Ye Olde Rad Blog

Today I was going to post a little ditty about the great Mac vs PC debate, but quickly realized that volumes have already been published on the topic. No sense in re-inventing the wheel.

I use a PC (Windows XP), so I frequent PC-user forums (such as the ones at the Storagereview and ABXZone and Hydrogen Audio to name a few). Naturally, whenever the Mac vs PC question arises in these forums, users there typically take the Pro-PC side and bash the Mac, saying things like "Macs suck" or "Macs are not real computers" (which can be a way of saying they're easier to use). But many users, altho preferring the PC platform, are sympathetic to Apple's position, such as those at the Avid forums.

It surprised me that you can find supporting documentation for just about any point you want to make - for either side. For example, you can find linkage to articles that say things like: Mac Slaughtered Again, or a whole site dedicated to telling you why Macs are better than PCs. Some articles say PCs are faster, while others give the nod to the Mac.

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I began my computing journey with a Mac. I liked my Mac, but quickly ran into problems when I had to work with others, who all had PCs. You're *supposed* to be able to exchange files seamlessly between the two platforms, but I was spending almost as much time learning about the intricacies of file-conversion than the actual work itself. This was frustrating.

I even spent US$100 on a Mac-based file-conversion program. My partners soon got annoyed because they couldn't read my files. I felt like an outsider, and wound up using a friend's PC (486) for the remainder of the project.

Much of the debate falls into the category of Personal Preference. So I thought I'd stick to the facts. What are the (unemotional) facts? And I can relate my own personal experience .. such as the stability of my computer. My PC simply never crashes, no matter how hard I push it. But it took me a while to learn how to build and configure a PC so it's stable.

The great Mac-vs-PC war has already been waged and (as you know) PCs won hands down. Depending on what statistics you look at (US sales vs world-wide, include corporate sales or home-only), Mac has a few percent of the market share. Of course, this does not necessarily mean PCs are *better*. Beta is/was a better format than VHS, but you won't find many beta tapes or players floating around.

Naturally, this begs the question: If you were to decide to write a new software program, what platform would *you* write it for? .. knowing you would sell more copies if 2% of the PC market purchased your software than if 50% of the Mac market did.

I only know two people who use Macs (Jan & Frank), so I am certainly no expert on the subject. Tania also used a Mac, but she's no longer with us. But I know when I go into the local CompUSA, there's only a small section in a far corner (dimly lit) dedicated to Mac products. Certainly, the advantages associated with economies-of-scale belong to PC users.

One good thing about the Mac platform is that all viruses are written for the Windows operating system. I don't think there is a single current virus that targets Macs, so you wouldn't need any Anti-virus software. Of course, it's not like Macs don't have their own security issues. Or maybe you're wondering which platform would be best for video-editing.

Another factor that helped me decided to convert to PC was that I didn't feel comfortable using a platform from a company whose financial viability was always in question. Other than Apple itself, there isn't a single Fortune 500 company that runs on Macs. Why not? Also, I enjoy being able to build my own computer, and you can't do that with a Mac.

In the end, the main difference between Mac and Win-Tel is that (unlike Windows) Apple controls *both* the hardware AND the operating system. It's this proprietary control that is the source of Macs' advantages (they can control how the hardware will respond to the O/S) and disadvantages (there's no competition for the hardware, so they can charge whatever they like, and make it difficult to upgrade your system, without purchasing an entirely new box.).

I admit that I'm biased, but I tried to be objective, or at least present the case for why I switched from Mac to PC. Each platform offers its own set of advantages & disadvantages. Like partitioning, choice of computer platform is a personal thang. If user-friendliness is important to you, then a Mac might be your best option. If, on the other hand, you prize value & selection, or if you need to exchange files with other PC users, then a PC is probably the right choice for you. Of course, the best way to learn for yourself which platform is the best (for you) would be to use both.

Here's a Google-search pre-configured for the query: PC vs Mac