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Computer Buying Guide - PC vs Macintosh
- Introduction
- What happened in the past...
- ...and what is now the present.
- Why should you buy a PC?
- Why should you buy a Mac?
- The Final Word
Introduction
In the 21st century, computers have become a large presence in our daily lives. The average person interacts with a computer for the majority of their day, both at work and at home for productivity and entertainment purposes. The computers that most, if not all, people use are categorized as Personal Computers (or PC's for short). The Personal Computer market began with the introduction of the IBM PC in 1981; since then, many companies and standards have been created and replaced in the market. Over the years, two "standards" have emerged: PC's made by Apple, and PC's made by everyone else.
Apple introduced their first Personal Computer, called the Macintosh, in 1984. Since that time, Apple has been the only company to make, sell, and support the Macintosh personal computer. Apple has control over everything involving the Mac/Macintosh brand, including the hardware and operating system.
Everyone else is the typical names we hear about all the time in commercials: Dell, IBM, Gateway, etc. For the remainder of this guide, when referring to a PC, it should be thought of as a computer from one of these companies, and not from Apple. These companies sell computers that are made of parts from any number of peripheral companies, put together on a Microsoft Windows operating system. No one single entity has control of the hardware that goes into a PC computer.
What happened in the past...
While it might have seemed that having total control over the hardware and operating system was a good idea, in the beginning it hurt Apple in the industry. In the 1980's and 90's, the growth of PC's largely dominated the sales of the Personal Computer market, leaving Apple with a substantial gap in market share. Since there were not as many Macintosh computers in the market, the software selection also was lower; many popular software titles were not available for the Mac platform, and so the PC was considered to have the widest selection of programs available.
The combination of a closed platform with no Mac competition and a lower selection of available software left a bad perception of Apple computers for many people interested in purchasing a Personal Computer. This is where the idea that Apple computers are not as "compatible" as PC's came from.
...and what is now the present.
At the beginning of the new millenium, however, things were getting more exciting in the Personal Computer market. More PC manufacturers were able to enter the market and stay competitive. The Microsoft Windows operating system and the Intel Pentium processor became the indsutry standard for Personal Computer use. But although Apple kept the Mac platform closed by keeping control of the hardware and operating system, the quality of their computers dramatically increased; Macs became feature-filled computers with rock-solid stability with a touch of visual flair. It did not matter that it was a closed platform; Macs could now do everything a PC could do, therefore shedding the idea of not being "compatible" with PC's.
Macs and PC's co-exist quite well together in today's world, both in compatibility with hardware and in availability of software.
Why should you buy a PC?
Almost everyone is familiar with today's PC. It is a computer that comes from the companies like Dell, Gateway, Compaq, etc. and comes with a version of Microsoft Windows. Windows is the standard operating system of which much of the software made for computers is created for. If you need to do something on a computer, you can undoubtedly find a number of software products available for Windows to do it. And since PC's are the most popular type of computer sold, they are the most compatible type of computer currently available for both hardware and software.
The main advantage to buying a PC is having the most compatibility with all available hardware and software in the Personal Computer market.
Why should you buy a Mac?
In the past few years, the quality and speed of Mac computers has increased dramatically. Since the release of Mac OS X and their fresh line of iMac and G3/G4/G5 series Macs, Apple has made lots of headway in making the experience of using a computer much more intuitive and stress-free. In today's world, Macs are generally easier to use and cause a lot less problems than your average PC computer. Apple has also made a large push for increasing the amount of software available, so now a majority of popular software titles are available for both the PC and Mac.
The main advantage to buying a Mac is having a computer that is easier to use and causes less problems, but also can do most everything a PC can do.
The Final Word
When buying a new computer, both the PC and Mac have advantages and disadvantages. There are no glaring differences that make the decision an obvious one.
The one thing to remember about making the decision is that the PC and Mac can do all the same activities. Whether you want to browse the internet, check your e-mail, instant message, create documents or presentations, or listen/edit/create music or video, both a PC and a Mac can do all of these things equally well.
The final decision will always come down to an individual's preference; do you want a computer that is easy to use and stress-free, or do you want a computer that will work with any hardware or software on the market?
