PC or Mac and Why?

I want to get a new laptop..and i know for sure im going to build a new desktop...i was a die hard pc user but mac is kind of attracting me. Not sure if i should get a mac. What do you think?

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Permalink Reply by NamelessFragger on March 12, 2009 at 10:14pm: Why not own both?

My primary desktop is a custom-built PC, meant primarily for gaming. I spent about 1,500 US$ on it, maybe 1,600 with upgrades I've made since. That could have bought me an iMac, but I don't like non-tower desktops for the most part due to lack of expandability. The Mac Pro has the power and expandability that I desired, but the price tag was ought of my reach. I'd also have to add on the cost of Windows because most games need Windows anyway.

However, I also have an old PowerBook (Pismo/FireWire G3 400). It's old enough that it can boot Mac OS 9 for the really old software, but recent enough that it has things like an AirPort slot, FireWire 400, and support for Mac OS X Tiger. It was also cheap enough in my case to cost less than 100 US$. It's an adequate Web browsing, e-mail, and general productivity machine, and generally holds up very well for a nine-year-old laptop, so long as you don't do anything too computationally intensive on it.

Of course, I've also used more recent Apple hardware at a neighbor's house-namely a few iBook G4s and a MacBook (late 2006-early 2007). (They're the ones who got me really into Macs in the first place.) The two-finger-scroll feature is very nice and beats the pants off of having a scroll area on the trackpad edge. Mac OS X also goes to sleep and wakes up very fast, so you won't be waiting to use your laptop right after you sit down and pull it out of a bag. Finally, the Wi-Fi/AirPort handling is very slick-it's easy to change networks, and they often change automatically as you travel around.

Generally speaking, if you have the money for both, I'd favor a custom-built PC desktop (unless you have a lot of money to spend on a Mac Pro with a good graphics card) and an Apple laptop of some sort. (The only thing that could be better is if Apple made Tablet Macs with integrated Wacom digitizers...oh well, there's always the Axiotron ModBook.); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mario Fanous on March 13, 2009 at 12:40am: pc its does everythin; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by EliteGeek on March 13, 2009 at 8:43am: I'll suggest the Mac for one primary reason: intuitiveness. When I'm on my Mac, I forget about Windows entirely. I have everything I need. I'm enjoying my time. I'm focused on what I'm doing. I'm getting my money's worth. When I'm on Windows, however, I begin to miss things. For instance, if I have multiple applications opened, I want to throw my mouse over to the right-top corner of my screen to bring up expose so I can grab a buried window. Oops, I'm on Windows. I can't do that. So, Flip-3D it is. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. Scroll. Found it. Click it. Okay, now back to work. That's not what I would call productive nor intuitive. Then there's spaces. To be able to dedicate a specific program to its own desktop is amazingly useful! I didn't think I would use it, but I can't seem to function right without it. I can dedicate one space to iTunes and everything that involves my music collection. I can dedicate another space for surfing the web. I can dedicate another space for my photography. And changing to and from these spaces is just another swipe of my mouse to the bottom-left corner of my screen. It's just simple with a Mac. I've tried to mimic these features on Windows by downloading third-party applications, but they are a complete hassle to customize and you still cannot achieve the same intuitiveness that's available on the Mac.

While your decision is only yours to make, if you want to be productive and enjoy your time on the computer ... it's obvious what I would recommend to you.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan on March 13, 2009 at 9:01pm: Must be a matter of what fits/sticks to a person best. I can rocket around on my home PC far quicker then my work Mac, and I have been running Macs for 15 years.
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Permalink Reply by EliteGeek on March 13, 2009 at 10:34pm: It must depend on the person because I can fly around Mac OS X and I've only been using it for a little over a year.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan on March 14, 2009 at 10:43am: Part of the problem is my Mac is so slow, (even with dual processors) seems to always be thinking about something else, or ignoring my input.
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Permalink Reply by RedVegetarian on March 13, 2009 at 9:10am: A LOT depends on what you are going to use it for and how you plan to do it.

For basic productivity (web surfing, Office / Open Office, Email), the PC can present a better value. If stability, security and reliability are major issues, Linux is a reasonable alternative these days.

Apple has hardware that is of generally good quality, as I understand it, even if it is very expensive. The thing that Apple bring to the table is an OS that is incredibly easy to use and is quite stable.

For performance for the dollar, the PC beats the Apple in most cases.

For ease of use and a major reduction in tinkering _needed_, Apple wins.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan on March 14, 2009 at 10:54am: Linux has no capability to run main stream programs like Photoshop, Adobe Graphics Suite, Corel Draw, Sony Vegas, Microsoft Office and many other PC favorites. The alternatives for Linux are pathetic dysfunctional poor copies.

Funny thing about Apple hardware, it's built in China at a company called Foxconn, where much PC hardware is made, and was actually making hardware for PC's fist. ROFL!

The only thing Apple wins at is incompatibility with its own previous operating systems, and the stability it TRULY a farce. Oh, how well I know this one.

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Permalink Reply by rinema on March 13, 2009 at 10:13am: i like building my own computer and PC can be built ridiculously more powerful than macs and I really don't care about design just performance; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mario372 on March 13, 2009 at 8:47pm: Personally i like both.

Macs i would mainly use for video editing and web design and stuff like that

Pc i mainly game.

I would mind have a mac though cause i used one at school for editing a video and it was very easy to use and user friendly; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dan on March 14, 2009 at 10:59am: Why use a Mac for video editing when you can do it better on a PC? Ever hear of Sony Vegas? There is other software for PC, doesn't have to be Final Cut Pro. Several of us at work have PC's at home that do video production, I'm one of them. I have no problems whatsoever doing video of any type, size or format. Even the built in video editor in Windows isn't half bad. Not to mention there is a plathora of good 3rd party video editing software out there for PC's, some of it is free and still does a great job.

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Permalink Reply by Dan on March 13, 2009 at 8:57pm: Well, after 15 years of being tortured by my work Macs in the Graphics industry, I have nothing but hate for them. I have worked on every Mac OS right up to current, and every type of Mac box since 1989. I have constructed a small info site on some of my many problems I have had. If I had recorded them all, I wouldn't have enough time or room to list them, but here, read the PDF, look at the pictures... and this is just the tip of the iceberg. HERE
I could write a book.
Over the years I have converted nearly everybody in our 30 machine Mac department over to PC's for their home machines, some of them are hard core video creators and graphics people, they are glad they are using PC's for thousands of reasons, many of them are making second incomes with them.

Just my two cents.
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