Macs vs. PCs?

[Theophrastus]

I know there has been a lot debate on the topic, due to the Mac smear commercials, but which is ultimately better, Macs or PC's. I've asked the question to many, however I've found that their answers are laden with biases and personal statistics, so I've decided to go to those who have experience instead. Some of my family friends are programmers, and they've told me that in their (collective) 20 years, they've never had companies that use Macintosh computers, despite the fact that they are believed to be better. Secondly, there are so few viruses for macintosh computers, in contrast to PC's: why is this? Any thoughts?

[iNow]

One: My company (the company who provides me my paychecks is probably a better way to say this) gets a HUGE cost break for using PCs from one particular brand. It's a contract we have with them. If we got PCs (or Macs for that matter) from another brand, we'd have to pay significantly more. So, due to the bottom line, not only do we use PCs, but we use PCs from one specific manufacturer (also, much of the software we use tends to be PC specific...).

 

Two: I presume that most people who write viruses want them to have the maximum impact. If the greatest percentage of the population uses PCs instead of Macs, that's why you'd focus most effort on PC virus development. It's the same concept of advertising, and why you'd rather have your ad shown during the superbowl than during the 3AM airing on C-SPAN.

[ParanoiA]

I've asked the question to many, however I've found that their answers are laden with biases and personal statistics...

 

See I think that's your answer right there. I've seen these threads in the DAW forums too and the conclusion is always one of preference. There is no arbiter of better or worse here.

 

Macs offer more stability and less issues since they are more of a closed architecture. PC's are more of an open architecture, so everybody and their mother are making hardware and software for them. Each has its advantages and disadvantages that seem to come directly from that arrangement.

 

Since I'm a poor bastard, I build my own PC's, and I can do that while remaining pretty stupid about them. I doubt I could do that with a Mac.

[bascule]

It certainly depends on what you're doing. I love Macs. They are expensive, but they don't skimp on hardware. But then again, I'm a software developer. I love being able to have a Unix-based OS and a large selection of brand name commercial software in the same environment. That isn't possible with either Windows or Linux.

 

There have been some pretty hilarious Microsoft commercials lately (the "You Find It, You Keep It" ones) where consumers lay out their requirements. One of them asked for a fast CPU, a big screen, and good battery life. He went and checked out the Macs, then (being a Microsoft ad) dissed them as "paying for the brand". He ended up buying a crappy laptop with terrible battery life, a large screen with pathetically low resolution, and a memory architecture which ensured the CPU would constantly be starved, but hey, it fit the artificially imposed budget of the commercial. Oh, and it ran this crappy OS called Windows. In the end, he didn't get anything he wanted based on the requirements he put forth, except a large screen with a crappy resolution.

 

If you're buying a notebook, a PC with similar specs will run you slightly cheaper than a Mac, but not much. There are PC notebooks which are substantially cheaper than Macs, but I'd suggest a comprehensive evaluation of the hardware as manufacturers of cheap notebooks will tend to skimp on the sort of parts that users won't notice when making a cursory evaluation of the specs (chipset, RAM, etc) The memory controllers and RAM of Macs are actually fast enough to keep the CPU from getting starved.

[swansont]

"Better" isn't defined objectively. As ParanoiA has said, it's one of preference. As with all products, there will be some fraction of users that simply will not buy from one company, and some other fraction that will be intensely brand-loyal.

[ydoaPs]

Why did they design my MBP with such a thermally conductive casing?

[bascule]

Why did they design my MBP with such a thermally conductive casing?

 

Mine's made of plastic, which is slowly chipping apart, but apparently if I go complain to the dinguses at the "Genius Bar" they'll fix it even though mine's out of warranty.

 

The "Genius Bar" cracks me up... I had the cord of my power supply fray, apparently it was a common manufacturing defect, and Apple had issued a recall because it's a fire hazard. I walk in the door and the dingus at the front of the store is all "you have to buy a new one, sorry". I'm like, "uhh, there's a product recall out for these because they're a fire hazard"... and finally get him to take me to the "Genius Bar" where the guy handed me a new one on the spot for free. Apparently all it takes to be a "Genius Bar" genius is to have something of a clue about what's going on.

 

Apple as a company kind of sucks.

[ydoaPs]

Mine's made of plastic, which is slowly chipping apart, but apparently if I go complain to the dinguses at the "Genius Bar" they'll fix it even though mine's out of warranty.

 

The "Genius Bar" cracks me up... I had the cord of my power supply fray, apparently it was a common manufacturing defect, and Apple had issued a recall because it's a fire hazard. I walk in the door and the dingus at the front of the store is all "you have to buy a new one, sorry". I'm like, "uhh, there's a product recall out for these because they're a fire hazard"... and finally get him to take me to the "Genius Bar" where the guy handed me a new one on the spot for free. Apparently all it takes to be a "Genius Bar" genius is to have something of a clue about what's going on.

 

Apple as a company kind of sucks.

After an hour of web surfing, I can fry an egg on my chest.

 

The multitouch trackpad is worth it, though. At first, it's awesome. Then, you forget you're using it. Then, you find normal laptops to be frustrating because their mouses don't work properly.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Speaking of thermal performance, I just cleaned four years worth of dust out of the heatsink of my Dell. That was an impressive load. I'd suggest anyone whose laptop gets a bit too warm looks up the instructions (Dell's service manual explains how to pull the keyboard off to get in) and blast that crap out.

 

On a related note, I am currently pondering options for a laptop to replace this one. A MacBook is one possibility, however: I currently have a 14" 1400x1050 screen, which I think is fairly awesome. The only brand with a 15" screen of similarly awesome resolution is Lenovo (well, unless you look really hard). From what I gather, the MacBook's resolution is a mere 1280x1050 (on a 13" screen, mind you). For those who have used Macs: For a screen that size, does the resolution feel fairly high or just adequate? I've gotten used to my high-res screen of awesome and would rather not downgrade.

 

(Lenovos aren't all that bad, of course. ThinkPads have an awesome reputation and are high on my current list.)

[ydoaPs]

Speaking of thermal performance, I just cleaned four years worth of dust out of the heatsink of my Dell. That was an impressive load. I'd suggest anyone whose laptop gets a bit too warm looks up the instructions (Dell's service manual explains how to pull the keyboard off to get in) and blast that crap out.

 

On a related note, I am currently pondering options for a laptop to replace this one. A MacBook is one possibility, however: I currently have a 14" 1400x1050 screen, which I think is fairly awesome. The only brand with a 15" screen of similarly awesome resolution is Lenovo (well, unless you look really hard). From what I gather, the MacBook's resolution is a mere 1280x1050 (on a 13" screen, mind you). For those who have used Macs: For a screen that size, does the resolution feel fairly high or just adequate? I've gotten used to my high-res screen of awesome and would rather not downgrade.

 

(Lenovos aren't all that bad, of course. ThinkPads have an awesome reputation and are high on my current list.)

15-inch MacBook Pro

 

* 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors

* Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640, and 800 by 500 pixels at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio; 720 by 480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched

 

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

 

It's what I've got.

[Pangloss]

Incidentally, Apple has become one of the most influential manufacturers of Windows PCs, especially when it comes to laptops. Macs are even starting to make significant inroads in corporate purchasing. The big "fight" in the PC industry right now is between Apple and Dell, where in 2008 Apple had half Dell's sales volume, but made twice as much money.

 

I read somewhere that the industry as a whole is in a serious downturn, with something like 30% fewer desktops expected to sell this year. That makes Apple's growth even more impressive. But I've often wondered whether Apple's "quality" perception would survive the loss of competition for comparison. Perhaps we'll find out.

 

(Incidentally, I've noticed recently some of my students have attached a plain white Apple logo sticker on the back of their school-subsidized Dell laptops, overlaying the Dell logo. I wondered about it, but not enough to actually ask. Then the other day I bought my wife an iPod Touch for her birthday, and I noticed that it came with two plain white Apple logo stickers. Answers that question, eh?)

[Mr Skeptic]

which is ultimately better, Macs or PC's.

 

It really depends on what you want. A PC can run far more software and is cheaper, but has more stability issues (and virus issues if you use Windows). I've heard good things about Apple's laptops though. I think that macs are also excellent for graphics.

 

Secondly, there are so few viruses for macintosh computers, in contrast to PC's: why is this? Any thoughts?

 

Install Linux on your PC, then tell me about viruses. Incidentally, you can also install Linux on a mac. I don't think hardware has anything to do with viruses, what you're really talking about is the operating system that runs on most PCs or macs "by default".

[Dudde]

Admittedly, most of my distaste of apple comes from a personal hatred of all the apple fanboys, which are annoying. I do however, also dislike the technical support (or their technical people altogether), as I find them extremely wanting with their knowledge. Also, I hate the fact that you can't mod any of their hardware, like Apple thinks they know what's best for what I want to buy from them :c (and I find their hardware crappy..but that's personal.)

 

That and the fact that I don't like the way the hotkeys are setup

 

but has more stability issues (and virus issues if you use Windows). I've heard good things about Apple's laptops though. I think that macs are also excellent for graphics.

 

I don't find this to be the case in my personal experience, virus's and flakiness are in a huge way related to the user, and not the hardware/OS. They just happen more on a PC because Mac users have less control. I've also been able to do far more with a PC of a lesser cost than a Mac.

 

 

I think someone one this site actually said it best in the past - PC is for users who are more about getting into their computer and keeping up with it, the Macs are for people who want to plug and play, essentially.

[bascule]

From what I gather, the MacBook's resolution is a mere 1280x1050 (on a 13" screen, mind you). For those who have used Macs: For a screen that size, does the resolution feel fairly high or just adequate? I've gotten used to my high-res screen of awesome and would rather not downgrade.

 

Yes, the resolution of the 13" MacBook display feels nice and high res to me.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Cool. I'll have to wander down to the Apple Store and take a look.

[Pangloss]

Sweet -- 1050 is really sharp for a 13". Most 24" monitors have that number of lines. I just bought a nice 24" and had to pay a extra to get the 1200-line model.

 

 

They just happen more on a PC because Mac users have less control.

 

Hm, I can't think of anything to support the notion that a Mac user has "less control" over their PC than a Windows user. Were you thinking of anything in particular?

[bascule]

They just happen more on a PC because Mac users have less control.

 

Mac users have total control through the Unix shell.

 

Sweet -- 1050 is really sharp for a 13". Most 24" monitors have that number of lines. I just bought a nice 24" and had to pay a extra to get the 1200-line model.

 

Cap'n didn't quite get it right... the resolution is 1280x800.

 

That said, I remember rocking 320x200 on a 15" monitor... those were the days.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Whoops, sorry. I must have switched up my monitor and the Apple. Regardless, I guess a 13" widescreen with 800 lines seems fairly proportionally right. I'll take a look sometime.

[Baby Astronaut]

Speaking of thermal performance, I just cleaned four years worth of dust out of the heatsink of my Dell.

That can get fairly gross on any computer.

 

 

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[darshanchande]

Macs and PCs both have their advantages and disadvantages. I would personally suggest Macs for I love Apple products. They are great in aesthetics and overall quality. But if you have a look around you see PCs still rule the world. So being accustomed to PCs is a must thing. There are places where people have not heard even a M of Mac. They know, and use, only PCs. If you land up in such place then you should be knowing how to use PCs.