Poll: Mac versus PC: Let's be nice about it

[k-ossuburb]

My Mac is great for Adobe Creative Suite but I'm looking into building myself a desktop computer and maybe put either Windows or Linux on it (or both, if possible). I can handle my parent's PC (Windows XP) perfectly fine, it doesn't seem to have many problems, but I only really ever use it to watch movies online though their HDTV and basically browse around on the internet.

I'm not a PC gamer, so that's not really an issue for me; I always chose Macs because they're the industry standard for programs like Photoshop etc..

I'm not saying one is better than the other, I'm simply saying that my Mac does what I need it to do and that's good enough for me.

 

[Rienimportant]

I had to use mac's since about 6th grade in school, so I just got used to them, so even now I'm using a mac for all of my school/work, but I'm running Bootcamp on my MacBook since if I want to play video games on my mac....yeah, you all know the situation.

I'm looking into getting a PC or making my own PC with windows to just make a full gaming computer, since a macbook pro is just not that great for most games, no matter what haha, but to be honest, I'll probably keep on using Mac for all of my school/work stuff.

 

[Quesa]

Both platforms can use the Adobe suites equally these days. Way back when, Macs had the first WYSIWYG interface, and Adobe developed their stuff for that. Additionally, when Windows gained prevalence, it was unstable. Working for hours on a piece in Illustrator, Flash, Photoshop or any of the others only to end up with a BSOD and losing it all wasn't suitable.

I was gonna post that, I mean, Photoshop alone was 50% of the reason for having a Mac. I still think of Flash as Macromedia's though, it wasn't that long ago that Adobe acquired them

Joshimodo's right on the money. When it comes to a lot of these points it really comes down to the user; when OSX came out, I was the only person supporting my company's Creative Department because no one in IT was willing to touch the Macs. The CD had tens of thousands of dollars of software collected for the 'classic' Mac OS, and they were determined to rebuy none of it for OSX. For months they were the most unstable computers I've ever seen, crashing constantly because of the constant OS switching. It wasn't Apple's fault, like most modern issues it was a PEBCAK problem.

 

[Hrafnsmerki]

I prefer Mac and/or Linux with a good Kernel. I like to be virus free and I don't really play games on a PC/Mac (I don't really know how to generalize that one!).

 

[Assassin Xaero]

I always find these things stupid. "Mac vs PC" is like saying "Pickup truck vs Vehicle". A Mac (being an operative system) IS a PC, but Apple's marketing department and a ton of Apple users can't seem to comprehend that or something.

Anyway, my main computer is a custom build desktop with Windows 7, I have a laptop for school with Windows 7, and another desktop collecting dust right now that I will probably make into a Linux machine, once I get room for it...

 

[[Gavo]]

I prefer PC because it's cheaper (building your own is ludicrously cheap), and I can play games on it.

Macs...I don't like them. The apple key sometimes is used instead of the control key, and sometimes the control key is used. They're also scary expensive.

 

[0p3rati0n]

I work on a Mac and I have Windows 7 installed on parallels. I pretty much don't care what people use anymore. It's not a debates on who is better. It's just a matter of time till everyone realizes that everyone is WRONG!

 

[Joshimodo]

Both platforms can use the Adobe suites equally these days. Way back when, Macs had the first WYSIWYG interface, and Adobe developed their stuff for that. Additionally, when Windows gained prevalence, it was unstable. Working for hours on a piece in Illustrator, Flash, Photoshop or any of the others only to end up with a BSOD and losing it all wasn't suitable.

I was gonna post that, I mean, Photoshop alone was 50% of the reason for having a Mac. I still think of Flash as Macromedia's though, it wasn't that long ago that Adobe acquired them

Joshimodo's right on the money. When it comes to a lot of these points it really comes down to the user; when OSX came out, I was the only person supporting my company's Creative Department because no one in IT was willing to touch the Macs. The CD had tens of thousands of dollars of software collected for the 'classic' Mac OS, and they were determined to rebuy none of it for OSX. For months they were the most unstable computers I've ever seen, crashing constantly because of the constant OS switching. It wasn't Apple's fault, like most modern issues it was a PEBCAK problem.

Very true. Frankly, I wish Adobe would've gutted Dreamweaver and Flash and made them work PROPERLY with the rest of the CS, since they're basically just re-branded. I suppose it's not an imperative, though - Flash is a quickly dying platform for web-based content, and most people who create websites code straight rather than using DW.

Frankly, aside from having to use Macs due to them being the industry standard, I do love Pixelmator and Fontbook. Some of the stuff in Pixelmator isn't present in PS, and Fontbook is just plain useful for design.

 

[gl1koz3]

I will just copy the list from OP and comment on the points.

Mac:
---Pros---
*Exceptional hardware (Exactly how? Last time I checked, they pretty much used the same chips as PCs; and what does "exceptional hardware" mean, anyway)
*Innovative design (do you mean aesthetics? Because I don't see how they innovate anything except for putting a fat price tag on everything)
*One foot ahead (see previous point)
(technologically) (see first point)
*Aesthetics (which is nice and all, but is useless when you're trying to achieve something with it - only gets in the way because of the prohibitive intentions of them)
*Master of nanotechnology (how is that? Every chip is a nanotech marvel; you can't just label a brand as such)
*Low virus charter (well, it makes sense to target the biggest market, right?)
*Strong, outlasting shells (can agree, but you just need to read descriptions before you buy it. I and a relative of mine own PC laptops that probably cost like Macs, yet they are sturdy enough to tip over on them and them surviving... not to mention it has lasted 4+ years and still looks like new)

---Cons---
*Counter-intuitive OS (haven't used it...)
*Closed-source OS (Linux is used when you need this, so it's kinda off point)
*More expensive (but you do get some extra in what you pay for)
*Expensive warranty (PCs can be the same; again, just read the descriptions before you buy it, as PC simply gives a lot wider choice)

PC:
---Pros---
*(usually)Easier to customize (depends on OS and form factor; I'm sure you can do the same with Mac's upgrade packages, as they seem to be specially selected not to screw up your system)
*More affordable (looks like it)
*Open-source (yes. but you still have to pay if you want to do anything with Windows... legally...)
*Wide variety of applications (yes!)
*Virtual monopoly on video games (probably)
*Constantly building upon itself (... ok? ah, I see. yes!)
*Being the most popular, it can also make things easier (a more pc-orientedworld) (I suppose... but it can vary a lot depending on the OS; though the hardware standards help; same as with Macs I'd guess, so it should be even, if you take out the "most popular" part and look just at one side of it)

---Cons---
*Viruses, viruses, viruses! (I've had exactly one since 2008 and I removed it myself; the others probably crashed)
*Frequent errors and crashes (that's what you get if actual people develop them; it usually comes in waves...)
*Obnoxious security system (Windows 7) (how exactly? each time a virus wants to overwrite system files, it asks me if I'm okay with the changes; just say no, if you don't need it; and having a head to know which files not to open helps)
*Vulnerable (non-isolated) core files (see previous point)
*Comparatively fragile hardware (as I've said, you can pay extra for well designed systems - you just have to know what you're looking for)
*Tendency to overheat (BS; you simply need the right cooling; also easier to screw up, if you've got so much freedom)

 

[DarthFennec]

I grew up with Windows machines and I've always hated them. It was constantly crashing and having all sorts of ridiculous problems that I couldn't fix, and I could never figure out why it was being so stupid. Yeah gaming was good on it but the cons definitely outweighed the pros. But I just thought all computers were like that.

I had heard a lot about Mac, and I tried looking into that. But I had no freedom with macs, I couldn't do anything, I felt very restricted and that was even worse than Windows. It was a big waste of money, and it was just something I couldn't use. When Jobs talks about anything, he makes it sound like the greatest thing in the world, but once you looked past that everything in there turns out to be a piece of shit. Nothing that goes on in a mac makes any sense, it's all way more complex than it needs to be. Yeah it works more often than Windows, but it hardly ever works well. I switched back to my Windows box.

Then I heard about another choice from a friend, about five years ago: Linux. At first I was skeptical, because why would I trust free software (all the freeware that I had used before worked like ass), but after I installed it I became increasingly fond of the fat little penguin. Linux is a dream come true for me. It's free, so it only costs as much as a Windows machine, but upgrading the OS and installing programs costs nothing. I have never ever had any problems with it (the people I know would beg to differ, but the people I know are too stupid to realize that when my RAM chips burn out it's not a problem with my Operating System). No bugs, no stupid pointless errors or anything remotely resembling a crash or bluescreen. If there's a problem, I can always (yes always, not just most of the time) fix it with a small edit to an config file somewhere. While it can't play the mainstream titles very well, it does what I need it to do for my gaming needs. Wine plays Steam and Starcraft fine, and there are more fun and addicting Open Source games that were written in Linux than there ever were market games for Windows.

I've seen a lot of hate for this system, and I don't really understand it. It's always run perfectly for me, it's easy to use, it's fun, it has more amazing games than I can count or have ever played, it's easily customizable, and every time there's a problem, there's a definite reason for it and an easy way to fix it. People have complained about hardware compatibility issues, and I guess I don't know what that's about, maybe I just happened to have accidentally chosen all the right hardware for it, I don't know. What I do know is, long ago I submitted to the idea that computers suck and I should just get used to not being happy with the operating system I'm running, but now I'm much more than happy with it. Linux is the perfect system for me. I will never have to use a Windows or Mac machine ever again.

TL;DR: I've spent a lot of time with both Windows and Mac, and neither of them were good enough for me. Linux is the most reliable, most competent, most enjoyable system, by far, in my experience.

 

[Bender Rodriguez]

Mac here, was an advanced PC user up to 4 years ago.
I just got tiered of all the shit, viruses, bluscreen, crapware included etc...

Macs are brilliant and on the way up.
Soon the gaming argument will be gone, games are being frequently ported to Mac.
And now with the MacAppstore we have a new ground of distributing.

GTA 3 to San Andreas was recently released for the Mac with updated graphics.
Brilliant.

Besides, if i need to game some windows only stuff i'll just fire up XP.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

What's this about "exceptional hardware"?

Personally I just think Macs are stupidly over priced. That's all there is to it for me and all there needs to be.

Oh, that and the gaming thing.

Agreed on the over priced issue. A buddy of mine builds PCs and helped me with mine, and according to him, he can build a PC with identical hardware to a Mac for about half the cost (or better if he gets lucky on a sale).

 

[Exterminas]

If there was a objective way of deterimnate which product is best, then there wouldn't be two products.

Wrong. You're telling me shitty movies, games and so on are not supposed to exist, yet they do. There are a couple of things you could think through, like marketing and the non-discriminative nature of the average consumer, for one.

PC, all the way through. Macs are horribly overpriced and not any more functional, in fact, they're lacking in functionality compared to PCs. And Apple is a bad, bad company.

It might be a little extreme to call out Apple as a company, but it is true that their advertizing goes out of its way to appeal to hipsters, while hiding the fact that their computers are significantly more expensive for hardware that is not quite cutting edge.

Something like a shitty movie does not exist.
There are only movies and people who consider them to be shitty.
Shittyness is a judgement, not an attribute.
It's basically the same with PC&Mac: If you consider something shit doesn't really depend on the product, but on your expectations.

Of course one could argue "If the product was different, fitting my expectations, it wouldn't be shit" but that sort of misses the point if you are dealing with already made products (like PC&&Mac).

 

[WOPR]

Well
I've made quite a rude rant that leaves both sides scared (probably mac more then windows, excuse me for that) but I'm going by what I've seen

on an off note, about Macs though really quick
You say they're ahead in technology, well lets look at this, the people that seem to really care about technology and always getting the best thing out there are GAMERS
what can Macs not do? GAMES
so I think that alone is kinda... dumb...
Now back to my rant that probably breaks about 5 rules, will make you laugh, then suddenly hate me again...

no one call me Yahtzee this time!


Getting a Mac is like paying an extra thousand for Shine, a one click mouse for the more simple minded, and an invincibility contract so it'll never kill itself and die (until you need to upgrade that is)

Getting a Windows is more understandable if you know about computers, but if you don't you'll spend more time trying to explain to tech services that you don't know what a virus is and how you got it then actually using the computer

My theory to back this up

All the 40-60 year olds I know got mac because (and I quote) "Windows is too complicated"
All the teen-aged nerds I know (including myself) Bought windows, and built the insides ourselves to make them good for a decent price, we all also keep track of our AV-software to keep our computers alive

While my mom is constantly wondering how she managed to kill my computer 3 times, and always blaming me, despite that whenever she's on it she's on facebook clicking every link there is, using Internet explorer instead of FireFox and not knowing how to run scans, CCleans, or clearing her flash saves

*grumbles*

Spoiler: this is very rude but makes a point

if you're too stupid to properly take care of a computer get a mac, those things are next to impossible to kill and they look pretty (stupid people like shiny objects)

if you have no social life and spend all your time indoors get a PC for it will be your god

(I don't know anything about linux so I'll keep quiet there)

and just saying, Every OS kinda sucks... When will we get something like HAL or WOPR or a computer like that?

 

[pspman45]

Linux works pretty well, and has an OS that uses little computer power to run, making it great for gaming, but hardly any games run on linux , so i have to use windows and be constantly alerted that windows wants to restart, ruining my 15 kill streak...

 

[WOPR]

Mac here, was an advanced PC user up to 4 years ago.
I just got tiered of all the shit, viruses, bluscreen, crapware included etc...

I'd like to go on the statement "Take better care of your computer!"

I've had this thing for YEARS

Only had 2 viruses that caused damage (both my mom's fault- repaired the computer once, took it to a professional once)
And it's only blue-screened once

I looked it up online and it was something to do with my logitech drivers, I fixed the problem in about 2 minutes

I've no idea what you mean by "Crapware" though

 

[The Stonker]

Do you know why there aren't many viruses on the MAC?
It's because there is a bigger striking pool for the PC but not the Mac since there are much more PC users then MAC users.
So I choose you! Windows!

 

[Mister Eff]

I like both. I just got a new top of the range Macbook Pro and I'm loving that more than the Windows 7 computer I had however. I'm a film student, so I need to use it for editing etc, which is one area where Macs dominate.