Mac or PC and why?

[dwnwrdishvnwrd]

Yep, had to throw in that little "and why?"

Mac: INTUITIVE! So easy to use. Once I became used to the trackpad being just one whole piece instead of separate buttons for clicking it became a breeze. Ever tried to run a music recording program on Windows? PITA.

I just ran Garageband on my Mac using an old Windows 1/4 inch to USB module. I used to run Pro Tools on the PC and it was s l o w. Always crashed (the system was fairly fast at the time) and it was just not fun to use. Today, dusted off my buddies Digitech MBox for PC. I was looking at Guitar Center for a new 1/4 inch to USB interface but they didn't have any I wanted (for under $500) so I decided to try the PC based MBox. Only had to download one driver and it works like a charm on Garageband. Didn't have to install Pro Tools. Garageband is designed to work with almost all audio interfaces. Love my Mac.

Also, Windows runs better on my Mac than it it did on my PC. And no viruses. Oh, Mac.....

 

[wedwards]

Mac : cos I can!

Nah seriously;

- its based on a unix foundation which I love as I get very very few crashes (some of my machines have not actually crashed ever, and are used on a daily basis for the last few years - try that if you can windows!!),

- it also has the best, most intuitive, and sensibly set standards for a graphical user interface ever, bar none.

- apps like ichat which make keeping in touch with family and providing remote support with such ease of use, are simply awesome.

Plus, you cant get an apogee duet or metric halo 2882 for windows - they are 2 of the best audio interfaces ever!

Oh yeah, the uber cool factor of a mac is good too, but comes second to functionality/useability in my opinion.

 

[English]

Used both. Have both. Prefer mac.

It's more user friendly, doesn't beak down, no virus attacks, etc.,etc.,etc.,

 

[SpyvSpy]

I've had both but prefer mac because every pc I have was always a low performer to the mac.

 

[AdrianR]

Mac or Windows?
The argument is passe since:
1. Windows can now run natively on a Mac
2. The UNIX foundation (found in a Mac) is now commonly available as Linux.
3. The market-penetration of Windows, given the relative speed with which it was built, is not about to severely diminish any time soon.

(PS: I am a Linux fan but if I had to choose I would go for a Mac)

 

[mainaman]

I find macs annoying, and counter intuitive. The most ridiculous part is the mac mouse. The fact that Apple does not even try too much to work on compatibility with MS software ,such as Office (I have always had problems with PC created office files on MACs), is just laughable. The hardware Apple uses in their comps, is 99% of the time inferior or about equal to PC, but @ a lot higher price.
The myth about windows being more vulnerable etc, is just a myth,. My comps have not had problems in years, unless you consider once in 2 years windows reinstall.

 

[snusify]

I find macs annoying, and counter intuitive. The most ridiculous part is the mac mouse. The fact that Apple does not even try too much to work on compatibility with MS software ,such as Office (I have always had problems with PC created office files on MACs), is just laughable. The hardware Apple uses in their comps, is 99% of the time inferior or about equal to PC, but @ a lot higher price.
The myth about windows being more vulnerable etc, is just a myth,. My comps have not had problems in years, unless you consider once in 2 years windows reinstall.

I think it is funny that you find your PC software does not work on a mac I thought that M$ would have fixed that by now considering Macs have had M$ office running on their macs years before the Windows world got it. Office for mac came out in about 1984. Your version came out 10 years later.

That being said I have had no issue with the word document on either platforms.

regarding the mac mouse. Apple have supported multibutton mice for over 10 years now. They have shipped a multi button mouse for years now.





I am an IT guy and work with macs and pc's. I prefer Macs.

here is an observation.

My clients who use Macs are usually Musicians, Designers, Creatives, Film makers, Photographers and etc.

My PC users are Accountants, Lawyers, Office Staff etc.

Not that there is anything wrong with Accountants and some Lawyers I much prefer working with groovy people.

I also find that macs are easier to fix and dont go as wrong as often so my mac clients are always happy. My pc clients are always ringing and complaining with problems all the time. I make more money from the PC world as they have more things to fix. But given I do this work for love I am going to give up PC's altogether very soon its too much of a headache. 80% of my PC work is fixing computers that got screwed by a virus or a trojan.

 

[tsmba]

My brother-in-law is a professor of electrical engineering. During visits, he taught me programming on a PDP8 long before anyone dreamed of home computers. He used a Mac, so when I bought my own computer, that's what I got. During college, I had to use PC's in computer labs and quickly learned I disliked them.
Now, I'm on Mac #4 at home. Of course, my workplace computers have always ran UNIX and/or Windows. I find those OS to be plodding and annoying. I never worry much about viruses and (especially) the endless files of the Windows systems.

 

[Confuzius]

Linux, OSX and Windows, all on the same PC. Because I can.
Cheap hardware costs of "PC" (Since when did PC become synonymous with Windows), Power and freedom of Linux, Compatibility of Windows and Novelty of OSX.

After running Linux for years, OSX is just a novelty, it's useful, but I can do everthing it can do for free on linux, and well, if you want to game sometimes you just need Windows.

There's no need to discriminate, I try and keep up with the most recent OS's in every flavour, since 99% of my time is spent in Firefox there's no difference. Although I wish Adium would come out with a Windows/Linux port.

People who feel so strongly for one OS is usually just because they don't take the time to learn others.

All of the "arguments" as to which is better why are often outdated, or based on users that don't understand proper operating procedures. In the end there's no such thing as better, it's all just personal preference.

 

[ratcheer]

I prefer Mac but I cannot afford it. I did buy my son a new Macbook Pro 17" to take to university and he loves it.

I mostly use Win XP but I have set up a box with Ubuntu 9.04 and I am trying to learn to use it. I am getting most things going pretty well, but there are still nagging problems that keep me from going to it full-time. One of the problems is that my wife and youngest son remain on Windows, so I have to keep everything compatible for them.

Tim

 

[Gravy]

PC guy here.

Built my last 2 PC's from older cases and they work great. Neither has had a virus. Fast and reliable. Mine just work.

 

[wakeboarder4402]

I like PC's better personnaly. For the price of an entry level mac you can build a PC that will compete with their highest end computer. I built my pc for $1600 using the absolute best processor out there the pentium i7, which you cant even get on a mac. To duplicate it you would have to run two quad-core xeons which will run you an extra $800. A mac with the same specs as my pc will run you close to 6 grand! I run a good antivirus and haven't had any problems with crashing or virus' since i built it back in february. But thats just my .02

 

[stobes21]

Mac. My dad is an IT pro (graphic & web design, video editing, etc.) and exclusively uses macs. He put it best: "I don't actually care about the operating system. The system is there to provide an environment for the software I want to use. I don't want to tinker with the system. I don't want to have to optimize and protect and coax it to work with some piece of hardware or software. The more time I can spend with the applications the better."

 

[TimmyBoston]

Linux.

Mac's are too pretentious and Windows doesn't work very well.

 

[Koss]

Mac or PC? Macs ARE Pc's. IBM Compatible PC's. The hardware that runs your OSX Is not Mac Specific Power PC supported programing code anymore. It can run on the same hardware that Windows does.

What is my Pick of Operating System?

Linux. Window managers? OpenBox/Fluxbox and Gnome.

 

[Erebos]

PC. Macs are too expensive for my tastes, and I've never had any of these myriad problems with Windows that everyone else seems to have.

 

[mretzloff]

Mac.

Windows is fine, if you know what you are doing. 99% of the problems come from ignorant users who know nothing about computers. If you know what you are doing, viruses and that stuff is eliminated.

Now, why do I prefer Mac? There is an Apple store 30 minutes from my house. If I ever have problems, I can go there. If I have problems on my PC, I have to talk to a guy in India who can barely speak English. Also, the people in Apple stores know ten times what these guys on the phone do. I prefer Apple because of the design too. Most PCs are ugly. My Macbook Pro has no battery or parts that are jutting out. On a Windows-based PC, the battery back would be visible and, if like most laptops, it would be slanted, unlike the Macbook Pro which is even. Macs are also more fun to use and most PC users who love their PCs have never used a Mac.

And to the people talking about Microsoft Office: why are you even using it? It is ridiculously overpriced. Open Office is free and does the same thing.

EDIT: To be fair, I have never used Linux.

 

[expatCanuck]

I'm a keyboard bigot -- don't like using the rodent unless I absolutely must.
And, in my experience, PCs tend to have more keyboard shortcuts.

And, I just plain enjoy spec'ing & building Windoze-based PCs from the ground up,
and I can get a decent bang for the buck. Dual boot to Ubuntu & Windoze XP Pro.

No version headaches working with MS Orifice docs.

That said, my next personal computer may well be a Mac because, as far as I've been able to tell, there's more support for music recording hardware & software.

Mrs. Expat, the graphic designer, has used a Mac for 20+ years. Our 13-year-old son is a switch-hitter -- they have Macs at his school, but he uses a WinXP box at home.

 

[Confuzius]

I'm a keyboard bigot -- don't like using the rodent unless I absolutely must.
And, in my experience, PCs tend to have more keyboard shortcuts.

You should check out Launchy for Windows and Gnome-do on Ubuntu (gnome) both will improve your keyboard-fu incredibly.

Edit: Same functionality on macs is available with Quicksilver

 

[Parataxis]

Mac : cos I can!

Nah seriously;

- its based on a unix foundation which I love as I get very very few crashes (some of my machines have not actually crashed ever, and are used on a daily basis for the last few years - try that if you can windows!!),

Umm, you realise that PCs can be based on unix as well, right? PC=/=windows.

For me:

PC: Cheaper, more options of OS systems (I prefer Ubuntu Linux, but to each their own) and much much more versatile. Macs used to be better for graphics, but that gap narrowed years ago. At this point, Macs are just overpriced and underpowered.