I know this is a highly debated topic, so I'm hoping keep the flames at bay.

Over the course of my college career, I've met a lot of people who absolutely love their macs. They swear by them. I've always been a PC guy and I've never really had a reason to switch. Here is my question:

Why is a Mac "better" than a PC?

I've asked numerous friends and random people who go out of their way to inform me that their mac is superior to any machine I've ever seen, but none of them can tell me WHY. Here's a sampling of typical responses:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It's faster.</div>
This argument makes no sense. In fact, it's not an argument at all. It's faster than WHAT? Anybody with internet access (mac's have that, right?) can price a computer from dell, hp, sony, etc with "faster" hardware for a fraction of the price. Does the operating system run more smoothly? Do your applications load more quickly? Can you show me some sort of metric to verify this?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It's built better. / It's pretty. / It looks nice.</div>
Ok. A computer is a tool. Obviously aesthetics are nice, but at the end of the day, I'm going to pick the machine that does what I need it to. Do people really buy computers solely to establish a status symbol?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It's great for design.</div>
Why? What tools do you use? When I think of graphic design I think of photoshop - is Mac photoshop better than windows photoshop? As an engineer, Mac's are pretty much useless - the list of software I can't run almost exceeds the dollar value of a typical macbook pro. What can you run that I can't?

I'm sure there is a good reason to buy a Mac, but I simply haven't heard it.

The situation reminds me of a smoker who loves when his friends smoke with him at the bar. Secretly, deep down, he knows smoking is a terrible idea, but convincing his non-smoker friends to have a cigarette helps him to feel better about himself and his bad choices.

Correct me. Prove me wrong. I'm reasonable - I'll listen. Also, tell fellow Mac owners to THINK before they hop on the bandwagon and try to persuade me with ridiculous and uneducated "arguments."

 

the claim faster i think more stems from the fact that a lot more software is streamlined to work more effectively on the mac because the developers KNOW the specs of the machine it will run on and can optimise it to those specs
This also ties into the argument about being good for design because (for example) the Adobe guys can program/develop and OPTIMISE CS to run really well on a Mac, whereas in a PC the specs are to a certain degree unknown.

In terms of looks...not everybody buys a computer because of what its going to do solely.
People often want something that makes a statement....why else do you think PC cases have gone from boring beige to sexy black with anodized aluminium bits hanging off it and more LEDS and light tubes then on a riced car
A mac makes a statement....Sleek smooth aluminium designs, black bordered screens etc...why else did dell come out with outlandish laptops with carbon fibre sections here and gloss black there
I mean, seriously, a one piece aluminium case in the macbook pro? no other manufacturer can come close to that


personally its much of a muchness
im a Mac guy, and always have been, and will always take a mac over a pc, but at the end of the day i'll happily use a pc if i have to


edit:
i've heard from a lot of people that they find a mac easier to use....im talking people that use a computer for email, websurfing, word docs etc, not for specific tasks like design, or CAD, or whatever....just an average/basic sort of user
switchers to mac often cant believe that they didnt do it earlier...often its cause they got so frustrated at the pc, because of viruses, trojans, BSOD's, whatever (often something that could have been prevented with regular maintenance), and find the mac so easy to use, because you plug sh*t in and 90% of it works without downloading and installing sh*t, there is no need to defragement, you dont get viruses (there are mac viruses but whatever smile.gif ), networks plug in and recognise.....all the kind of stuff that people WANT to work and work easily without them piss-farting around

small case in point...my grandmothers mobo blew up so i replaced it....i had to boot up and then install software, shut down, boot up, install, shut down, boot, install, shut down, boot, register, fail register, reboot, install more sh*t, get the network to configure again, shut down, boot, register, THEN download sh*t for 2 hours (given its not fast internet), update software, shut down, and then finally boot to get a computer that would work without telling her to do sh*t
my mac just works...okay it has problems occasionally, but i open my computer in a wireless network, go to print a document, have the computer tell me it doesnt have the drivers and settings for that printer, BUT will find them and set itself up for me so i can print that document.....zomg, if only my car offered to drive itself to the petrol station to get more fuel!!!!

 

People are too caught up with absolute standards of perfection. Companies market their products as "better" than their competitors and consumers are always looking for the "best" product.

Sadly, there are no perfect products. "Best" is an entirely subjective term based on a mix of personal preference, intended uses and random unpredictable variables such as "will the unit I get end up breaking in 3 months even if everyone else who ever bought it loves it and has no problems."

Mac and PCs are different. That doesn't imply one is better or worse. They do things slightly different and each have their own idiosyncrasies. They both come in lots of different models. Neither is universally better than the other.

 

Macs do have good hardware. Macs loaded with XP (last time I actually researched the topic) ran faster than all but a few high end PC's. Sure you can build a way faster PC but to do so you'll be spending almost as much as buying a Mac.

Software is the high and low point for Macs.
Easy to use...yes
Nice looking...yes (IMO no better than Windows 7 though)
Less malware...yes

Easy to customize...no
Can run most programs...no (not natively)

As far as hardware goes, compare to an XBOX 360. Every piece of software knows exactly what hardware they're using, so the gaming capabilities are significantly better than a PC built to the same specs even though the XBOX 360 is basically a PC itself hardware wise and even running an interface designed by Microsoft.

As far as graphic design goes, I'm not drinking the Mac Kool Aid though. I've used Adobe design products in the PC environment and they run fine. There is no reason to use this argument any longer. It was once valid, but since that point most graphic design software companies have stepped up and done a better job on the PC version, which was the problem in the first place.

I'll admit it, Windows PC's are a pain in my ass. They slow down over time and need regular maintenance to continue running smoothly. They need to be running a top of the line anti-malware solution, and even that isn't 100% so if you're using your Windows PC much you will get infected eventually. I am not a typical user, I'm knowledgeable enough to keep most issues at bay with minimal effort. I support a lot of users though that aren't as tech savvy and Windows causes them a lot of problems.

So, is a Mac the answer for people who can't find the Windows Control Panel without guidance? IMO no. What do I suggest? Linux. Linux has finally gotten easy enough to install and use that there is no reason at all that new users can't choose Linux. Best of all, it's free. You can build a PC that will run it well for less than $200, and you can buy a refurbished PC with no O/S that can run Linux fine for less than $100. The Ubuntu distribution of Linux is free and very easy to install. Maybe the best part is that you can dual boot Windows and Linux if you want (I know you can with Mac O/S also) and run Windows if there's something you absolutely need to do in Windows. I'm dual booting Windows XP and Ubuntu now. It was easy to set up and if I'm just browsing the internet or working with simple programs (90% of the time probably) I can just use Linux.

So Linux has all the advantages of a Mac except for the perceived graphic design advantages, and it's free. That's why even though Windows pisses me off sometimes I won't be buying a Mac.

 

I bought almost bought a 15" Mac book pro in July for school but couldnt justify paying $600 more than the Lenovo T400 Thinkpad when the specs were the same other than the Mac having 4G ram to 3G ram with Lenovo.

When people compare Macs and PC they tend to compare $1.5k+ Mac to a $500 to $700 PC, of course Macs are gunna be better. But Macs are no faster than a PC with comparable specs. The major pro is that the Mac OS is made to the hardware, so the OS works better and faster.

 

i'm a mac owner for 5 years now. still runs fast and it does exactly what you need but my CD burner is broken, and one of my speakers is blown. i also had to get a Logitech 2-button mouse because the mac ones suck soooo bad. what's a pain in the ass is i can't fix it myself. i need to go to a Mac store... i'm pissed about that.

while i get what you mean when your friends cannot back their statements, i don't think they have to. not all consumers are or need to know everything about what they buy. Mac owners will say "fast" "design" and "quality" for the same reasons Airline travelers fly. they just know the plane is fast, comfortable, and they'll get to their destination quickly and comfortably. but they couldn't tell you what kind of propulsion runs it, or what its wingspan is.

totally agree on smoking. but i think i'll use the airline example again. smokers don't know that bifurcation in their ventricles and blood pressure against the lining of their arteries is deteriorating, or cholesterol builds up, clogs, and inflamates their piping and many other nasty things.

for me it was a pain in the ass having to protect myself from viruses, pay to do it, get spammed all the time, run adaware checks all the time, have spam slow the computer down. it's a waste of time. i've had windows crash on my so many times. it's not as reliable ...etc. i didn't get my mac because of its capabilities, but that i'm doing what i want and what i need and that's the ONLY thing i'm doing. also, the founder of Apple inc. Steve Wozniak is Polish. win.gif that is why i got a mac and it's worked so far.

i believe that the only difference besides OS and coding between the two are that Mac's don't have that much support therefore making them useless. People in Africa and S. America claim Landrovers are useless because 4Runner parts are cheaper, easier to find, and more frequent.

 

I unfortunately may have to shell out like $1400 to get a macbook because the design school i'm applying to REQUIRES all students to have them. I am a PC guy for no other reason than I'm happy with a PC and don't see the need to shell out for a mac. I also enjoy pc gaming and you will not find a similar experience on a mac.

I think a mac gets the "design" reputation because a lot of design programs are built around macs. macs are the industry standards in a lot of design and editing fields and i think a lot of design students have them because it's kind of a must have if they want to become familiar with the software of their industry.

I once heard a mac user tell me that macs are for more creative people and PCs are for those with no imagination. last time i looked every mac user has the same theme and uses the same program. so many PC users have custom themes for their browsers and OS. just a funny observation