Mac vs. PC

Mac Pro

The great debate...

Every computer user now has a fundamental choice: whether to have a Mac or a PC. The suggestion that Macs are for artistic types and PCs for the rest of us no longer applies. The Mac is a direct competitor to the PC across the board. You should therefore consider both if you’re thinking of buying a computer for the home or office.

Style

Since their first appearance, Macs have been a byword for style. They are sleek, compact and eye-catching. The incredibly thin MacBook Air is a perfect example.

Some PC manufacturers are working hard to catch up and produce similarly elegant machines. But with Macs, Apple has a style heritage that’s tough to beat.

MacBook Air

Quality

Apple pays great attention to build quality. Macs are solidly constructed and not encased in the creaky, fragile plastics synonymous with so many PCs. From the moment you see a Mac and handle one, you have the feeling this is a machine that will last.

You can, of course, get the same level of quality from some PCs. The problem, however, is the premium you pay for this. With a Mac, the robustness and high gloss finish are standard.

  • Built-in video tutorials
  • A faster and better operating system than Windows Vista (a fact that’s acknowledged by the computer press)
  • Applications that look similar and work in the same way
  • Easy drag and drop actions on the screen
  • Automatic recognition of peripherals

User-friendly features

No matter what anyone says about the technology of a Mac or PC, computers must be easy to operate. PCs have an advantage over Macs in this respect because they’re the computers most of us first used. As a result, it can be difficult to encourage people to consider Mac as an alternative.

To combat this and make Macs as simple as possible, Apple has introduced features that PCs struggle to beat.

Mac vs. PC

Macs also have other user-friendly features of high quality PCs such as wireless connections and built-in cameras.

And from a PC user’s viewpoint, it’s worth noting that Macs can not only run Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, they can accept every file from your existing PC, and allow Windows and the Mac OS X Leopard operating system to work on the same machine. These features make the transition from PC to Mac much easier.

MacBook vs. Laptop

Hardware and Software

Set against a Mac’s ease of use are some of the cumbersome hardware and software features that afflict PCs. A PC usually combines hardware from different manufacturers, so every time you switch it on you have to wait while it checks all these components. This inevitably causes start-up delays. A Mac avoids this by using only hardware made by Apple.

With a PC, you also have to run software for each device such as a printer or camera. This software can clog your PC’s memory. A Mac, however, is pre-loaded with drivers that recognise most peripheral items.


Computer Use

For a long time, most people regarded the PC as the best machine for standard office work. Such work involved spreadsheets, calculations, charts and presentations - the functions, in other words, of software such as Microsoft Office. For creative work, designers, photographers and artists favoured the Mac.

This situation has now changed. Every Mac can run Microsoft Office. Macs therefore have the day-to-day work capabilities of a PC. Consequently, a PC is not the only option for office use.

Macs are also fully-rounded home computers. Like the best PCs, they run email, Internet, word processing, photo editing, video creation and music programmes simply and without fuss. In fact, when it comes to music, Macs have a distinct advantage over PCs: they integrate perfectly with Apple’s popular iPod range.

As for computer games, these generally come in both Windows and Mac versions. And if a game appears in just the Microsoft format, you can still run it by installing Windows on the Mac.


Security

Computer security is high on the agenda of most computer buyers. After all, more and more people use the Internet for shopping, and store personal data and files on hard drives.

PC manufacturers usually obtain security software from specialist firms or encourage you to buy it. Apple builds Macs with security built in. It also updates the protection regularly and free of charge. This approach seems to work because Macs do not suffer from viruses and security breaches to the same extent as PCs.

Some commentators say that Macs are secure merely because hackers are not so interested in their users. But this argument doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny. Surely some hackers want to infiltrate Mac computers because it’s a challenge to do so?

Be that as it may, the Macs’ reputation for secure operation remains intact.


The Environment

Computers and the environment is a topic increasingly discussed. Some companies, for instance, have started schemes to refurbish old PC hardware. Apple goes further and makes its Macs from recyclable aluminium and glass.


Price

One criticism levelled at Macs is their high price. This is certainly relevant if you’re in the market for a basic computer and are happy with the features of a budget PC. But if you want something more advanced, look at what a Mac can offer. The price difference then disappears.

The point is that Apple does not offer a budget computer. Every Mac comes with a high level of hardware and software that stands up well to the cost of an equivalent PC. Your choice between a Mac and a PC therefore comes down to the criteria you’d normally apply to any computer purchase:

  • your budget
  • the available features
  • what suits you best