Mac or PC, PC v Mac

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p.s. to all the pedants who seem to want to point out "a Mac is a PC", well technically yes you are correct! Of course you are. However, you also know that generically Windows based computers are commonly referred to as PC's and Apple computers have long since been referred to as Macs! Everyone knows it - you don't get special points for being a pedantic techie! Save your fingers and try writing something helpful for fellow readers!

Let's get something straight before we start this - there is no definitive answer to this question. It has so many potential factors for the individual purchaser that it is impossible to say a Mac is better than a PC or vice versa. Remember that because if you read anywhere that a Mac is better than a PC (or vice versa), without it being very specific to a particular task (we emphasise that, a task, not a vocation or trade) then they're simply masking their personal opinion under the facade of attempting to appear neutral.

The simple fact is that both Mac's and PC's are perfectly suitable for most people - but each operates in such a way that one might make your life slightly easier than another in the long run. For some people it'll be a PC, for some others it'll be a Mac.

Dismissing the myth

The first thing to put to bed is an age old argument we see raises its ugly head even today - the Mac fans who claim a Mac is more reliable than a PC. As a part of an organisation that supports both (Clarity IT) we can tell you, without any bias whatsoever, that the argument is utter rubbish. Mac's break, PC's break. Mac's crash, PC's crash. Our statistics show that neither has a consistently better or significantly lower rate of failure.

Many years ago Apple might have had more claim to the reliability crown but even then there were thousands upon thousands of users frustrated by unexplained crashes on their favoured Mac platform. Microsoft moved the game on significantly with the advent of Windows XP and since then, despite a poor launch, Vista and now Windows 7 have made Microsofts offering a reliable as OS X in Snow Leopard 10.6 form.

So, throw that out of the window to start with. Both will serve you loyally.

The expense factor

PC fans will tell you that a Mac is an expense design based choice that can be beaten on the basis of cost. Mac's are expensive by comparison to PC's, they'll shout that loudly.

Whilst first impressions may well seem to support their argument it is again as flawed as the Mac reliability factor. See, in many cases you'll have to specify a higher end PC to compete with many of the standard specifications Apple offer. Nowadays you won't have to upgrade components too much though, so the PC people will still tell you they have won their case.

Unfortunately that's not true. One thing that Mac's have always done very well, and still do, is hold value. PC residuals are incredibly poor when compared to Mac's. Much of this could be down to the factor that the generic multi-manufacturer nature of PC's, ,means that build quality varies. However, whatever you put it down to, the fact of the matter is that a Mac will be worth more than a PC in a few years time. That brings us to another stalemate - because over the typical life of a machine you'll find that they both work out pretty much the same in their total cost of ownership.

You'll read lots of people say they don't but they'll have picked very specific issue to get to the result they want to. Using our statistics we have got an almost identical cost against either platform.

The Home v Work factor

Where you'll be using your PC or Mac can have a major impact on the decision facing the buyer. If you're working in a company with a largely Windows based environment then bringing Mac's into the workplace can often lead to integration issues (though most of these can be overcome with the latest range of Mac's there are still issues that make integration somewhat harder).

However, the same can be said of PC's if you work in an industry where Mac's were often seen as the platform of choice - and that has often been the case in design orientated industries.

It's where this dilemma comes to the fore at home that is often over looked though and brings us nicely to our next point.

The school curriculum

PC's form the core of the average UK school curriculum. They have been the platform used on the educational timetable for a long time now with exceptions being limited to very specific purposes or courses.

In this respect a parent has to be mindful of the curriculum if they choose a Mac for their children. We're been reminded of this in the past in conversation with clients who have chosen a Mac for various reasons for their children and then found it can leave them at a disadvantage at school. Applications are of course largely Microsoft based and available on both systems, but having a child learn in a Windows based environment and then adapting from using a PC at home can lead to unforeseen complications.

In this scenario we think there is a solution - Parallels. This allows a Mac to run Windows 7 in its current guise and your child would notice no perceivable difference whatsoever. So, if a PC fan tells you it is a huge disadvantage for your child - just mention Parallels to them.

It can't be ignored that it means an additional purchase though and you'd have to be an ignorant Mac die-hard not to acknowledge the UK school computing curriculum as something that does present a minor issues to Mac's as a choice at home. It's not one that can't be overcome with relative ease though.

The Designers choice

You'll hear and read a lot about graphic designers, web designers and creative types kneeling down to pay homage to the Apple Mac. Indeed you may well hear it is the only and obvious choice.

Unfortunately we beg to differ and put this down to little more than traditional allegiances. There is no doubt whatsoever that history serves the Apple Mac incredibly well in design vocations. It was very much the only choice if you were serious about publishing or design of any type.

Times have changed though and even a novice can quickly realise that when Adobe and Quark, two of the most important names in publishing and design, produce their range topping suites for both Mac and PC's. The simple fact is that a well specific PC or Workstation can easily match or outperform its Mac counterpart.

Many will tell you that OS X, the Mac operating system of the time, is better suited to rapid switching between applications - something that designers do more frequently than most. In our experience though this is nothing like the case - the ease comes with knowing, with experience and with what you're used to. If you started your design life on a PC you're not to find life on a Mac much, if any easier. Similarly, thousands of Mac users have migrated to PC's without problem. In the early years of the new millennium one of the largest UK newspaper publishers replaced all their Mac's with PCs for company consolidation and systems integration reasons - and the transition was, by most accounts, easy and without long term disadvantage or complaint.

So, yet again you'll find this argument is defused and you really need to assess your personal use of the hardware. If you're going to be involved with lots of other Mac based design enthusiasts then you may well prefer the Mac - whereas if you're a loner or not afraid of being called a black sheep you might want to benefit from some of the benefits of being one of the flock of PC users.

Software choice

If you browse the internet today in search of any software, quite literally, you're almost certain to find it is available for the PC. That's the way the world is with the PC dominating the globe in sheer volume.

This isn't the case for Mac's and there isn't much of a case for trying to argue it.

The vast majority of mainstream software is available for both, but freeware and lesser known applications are in abundance for the PC user in a way that they aren't for the Apple.

If a Mac fan tries to argue this, and they probably will, the fact is that if you add up all the choices for PC software choosers and put them against the choices of a Mac user - the Apple fanatic will be mightily embarrassed.

Do you really want an endless supply of software that you'll probably hardly ever use though? PC users do have a tendancy to install software left, right and centre only never to use it more than once. They then leave it on their machines cluttering up the registry and slowing its performance down � it's a fact.

You also have to consider that much of todays software has migrated to the internet and not just for download. Games sites allow online play without local installation of software and there is an ever increasing trend to use software over the internet without the need to have it physically sat on your hard disk. Cloud computing is being heavily promoted by Google and that'll account for whatever platform you use - so don't be too easily swayed by the seemingly gleaming pot of software choice that a PC might bring you.

Viruses and malicious intent

This is a very commonly used weapon in the armoury of your average Mac fan. Mac's are less prone to infection by viruses, trojans, spyware and software with malicious intent.

They're right. They are. Most authors of such software write them with maximum damage or inconvenience in mind (or fraudulent benefit) and to that extent the PC market is a much easier target.

That's because it is so dominant and has so many users. It's also because such a large proportion of those users fail to take the adequate steps they should to protect their investment from such intrusion.

Let's not get carried away though. If you put the minutes of effort into buying decent anti-virus or anti-spyware applications, making sure they-re kept up to date and being a little more careful - you'll never, or very rarely, have a problem. You can download basic protection for nothing and few users who make sure the updates run without fault will ever fall victim of the authors.

Don't be lulled into thinking such damage can't be inflicted on Mac's either - because it can. Some authors deliberately target Mac's because they're seen as a challenge. So if you buy a Mac you're still probably going to have to put time and effort into protecting it anyway - so you're back where you started!

The crux of it is that you're less likely to suffer with a Mac, but if you have an ounce of time and patience you're unlikely to be cursing your PC in the near future either.

As with everything in life, don't believe everything you're told when the preacher has a cause to champion or an axe to grind - and that is common in the PC or Mac argument!

Form and function

Mac's look fabulous, don't they? Sleek lines, colour co-ordinated, thin, wonderful!

Well yes, many of them do. So if you're in need of a machine that looks the part then they're the only choice.

Except they're not. See, it's yet another hidden solution. PC's can look equally as impressive and have moved on considerably since the day they were dubbed grey boxes.

Indeed a whole industry has sprung up in providing some of the most incredible PC cases, keyboards and accessories you could ever imagine. Some of them make Mac's look like antiques and they won't cost the earth.

You can make a PC look every bit as attractive as a Mac by re-casing it or paying a little more attention to what is available before you make the purchase.

There isn't a great deal more to say on this one. Make up can do wonders.

Support

Apple provide a support service where a "Genius" will advise you on where you're going wrong. They'll reinstall your operating system and do all manner of wonderful things.

Hmm, but Mac's are bullet proof aren't they, so why do you need this? Whilst Apple have got one up on most PC manufacturers in respect of support (for a limited period) it really shouldn't be a deciding factor.

One reason for that is because you'll probably find someone next door to you who can help you overcome most PC issues. If not, there is a wealth of support available online (presuming you can get online!).

We've never quite understood this one to be honest. Yes it's a cool little feature, but few people get any true benefit from it and if they had a PC they'd have probably found 1,000 geniuses on their doorstep.

Technical prowess

Mac's are easy to operate. So are blenders until you shove your hands in.

Windows PC's let you tinker with them much more. Yes, and explosives look innocent enough until you start messing with them too.

If you're a total novice then you'll probably adapt much quicker to OS X. However, in a year or less you might find it frustrating and the scalability of your Apple is restricted when compared to a PC.

If you buy a Windows based PC you might find some of its hidden features difficult to find the next time you want them. In fact you might never find them again.

There are people that will tell you PC's allow the more technical user to develop their knowledge of information technology further. We're not entirely sure how this theory came to be, but suffice to say we don't subscribe to it. Just because a Mac operating system makes it less obvious that there is more beneath the covers doesn't mean there isn't substance. Indeed users of Windows 7, and Vista before it, would be ignorant not to notice the striking similarity with which Microsoft has approached certain aspects of the development of the Windows platform.

Whilst much of this in tongue in cheek it is intended to put across the point that different people like different things. In some ways both platforms follow a different ethic. You simply have to decide what is most important to you now - with one eye on the future.

So, which do you buy?

The answer is probably evident to you. You buy what is right for you. You will NOT make a decision that is going to have catastrophic consequences. Both platforms offer computing power that is capable of making any users experience a very good one.

Both can be fast, both can be used for graphic design, both can equally be put to general office administration tasks or more technical purposes.

Weigh what you're going to do more of and make your decision based on the pluses and minuses of each. In doing so be very careful to ensure you're really looking at what you'll be using the machine for - not what you think you'll be using it for.

We say all of this as a company with more than enough experience of supporting both platforms. We don't have Mac stickers and logos all over our offices, nor do we fly the Microsoft flag at every opportunity. Our job is to deliver the best solution for the best task at hand - and that means being impartial over and above everything else.

Whatever you decide, please remember when you're asked what it best by someone else in future, don't fall into the trap of bias!

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 22nd DECEMBER 2009 ***

Our attention has been drawn to an interesting little statistic uncovered by NPD Group, a large market research organisation in the United States.

They surveyed Mac owners and discovered that a staggering 8 out of 10 of them (85% to be precise) also own PC's!

That's a very high number indeed and perhaps adds weight to the software advantage that PC owners have, with the reason for owning a PC often given as the wider range of software although a Mac remains their primary machine.

It doesn't necessarily make your decision any easier, but it is an interesting enough news item to warrant the article be updated.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 10th JANUARY 2010 ***

An interesting little snippet of information came our way this week. Complaints to Apple about the build quality and reliability of certain hardware items is on the up. If you take a look at the Apple store online and then click on individual items you'll see that Apple allow purchasers to place comments against them.

Look at Time Capsule and Powerbook mains chargers in particular - some of the complaints of multiple failures are vicious in their slating of the Apple brand. Credit to Apple for leaving such feedback there though, because we suspect a number of other manufacturers would have long since removed the comments.

There is of course the simple fact that feedback in negative form is always much more commonly given than positive form. If you buy something and it works as you think it should, you probably say very little about it. If you buy something and it gives you nothing but problems then you're much more likely to post comment on it. Nonetheless, the increase in negative feedback was worth updating this article for in our opinion. Caveat Emptor, as those of the legal inclination might say...

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 15th JANUARY 2010 ***

Earlier in this article we addressed the apparent benefit of a Mac holding it's value better than a PC. The initial purchase cost, in our opinion, outweighs the residual value benefit that you may see. However, recent events in our offices give rise to another argument.

An iMac 24", with the 512mb video card, died on Thursday. Pink lines appeared on the screen and it was impossible to see if it was booting or not. The machine was out of warranty by about 6 months or so. Cue a diagnosis and repair by a certified Apple Centre.

We needed this machine quickly so paid for a queue jump service that meant for £65 ($105) our iMac got diagnosed within the hour. The fault was a dead video card, a common fault on 24" iMacs apparently. The cost of repair was a whopping £311.38 including VAT (17.5% tax in the UK, for our foreign visitors). We can reclaim the VAT but it means the cost to the business was still £320 ($520).

That's not cheap by anyones standards and it raises caution for anyone looking at a Mac. Repairs are never cheap on Apples - and they do, as this incident proves, break. Be prepared for a big bill if you suffer a 512mb video card fault. It could have been worse though - for a while we thought it may have been the logic board and that would have been even more.

By comparison, none of our PC's have ever had the need for repair. It's food for thought. We didn't have extended care on the Mac and we don't feel it is a good sign that a machine about 18 months old should incur such a large repair cost. Black mark for Apple on this occasion.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 29th JANUARY 2010 ***

Well the latest news isn't good at all. The iMac 24 failed a mere week after the repair. The nVidia 512mb card that had been replaced was the culprit again. So, once more, we had to take the machine to the Apple Centre, a good 45 minutes drive away, and collected it 2 days later.

The repair centre said that they believed the card to from a faulty batch and apologised. There isn't a lot more we could ask of them and we do not blame them in any way, shape or form. We do have to question the reliability of Apple now though.

Furthermore, did you know that Apple only give 3 months warranty on their parts? So if this video card fails in 13 weeks time, we'll have to pay the same amount to get it repaired again.

Is 3 months warranty on such an expensive item really enough in 2010 - of course it isn't and Apple should be ashamed of themselves. So it is with much regret we have to say that you should bear the cost of repairs and Apple's abymsal warranty on parts in account when making your decision.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 9th OCTOBER 2010 ***

We've got a Dell Precision Workstation with a very annoying network card at present. It's a known fault apparently. However, our iMacs have been running without issue since our batch of problems at the start of the year. The new release of faster iMacs look quite promising too. There has also been a change at the top end of the Mac range with their iMac 27's complete with more processing power than a nuclear power station - and we have a client who seems very impressed with those.

Our verdict remains the same though. There isn't a definitive answer to which is best - the real question is which is best for you.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 30th OCTOBER 2010 ***

The launch of the new Apple MacBook Air is very intersting. These stunning little machines with solid state hard disk drives are impressing a lot of people with a large number of MacBook Pro users migrating to them because the drive speed makes up for lesser processing and RAM specifications. There are plenty of reviews online for you to find and we'd be interested to hear of any reliability issues users encounter in the coming months. If you were reading this article with a view to contemplating a Windows based laptop or an OSX based laptop then the market now has a new shiny thing to look at - and from what we've seen it is very impressive indeed.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 11th January 2011 ***

It's a year since our MD acquired his new Apple MacBook Pro 15". This replaced a long series of Windows based laptops and his assessment of a year of use is a very interesting one.

He specifically mentions the fact that the Mac runs just as quickly today as it did when he bought it a year ago and that in that time he's never had a single issue with it - unlike many laptops that required regular registry tuning or defragmenting, not to mention the inconvenience of masses of virus and spyware updates that sapped processing power.

He also commends the sheer quality of build. His Mac was dropped from waist height onto a hard floor - and all that happened was that it gained a small dent in a corner of the case (about 4mm deep, so it was quite a fall). The aluminimum shell offered excellent protection and the machine functioned perfectly when he started it up.

So from his perspective his decision to opt for the MacBook instead of a Windows based laptop was well worth it. He says he has never even had cause to worry about performance, slowdown or the state of the machine on a single occasion - and that his next laptop purchase probably won't be anything like as soon as it would have been had he purchased a Windows based laptop.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 16th February 2011 ***

We've had the motherboard replaced on one of our Dell Precision Workstations again, under warranty. This is the second new motherboard in 3 months.

Unfortunately we had to push Dell to replace it too. They weren't very keen to, despite the fact it was perfectly obvious that the inbuilt network adaptor was the issue yet again.

Under the warranty we'd selected upon purchase (next day, on-site) their appointed engineer came out and it took him about an hour to finish the job and all seems well again. However, it doesn't bode well when this is one of their Workstation class machines and isn't far from going out of warranty...and has eaten 3 motherboards in total.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 20th March 2011 ***

The Dell we mentioned above, just a month ago, has failed again. It's the integrated NIC (network adaptor) on the motherboard - again.

To be fair to Dell we've never had issues with their hardware in the past and this fault seems incredibly intermittent and downright impossible to repair for the poor engineer who has now been out 4 times.

Contrast that with a Windows 7 Professional based Dell PC, a Vostro, though. This little gem is exceptional value for money and pretty quick too. It has proved impressive for general administrative duties though the graphics card is a bit on the weak side. But you get what you pay for.

There has been a hardware change on the Apple side of things too. Our MD has changed his MacBook Pro to another one sporting 8gb of RAM and an SSD. Wow, that's fast - the SSD that is. Lightning fast. Boot up, application load, processing and shutdown times are amazing. Of course you could add an SSD to a Windows or Linux based PC too, so it's not just a Mac thing.

The new version of Office on the Mac is impressive too. Much better than 2008.

One last piece of not so fantastic news is that a HP Pavilion laptop he has used for 18 months has failed in a big way. Complete motherboard failure - and the hard drive gave in at the same time. How unlucky is that?

He hadn't used it for about 4 months and he has told us to report that it may well have been knocked whilst sat unused, but it seems unlikely to us as it was sat in a corner of the office where no-one goes, but we'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

*** ARTICLE UPDATED 15th June 2011 ***

A StumbleUpon user has recently posted an interesting point about this article. They asked why we referenced Dell's only (or primarily) and not potential more reliable machines which they quoted as Acer or Toshiba.

The first thing to be said in reply to this is we are completely impartial. We do not have a corporate agreement with Dell or any other supplier of hardware. We choose what we deem to be best for the job at hand and we assess purchases on individual and task based merit.

Well, all we can do is report on what we have at hand and are using. Plus, we've used Toshiba hardware before. Satellite and Portege laptops as it happens. They were reliable. However, the crux of this is to bear in mind that we're just reporting facts at our disposal.

We have no loyalty to Apple.

Indeed, they're only fourth in the latest hardware rankings table from RescueCom (Q1 2011) which lists IBM/Lenovo, Asus and Toshiba ahead of them - and we're not going to publish stuff like that if we're partisan, are we?

However, such views also miss the over-riding recommendation of this article - PC's and Mac's are much of a muchness and you should choose what best suits your personal circumstances. To some of you it'll be a Mac, to others it'll be a Windows based PC.

Hope that clears up any doubt about our stance - and also proves we do keep monitoring this and welcome your feedback and comments.

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