For years I used a PC to accomplish tons of tasks from CD and DVD burning to thesis writings to programming a 3D Landscape generator. Currently, I use Mac Pro by day for web design/development and a Macbook Pro by night for web design, illustration, coding and blogging. In my previous job, I used a PC for design and coding and I managed FreeBSD (which I loved) servers for our local College.
I’ve seen many aspects of the computing world and I hate the biased reviews from all ends. It seems to me that once someone becomes a fanatic, follower, or “brand loyal”, all balance of opinion is lost. They seem to defend their turf no matter what the cost. What I want are some realists, some people that are willing to voice a balanced opinion on a feature of any hardware setup or OS feature that are truly innovative, truly helpful, no matter what brand name is slapped on it’s case. I’m looking for a few good men and women to tell me what you love about a Mac, PC or both.
Please comment below and let me know what you love about your favorite computer and why. Possibly tell me what that feature, say 2-finger scroll, etc. is worth to you (how much money would you pay extra to have that feature). Also, let me know your favorites, say Dell XPS, MacBook Pro 17 inch, Windows XP on a MacBook, whatever. Be specific.
Macs of media, PC for business, Linux for public uses.
Favs: MacBook Pro, Asus Laptops, Falcon PC’s, oh and, shuttle is just freaking cool.
I love each platform for diff. things so really I think all have their uses.
I use mac mostly because of the “little” things. Two finger scroll, auto dates in Mail, finder is just functional, and lets just say Aqua is STILL cool.
But I do love how I can get anything for a PC and make it work, software or hardware, without consulting two dozen forums with 1,000 lines of code to hack my system. Plus I love gaming and really PC is just got that made.
In all reality, browsers will rule all. done.
You had to write this entry. Oh the nights we’ve argued, screamed, laughed and then cried in each others arms… oh wait, you probably want me to talk about PC/Mac issue huh…
I don’t even know where to start. I don’t consider myself a windows guy, but thats where i live 90% of my nerd life. Lets face it, its easy, we all understand it and my choice of applications for a task are very wide open. But I hate it. If it wasn’t for the fact I’m a little lazy and I don’t want to learn Gimp and a few other apps, I’d leave… wait no i wouldn’t… i need to GAME! OH! But there are solutions to those problems on other operating systems.
*nix/Linux are fun. They’ve grown A LOT and there are some very mature flavors of Linux available. I myself AM A LOVER OF FREEBSD… through my experiences it is my server OS of choice. Its robust, secure, easy to install, I love the ports system. Yeah, i’m pretty happy with FreeBSD. In regards to a desktop, well until recently I’d say I’d have to choose Gentoo Linux of FreeBSD. HOWEVER. because of recent open sourcing of the AMD and NVidia drivers I am VERY excited and have jumpt to running a 3D accelerated FreeBSD desktop. Oh, but the games still aren’t there… I tried to install Linux compat for Quake Wars and no go… If I *nix gaming, its gonna have to be on Gentoo.
Mostly my response has been about OS. Thats because I love hardware and I will always buy my own gear and build Frankenstein machines. So to me its either Windows and/or *nix. WHICH SWINGS ME AROUND TO THE FINALLY: THE CULT OF MAC.
OMG I have a loathing for the cult of Mac. Rogie still loves me for some reason. That being said, I also say this: Apple makes beautiful looking hardware. I also think that their OS core is top notch and I give them great applause for moving their core to Unix. Pretty is nice, but I refuse to pay for overpriced hardware that won’t last me any longer than PC hardware. Like I said I love hardware and I don’t stay cutting edge, but I do upgrade frequently… doing so in the Mac world would break my wallet. Plus… I don’t like the Apple-loving-hipster-i’m-cool-with-my-apple-gear-because-ummm-yeah people is see floating around. These stupid my OS is cooler than you stuff is WE-TODD-DID.
Peace out I love you Rogie… Go PC, get a 2 additional drives, run Gentoo and FreeBSD… have some fun with it.
You’ve officially been linked my friend.
I’m currently on PC, but saving for a Mac. I think Mac will take over my desk.
Mac Love:
Apps are pretty (Mac UI designers get it)
Hardware is pretty (Jonathan Ive gets it)
Free Helvetica
Terminal
Mac Hate:
Office editions suck compared to PC version
Window:focus issue that I can’t describe
PC Love:
Maximize windows
MS Paint — quicker than Photoshop, kills at select/move objects
Games I actually want to play
PC Hate:
Thanks for nothing, I mean Arial
Years of integrated IE file browsing
XP and Win98 are equally stable
I love the fact that whenever anyone develops a application for the mac, the UI is always similar to any other osx application. And it interacts with other apps.
I get the feeling that MS programs always live their own life, but OSX apps are a part of the os.. you know, they just ALWAYS interact with anything else. Awesome.
But what I wanted to say was:
@Brendan: I just love MS paint. But on my mac I use Skitch. Skitch is awesome! I love it, it’s way better than MS Paint AND it easily interacts with other apps. It’s just easy. You click, you draw, you can insert snapshot or cam snap shot and make little notes, you can just drag it to you chat window if you want to share it, or to a other app or simply to your desktop. It’s quick and easy; haven’t missed MS paint since.
I don’t agree on you office edition either, but I guess that’s something personal.. I love Office 08 for mac, more than I love office for windows (and I am a mac-lover but I love love love Office 07).
I’ll always defend mac osx and try to explain why it’s so great to windows-fans but I sure respect your choice. I think a os is really personal. There is no “better” or “best” os, it depends on who you are and what you use it for. Just don’t stick to one os, try out others and see what suits you best.
I’m a complete capitalist pig. I need a tool to do a job. Whoever can offer me the best tool for the best price wins. Currently that’s a PC most likely running Windows because I don’t have time to up my nerd cred by tinkering with nix distros anymore. But my PC/Windows ways could change.
I’ve seen some things in the Mac world recently that catch my attention like the unix based OS. However, when I went to Apple’s site to watch a video on the latest OSX goodies I was greeted by an aging, east coast hipster. Mac still has that blind cult following and hollier-than-thou attitude that makes me feel like I need a shower whenever I’m around it (in fact, this is why I don’t drink coffee. If coffee shops had a blocked off section JUST for Mac users to spare the general public from soul patches and black rimmed glasses I might give a cup-o-joe another go).
However, back to the fact that I’m a no-soul capitalist I could look past Marshall Applewhite errr Steve Jobs and his gaggle of blind followers if the price came down. One good argument I’ve heard in favor of Macs is that they come preloaded with a lot of good software for ‘free’. So, I propose that Apple approaches the few dozen companies actually developing 3rd party software exclusively for the Mac and strike a deal with them to offer ALL Mac software for free. It’s like the opposite of printers. Printers are cheap but then kill you on the ink.The Mac would be more expensive up front but you would get all your software free. Not gonna happen, but it’s something that could change my mind.
Some would argue about the quality of Apple’s hardware, but I think it’s a misconception. The sleek outer design belies the fact that the guts are more or less the same as every other machine out there. While the outer hardware IS better designed, the internals are largely the same. This became especially true when Apple switched to Intel processors.
If I could stably (is that a word?) and legitimately run OS X on a custom-made tower, I’d never buy a tower Mac again. The anodized aluminum box isn’t as important to me as the OS, and I don’t have a problem building my own machine to suit my needs. The $2700+ a Mac Pro costs would build me an absurdly fast generic tower. More RAM, more CPU speed — the works. What? The Mac Pro has a door for easy access? Try replacing an optical drive on the newest machines. Thumbscrews on a PC are just as easy and convenient.
However, Apple’s laptops are just too well designed to pass up, compared to their PC counterparts. No fiddly bits to pop out or break off, no unnecessary ports or doors, no flimsy DC jacks, no lame rubber blips on the display bezel — just clean lines and beautiful symmetry.
In the end, though, it’s about OS X, no matter the hardware. The default OS configuration doesn’t take much tweaking to make it feel right, it’s stable as all get out, and third party apps get so much more thought put into them than most Windows apps. It’s just a joy of an operating system to use, and being able to open a terminal and hack away at the command line? That’s just gravy.
@Sean – Totally agreed on the little things. Thats what does it for me – two finger scroll, ambient light sensor, built in camera , the natural feeling of the keyboard (All on the Macbook Pro)
@ed – I will always have a heart for gaming and as of today, Macs still don’t rule there and as far as I know, they never have. My first Mac, a performa couldn’t hack it in the gaming world – even though Sim City 2000 and Myst were the bomb.
FreeBSD Unix is killer. Ports collection rocks. I’m actually gonna wipe my old PC and convert it to a FreeBSD server.
@Brendan – I like the fact that you seem to take a balanced approach, as no machine will be perfect and can always improve. I love gaming on the PC, although my Vista experience has been poor. XP Pro on my 1.8 Ghz Macbook Pro running bootcamp has proved to be a killer gaming machine. Mac Apps typically are where its at, however, one can’t blanket statement that either – I’ve seen a few doozies.
@Sarah – I like your respectful approach. Use the tools that work for you. There seems to be something about the OSX/Mac culture that pushes developers to create quality apps. Most OSX applications I have worked with are excellent.
@Luke – We’ve talked about this before and I like the fact that you are a hard sell. You aren’t just going to buy a Mac because everyone else is doing it. Way to go. You are an individual that thinks about his decisions. I’ve seen the groupies out there and the sorts of attitudes that surround the Mac loving elitist culture. Do I think that most Apple products are better than others out there? Yes. Do I think it makes you a better person? No. Can everyone afford them? Truly not.
@Collin – Interesting. I honestly always had this thought that Macs were super tight inside. Extremely tested, compatible components. I guess I always thought Macs were the sort of machines that described “the whole being greater than the sum of it’s parts”. As far as Apple laptops. We’re in the same camp ;)
I use a Mac (MacPro & PowerMac), because it’s the best of both worlds, Unix/Linux and Media. I can use Photoshop, Illustrator and work with Webservers seamlessly.
I couldn’t use a system with Windows-Filesystems any more.
I mean: most people don’t even know anymore why drive a: and b: are not used and c: is the boot partition. That’s crap.
Amen! I hate it that people let themselves be defined by the machines that they use. Both PC and Mac have their shortcomings that’s why everyone comes up with applications to fill what’s missing.
I was a die-hard Windows user up until I started to realize that the Mac’s interface, functionality, and feature set was better than what Windows has had to offer me. I’ve built my own machines and customized even more many times, but now that I’ve made the switch to a Mac-only computing environment, I have no desire for that any more.
Maybe it’s because I’m a designer at heart and I prefer pretty looking things that actually work the way I’d like it to work over generic looks. Yea, the two finger srolling, ambient light sensing, and all the other goodies are great, but I just feel more comfortable on the Mac system.
Speaking of the applications on the Mac, yes, I recently wrote a review of this innovate RSS Reader that’s only for the Mac and the way it works and interacts with content. This type of quality and level of detail is generally nowhere to be seen on the Windows side, but I’m not saying that it can’t/hasn’t been done, either.
I “switched” to Mac about 6 months ago, and I love it. This Macbook Pro is so easy to carry around (mostly for meetings downstairs, et al), and as command_tab mentioned, there isn’t any extra fung hanging off the machine. You can obviously tell that people took the time to design the machine with the user in mind. Backlit keyboard (senses when it gets dark!), no more DC jacks broken off inside the casing, on and on and on.
It’s just nice to use a product created by people who are themselves also creative.
I hope that last line made sense. Yipes.
The only thing I couldn’t get comfortable with where the Adobe Apps. I’ve been using Photoshop on a PC for aeons, and I just couldn’t get comfortable on the Mac.
p.s. VMWare Fusion = digital brownies covered in awesome.
well,
i’m on a mac for about 2 years now… and i’m kinda sure i won’t switch back to windows again ;-)
i’m usin a macbook pro right now and i’m going to buy one of these sexy 24inch imacs next month :-)
i just don’t miss anything from my old windows pc.. i don’t play games.. that would probably the only reason for me to use a windows pc..
os x just… works? its fast, stable, save .. and it even looks awesome :-)
for me as a graphic and webdesigner.. its just the perfect oparating system, i just can’t live without it anymore.. ^^
For me it’s pretty simple.
When I’m on a PC, I’m constantly annoyed, pissed, ready to throw the thing out the window.
When I’m on a Mac, I actually enjoy using it.
It’s amazing how much I feel like my quality of life has improved since switching (back) to Mac.
*Disclaimer: I fully agree that it’s all a matter of preference, and with those folks that have recommended trying PC and Mac before deciding what’s best for each individual.*
I bought a Mac because it was pretty and because I couldn’t afford an Alienware laptop. Beyond that, it’s all about the OS for me.
I run a MacBook at the moment and I miss having a right click button! I’m definitely an advocate of Macs but I periodically long for a Windows machine with its windows that maximize properly and its dull but obvious Start Menu.
I’m sure OS X’s spotlight and dock system are great but they just annoy the hell out of me. I’m running TigerLaunch just so I can have a list of my applications (QuickSilver just isn’t me) within easy reach.
10 years of using Windows is a hard habit to break even though I’m now in my 4th year of OS X. Considering it’s supposed to be more intuitive, I didn’t half find it an uphill struggle in the beginning and still do at times.
@Lasha – I like to hear that windows users of up to 10 years are enjoying their switchover to the Mac. That proves to me that it is a worthy platform. Also, attention to detail in OSX apps seems to be a shared opinion of many, however I’m sure there is crap out there too for OSX.
@ridlo –
I think this is where its at. There are PC companies that get creative as well, but it’d be nice to see another very creative company spring up to challenge Apple to build even more creative machines.
@Daniel – besides the point about games, I share your opinion. I really enjoy working within OSX. I find it pleasurable, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing. Other than the dock, which at times can get annoying, I really do like it.
@Hayley – Sometimes I think that Apple just wants to be different than a PC and that is all that drives their design. Case in point: right click. Apple needs to give up there and make a right click. Just do it. I’m soooo sick of control clicking or feeling like I need to have a mouse handy all the time. Two finger hold – click is a nice attempt, but still feels awkward.
Mac’s are like hot chicks – they are pretty on the outside, but inside, not much different – and you have to be rich to play with them.
@Josh – LOL. But are you saying there’s nothing to them? What about the OS? Worth it? Not worth it? Do they come with a Chihuahua wearing a diamond necklace? Dude, I’m confused.
It’s always the same, isn’t it?
PC or Mac?
Coke or Pepsi?
McDonalds or Burger King?
I think that the strongest argument is lifestyle. Or not?
I am using a Mac for all my work because I love the look, feel and the power of the OS, I love the 10.000 applications developed by little companys and I love the great design of everything around mac.
… but by the way … I am buying expensive “baked beans” cause the can is designed much better and looks great in my kitchen … so you should not listen to me.
pls excuse my english. it was hard enough to write that comment :D
@Jonas: love your comment… especially the word about cans :)
Ok, so I guess I’m the first one to say something in favour of the PC, so feel free to kill me, but I’ll do it anyway…
I think there are good things on both “sides”… Finally, after struggling several years with cooperative multitasking, etc.. Apple decided to use a BSD kernel to have multitask. They designed a beautifull GUI, which is now being copied by every other competitor, be it Linux with Compiz, or Windows with Aero… There are great applications. The GUI is quite coherent (this is not the case of Linux for example with GTK VS QT, etc…). There also seems to be solid and easy to use API for programmaming.
BUT
I hate the myth that there is around Pc that sucks and Windows that crashes,… Ok, Win9x sucked.
- since XP, Windows *is* stable. – The OS is pretty neat with a nice skin. There are a lot of applications.
- Windows is easy to use. Knowing my experience, a lot more than MacOSX for people not experienced with any OS
And despite its good points, here is why I’m not planning to switch any time soon:
- It’s expensive (a lot more than the same PC which will do *exactly* the same thing… and there are nice designed PC as well: Sony,…)
- It’s closed (Apple wants to control everything. Yes, Microsoft maybe wants to do the same, but at least you have alternatives… On MacOSX you usually do not have alternatives for Apple software… I hate ITunes, and there’s no way to do without it for example)
- People using a mac usually loose any type of open-mindedness when it comes to computers/OS: Mac is the best. Everything else sucks. Especially Windows. I don’t want to become like that. I want to remain open to anything that could come: be it from Microsoft, Apple, Linux/Open-Source world, or anything else.
- There are a lot of myths around the mac: the first one being the user-interface is perfect, and far better than Windows. I don’t agree. I see a lot of problems of usability in MacOSX, especially for people newbie to computing.
That was my two cents…
PS: as for the installing XP on Mac, my parents got an imac w/512Mb RAM & Tiger. I installed XP on it using bootcamp and it flies when compared with Tiger (no need to say I won’t even dare puting Leopard on it… nor Vista for that matter ;))
Well I know how there are always the really strong supporters for both sides, and many claim that I can’t have the view that I do…
but I honestly am down the middle. I have used both PC and Mac.. and I love both of them for different reasons. Honestly as far as aesthetics and some just “neat” and useful lil details on macs, I really like macs…. but also I am a huge gamer and do like some Windows programs quite a bit.
Currently I only use PCs because thats all I have the money for. However I am considering buying a Mac Mini soon. I would like to have both, because I know I am going to need a PC but I do love certain things about the mac.
Also, though this may sound stupid to some… I design better when I am surrounded with good design… just being in an environment that influences design helps me to be a better designer. Honestly, I think the mac has that “atmosphere” that I am looking for… but I just don’t have the cash.
I am however looking forward to that mini.
I mainly used Macs at college before I graduated.. and I used them all the time when I was there. I did prefer them to PCs when doing my work most of the time.
=)
Regardless of my personal opinions, I use logic in my thinking and critiquing. I share your perspective and I think fanboys are ridiculous. I use linux (primary), windows (adobe software), and am soon going to be getting a mac (also for adobe software). I am willing to look at the facts for all operating systems and I am not too dense to see the flaws in all of them.
I absolutely hate when immature fanboys make retarded arguments and bend facts to fit their cause to back up what they believe to be the god of computers (especially mac boys).
Despite the headaches and more involved problem solving while using a linux os (mandriva 08 is my weapon of choice), i find that my productivity has increased since switching from windows. Its the little things like having multiple desktops (in conjunction with my dual monitors), better compatibility with apache (from my experience at least), window shading, middle-click-pasting, a better out of the box command line (comparing to the command prompt – not powershell), and a whole list of little things that i personally find useful.
BTW im lovin’ this layout!
I recently bought my first mac, a macbook pro and its the best PC I’ve every had the pleasure of using.
To put things in perspective I work with both mac’s and PC’s at work mainly on XP, I have an Vista Ultimate Desktop at home, and (Please don’t shoot me) have a Vista boot camp on my mac as well. I use Linux server every day as well.
So what shocked me the most even after having used macs at work before spending far too much money on my mac is how quickly I have learn’t to live without Windows.
Thing is I did have to learn, and there are several things I can do in windows without thinking that on a mac just seem impossible.
My colleges at work laugh at me every time i’m surprised at how easy OSX has made at task that on windows would have meant installing several third party apps and hours of fiddling.
In summary I think both platforms have some very great features, and some equally annoying differences. If someone could combine the two i would be very happy (or maybe confused) who know but for now I’m going to sit on the fence, much to the annoyance of my fan boy friends in both camps..
I use Windows (XP) and Linux (Ubuntu) daily and like both of them tremendously. Windows is useful for everyday things and I use Linux for my programming. My parents bought a Mac two years ago and I was kind of worried. This meant I could not aid in any issues and troubleshooting that arose because of my lack of experience with a Mac. Here is the part of the story where every mac-whore assumes I saw the light, sadly I did not.
I found OS X to be a bloated and locked down OS, it lacked a lot of the power and control that I had grown accustomed to in XP and Ubuntu. I still think that OS X is a crappy OS. I think that Apple did a phenomenal job in design. Everything they have put out looks great from a graphical point of view, I just think all their software sucks from a programming point of view. I find everything they put out to be software for toddlers with training wheels and find that it never really loses the training wheels. I use OS X style icons and docks in both XP and Ubuntu, but prefer the open control and grown up feel of the OSes over OS X.
Windows XP pro and I know everyone says it sucks but I like Windows Vista. Except for the calculating time bug. Thats what I’m using now.
PS Nice looking Wordpress. site :)
http://www.designerbay.com
Jason
Hey. I use Macbook Pro for about a year now, used PC before, for all my life. My opinion is that you can do all on both platforms/hardwares, but(yes there is a but :D) with Mac it’s faster, more reliable and more secure in my experiance. PC handles everything OK and if you don’t have the money it will acomplish everything that mac will it only might be a bit more of a hassle.
Mt little contribution! :D
I’m using Macs since almost 4 years now (work and private) and it’s been the best decision I ever made. Working on a Mac is fluid like hot butter.
I love the way how my workflow is supported through the OS. I “worked” years on a Windows PC and compared to working on a Mac it’s a pure pain in the neck.
I don’t understand creative people that work on Windows. It’s not productive, it’s no fun. Working on an OS that is not capable of supporting your fluid workflow can’t be the wisest option …
Finally everyone should use the stuff he/she likes. But trying to have a look beyond one’s own nose for more than 5 minutes is essential.
I have some friends who are absolutely obsessed with their macs. Here’s the thing I got the exact same specs on my laptop, as my friend for 1/3 of the price. I have been running Vista, and it is very stable. I still use Linux in a VM, and I can say I’m very impressed. I would definitely use *nix if it weren’t for my favourite editor being Windows only. I have used macs, and I can say Windows over mac any day. Apple locks you down so much, and its hard to get the most out of a pc that is being tightly controlled by Apple.
I always say to folks who ask: “if I didn’t know anything about computers I’d choose a mac” (because it’s easier for newbies to use, not because it’s bobbins)- but I do know about computers (well, windows ones anyway)- and enough to change anything I don’t like.
I run XP and with Launchy (http://launchy.net) – very recommended – I never waste half an hour on the start menu any more) Object dock and the Royale noir theme (made by windows, give it a quick google- v recommended) XP just does everything I need it to do- I don’t have any reason to change.
I also can’t afford adobe software and it’s good to use GIMP and Inkscape on XP (and Linux).
I also think personally that the UI for iTunes and Safari is incredibly ugly.
Another good tip: install Cygwin and you have loads of nice linux functionality on a windows box- SSH server as well as client, and loads of other optional components- from bzip to apache.
I’m seeing a ton of great conversation here, however I’d love to hear some specifics. Maybe a PC laptop that provides Mac-quality features. @Alex’s comment actually did provide a lot of insight into the Windows world. Thanks!
I agree! Both OS’s are good.
I’ve got both a PC & Macbook, I’ve used Leopard on PC aswell as on my macbook, PC runs it faster, I’ve also used Vista of course, and XP.
1. Windows & Leopard Both Experience Appz Crashes.
2. Blue Screen is caused by faulty memory, overheating, overclocking, unstable system (hasn’t ever occurred for me, depends on what hardware you bought, its not windows related)
3. Windows has no Support Limitations :)
4. Windows = Viruses, OSX = Virus free, cookie tracking occurs tho
5. Mac = Expensive, PC= Cheap!!
6. Mac = Beautiful, PC= Ugly if you don’t spend enough money on case and such.
7. PC can overclock, Mac = Can’t.
Both OS’s have there ups and downs, I’ve used both, loved leopard, but again got bored and switched to vista, decided i’ll use Macbook when I need to. I’m tired of the hardcore Mac fans, PC far from sucks, especially considering it can run Leopard perfectly ROFL :P. But its illegal if that matters. Anyway I’m no mac hater, I got a Macbook, I love it.
Mac features just rocks.
I was a Linux user for years since I’ve bought my MacBook Pro, and I really love it.
Features like 2-fingers scroll, Exposé or Spaces (accessible simply by Ctrl + Arrow) are great. I also love Active Corners, which I was able to configure the way I want.
Plus, I can use the Terminal to do my Dev job as well as I can install many linux ports (macports).
There is also many great Open Source Software that run on a Mac, like VLC, VNC … plus Software that really rocks for a few bucks: Parallels (with Coherence Mode)
MacOS X 10.5 have some great features as well as useless ones, for example: Time Machine. Having a 150 Go+ backup everyday is definately NOT a reliable backup solution.
Anyway… I’m now running a Powerfull, Usefull, and Simple UNIX machine and as long as it does not break, I would never change ;)
I will not ever use a computer with the name of hamburger. If you mac fact for stupid people that they use it. I am not going to pay more expensive apparatus that at 6 months becomes a Paperweights.
I’ve dabbled with Mac before but recently made the full switch, buying a (n admittedly lower-end) Macbook, the 2.1Ghz model, OSX.5.
I really do find that it runs programs a lot more efficiently than my XP desktop, which is a higher specification, and Expose and Quick Corners just seem to work better than the alternatives in Windows. I can’t recount the number of times I’ve hit the Show Desktop button on my Windows machine only for an Explorer freeze-up.
XP definitely has it’s merits, strangely I can’t think of any now, but I do recall instances on my Mac when I’ve tried to do something then gone “damn, this isn’t Windows”, so there are definitely upsides to either.
Also expense seems a major issue against Mac, but the retail on my spec seems around the same as a similar Windows spec, and I also got around £100 off that thanks to Apples support for students, which is commendable.
I really think the last 2 generations of both platforms have swung the balance though – I used to be a mac hater, and got an eMac given to me a few months ago, on 10.4. I found this to be good, but only around the same as XP (although it wasn’t setup in a very user-friendly place which was a detractor, on top of a chest of drawers). However the gulf between Vista, which I now have reasonable experience with and 10.5 is just incredulous, in my opinion.
First computer I ever owned was a PC and I lost count on just how many i’ve owned and upgraded from/to just to keep current. I never went past XP, as it seemed the most stable of all Windows OS’s that I had used. However it was the most recent “freeze/lockup/wouldn’t even reboot/hard drive/OS crash” that finally broke the camels back. Being a graphic designer I decided to finally make the push and move to a MAC.
In short…I am as passionate a MAC user now as I EVER was for PCs and haven’t looked back and will NEVER own another PC. Just the 3 months I’ve been using my Mac Pro, was three times longer than I EVER went on my PCs without any problems. (Perfect so far on Mac “knocking on wood”)
:\ I prefer to use Mac and Windows. Windows has certain applications that I use and the environment on Windows has a better feel for certain applications while other Mac has a better feel for others.
I use both. I have a MacBook that I use primarily for work and class (I am a graduate student so I do A LOT of writing). But, I also enjoy games and the PC is just unbeatable in terms of selection of games.
So, I have a desktop PC with tons of drive space and a powerful graphics card for games, and a sleek ultra-portable MacBook with iWork on it for writing, email, and all that stuff.
I used a PC from the time I was 12 till I was about 22. Then I bought an emachine with Vista pre-installed. I think bill gates was tied up and locked in a closet while Satan made Vista. So before I went office space with my computer I turned it in to a Hackintosh (running Leopard). I had played with OSX briefly but didn’t have much experience with it. I do graphic arts and beginner web design and I think my “e-Mac” works better than any windows version I’ve ever used. Ok if you’re a gamer then Windows is probably great. But I play playstation for that. OSX is just an all around smarter OS than Windows. Easier to organize and find files and programs. Every program on my Mac runs like a champ. Never had a freeze up or virus. I probably wont ever own a PC again. The only way I would is just for IE to test sites in or for storage or maybe a coaster. HAHAHA!!!
Now in Windows defense I will say that Windows XP is a bad ass. I set up a network with my “e-Mac” a PC upstairs and a Toshiba laptop. Both computers are running XP and haven’t had a problem with either one with the network; they are very easy to run on a network. I went to run my girlfriends computer (running Vista) on the network to give her songs from my itunes library and spent three hours and couldn’t get it to share anything. So I say if your going to use windows XP or 2000 is the way to go. Plus Vista is just a Leopard wannabe. They tried to copy everything Mac does and failed trying. There can only be one god.
Now I do prefer Microsoft Office to iWork. I think Microsoft Office for Mac has more options and are easier to work with. Microsoft does have some great things to offer but not great enough for me to go back. There is my opinion.
You can say what you want about me being bias and whatnot. But as soon as I put OSX on my computer I fell in love.
I need to buy a laptop for home and travel. I use both Macs and PC’s at work, and would consider buying either. I just compared a Dell Inspiron to a Mac online. With the specs as similar as I could make them (dual processors, 4GB memory, 15″ screen, large hard drive) the Dell was $1400, the Mac $2600. I’ll take the Dell and the $1200 on vacation.
I’m one of those unusual people that actually enjoys using Vista. It’s much less buggy than I remembered XP to be and the file structure is much more usable.
I like PC’s mainly because they are easy to work with and upgrade.
Having said that, there’s something about the experience of using an iMac which is far more satisfying and inspiring than a conventional PC.
Didn’t Microsoft design Aero before OSX came out? I remember people talking about it, but since I really don’t care who did it first, I never checked. So, if true, then isn’t Apple copying Microsoft?
Anywho, I use Windows XP. I just started using Ubuntu and it is not bad. In terms of ease of use, I think Windows is extremely easy to use. But to anybody who has no knowledge of a computer, they will adapt to which ever they find first. In elementary school, the lab had old Macintosh computers donated and we all used them without any problems. When I got to Windows again, I adapted. I think both are nice, but Apple is just too overrated. With this whole iPhone deal, people are zombies and worship Apple, which is clearly a bad sign.
I’m using a PC, but I want to get a mac. Why? Well, MacOS X just looks better than XP or Vista, it’s more user friendly, the design of the hardware is great, and the hardware itself is great too. Yes they are expensive, and you pay a lot for the brand, but I think it’s worth it.
The idea of stacks is cool (just a cool skin for some sort of menu, but hey, it looks and reacts in a cool way).
And it’s safer than Windows, (well, an out of the box Windows) because it’s based on BSD…
That’s why I want a mac. I find the designs of Apple software always a notch better than Microsoft programs. Maybe some things might have more options in the preferences, but after all you still can use a terminal if you really really need it. Most of the times you don’t need that anyway.
I’ve used Ubuntu too, it’s nice but it lacks some things. But overall its enjoyable too. And safe offcourse :)
Oh well, Windows XP isn’t that bad. It’s just getting old. So is my laptop, so using Vsta istn’t an option. I have used it a few times and I think Microsoft just doesn’t know how to design GUI’s in a sense of useability. I had to click way too many times for a thing like changing my background I remember…
It’s actually worse than XP I think. It looks good tho… But it’s less useable than Mac.
But that’s my opinion :)
interestingly i saw this yesterday
http://www.pat-burt.com/general-web/5-reasons-to-buy-a-mac-im-still-not-convinced/
and Today your post…What should i say ??
…No comments..may be its need to be moderated
I agree with you totally. I really don’t like all the Mac v PC rubbish on the web.
I have used PC’s for over 15 years and was pretty happy most of the time. My latest PC was a Sony Vaio laptop which served my very well.
I bought my first MacBook Pro 3 months ago and to be honest, I do wish I had done it a lot sooner.
I still use my PC now and then, for example to use software I don’t wish to buy twice, or for applications not available for the Mac.
In a nutshell I find the Mac much easier to use, and the design process seems so much smoother to me now. I also think that the web looks so much nicer on a Mac.
I do still rate PC’s though, just not as much as the Mac. But, as the saying goes ‘each to their own’.
I’ve been on PC since windows 3.1.1 and a mac user since july 06.
I did web development on my PC for many years and I hated how time consuming it was just to actively work on a project. I never could get a working localhost setup running php/mysql/apache to my liking. the different server setups and such make a pain to develop outside of the intended environment. So I always edited file > upload > refresh browser.
Within a week of having my mac I found the coolest “remote editing” FTP programs. I’m infinitely more efficient now since I’ve found Coda. My mac programs also pretty much never .. ever.. crash.
But anyway, to not be fangirlish about macs and to give opinion about both systems.
Windows does video games great. I love that i can merge folders instead of replace them ( like macs ) but overall for productivity, I find i get things done faster with my imac, and thats why its become my favorite. All the genius application developers are mac users, apparently :P
I bought an alienware machine and I really wish I had just upgraded my old cpu/motherboard for $300 instead of buying a whole new pc. I could’ve bought a mac pro with a 30″ ACD for what I paid for the alienware. Anymore i dont even want to look at my pc.
Overall, PCs are more affordable ( well generally.. unless you go to falcon-nw.com =x ) than macs, and cheaper/easier to upgrade. there’s also a whole lot more software, making it easier to get content for your system. But so far as a web developer, I haven’t .. NOT found what i was looking for if I needed something for what I do.. if that makes sense.
Personally I think its got a lot to do with a person’s personality and aesthetic preferences. As well as what field of work they are in. If what you’re doing doesn’t make a mac version for your software, you’re pretty much stuck using Windows unless VMWare or Parallels will work.
I agree with Barry, I love my Vista machine. I used an iMac at school but the large screen I found to be overly bright and annoying.
And what is with the minimise/maximise/close being on the left hand side? Aesthetically to me that looks wrong. Perhaps I’m just used to Windows?
After receiving and using one of the first ever typewriters, Nietzsche wrote to a friend that, “Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts.” His style had become more terse and mechanical since using a typewriter.
In the same way, use of either a Mac or a PC changes the way we work and feel about work. While the Mac seems built in one piece with one philosophy – getting things done easily – the PC has many different, sometimes competing layers. For instance, Vista has a gaudy outer layer which seems to contract the utilitarian but complex inner layer. It’s as if the outer layer of the interface is trying to draw attention away from the poorly built innards, though in practice it infuriates us. This all has an effect on our working methods, our work, and our relationship with the computer.
@kat – I agree, I haven’t found any issues with moving over and most tasks I could do on a Win box I can do on a Mac box as well.
As far as price, honestly, you get what you pay for. I’ve heard many people use the “I can buy a PC for $500″ argument many times, to see them trash it a year later…or struggle with buying ram and trying to upgrade piecewise.
@Paul Henry – Well said. I have been trying to think of how to say what you have said for years. It seems that working on a Mac helps me to be creative in some way – and your argument makes perfect sense.
PC for the win. Macs are just overcomplicated and overrated (at least in their commercials) They say they do not crash but they do, oh they do. And can anyone say pinwheel of death? That and no good games for it. You can buy a good PC for what you can get a mac for that will last fvr and you can play games on it. Mac also likes to claim “no viruses” thats because not enough people use Macs to make it worth writing viruses for.
I’d have to disagree with you Krista.
I use a PC at home with XP and another with Vista on it, while Vista SP1 is a lot better than XP, I still find my Mac Pro at work is a lot more stable.
I’ve never had it crash at all with Leopard OSX.
The applications are much simpler in ways of installing and using, and feel less clunky (coda, transmit etc).
I use VMWare Fusion to load XP within to test websites in IE6 and 7 and build the websites on the Mac so all in all the Mac does all platforms well for multi-platform browser testing.
I think the design industry is more a Mac based platform so saying not enough people use Mac is an understatement I know dozens of people and companies using Macs for design and programming.
PC’s are cheaper as there is more market/competition for them, Macs are more expensive but since they moved to INTEL chips they are definitely a lot more reliable, stable and faster than the previous generations.
That and you dont need to upgrade Macs as often as PC’s :)
I’m split. I personally end up preferring Mac. I can have so much more going on on my Mac and it keeps ticking. RIght now, I am doing a Blender fluid simulation at high quality (resource intensive) as well as having Mail, Safari, iTunes, and various other applications running. No problems. On my XP upstairs, it can have FireFox open and maybe one other application before it starts having problems. Yet my Mac is doing a lot more and still ticking away at a great pace. And I’ve had it for a couple years, so you can’t say it’s brand new. I’m not sure why, but I like XP for some reason. Although I HATE Vista. It makes everything slow, unless you get a really really good computer. I’ve used a bunch of Vista computers, many of them more technically powerful than my MacBook Pro, but they just don’t run as well. However, Macs aren’t perfect either. I have had to take my MagSafe power adapter in twice on warranty (the connector melted…) and my DVD burner just stopped working. On top of that, my screen has been buzzing since I got it but the people at the Authorized Reseller have no clue how to fix it. But the XP has had problems too. The motherboard melted for one. Then the hard drive had troubles. Mine are annoyances, but the XP had problems. Finally, the freezing problem. I don’t use my XP for anything intensive anymore because it just can’t do it without crashing. My Mac usually crashes when I am coding and send something into an infinite loop. Oops. Other than that, sometimes I overload it. But I can usually Force Quit the program before it completely freezes. So while XP is good, Vista sucks, and OS X just comes in over both of them. That’s my two cents. Well, maybe a bit more. But oh well.
i like the windows taskbar and start menu, and the way i can cut/paste folder paths, but that’s it.
I work on both mac and PC and definitely find the adobe suite far more stable in OS X. I have daily crashes in XP.
But yeah, the taskbar is a great device and i miss it when i use OS X. Im not a huge fan of the dock really – it just isnt functional enough. Also i cant stand ’stacks’ in leopard.
But then things like time machine, spaces, stability and the geeneral ease of use and reliability of OS X make it my favourite, especially for work.
I’m not into extremes of both. I respect both sides their strength and weaknesses. Right now, I work on an iMac during night and WinXP, Vista on PC during the day. When playing with I’d go for Linux (no specific distros).
Average people say Vista sucks, I think they’re too narrow minded. Computing on a specific platform meant to change for better or worse. But anyway let Microsoft prove it self.
I use a PC/XP in the office and I don’t mind it at all.
I use an iMac and a Macbook at home. I much prefer the Macs for design as things appear visually sharper and softer in the interface. This aesthetic component proves to provide a considerate value for design.
I do web development on both. There are +/- on each.
Programs like iChat are nice. I think my productivity is higher on OS X due to the flexibility of the workspace.
My first computer was a Power Mac Performa 630 and I loved it. Cost damn near £4000 at the time with all the bells and whistles attached. All of my friends had PC’s but the Mac could do things the PC couldn’t dream of.
In those days the hardware of the PC and the Mac were completely different and only recently has the Mac moved to X86 and X64 architecture. Today, there is little or no difference between the hardware so the good ol’ Power PC processors that singled out the Macs as graphical workhorses are no longer used.
It used to be that if you worked with graphics you had a Mac but now there is no hardware advantage it comes down to the software and the price.
Mac OSX is very pretty and the interface is intuitive and easy to use BUT its also very buggy, there is limited driver support for third party devices AND the most crucial factor for me…..mac products are hellishly expensive.
And thats what it comes down to for me, if I costed a Mac and a PC of the same spec the Mac is always a huge ammount more expensive. The difference in price would allow me to go for a better processor, graphics card and more memory in the PC. So the PC in those terms wins for me.
Vista is a decent OS and most of its initial problems came down to poor third party driver support. With drivers crashing left right and centre it was bound to tarnish its reputation.
But its a good looking and usable OS. Maybe not as sleek and shiny as OS X but never the less, I can game on my PC, I can work on my PC and thats what I want my computer to do.
When Mac release OS X as a stand alone product then I shall probably buy that and have it dual boot with Vista.
That way I have the best of both worlds.
I’ve been using a Mac for over 3 years now and the switch was probably one of the best decision I’ve made since birth! There is still a need to use Windows and a PC for school but everything else is done on an aging iBook! (=
@Carlos: Apple copying MS? You should watch Pirates of the Silicon Valley..
Bought a MacBook Pro almost a year ago for college, almost never saw one before then, to find out 50% of my classmates have one. They helped me out with some cool apps and tricks, and Windows has become a pain since then..
What I love about my PC (it´s not around, I don´t even remember what it is, just some PC, bought 5 years ago): the desktop – it does NOT act like my real life desktop – everything is next to each other, and I find stuff easier, instead of having to move stuff around to find windows underneath others (just like in real life – but what´s the benefit of having to search trough everything?).
What I love about my Mac (MacBookPro 17″): it looks good. But then again – isn´t it supposed to be a tool, not a piece of (in germany at least) rather expensive decoration? But in my line of business it´s still the most often used platform and therefor agencies etc require their work done mac-based…
Both: they´ve gotten faster, and more reliable since I started working on computers; being faster I sometimes wish back old times… save a pic, and be free to have a coffee, a chat and a cigarette, because the computer will definitely be busy the next 15 min… being more reliable – well, that´s nice, I just don´t feel that ‘close’ to the machine nowadays, it´s just less human, without all the little bugs ;)
I agree – use common sense in valuating macs and pcs, don´t be a blind follower of brands.
I switched to Mac, as a gamer it was hard but I’m not homosexual and Vista is ! So it was time for me and Winblows to part ways.
I love my Mac Pro no problems ” EVER ”
Once you go Mac you never go back, baby !
@fssalaska: AGREED.
I switched to a Mac back in November of ‘07. The reason being? My HP laptop stopped booting and my warranty ran out.
I did NOT want to make the switch since I knew there would be some time required to learn the OS (it took me 2 days), lack of gaming (though I’m too old play), and minimal support for Windows applications (which I later found work a rounds).
I am happy that I made the switch (wonder why I hadn’t made it earlier). I am a developer so I knew that there were going to be some things that I will not be able to use on my Mac. Boy was I wrong! Textmate = BFF.
I guess the only reason for me to use Vista or XP are company applications like TortoiseSVN and Outlook (Entourage is still not there yet).
Well, I’ve been using PC and Windows for 14 years now, but this year I switched to MacBook Pro 17. Well what I can simply say is, Apple knows what they are doing. They listen to what people wants in an OS and a computer. I never use Windows anymore, expect at work. And I am convincing them to get some iMacs here. The OS is simply simple, all the features you need are there. Also, the MacBook is really of excellent hardware quality, unlike my 2 old toshibas. Great work Apple. I also own an iPhone (owned it before the MacBook Pro) and it’s a stunning phone too.
I am really liking the honest opinions expressed here. It’s really nice to hear real stories from real people, rather than the fabricated/filtered ones from ads and from Microsoft or Apple.
It seems pretty overwhelming that most people that read this blog feel that OSX is superior to Vista/XP, however this is a design blog and tends to bring a certain sort of people if you know what I mean.
I’d really love to hear a success story of a PC user that loves using maybe a VoodooPC or some sort of laptop and the set of application that he/she uses on a daily basis.
Thanks @all for all the great conversation.
Mac rules windows sucks!!! just kidding :)
I switched to macbook pro about a year ago, I am a designer and coder and what really won it for me was some of the amazing software that is only available on mac. Coda for example is a program I use daily.
I also find the mac interface a lot nicer to work with.
I do still have a windows pc that I use occasionally but only for personal things like gaming.
@Design Pixi:
I have SVN set up on my mac and collaborate with our programmer in the office and share files through our rep quite easily and hassle free. The Mac solution is not as good as Tortoise but it gets the job done. Look into http://scplugin.tigris.org/servlets/ProjectDocumentList
Funny how everyone is switching to Mac. I must admint that since switching to my MPB 17″ about a year ago I have been more productive and I have a new found love for some of the things that became “every-day-tasks”. I am a web designer/developer and I use Textmate every day. Some of the features I love about the Mac OS X is the clean and useable inteface (read: sexy) and how it handles PDF’s natively. Automator has enabled me to do some funky things that I would have battled to do on my Win machine or I would have had to purchase software to do so. Being a web designer and coder I often have to re-visit good ol Win for x-browser testing and for this I run Paralells on a seperate boot partition so I can either run Win whilst in OS X or I can boot into Win to play some of my Fav games, like Neverwinter Nights. My MPB is a truly revolutionary piece of quality hardware and worth every penny. It travells with me everywhere I go and works all day long (at home and at the office) and it still looks as good as the day I gought it.
As a graphic designer for a University in the UK, I use a iMac all day. I find the iMac very useful because I can run dual boot, thus allowing me both platforms for testing and also I can access software for both windows and OSX.
However, I have a PC at home, top spec with 30″ Dell 3007wfp and find it much much faster then the 24″ iMac.
When I say faster, im talking about all aspects of useage; design, gaming, browsing the web… The PC at home cost quite a bit less then my 24″ iMac and thats with a 30″ screen.
For me, if its my money, I would buy PC all day long, if im at work and someone else is paying, apple all day long.
Good article, I am also pretty sick of reading fan boy blogs. Use whatever suits you best and respect that different options suit different people to yourself.
I switched to Mac about a year ago… Just a regular white MacBook. But I must say, I’ve never had a better computer. Of course, there a things I miss from Windows (but not many), as for instance the cut function in Finder. But it’s things you can get used to. OS X has a way better interface, once you get used to it, you can tell it’s a lot more user minded than XP. So I love my Mac, and I’ll never turn back. But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna start a war with Windows users. I like OS X, they like XP, and that’s it.
Hi, I’m 14 and growing up to be a web designer and graphics designer. I own a PC and use it everyday (that is not a joke) because I cannot live without dreamweaver and photoshop. I am seriously considering getting a macbook, but it will take me about a year on a paperound:
52 Wks, £15 a month = £780
But if I do a double paperound earning £30 quid a week then I might get there sooner.
PC sucks.
I use PCs and Macs on a daily basis. I am a 17 yr old programmer. At home I mainly use PCs with a Mac server for compatibility testing. While at school however, I use Macs for my Yearbook class for design and picture editing. PCs are great for their customization and the .NET framework. I have tons of compilers and editing environments that I can use for programming. They range from Dev-CPP to Visual CPP to Notepad++. I’m very limited on a Mac and am not a huge fan of XCode. However, I do like being able to sit down and just start working on my pictures and design projects without any hassle. I can sit down, connect to the server we use and get to work. They’re both good, but for different things.