Mac better than a Windows PC? Why? Or is a PC the best?
I hesitated to jump into what is usually a religious argument, but there are some facts that have not been mentioned by others.
First, my background: I have been using PCs for 35 years, and Macs for 31 years. In other words, since the very first models of each came out. I've developed software for both, done my own hardware repairs on both, and published benchmarks for both. I've noticed that the strongest opinions on the Mac-versus-PC issue generally are held by those who have only tried one or the other, and who have only started using computers in the last few years, not for decades. When I directed research at Intel, I got an insider's look at what it was like to be a supplier to Apple versus a supplier to all the PC (Wintel) computer makers.
First, my background: I have been using PCs for 35 years, and Macs for 31 years. In other words, since the very first models of each came out. I've developed software for both, done my own hardware repairs on both, and published benchmarks for both. I've noticed that the strongest opinions on the Mac-versus-PC issue generally are held by those who have only tried one or the other, and who have only started using computers in the last few years, not for decades. When I directed research at Intel, I got an insider's look at what it was like to be a supplier to Apple versus a supplier to all the PC (Wintel) computer makers.
Get this: It takes Intel about five times as much manpower and time to be a supplier for Apple compared to any PC manufacturer. Apple is incredibly demanding about quality, performance, reliability, pushing the envelope for how thin and light something could be made, and so on. When IBM lost the CPU contract for Apple years ago, IBM held a "Freedom from Apple" celebration party! Intel views the extra work of the relationship differently: by having to meet Apple's very high standards, it has the effect of making Intel's products better and more competitive in general. So Intel actually respects being run through the wringer in working with Apple's engineers.
The second fact no one has brought up is, if you want a Windows environment, the best possible computer you can run Windows on is a Macintosh! Now that both Windows and Mac OS use the x86 CPU, the execution of Windows is native on the Mac, and Apple offers ways to easily flip back and forth between the two operating systems. All the malware and the viruses the PC acquires stay in that partition of the system and don't affect the Mac OS partition. So a Mac OS can also be a PC, but the converse is not true. You cannot buy a PC and put Mac OS on it. When people tell me, "But I have this software I need for my job, and it only runs on a PC!" I tell them to buy a Mac, buy Windows, and run your software on the Mac in the Windows partition.
The third fact that I don't think anyone has presented is that Apple has complete control of the Mac, both hardware and software, and they can internally certify that everything works consistently. The Windows world is a complete zoo, with alternative suppliers for just about everything but Microsoft's operating system. This is why it is so difficult for all the device drivers to get along, and why independent software developers would have to test thousands of different PC configurations to assure that their software works on all the PCs that are out there. With a Mac, you have much higher quality in the hardware-operating system-application software combination because there is inherently less to go wrong, and more comprehensive testing is possible before the product is released.
The only reason I can fathom for buying a PC, and for some it trumps all others, is the low entry price point. If all you have is $300 and you really, really need some kind of computer, even one that will cause you a lot of grief, then you get a PC. Sort of like buying a beat-up used car that barely runs; if that's all you can afford, that's what you buy. But a beat-up used car can wind up costing you more than a decent car, all things considered.
The second fact no one has brought up is, if you want a Windows environment, the best possible computer you can run Windows on is a Macintosh! Now that both Windows and Mac OS use the x86 CPU, the execution of Windows is native on the Mac, and Apple offers ways to easily flip back and forth between the two operating systems. All the malware and the viruses the PC acquires stay in that partition of the system and don't affect the Mac OS partition. So a Mac OS can also be a PC, but the converse is not true. You cannot buy a PC and put Mac OS on it. When people tell me, "But I have this software I need for my job, and it only runs on a PC!" I tell them to buy a Mac, buy Windows, and run your software on the Mac in the Windows partition.
The third fact that I don't think anyone has presented is that Apple has complete control of the Mac, both hardware and software, and they can internally certify that everything works consistently. The Windows world is a complete zoo, with alternative suppliers for just about everything but Microsoft's operating system. This is why it is so difficult for all the device drivers to get along, and why independent software developers would have to test thousands of different PC configurations to assure that their software works on all the PCs that are out there. With a Mac, you have much higher quality in the hardware-operating system-application software combination because there is inherently less to go wrong, and more comprehensive testing is possible before the product is released.
The only reason I can fathom for buying a PC, and for some it trumps all others, is the low entry price point. If all you have is $300 and you really, really need some kind of computer, even one that will cause you a lot of grief, then you get a PC. Sort of like buying a beat-up used car that barely runs; if that's all you can afford, that's what you buy. But a beat-up used car can wind up costing you more than a decent car, all things considered.
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