mac vs pc

[swel304]

I love the commercials. I think macs are ok for certain things. I just couldnt resist posting this when I saw it. maddox is so funny.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

[TexasOutlaw]

I'm a pc guy. I started off liking macs, but software at the time always lagged behind on release days. Plus most companies/schools use pcs. For my masters, the work and server was on pcs.

[jamsisjams]

I'd completely forgotten about this page.

[plastic_fondler]

Hmm...this thread doesn't display right for lynx on AIX. Anyone else?

[bigs348]

First, I love the commercials. I think the Vista secret service guy is one of the best commercials of the past couple years.

Secondly, I love Maddox. I only check it like 3 or 4 times a year now though, because he never updates.

Lastly, I use PCs and will probably always use PCs. I have nothing against Macs, except that so much programming is not compatible. Also, I work as an IT technician with all PCs. So I know how to troubleshoot, take apart, fix, and rebuild PCs. I wouldn't really know where to start on a Mac.

[garublador]

I think someone needs to tell Apple that the lack of clever advertisments is not the reason MS continues to trounce them. They've been using the clever advertisment strategy for a long time and amazingly enough, it still doesn't work.

They finally seem to be leaning in the right direction by adapting their OS for commodity hardware like MS did from the start. As far as I'm concerned Apple is as much to blame for the monopoly that MS has and for the crappyness of their product. Anytime you limit competition you end up with a situation like that. Had Apple realized that the strategy of keeping all of your hardware and software proprietary was a bad idea when it was obvious (like 15 years ago), they'd be acutally competing with MS and both products would be better. I'd glady pay for OSX if I could dual boot it with XP.

Also, if your OS is so freakin' stable, then why can't you make an MP3 player that doesn't crash every other day? My iPod crashes more than any computer I've had in the past 5 years.

That being said, while I do find the ads somewhat misleading, they are very good and I like them a lot. It may not be all that timely, bu tI'd like to see the Apple guy kick the snot of out that "Dude you're getting a Dell" guy. I'm thinking a take off of the scene in Casino when they put that dude's head in a vice would work well. Also, I want to see him reprise his role in Idiocracy for one of the commercials. I'd love to hear his diagnosis of what's wrong with the Windows guy. I can see the tagline now, "Apple, because Microsoft's shit is all retarded."

[swel304]

I too work as a an IT tech with pc's. Me and a guy I work with were talking about it the other day. We had been in a school installing some pc's and there was this obnoxious kid that kept telling us "pc's are junk", "my mac never gets a virus", "my dad purchases apple stock and says apple is going to take over the pc market"

Last I checked apple has like 7% (or around there) of the home computer market. before the ipod it was more like 3%. Aside from the obvious problems like lack of software compatibility and inability to easily fix hardware issues easily at home, it seems they just dont know how to sell. While I do find the commercials humorous, I also find it a little annoying that apple cant come up with a good reason to buy a mac without trying to slander the competition. It would be like innova coming out with a sales pitch "buy innova because discraft sucks!". Microsoft should do a commercial of the 6 people that own a mac scratching thier heads while the 94 people who own pc's standing next to them are playing all the latest games ect... I think macs biggest error has always been the idea to market to one specific group (high strung art types and/or people who dont know and dont want to know anything about computers). I wouldnt mind having a mac, but iim not going to shell out that kind of money for something I would use less and It definitly wouldnt replace my pc.

[IowaDiscGolf]

Microsoft tries to be everything to everyone, and their software is designed to try and think for you. Apple's approach I wouldn't call the opposite but yes they probably do target more specific demographics. Macs are benchmarked around running certain applications to ensure their performance, and by all accounts they perform really well. Microsoft on the other hand has a problem in that you can't set up your aging mother with a PC because in one week it will be brought to its knees by malware. It's a trade-off. Anyway, people who suck with computers in general are screwed no matter which they choose, Mac or PC. The opposite of that is true, that a competent user can probably get work done with either.

[Jones]

I don't think Microsoft can fully be blamed for PC problems. Sure, some of their Operating systems are COMPLETE JUNK (Windows ME to point out the worst), but there are other things to blame.

One of the main things about ''pcs'' and macs are that the macs run on very little hardware variability. Each mac model runs on one type of hardware setup. It is very easy to optimize drivers to run better when you don't have to worry about hardware compatibility errors. This makes for efficient use of resources and really benefits slower machines.

''PCs'' on the other hand are built in 5 gazillion different ways. There are different manufacturers for every type of hardware available. A PC operating system has to accommodate this and often drivers and software is not totally efficient. Granted you do have specific drivers for types of devices, but it is still not the same. Those companies don't test their hardware and drivers with every possible combination of brand x motherboard and brand y ram etc. This can lead to lengthy system updates as drivers are updated and revised. People with slow internet connections may not get these as it would take too long or their connection may crap out.

Also, another thing that is overlooked is PC hardware quality itself. There are many companies that produce flat out cheap and bad quality hardware. Unfortunately, most major PC manufacturers use this hardware in their computers(Compaq, Dell, HP). It is cheap and easy to slap in machines, and often enough they are dumbed down versions of that product. That means you can't set particular settings in the BIOS to help optimize your system. Macs don't run on cheap or crappy hardware (to my knowledge).

I've found that often enough PC manufacturers can't make an eye appealing computer case. Not many people want an ugly computer sitting in their home. Compaq has a nasty habit of this, as do all other manufacturers. Macs are simplistic and very eye appealing, I think.

I think to have a really good PC, you must build it yourself. You are able to buy good quality hardware and pick out what type of computer case you want. You have control over your computer that a PC built from a manufacturer does not have (BIOS features, etc.).

[swel304]

Microsoft on the other hand has a problem in that you can't set up your aging mother with a PC because in one week it will be brought to its knees by malware.

sure you can. set it up to do the things she/he wants. then deepfreeze it and dont give them the code to thaw it. If they are anything like my parents they are going to call you anytime the need something new installed anyway.

Anyway, people who suck with computers in general are screwed no matter which they choose, Mac or PC. The opposite of that is true, that a competent user can probably get work done with either.

quite true. I just meant that apple seems to target people that dont know better into thinking things like they cant get a virus on a mac. If everyone suddenly started using macs then all the hackers would start writing virus/spyware scripts for mac, and macs would suddenly have the same security issues as any pc. And while macs uses more expensive hardware, the concepts behind things like microprocessors, ram, ect.. are basically the same, though apple would have you believe there is some magic genie inside the case of a mac that makes it impossible to have problems with. Most of macs "quality" comes from the limitation of the software available and the inability to upgrade which make them easier to troubleshoot. even though I dont particularly care to have one I wish mac could figure out a way to sell more. If microsoft had stiffer competition I think the pc industry would have to do more quality control. Unfortunately for apple they would have to open the gates to more software and upgradeability which would lead to the same problems people have with pc's and therefor shattering the macs legendary infoulable reputation.

This thread reminds me of a funny story. I did phone tech support for iomega a few years back. One day this older gentleman called int because he couldnt figure out how to install the zip drive his son bought for him. Turns out his son had purchase the colorfull tower version of the imac (g3?) about a year befor. The system was doing very strange things so I asked him to reboot. "whats that?" he says. I tried to explain to him how to shut it down through the apple menu, he was completely dumbfounded. "I dont think I should do that" he says "I have never turned it off befor". After I explained to him that he had to reboot to make things work he agreed but still couldnt follow the directions to shut it down. So I tell him to press and hold the power button till it shuts off. After a few moments of silence he says, " I dont see any buttons on it". to this day I cant figure out what he was looking at or how he couldnt see the button. Anyway, after another 15 minutes of reassurance that it did need to be shut down I made him pull the plug on it . So after an hour on the phone with him the machine boots up and horray the zip drive is recognized. Then he asks "so what does this thing do anyway?"..... I explained it and he said "what the hell am I gonna use it for, I barely know how to check my email".

this is almost as good as the woman who couldnt figure out why the software kept telling here no zip drive detected (she hadnt taken it out the box yet) or the woman who cussed me out because it didnt make her internet connection faster (if it doesnt make the internet faster why the hell do you call it a ZIP drive then!). needless to say I dont miss that job much even though it was quite funny at times.

[Donkeypuncher]

I've seen this arguement many times, and in the end it's all about what you are trying to do with the computer. Video editing and graphics are better with the mac, and gaming and general processes are better on pc's. Neither one have an advantage, it's about dead even between the 2. The thing that really sets them apart are the processors that they use, power pc chips are much better and more efficient than the dual cores and amd ones.

In the end, non-gamers will enjoy the mac much more, but gamers will like pc for direct x 10 and the upgrade potential.

[IowaDiscGolf]

Whenever the mac vs. pc argument comes up in person, I usually take a step back and watch other people duke it out because it's funny, like they're shareholders going to bat for their respective companies. I'm not sure why I didn't abstain here...probably because some very good points have been made.

At the very least, there's one thing I'm sure we can all agree on: Jessica Biel.

http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jessicabielbotty03ae8.jpg

[roadkill]

At the very least, there's one thing I'm sure we can all agree on: Jessica Biel.

http://img48.imageshack.us/my.php?image=jessicabielbotty03ae8.jpg

That is a really nice boo-tay!

[Timko]

I think the argument is pretty funny as well. I'm currently a mac owner, and will be for some time because I've gotten very comfortable with the operating system, but my next computer will be a PC which will probably run some version of Ubuntu. As for most schools using PCs over macs, I've found the opposite to be true, but I'm a grad computer science student, and most of my work is done in a unix environment. Since OSX is built on a unix core, unix tools can be accessed natively using X11. My powerbook, processing wise, runs circles around any laptop doing compilation/rendering with the exception of a macbook pro. The big reason for this is because the operating system is very tailored for the hardware it uses. Up until recently (with the release of Ubuntu), if you wanted a solid development machine with a super slick UI, a mac was at the top of your list. But with the advent of a lot of the open operating systems, there are some great options that you don't have to pay for/pirate.

One of the things I hate about macs is the elitist reputation their owners have come to garner. Most of these people buy them because they look cool and bitch about how they are different that windows. Probably don't even know about sudo or chmod and assume that the terminal is a windows thing...

[chris86wm]

I think the argument is pretty funny as well. I'm currently a mac owner, and will be for some time because I've gotten very comfortable with the operating system, but my next computer will be a PC which will probably run some version of Ubuntu. As for most schools using PCs over macs, I've found the opposite to be true, but I'm a grad computer science student, and most of my work is done in a unix environment. Since OSX is built on a unix core, unix tools can be accessed natively using X11. My powerbook, processing wise, runs circles around any laptop doing compilation/rendering with the exception of a macbook pro. The big reason for this is because the operating system is very tailored for the hardware it uses. Up until recently (with the release of Ubuntu), if you wanted a solid development machine with a super slick UI, a mac was at the top of your list. But with the advent of a lot of the open operating systems, there are some great options that you don't have to pay for/pirate.

One of the things I hate about macs is the elitist reputation their owners have come to garner. Most of these people buy them because they look cool and bitch about how they are different that windows. Probably don't even know about sudo or chmod and assume that the terminal is a windows thing...

Thats right man, Ubuntu is where its at. I have been using it as my main OS on both my desktop and laptop for 2 years and I havent looked back since.