Mac Vs. PC: What Do You Think? Sound Off!

I got my first PC when I was 10 years old and I am 36 now. I finally switched over to Mac 4 months ago after my Dell - which had to be returned for repairs twice in the first 6 months - finally died from malware infestations.

I spent aroun $2,000 for an iMac, about $1K more than I would have paid for a comparable PC.

Was it worth it? Definitely. Took me about a day to figure out OSX. I've had one app crash in 4 months. I reboot once a week. No crapware or viruses.

My company is on Office and I seamlessly move docs back and forth. Most apps are web-based now and that solves a lot of problems. I've pretty much abandoned my Windows work laptop unless I'm traveling.

MSFT lost a 26 year customer, that's hard to do. In my view, this is a tipping point and Apple is about to take some serious market-share away from them.

I used PCs exclusively for 15 years until last year. The time I spent installing anti-virus software, expunging viruses from my computer and shaking my witchdoctor staff to ward off viruses kept growing. Not to mention the fact that my laptop kept getting slower and slower despite my best efforts.

So when it came time to replace the laptop and computer, I looked at Apple, and I was convinced right away they had a superior product on their hands. I figured out the OS in a flash, and within a few days was using their photo and moviemaking programs to create things that took me 10 times as long on the PC.

I still use a PC at work - but I love my Mac in a way that I never loved any of my PC's.

I'm a PC, tried a Mac and came right back.

Well Arik you may be in for it now, CNET has picked up on your story.

Anyway getting on topic, I have found that ofttimes people choose the personal computer/operating system that fits their personality. Of course there is the hardware the boss provides, but I am talking about individual purchases.

If you can't keep out of trouble on your pc, then you probably should pay the extra $$ for a mac.
If you can't find better free alternatives to iLife, than you should pay the extra $$ for a mac.
If you think that your brand of computer makes you cool or special, then you should pay the extra $$ for a mac.

Everybody should use what they feel comfortable with. A beautiful, lovingly designed Apple is well worth the money, and considering how much time and effort goes into creating such a design and bringing it into mass production, the price tag is quite decent. It's not cheap, but it's not an overpriced luxury item either.

It's like comparing McDonald's to a decent restaurant (not even an overpriced fancy one, just a decent one where the chef actually cares about what he makes).

Except that most PC-users seem to have the illusion that McDonald's is a decent restaurant, probably because they never tried anything else and can't tell the difference.

The only reason that Microsoft is even in this discussion is that they hired the best ad agency in the country to try to breath life back into their bankrupt Windows/Vista brand.
Crispin Porter + Bogusky is again proving that edgy, strategic advertising can get people talking about a brand differently, quickly, by pushing buttons.
They did it for anti-smoking with Truth, Mini with "Lets Motor", the creepy King and subservient chicken for Burger King, un-pimp your auto for VW and now MSFT is getting the treatment.
Reality: both companies will be in trouble if some 17 year old does for Linux what Blake Ross did for the Mozilla code base to create Firefox.
Realize that Microsoft isn't even comparing their product to Apple in the ads- they are comparing their partners hardware- people aren't validating Microsoft in the buying ads- but Sony, HP, Dell etc.
How many companies would spend their marketing dollars on promoting their marketing partners?

Got my first Windows laptop when I was in college. Sixteen years later, I bought my first Mac. I will never go back to Windows. This toy saved me from regular defrags, viruses, reformatting and worse, reinstalling each time I change to a new computer. I'd pay more to spare me those headaches.

Ive been using a pc for as long as I can remember, then vista came out, ohhh good ol' vista. I couldn't take it and tried out a mac, I liked it, I didn't love it, I liked it. Needless to say it was better than vista (suprise, suprise). I recently got into the beta for windows 7, and I'll tell you what, I love it. It is vista without the vista problems already, and it's still in testing. Windows 7 has renewed my faith in windows. PC will be the way to go when 7 is officially released.

Ive been using a pc for as long as I can remember, then vista came out, ohhh good ol' vista. I couldn't take it and tried out a mac, I liked it, I didn't love it, I liked it. Needless to say it was better than vista (suprise, suprise). I recently got into the beta for windows 7, and I'll tell you what, I love it. It is vista without the vista problems already, and it's still in testing. Windows 7 has renewed my faith in windows. PC will be the way to go when 7 is officially released.

The simple fact is that most major corporations allowed themselves to become dependent on Windows. Despite efforts to save lifetime operating costs, they tend to look at short-term contracts and things like initial purchase price, much like the average consumer.

However, there are companies that have switched away from an all-Windows network. Can't the press do some real investigation to determine what the tangible effects have been? How does a the addition of Mac infrastructure change the overhead support costs? Reliability? User productivity? Hardware problem rate? Software patches required? Some companies have real data to show, so it is puzzling why the press can't be bothered to publish real numbers.

I am sick and tired of each camp throwing spitballs at each other. They're just computers, hardly a matter of life-and-death importance. There will always be people who choose something different than you would choose for yourself.

Arik, you should resign.

You have had a long career in technology reporting, no doubt you will land on your feet, perhaps at another publication with a lower standard for even handedness.

This piece was so poorly researched and misleading in content that I can only conclude you were deliberately trying to deceive your readers or plainly idiotic.

Having read your columns on-and-off for the last 6 years, I don't think you are an idiot.

The simple fact is that the mac OSX is a better user interface / user experience. PC people simple get their buzz from defending second rate. A good analogy is to try and compare a harley davidson to a ducati. There simply is no comparison in the ride.

The simple fact is that the mac OSX is a better user interface / user experience. PC people simple get their buzz from defending second rate. A good analogy is to try and compare a harley davidson to a ducati. There simply is no comparison in the ride.

My first "computer" was a teletype terminal in college tied to the actual computer hundreds of miles away, by an analog phone line. I started using PCs as soon as they were available and continued till late 2001 when I finally had enough. I bought 4 PCs within a period of 6 years due to hardware and software issues, malware, viruses, hard disk crashes, etc. I bought my first iMac computer in January of 2002 and it still works. I have since purchased a newer iMac but have the older one connected via a home network for file storage and use in the kitchen. I've never had a single hardware issue with either. Call me elitist if you wish; I will never buy another PC product until the PC world realizes that the real problem here is not PCs.....it's Microsoft.

i want to search thinkable pc 2009.

After using various variants of Windows for the past 18 years I finally splashed out on a Mac about 6 months ago. The really radical difference for me is that, whereas with a Windows-based PC, I would go on with a particular purpose and get sidetracked into sorting out 'issues'; with the Mac I have been liberated from all of that. It's an efficient and secure operating system, an important aspect of which is that it isn't designed to hog resources and ultimately necessitate the purchase of extra hardware. Yes - PCs cost less than Macs, but to me a PC is a false economy - true to the old adage, you get what you pay for. One of the overlooked advantages is that there are an awful lot of open source applications out there that are free. The iPhone is testament to that.

i love my mac,, my pc crashed and i spent more time working on the software rather then actually getting my work done.im glad i made the switch because now i honstly get more time to do my job rather then downloading new virus protection and newer software=]

I've found PCs to be extremely educational (I've learned a lot about error codes, malware, and boot discs) and it's a great way to meet people on the internet (the tech support sites are da Bomb!). I maintain 4 laptops in our home. Windows Vista was the tipping point. After that experience, we went to our very first ever MAC for my daughter's new computer. I can't wait for Windows 7 to get here (even tho' Vista's being dropped as we speak). My Compaq is finally d-e-a-d. Looks like MAC will be 2 of 4 this month!

I work for Apple but am writing to you from a PC. Before I got my job at Apple I was 100% PCs and it took me about 6 months until I finally gave in and started to LOVE OS X.

Macs are AMAZING computers. I love to work on them. At this point in my career I am working on iLife mostly. iMovie and iDVD are awesome applications and I love to make my home movies on them.

I was in the Windows 7 beta and just installed the RC yesterday. It is really easy to use and I honestly like the feel of it better then OS X, but that is just preference.

I laugh when people talk about viruses being the reason to switch. If you go to download.com and get a FREE virus app then you won't have problems. You can even go to your crack sites and download whatever you want, you won't have problems.

Some people buy Macs and have a lot of issues with them. Some people buy PCs and have a lot of issues with them. Both computers have their issues.

Last, with all this being said, I LOVE Macs and I LOVE PCs. Both are amazing.

My first computer was an Amiga back in 1985 and I have owned the original PC and used Apples also when they first came out. Most of my career however has been using and teaching Windows. Two years ago I bought a PC and it now sometimes will boot and sometimes will not (I suspect the mother board). So I had a customized PC built 2 years ago (It recently suffered a USB over current error and would not boot - after I had finished cleaning it of a virus, reformatting it and loading XP for the I don't know how many times). Enough I though.

Two weeks ago I bought the new Imac and here are my observations to date:

1)It boots so quickly, is quiet and I only have one power plug to worry about!
2)When I plugged it in, it IMMEDIATELY found my network (on the PC I usually had to find the drivers after installing the OS and then call for support)
3)I can boot to XP and work there (I have one game I play that is graphic intense and the display is amazing as is the speed in loading - I have the GeForce 120 model)
4)If I want I run XP using Fusion (Windows is JUST another app on this Apple!)
5)I'm still learning the interface but it is quite intuitive (the small keyboard is something I'm not quite happy with - you cannot page up/Down as far as I can tell)
6)I think this will last longer than the typically 2 year life-span I have had with recent PCs (and it may actually have resale-value?)

People have been telling me once you go Mac you do not go back; they may be right.

HG
And the computer even talks to you if you want :-)

macs are betterrrrrr

I've been a pc for as long as i've lived. But this week i bought my new mac for U of W which im starting next fall. I started it up, and the thing fried after two hours. I went back to the Apple store and they couldn't fix it, the idiots. No wonder i was born and raised a PC.

SHUTUP ME=KID

Don't listen to Ben who says "i've been a pc as long as i have lived. But this week i bought my new mac for U of W which i am starting next fall. i started it up and the thing fried after two hours. i went back to the apple store and they couldn't fix it. No wonder i was born a pc." DONT LISTEN TO HIM MACS ARE BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!

from what ive been reading if your a moron and want less options buy a simple mac if u have half a brain and want alot more options get a pc got ya

macs are over rated i download all the time no viruses no problems with vista. vista isnt the problem its stupid people and macs do nothing better than pcs that i can see except empty your wallet

So after reading a good amount of of these post, I see a lot of complaints about viruses. How much porn are these people downloading? Porn and illegal software is virtually the only way you get viruses, and honestly its easily avoidable in both those situations. Meanwhile, there is this vast promised land where people don't believe in thieves so they don't lock their doors... As macs stellar campaign ads cause the brand to grow, there will be a lot of unguarded computers haplessly downloading viruses because they *think* "its safe now, it will always be."
With macs transfer to intel chips, the ever decreasing gap between mac vs pc is now osx vs windows. If your a gamer (which I am), windows wins hands down. Even software companies have given up on working with mac as every so often they get excited about gaming, and then they forget.
Currently I run a PC that I built for under a grand thats top of the line.. To get almost exactly half the machine I have on a mac? 2100. I dual boot windows 7 and osx. As I game, the overwhelming majority of my time is on win7. I will say this though. OSX is flashy! Its light weight!! And if you have no clue how to use a computer... Well, you're still better off in windows so you can ask aunt betty for help. As mac gets bigger, so does osx. As osx gets bigger games will port with or with out macs help, but so will viruses. At that time though, a question of which is better will become more viable.

Really, what can a mac do other than play 8 games, look at the internet, use the calculator, video, and audio editing? Because I know windows can do all of that + more. And if you complain about virus get and anti-virus. Use bit torrent and get it for free. Download any program for free on windows. Even the OS.