MAC or PC..... why?

RoughDiamondUK

PC. Macs are great for people who have NO IDEA about their computer and need it to walk them through everything, and who don't mind the fact that their PC isn't always compatible with everything.... So in my opinion, "art students" and people in their seventies.

I work in IT, we all hate macs. Useless trash!

This.

It would be interesting to ask people who own a Mac and advocate it what their level of experience with IT is, and people who own a PC and what their level of experience with IT is.

If you're a beginner, go for a PC (Windows) and complain it's bad because you've got no clue.

If you've got no clue but owned a PC (Windows), go for a Mac. It's locked and simple enough so that you can enjoy it without hassle. Just put the extra cash in.

If you've got experience, and aren't scared of getting your hands dirty, if you want to destroy your machine all the time, or if you're a cheap @ss, go for a PC (Windows or even Linux).

I work as a software programmer (using Windows-only software) but prefer Macs. I'm happy swapping out RAM and hard drives and optical drives on my Macs myself -- I'd never pay anyone to do that for me! I'm not a gamer however, so I really don't care about graphics cards, but I'm sure I'd be able to swap one of those out too, should I ever need to. I prefer Macs because I prefer the way they work... I could give examples of things that I find annoying on Windows, but mostly it comes down to "the Mac way" or "the Windows way" and as I've said, I prefer the Mac way.

sprfly

Roadie2000

I'm a Windows guy for many reasons:

1. All of my media and files are backed up on a Windows formatted hard drive, and since the 2 operating systems don't play nice with each other, I will probably always be a Windows guy.

2. Macs are overpriced. Any way you slice it, computers are still made up of mostly the same components, and for some reason Macs cost like twice as much. And at home I don't use it for that much, mainly surfing the internet and listening to music.

3. People complaining that their Windows PC died after 3-6 months are not the norm. I have no clue what these people are doing with their computers, all of mine have lasted me 5-7 years. There are some crappy computer making companies out there. I won't argue that Macs are well built, but my PCs have always been good to me. I've had my home Dell desktop for probably 5 years now, I had to change the DVD drive and that's about it (took about 5 minutes and cost $30). It does slow down after a couple years so I just clean it out or reformat it and it runs great for a while. My new work computer is bad-*kitten* and will probably blow most macs out of the water. My Toshiba laptop I've had for 3 years and it still works like new. My computers never crash or lock up, I got a virus once just because I was at a site I probably shouldn't have been at.

chachadiva150

Apple has become a cult. Stick with PC.

TundraTed

My 5 year old iMac is still going strong. How many 5 year old PC's have not been rebuilt/wiped clean and redone because of viruses, etc? PC is more prevalent, but that gap is closing and you can run Window's on a Mac is you absolutely need to. Consumer Reports rates Mac's #1 across the board. Apple support is great. You pay for what you get.

BTW... I am a Unix Systems Admin and work on my iMac all day, everyday. I also work on Windows/Linux servers constantly. The iMac is still strong with all day use for 5 years. I have rebuilt many Windows servers during that time.

My brothers and mom have all switched to Macs. All are still running strong, aged between 2-4 years.

My wife is getting a new MacBook Pro after the next refresh (Hopefully for her b-day... Shhhhh!).

mickeygirliegirl

I grew up using PCs. Anytime that I had to use an Apple product up until 3 years ago I would groan, and think about how much more superior my PCs were. Then my second laptop in 2 years bit it. I didn't do anything (nor do now) anything crazy with my laptops, I am careful about sites I go to and careful about any downloading.

I was dating someone who was a Mac person. He convinced me after the 2nd laptop died to go to a Mac. And I haven't had one problem in 3 years.

As far as "getting used to a Mac", in reality, it does not take long to get used to a Mac. For example, any window that is open, instead of your minimize, maximize, close buttons being on the right, they are now on the left. For the most part, a lot of quick key functions are the same the only difference is instead of using CTRL, you're using command.

Plus, as other posters have said, you can use both Windows and Mac programs on a Mac (as long as you install the windows onto the Mac - but it's set up so you can have both on the computer).

I would never go back to a PC for personal use. I use a PC all day at work and I suffer through it, but only because I'm paid to. ha ha.

LFiestan

I vote MAC. Ive been using this 24" imac at the office for 5 yrs and hasnt failed on me yet...its still reliable and works well, not a lot of maintenance work as that of a regular PC.

PJilly

OP, did you ever decide on a new computer?