PC or MAC? Which to buy

[andycolm]

No longer a member.

[Simon]

I own a desktop PC. I have used desktop PC's and laptop PC's quite a bit.

If I were you I'd buy a Mac. There really are as stable as they claim and everything just works on them without much glitches. If the Mac platform can run every application you require then I personally would seriously consider getting a Mac over a PC-based machine. Try and get to a store selling Macs and PC's and try them both out side by side and compare them so you get a good idea of what's what. If you already have an iPhone then you should find the Mac operating system just as intuitive and easy to use.

[MGOracle]

Whilst I like MAC software (generally) I refuse to pay overinflated prices for hardware which can easily be bought for a 1/3 of the price for a laptop or desktop application. There is no sense in it what so ever.

Instead, I pay overinflated prices for software which is stable (now) 98% of the time.

[cjmillsnun]

I do agree that Apple hardware is expensive, especially as it is very similar to PC hardware (as has been proven by some people). However a Mac Mini won't break the bank, will use your existing monitor (and keyboard/mouse if they are USB) and is very capable for something so small.

[GreyGhost]

I disagree that Mac hardware is expensive, like for like quality will cost pretty much the same Mac or Windows based machines. I would only add that finding Windows based machines of the same build quality can be problematic.
Out of the box extremely high quality construction and components, stable operating system, very easy to use / learn. First class support, second to none.
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObje...ac/family/imac

Go to an Apple store and play with the kit, the staff are highly trained and will fall over themselves to help you understand exactly what it is you are interested in, they are not there to sell but to assist, a refreshing change.

Because Apple manufacture the hardware and the software, there are precious few incompatibility issues if any. Plenty of free software via GNU (Gimp, Open Office etc.) No need to purchase any software unless there are specific applications you prefer.

On the other hand if you are happy to be swamped with viruses, adware, keyloggers, trojans etc. spending your online life protecting your machine from hackers and all sorts of malware, complaining bitterly when your new or existing hardware won't talk to your new system then stay with Windows, a lot of people do.

Having said all that, if you do go the Mac route, you can install Boot Camp and run Windows on your Mac as well as OSX, Linux of course will also run on a Mac. You choose the system at startup. Or you can install Parallels and run OSX and Windows side by side. The only extra cost being the price of Parallels and the Windows operating system.

When asked what to buy I usually say "if you are already familiar with Windows and are happy with it then why change, bearing in mind you would have to learn a new operating system albeit a lot simpler. Also cost may be an issue, but don't expect a £300.00 PC to be in the same league for example as an £800.00 Imac. a 20" screen of comparable quality will be of the order of £300.00.

[MGOracle]

Macs now use Intel C2D processors, generic ram and often intel motherboards. My friend paid £950 for his macbook which is of lower spec and quality of components than my £449 Dell laptop which happens to run Leapord better than his macbook but thats a legality issue we cant cover here

Also, when I serviced a Powerbook G4 I was shocked and the lack of build quality inside the case. Fortunately the all aluminium unit was sturdy enough to stop anything inside getting broken.

And I know it seems like i'm 'rocking the boat' again, but this

On the other hand if you are happy to be swamped with viruses, adware, keyloggers, trojans etc. spending your online life protecting your machine from hackers and all sorts of malware, complaining bitterly when your new or existing hardware won't talk to your new system then stay with Windows, a lot of people do.

is complete twaddle. I have never experienced any of these things in my entire windows life. A virus maybe through a download that was quaranteened and delete. Big doos.

I use AVG and IE. I don't proactively protect my machine either. I've also never had harware incompatability issues. When you stop and think about the thousands / millions of hardware devices that need to be catered for for windows its a but unfair to raise this point. Not least when 99% of the time its the device manufacturers lazyness that causes the issue with drivers etc.

Turn the machine on, add antivirus software (AVG is free) and behave normally and a windows machine will behave in exactly the same way a MAC will.

Now I'm not being PC fanboyish. I use Mac and PC equally. Neither give me trouble but the PC for me is more convenient in my day to day tasks (supporting my client base, programming, GD, etc).

[GreyGhost]

Like I said Mark if you are happy with what you've got then stick with it. A lot of people do.

[dionh]

Having worked (and played) with both Macs and PCs, there is no doubt in my mind that the Mac wins hands down.
My wife has a laptop PC which is forever giving her grief e.g. 23 viruses were recently detected (even though she only uses the internet for online banking) so she then installed AVG which catches them O.K. but at the cost of slowing up the computer quite noticeably.
I have a laptop Mac, which is a joy to use and as far as I am aware has never been infected with one of the 250,000 odd viruses that are apparently lurking out there.
But the decision is yours.
By the way, a pal of mine has just migrated from a PC to an iMac and he can't stop singing its praises.

Di.

[biggles]

I'll have to join the pro Mac crowd here. I have two myself and am naturally quite happy with them but to put some perspective to it I also work as a CIO for a company where we have almost no Macs at all but plenty of Windows boxes (and Linux, Solaris, HP-UX etc...).

For most users I think Mac after some getting used to provide a much nicer user experience. Not being able to run Windows apps used to be a big showstopper for some users but today you can run Windows apps virutalized on the Mac with negligible performance penalty.

[biggles]

Originally Posted by MGOracle

is complete twaddle. I have never experienced any of these things in my entire windows life. A virus maybe through a download that was quaranteened and delete. Big doos.

I use AVG and IE. I don't proactively protect my machine either.

Windows is a bit more vulnerable to viruses due to the fact that it still carries baggage from the times when MS programmers couldn't spell "security" but that is hardly a point today. The main reason for Macs being less prone to catch viruses is that the gazillion evil crackers creating malicious code still regards it as a too few to bother about. That is likely to change as Apples market share rises.

Then there's the thing with antivirus software: It will detect evil stuff that it knows something about. By all means: Keep your machines protected by all possible means but don't feel too safe...

/The paranoid IT guy