Should I get a PC or Mac?

[Dustysage]

I use both Mac's and PC's and have for many years. I'm a tech junkie.

If I was only able to have one machine, I'd get a Mac. The main laptop I use is a MacBook running both the Mac OS AND Windows. So I'm able to run everything on my Mac - PC games, everything.

I think my Mac is a better PC than my Dell is. I had no idea I could run windows on my Mac until I spoke to a great guy at the Apple Genius Bar. He suggested running Apple's included "Bootcamp" and installing whatever version of Windows I'm most comfortable with.

Honestly, there are lots of solutions for this now. Some require you to restart your Mac to switch back and forth from PC and others don't. But it can be done and works great (at least for me).

I just like the ease of the Mac OS, how everything looks, all the built in software is great, and I enjoy Apple's support. I'm no PC/Windows hater. I'm one of the 3 people in the world who actually like Window's Vista and use it all the time . . . on my Mac.

[ThomasJefferson]

Originally Posted by Dustysage

I use both Mac's and PC's and have for many years. I'm a tech junkie.

If I was only able to have one machine, I'd get a Mac. The main laptop I use is a MacBook running both the Mac OS AND Windows. So I'm able to run everything on my Mac - PC games, everything.

I think my Mac is a better PC than my Dell is. I had no idea I could run windows on my Mac until I spoke to a great guy at the Apple Genius Bar. He suggested running Apple's included "Bootcamp" and installing whatever version of Windows I'm most comfortable with.

Honestly, there are lots of solutions for this now. Some require you to restart your Mac to switch back and forth from PC and others don't. But it can be done and works great (at least for me).

I just like the ease of the Mac OS, how everything looks, all the built in software is great, and I enjoy Apple's support. I'm no PC/Windows hater. I'm one of the 3 people in the world who actually like Window's Vista and use it all the time . . . on my Mac.

Good stuff, thanks Dusty.

[Barbossa]

[broadwaybrando]

Mac is the best!!!!! although my budget doesn't allow for me to own one, my parents do. they were hard core windows users and i convinced them to switch to mac after having a lot of experience with them at school. they agreed and have loved every minute using it. i totally recommend it. great performance, speed, and features that will make you never want to turn back.

[orbitalpunk]

Mac hands down. I also use Windows 7 beta for a game but overall, Mac OS X is the best computer experience. And I've tried them all since windows 3.1. Including windows millennium O.o

And when you buy a new mac, you not only get a great OS, but you get iLife which includes iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb and Garage Band. So much to do right out of the box! I can go on and on but I don't want to whore it up too much.

[steamboatpete]

I just got a new computer with Windows 7. I HATE it. I can't hook up my Laserjet 2100 to it. My brand new wireless USB device doesn't work with it. It crashes just like Vista. I have 20 years of work product in old WP-DOS that I can't even look at anymore. It sucks.

[sailerm]

Get a Mac

YouTube - Apple's "Get a Mac" ad: "Broken...

[PretzelSouls]

I love my Mac notebook. The graphics are killer and I've never had a virus problem. I've always had a Mac desktop but I've worked on Dells and other computers - nothing has compared. If you do get a Mac, make sure to get AppleCare. Believe me, it's well worth it. When you get a Mac, you also get things like a work program, iDvd, iMovie, iPhoto, ect. Then there are options to get that you can add different programs to it. I've never tried it...but there's some program that you can purchase that allows you to run Windows as well. I think it's called Bootcamp but I'm not 100% sure of the name.

[cositaluvsmickey]

I personally am a PC..only because Im so used working with windows...I only say this because I am a simple person who doesn't need much..and for me being the way I am the PC is for me.

Just my two cents

[Barbaraann]

I have a PC, but we are buying our grandson a Mac desktop for Christmas. Sean wanted a notebook of course, but the desktop has much more memory for about the same price. I entertained the idea of switching to a Mac, but I don't have the money to do that at this time. I love my Dell, and Windows XP is something that I understand how to use. I tried Vista, and I hated that. So I went back to XP. My computer will have to totally die now, before I will switch. Then I might consider the Mac, and since I reorganized my room, I could accomodate a Mac desktop as well.

[ni_teach]

I know people always say how easy a MAC is but I had to spend 3 hours trying to get my fathers HP printer hooked up to his MAC. That also includes the phone call to tech support.

I also teach classes on a MAC and at lease once a week a student's computer either has a program drop or the a locks up.

People complain about PC all the time but MAC also has it issues. There is no such thing as the perfect computer!

[MatterhornJ]

Turn Mac and don't go back! It's amazing. The simplicity and design is fabulous. I'm a power-user and tech junkie. Trust me on this, if you have the money get it. You won't regret it. Go to your local Apple Store and check them out. Macs also hold a very high re-sail value. If you decide to sell it in 2 years, you won't lose that much money on it if you keep it in great condition. MY TWO CENTS.

[Monorail Man]

I use both for work. As with Dusty, I boot both Mac OS X and Windows 7 on my macs. Honestly, it comes down to cost and bang for the buck. If you like Macs, then go for it, but be warned that's specs. on the $999 MacBook can be grabbed for about $500 through HP or Acer.

Working on Macs all the time, I've encountered the same headaches as on the PC side. The Snow Leopard guest account bug hit us really hard, but we have about the same experiences with both.

[mycroft16]

Originally Posted by ThomasJefferson

I am really tired of viruses, spyware and all the goodies that seem to come with Windows. My office uses Windows, and that will stay the same. I currently have Windows XP Pro, and am a bit leary of buying a new system with Vista. I know Windows 7 is around the corner.

If viruses and spyware are the main force driving your choice, then don't delude yourself about a Mac. In the past, Mac wasn't a huge force in the computer market. In 2005 they had only 3% of installed systems. That has grown, and since Mac, just like Windows, is proprietary and not open source, the virus writers of the world will start creating malicious code for the Mac. Heck, the first ever computer virus was written for and Apple. It will happen, and it probably won't be too long before there are some truly scary virii for Macs. People like to prattle on about root access and having to unpack packages manually, but the simple truth of the matter is this: There is no such thing as computer security. All companies can do is make it really difficult and time consuming to get a virus to run on an operating system. They can't make it impossible. If there is code to block a certain avenue of access, there is also code to get around that. It is a simple fact. And since Windows has been the dominating force, virus writers have focused almost exclusively on PCs. As Mac continues to grow in popularity, they will start to focus on Macs as well, and you had better believe that they WILL find ways to infect and compromise your Mac just as effectively as they have PCs.

At home I use the computer for email, social networking, and one video game I am completely obsessed with. It's an older game (2002 release) so I don't need some uber video card. I do play around with some family pics, and of course MiceChat!

Honestly, if this is all you are doing, then it really doesn't matter which you use. PCs are infinitely easier to upgrade than a Mac. Pop the side, slide new component in, done (iMac here, not the G5 tower). PCs are almost always cheaper since the parts are made by so many companies whereas a Macs components are proprietary and manufactured or very carefully quality controlled by them. They charge more for this, hence the higher prices. Macs do graphics (video, stills, etc) far better than PCs do. Plus the iMac monitor is a gorgeous work of art. Game support for Mac is getting better as the platform becomes more popular, but it still lags far far behind PCs. If you end up getting a Mac, keep that PC around because there's a fair chance the Mac won't run your game. Some games won't even run in boot camp on the Mac.

In the end it all comes down to personal preference. Now that Windows 7 is out, and it is actually a pretty dang good OS, you don't have to worry about Vista. Vista was a huge mistake and some people got fired over it. Microsoft changed a lot of how they do programming and it really shows. Do you want the lower cost and easier upgradability of a PC, or do you want the sleeker, safer from viruses for now, better with graphics Mac for a bit more money?

Originally Posted by knittingknerd

I heard Vista anticipates what you're going to do. That's what I'm kinda' worried about.

No, Vista just asks you questions every time you click anything. It's not anticipation at all, it's blind stupidity.

With Windows 7, Microsoft actually had weekly meetings with PC manufacturing companies (Dell, HP, Sony, etc) as well as with retailers and software designers. They met with these people and there was a lot of arguing and give and take and compromise between them all. They demanded that Microsoft change things about the OS to make creating hardware easier. And Microsoft demanded things of them to make windows run better. It's the first time that the two sides have gotten together and talked and worked together, and it really shows. Mac has never had this problem since Mac makes the hardware and the software. For one thing, when you bought a PC before, it came pre-loaded with tons of crapware that you never wanted, never needed and just took up space and CPU cycles. Microsoft demanded that they stop doing this. So most new 7 PCs will come with a desktop with nothing on it but a recycle bin. The manufacturers demanded being able to toy with the code early on so they could get drivers working with it before release. As such, 7 has a great driver stack that supports pretty much anything that ran in XP and Vista. Windows Vista really hurt their brand and image, but Windows 7 was done not only right, but better than and Windows OS before. It still has problems and flaws as any OS, be it Windows, Mac or Linux, has... but it is significantly better what has come before.

[sailerm]

I still say get a Mac. Microsoft is hurting... it's time to hurt them more, don't buy, download or use any of there products as much as possible.

They've spent 10 years getting everybody onto XP, then introduce Vista, thinking we would be zombies and just fall for all the marketing and 'upgrade', and upgrade, and upgrade.

They still have all the same problems they had before. Now is a good time to switch to Apple.