Mac vs PC

[sharien chan]

My laptop battery just died and won't hold a charge anymore. But batteries are super expensive, and my computer, while still working fine, is getting older.

So I'm pricing out a new computer. Which is better Mac or PC? Anyone using Vista? Because I want to try to avoid Vista if at all possible, unless someone can tell me something good about...

[chibiphonebooth]

MAC.

MAC.

commmooonnn julie. you've seen my computer. ;D

you know you want a sexy maaacccccc

[Danderson]

Mac is always good....but I do video editing, so I'm biased...Think the only thing Windows has over mac is low prices and large amounts of games...

[Sanderson]

I've always had PCs. If you really enjoy games / want a huge library of games available and know how to maintain a PC, keep it clean (as in viruses and stuff) and keep it functioning right, get a PC. If you aren't into games that much / don't mind the library being limited and don't want to deal with maintaining your computer, then a Mac.

[LadyRushia]

In b4 the serious.

I just recently switched from PC to Mac, and I absolutely love my Mac. While they're more expensive than PCs, I believe they come with the software you need (I don't know because my Mac + software were gifts) whereas PCs do not (at least the ones I saw when I was looking at laptops).

The only experience I have with Vista is with the computers in the library, which I have to use to print papers out. With Windows, the programs randomly don't respond more often than Mac. Programs become non-responsive on Macs, but it's happened less in my experience. Macs are also pretty easy to get used to, so that's another plus.

I won't say that Macs never crash because my friend's Mac completely died on him earlier this semester; however, that is the only time I've personally heard of a Mac crashing. Three days before I moved in, my computer was being really weird, but the next day it was fine.

Basically, if you choose to get a Mac, I don't think you would hate it.

It also depends on what you like. If you do a lot of graphic design, video editing, art, etc., then Mac is the way to go. As for me, I'm a writer, so all I need is a word processor. I could've gone either way, but I fell in love with Macs when I first looked at them and my laptop hasn't given me any trouble since I got it, except for that one time I described earlier.

If you're worried about compatibility, the programs you get with iWork (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, essentially Word, Powerpoint, and Excel) give you the option to save your documents in Office format so that you can present, send, or do whatever you need to do with them on a PC. Or you could always get Office for Mac.

So yeah, those are my two cents.

P.S., you can also download Apple games and fun Widgets to make up for the lack of games that come with the package.

[Tsukuyomi]

I've never had a Mac before, but I heard Macs are pretty good ^ ^

This is actually my first computer/PC ^^ It has it's ups and downs, but that's to be expected with machinary, right ?

Everyone has their opinions, and I'm sure you'll get some from both sides ^ ^

[ich1990]

Mac and PC represent two different philosophies.

Mac tells people what they want, and gives it to them.
PC asks what people want, and doesn't give it to them.

Macs have few customization options, high prices, and limited software compatibility (although it is getting better), but provide a well integrated system and have the benefit of being a hip, pop icon. Mac is the path of least resistance, but you pay for it.

PCs have a high amount of flexibility and good prices, but you may have to shop around to find the perfect setup for you. They aren't "in style", but are the better deal in my opinion. They have been known to "freak out" more than Macs, but that really depends on the brand of Windows that you use. My personal experience has been that Windows XP is about as stable as a Mac.

Macs traditionally had less of a problem with viruses, but that is changing now that they have become popular. It won't be terribly long before they are targeted by virus makers with the same ferocity as PCs.

Vista generally sucks. Go with XP if you can find it or Ubuntu if you can get used to it.

EDIT: I almost forgot, if you buy a PC and need a productivity suite (word processor, powerpoint, etc.), don't buy Microsoft Office. Save yourself some money and download Open Office.org. It has all the same capabilities as Microsoft Office and is free. It can save in any of the Office formats.

[Fish and Chips]

Depends what you're most comfortable with really. I've used a PC and a Mac at different times for different things and found them both suitable. Macs have a cleaner, more efficient interface, especially for various workshop programs (Photoshop, Flash, etc.), but PCs ultimately allow you to do more, if a bit frustrating at times.

Then again, I famously have the Worst Computer In The World, so maybe I shouldn't talk.

[Radical Dreamer]

I'm biased towards Macs, just because I find them easier to use and maintain. I've never had a virus or spyware, never had trouble installing anything, and my computer is fast and easy to use. So I'd definitely go for the Mac! Plus, they just released the new MacBooks, and they are amaaazinnngg!

Also FISH WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR AVATAR.

[Fish and Chips]

Also FISH WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR AVATAR.

DEVIANTART MAKES ME THINK OF A MAGICAL PLACE WHERE ART GALLERIES BECOME MORE UNCOMFORTABLE OVER TIME.

[Tsukuyomi]

If someone buys me a Mac.. I'd so give you my review 8D

Yeah Fish, that's a freaky image >_>

[Cap'n Nick]

Given that you can get your work done with either and the price differential is relatively small in the run of things you should definitely go with the more stylish computer, which is the Mac. Think about it: if you walk into a coffee shop and pop open a Mac people think, "This person is creative and perhaps creates art professionally." If you pop open a PC people think, "This person blows up thirteen-year-olds and puts words on pictures of cats."

I own a Hewlett-Packard Vista PC by the way. It looks nice, gives me no trouble and has a good amount of power for the money, but I think this is less the result of a good buying decision on my part than it is the strange computer-calming waves I seem to emit from my skin surfaces.

[Kaligraphic]

Or, people think of the Mac-user, "This person is a pretentious lackwit who thinks that buying an overpriced laptop with the aesthetics of a toaster and the software to match will make him an 'artist' and somehow justify his years of angst and loneliness. He probably spends his down time painting words onto his cat."

Meanwhile, people think of the Thinkpad-user, "This person is a soulless wage-slave with no style, who thinks that using a computer with no sense of style at all is somehow more 'businesslike' and 'professional', and who probably doesn't realise that his wife is sleeping with that college guy in the mailroom. He probably wonders where the pictures of cats with words on them come from."

And, of course, the Dell-user gets a thought - "This person is too cheap to get a real computer, but too stupid to actually save money. He probably thinks that the colorful plastic makes him look stylish, but really just looks dumb. This moron would probably try to put words on pictures of cats, if he could figure out MS Paint."

And for the Sony Vaio-user, "This person probably thinks that the Vaio makes him look good, but he doesn't realise that its styling makes him look like a Mac-owner-wannabe who can't understand that he's getting junk parts inside that not-that-great-looking case. Probably couldn't afford a real Mac or a better PC. He'd probably be putting words on pictures of cats right now, if he could figure out how to start Photoshop."

Or the HP user - "This person likes the gloss black and think it makes his machine look futuristic. He thinks his machine has that interface from Minority Report, which he hasn't yet realised was only a movie. He keeps putting his grubby paws all over the glossy screen and then wondering why it gets grotty-looking. This person will eventually try to put words on a picture of a cat, and will be unable to remove the finger paint from his screen."

I think the moral of this post is that you probably shouldn't base your decision on crabby morons in coffee shops.

Having used and supported both Mac and PC, I've found them to be pretty similar. If you like Windows, games, or a wide variety of software, and don't mind having a lot of little problems, go with a PC. If you like OS X, Unix, brushed aluminum, or one-button mice, and don't mind having a few complicated problems, go with a Mac.

In general, though, Fish is about right there.

[sharien chan]

Yeah I just need word processing,iTunes, and the internet...but I do like all the funness Mac has. I don't do games that often, at least computer games.
Hmm...I'm kind of leaning toward a mac. I want less hassle.

[blkmage]

I have a Mac because I wanted a Unix based OS on a laptop but didn't feel like having to beat a Linux installation into submission to get it to work on a laptop. Keep in mind that this was in 2006 and my distro of choice was Gentoo, so perhaps I have no one but myself to blame.

However, why I have a Mac is entirely because of what I do. I'm a computer science student, so I have a Unix box. I also do some serious graphic design on the side. I also used to play WoW.

If you're worried about the learning curve, let me assure you that the learning curve for any OS is the same: getting rid of your bad habits from other OSes. Windows creates a ridiculous amount of preconceptions and assumptions about how computers should work. It's why it took me a few years before I was able to completely wipe Windows from my drive. After having learned Linux, I found picking up OS X to be much easier, because I knew what to expect when learning a new OS.

Conversely, I haven't used Windows since before XP SP1, so Vista is a complete mystery to me. When I've been asked to take a look at it before, I had no idea what I was doing, which is proof to me that we sort of take learning Windows for granted. Of course, now this means I don't have to get roped into doing tech support for Windows machines now.

More fundamentally though, I find that the design and engineering of OS X to be superior to that of Windows. This is largely a consequence of Microsoft continuing to use their legacy codebase instead of starting over from scratch like Apple did with OS X in 2001. Apple's also understood the value of design far better and earlier than Microsoft has, something which is reflected in the look and feel of their products. I respect Apple on these two points.

Personally, if someone has to ask whether or not to get a Mac or PC, the answer is probably going to be Mac. The price premium on the hardware will likely not make any significant difference and neither will the customizability. Those two points only matter to hardcore PC power users. And really, those users already have all the information and experience they need to make a decision like this.

[mechana2015]

To reference your original problem, I have a mac laptop with the original battery, and it is 4 years old. A full charge now lasts about an hour.

[chibiphonebooth]

you can always get new batteries, mech.

[Stephen]

Or, people think of the Mac-user, "This person is a pretentious lackwit who thinks that buying an overpriced laptop with the aesthetics of a toaster and the software to match will make him an 'artist' and somehow justify his years of angst and loneliness. He probably spends his down time painting words onto his cat."

Post of the year. I won't suggest you get a Mac or a PC. I will say I bought my PC last fall and it has been awesome. Not a single virus...no issues. Been great. It does what I need and has not let me down. What I will say, is that if you look down on someone for the brand of computer they own....you are a complete failure at life. If you like the computer and it does what you need, that is all that matters. If that's a Mac, awesome. If it's a PC great. But this crap where owning a computer is a social club or something....is just retarded.

[Warrior4Christ]

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/30/39-apple-products/

[Mr. SmartyPants]

XD Steve is obviously passionate on this issue.

As one who uses Macs about 60% of the time and Windows 40% of the time (On the same Macbook too, thanks to Bootcamp), I absolutely love OS X. =)

[mechana2015]

you can always get new batteries, mech.

At 4 years old, I think it will be a lot easier just to get a new laptop and more feasable for what I do, due to the updates in technology.

[Stephen]

XD Steve is obviously passionate on this issue.

Nah. Just seen enough stupidity tossed around on the issue.

[sharien chan]

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/30/39-apple-products/

awesome....and somewhat true. Though not in my case! I swear! XD

[Jingo Jaden]

Ok, I might as well give my two cents on this.

I have alot of PC experiense, and a about 1,5 years experiense with a mac. *One of the older Imac's.*

Now, mac in the 90's generaly had many, many overpriced products and they mainly focused on the artist market. However, since the first Ipod they have focused more on the mainstream market and have moved from over-priced to nice price. They have focused more on the overall user experiense which features small to big improvements in every upgrade. Its generaly stable, it does not have much of an 'computer gets old' factor and for people new to computers, its now generaly a nice buy.

The pc is a bit more of a powerhorse and for a renderer/strong software user like me, *Adobe and Autodesk software among other things* That's generaly a good thing. It features top of the line hardware which at most times does surpass the mac and it can also overclock which actualy is a big deal when you want to get your rendertime shorter. Its system is open so you can improve some settings, but you can easily do something subconsiusly that can ruin the overall experiense. Now there is no doubt that Vista is too big, but I have used it for about two years and my computer has been powerful enough to deal with it. I am not one of those people who have a ram value of 512mb and thinks its going to be a breeze. I do know however that Vienna has been told to take about 45 megabye of storage space and even uses even less than 45mb of ram which sounds insane. So I do look foreward to Vienna which is a new codeing which would imply that viruses are a no-show in its early days. Its rumored to be released early 2010.

I would call myself a pc user, I sadly have no Linux experiense yet so I cannot really comment on that. However the mac has had a wast improvement over the recent years and they got one of the coolest, if not the coolest mobile phone on the market. Design wise I actualy like some pc's more, because I know where to look and its not too hard to make a nice looking pc, but at most times I don't really care. The mac's are solid design wise and they don't have neon lights that burn your eyes out....... However I do like some neon lights >.>

And yeah, I used Tiger most of my time with the mac, but I have tried Leopard and it seems cool enough, but I don't jump up and down regarding OSX or Vista/XP. Software look-wise I could make my computer look like OSX since there is a skin like that available. However I am not too found of the steel and generaly enjoy the aero look more, but that's just me.

So if you know how to handle your pc, you can probably find a better deal. I personaly like to build my computers and I need the extra power, although I won't throw my money wildly at anything until 2010 because then things will be more clear. However if you are new to computers, you might want to check out the mac. I'd try to test before buying though.

Oh, and I need to add.

Videogames, videogames, videogames, videogames games games!

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Why pick one, guys? Why not have both?



But seriously. With the new OSX they have, as was mentioned earlier, opened up macs to be dual booting machines. You can get both worlds on one system.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Nah. Just seen enough stupidity tossed around on the issue.

I don't see it happening here, though. ]The pc is a bit more of a powerhorse and for a renderer/strong software user like me, *Adobe and Autodesk software among other things* That's generaly a good thing.[/quote]
Not really, since it primarily depends on customization and how high she wants her specs to be. My Macbook Pro is more of a powerhouse than all the laptops owned by my dormmates. Most of them own PCs.

It features top of the line hardware which at most times does surpass the mac and it can also overclock which actualy is a big deal when you want to get your rendertime shorter.

There's very little chance she's going to want to overclock here... And besides, overclocking with a laptop is asking for your computer to fry. (Assuming that Sharien is looking for a notebook)

For her case, I think she wants the basics. I think that user friendliness, sexy gadgets, and overall stability are most important for her. If we're going by those prerequisites and not looking for a powerful system, then I highly suggest picking up one of Apple's newest Macbooks. They're pretty sexy and better compared to the previous line.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook?mco=MTE3MjA

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Last december, I think it was, one of the major PC mags did a comparison and showed that Macs were actually par for par with same-priced windows desktops and laptops, and often times actually a better deal. Wish I could find the article, but it's been like a year, so... yeah. If you're in that price range that helps, if not, well then yeah you're not gonna want one probably.

[sharien chan]

I just want basic stuff, and I'm sick of having to reformat all the time because stuff gets messed up and spyware and all that. I can't keep up with it.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Alright, let's get this out of the way because this will honestly affect what you're buying. What are you looking for? What are you looking to do? are you wanting to game? Are you wanting something for hard core image work? 3d rendering? Or do you really just want an internet machine? If you want something cheap that has just enough horse power to surf the internet with, as much as I love the macs, you can do just as well with one of those new netbooks. They're tiny tiny laptops built specifically for browsing. They can't do a whole lot but they can do that really well... and they're cheap. Like 300-500 cheap.

[sharien chan]

I need internet, itunes, word processing and spread sheets, aim etc. I don't game that often, and I don't do art stuff. However I just don't want Vista (besides to even run Vista the specs have to be pretty decent anyway), and I'm getting tired of having to reformat every 6 months. I also want the built in camera and I do enjoy the programs Macs come with.