Want to start a fight between computer geeks? Bring up one simple question: PC or Mac?
Windows advocates will start accusing Mac users of being members of a
fancy-pants cult. Mac fans will maintain that Windows users are the
undiscerning owners of hunks of generic junk. It's a pretty undignified
squabble, and both Microsoft and Apple egg it on via contentious TV ads.
Here, we recommend both Windows PCs and Macs all the time, and we use
them both, too. The last computer we purchased was a thin-and-light
Asus laptop running Windows 7; the one before that was a 15-inch MacBook
Pro. When it comes time to buy a new machine, we consider both options.
And if your budget permits, we recommend you do the same.
The PC-or-Mac debate has been raging for more than a quarter-century,
but making sense of it requires considering the situation as it stands
at one moment in time. Here's my take on things as of early 2010.
Cost
Venture into the computer department of a store like Best Buy, and
you'll find scads of computers priced well under $1,000 and a handful
for a grand or more. The former are almost all Windows machines, and
many are respectable choices. The latter, however, are nearly all from
Apple — hence the common perception that Macs are way overpriced.
Every time we do the math, though, we come to the conclusion that the
cost of Macs isn't out of whack with that of similar Windows machines.
Apple isn't selling $750 notebooks for $1,500 — its portables tend to
use higher-end processors, mostly have aluminum cases rather than
plastic ones, are typically thinner and lighter than garden-variety
laptops and run longer on a battery charge than many of their Windows
brethren. The Microsoft-powered laptops most directly comparable to
Apple's MacBook Pro line, HP's Envy models, actually cost more than
roughly equivalent Macs.
Another point to consider: All Macs come with Apple's excellent iLife
suite, which provides tools for editing, organizing, and sharing
photos, video, music, and more. Bargain-basement PCs come with much
more basic software at best.
Bottom line: You certainly don't need to splurge on a system in the
Mac's price range to be a happy computer user. But with computers, as
with most things in life, you generally get what you pay for.
Selection
The best thing by far about Windows PCs is the sheer unending variety
of choices. They come in every size from teeny-tiny to extra-large.
There are boxes with touchscreens, Blu-Ray players for high-definition
movies, and TV tuners that let you watch and record cable and satellite
TV. You can buy a PC that's pink, or transparent, or designed to be as
close to indestructible as possible.
Apple, meanwhile, makes Macs in nine basic variants: the basic
MacBook laptop, the MacBook Pro laptop in 13″, 15″, and 17″ models, the
MacBook Air ultraportable, the Mac Mini microdesktop, the iMac
all-in-one desktop in 21.5″ and 27″ models, and the Mac Pro power
desktop. And the company doesn't do Blu-Ray, TV tuners, touchscreens,
and other features that are commonplace in the Windows world. In short,
getting a Mac requires that you buy into one company's take on what's
important.
Operating systems
From early 2007 until late 2009, Microsoft's operating system was
Windows Vista. It was short on fixes for long-standing Windows
annoyances, and often sluggish and crashy even when pre-installed on new
PCs. It was a powerful argument in favor of buying a Mac — especially
since OS X, Apple's operating system, was (and is) a slick piece of
software that stays out of your face rather than complicating your life.
In October of last year, however, Microsoft shipped Windows 7, the
solid upgrade to Windows XP that Vista never was. OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
remains more consistent, and less quirky, and some PC makers muck up
Windows 7 by larding it up with demoware, adware, and other irritating
extras. But the gap between Apple and Microsoft's offerings is as small
as it's ever been. If you're a basically content Windows XP user, you've
got less reason than before to contemplate switching to a Mac when you
buy a new system.
Security
The vast majority of the world's hackers spend the vast majority of
their time making trouble for the vast majority of computer users.
That's why almost all known viruses, trojan horses, and other malicious
applications attack only Windows PCs. Including really dangerous ones
that can steal your credit-card and banking information. Recent releases
of Windows security suites such as Norton Internet Security are
pleasanter to use than their predecessors, but they're still not exactly
entertaining.
Buying a Mac doesn't let you simply opt out of worrying about
computer safety, however. For one thing, Mac owners are equally
vulnerable to the growing number of threats that target social networks
and other online venues, not Windows-based computers. Still, a Mac owner
who runs no security software is vastly less likely to be the victim of
a successful attack than a Windows user who's protected up to his
eyeballs.
Service
The best time to think about whether a computer company builds
reliable machines and backs them well is before you plunk down any
money, not after something goes wrong. No manufacturer ships defect-free
systems or makes every customer happy: At the moment, for instance,
Apple is dealing with widespread complaints about faulty iMac screens.
Even so, the company has a more consistent reliability and service
record than any of its Windows-centric rivals, as shown by surveys
conducted by both PC World and PCMag.com. Check out these studies for
invaluable real-world data before you buy from any major company.
The best thing of all about the PC-or-Mac decision?
Despite what impassioned partisans may contend, it's not a big,
existential question. Whether you buy a Windows system or a Mac, you'll
find that the Web is the Web, that good software (much of it free) is
plentiful, and that printers, cameras and nearly all other hardware work
fine. Hey, they're just computers, folks — and the only thing that
really matters is choosing one that fits your needs, taste and budget.
