written by Lori Thiessen
As cafe commuters, our lives tend to rest solidly on technology and our ability to get information to clients at the agreed upon time.
The Mac or PC debate has been raging since the two systems were invented and developed. Which is the better system?
Just as people will defend (almost) to the death the superiority of say, their dentist over another person’s dentist, so will MAC and PC users vociferously advocate for their system of choice.
I must come clean on where I stand in this debate. I’ve been a PC user since I succumbed to the fact that computers were here to stay and I had to learn how to use ‘em. My pathetic reason for being a PC user is that I learned on one and I’m used to it. Over the years, I’ve not only learned how to use a PC but I’ve even become enamored of and far too reliant on its usefulness in carrying on my business and social life.
While MAC’s have cornered the market on sheer eye-appeal (you have to admit that MAC’s are pretty sexy looking) and their North American ads are clever as can be, the anti-MAC brigade seems to score a few solid points.
The points being:
*program compatibility. As Adam McNutt pointed out in his critique of QuickBooks (see comments), he can’t send QB info from his MAC to his account who uses a PC. I’ve run into other similar problems when trying to cross the MAC/PC divide when it comes to programs. Although, I understand it’s getting better now.
*not able to modify MAC OS easily.
*MAC is good at graphic design stuff but not other apps.
*according to a rather rude column by Charlie Brookner of the Guardian newspaper, MAC is ‘a Fisher-Price activity centre for grown-ups’. Which roughly translated, means that MAC is for fun and PC is for serious people who want to do business.
*MAC’s one-button mouse sucks.
*MAC’s are not easy to upgrade.
If you want to know where I, a computer illiterate, got my MAC info, look no further than an editorial by CBC’s own Paul Jay and his article entitled, “Mac vs. PC, the editorial smackdow“, as well as the many, many comments from his readers.
PC’s do have their flaws, I grant you. They are prone to viruses. The security is lax or non-existent sometimes. And they do crash or hang from time to time — ah save me from the blitzkrieg of the blue screen of death! But in my experience it isn’t that often.
Basically, the debate boils down to people’s preferences. MAC is good for the click-’n-go crowd and PC is the choice for those who like to tinker and customize. That’s a very simplistic summary but apt, I believe.
As I commented earlier in this post, I’m no computer guru so if you are please feel free to comment. A couple of guidelines though, please don’t go on at great length and please don’t be rude.
Thanks for dropping by and I’ll save your seat until next time!
July 8, 2009 at 9:52 am
These are debates for which souls will shift positions in heaven or hell when they realise they are sitting next to an “opponent”. MAC or PC?, Windows or Linux?
MAC’s are not any different than PCs. They used to have hardware differences (which gave them an edge previously) but they are now based on Intel’s architecture…Just like the bulk of PCs out there.
The 1-button mouse is a brilliant idea and it works well with MAC’s operating system. Wherever needed, a second mouse button is emulated via the MAC key on the keyboard.
The short answer i think is that each system is suitable for a particular job.
For better or worse, PCs based on the Intel architecture running windows are widespread and for most mainstream activities and hardware you can nowadays find a decent application or driver.
Windows are not THAT bad anymore and are getting better (and MACified!).
One thing they have not changed throughout the years though is that you have to press a button labeled “Start” in order to shutdown the computer and while all the applications have the menu bar on the top of their window opening downwards, the system menu is at the bottom opening upwards!!!
So, personally, i think that this is where the MAC still has an edge today. Their operating system used to be and still is very stable but the user interface and interaction are unparalleled.
July 9, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Hi AA!
Thanks for adding Linux to the list. My husband is a HUGE Linux fan. But I know even less about Linux than I do about MAC or PC for that matter. I gather that you are a MAC maven but not a fanatic about it. Thanks for your well-reasoned comments about the pro’s and con’s of both systems. Through trial and error, I suppose both systems will become more user-friendly and compatible. I was also reading that app for app, MAC comes out a little less expensive than a PC. Perhaps I should take a closer look at a MAC. Hmmmm.
Cheers,
Lori
July 8, 2009 at 2:44 pm
The one button mouse debate is old. Macs haven’t shipped with one button mice since the the candy-colored macs. They ship with 5-button mice these days. Their laptops have multi-buttons as well, you just use your fingers to use these extra buttons. I use them all day long.
I have been through several OSes throughout the years, and have settled on OSX. Admittedly, I recently sold my 17″ MBP (It was HUGE) and have moved to an HP mini 2140 running OSX.
I like not worrying about the OS side of things overall and just getting down to productivity. Given the way hardware works these days, there is basically no difference at all between Macs and PCs other than their OSes.
I have honestly become way more productive – actually *producing* more content and work since moving to the OSX side of the fence. I have always used Windows only for gaming. The other OSes I used in the past (not dabbled in) are various Linux distros, BeOS, OS/2 (and eComStation), and of course various DOSs.
I think each has it’s strength. As you state, Windows does allow for customizing of the OS more than the Mac side. I think one of the strengths of the Mac is that it is pretty standard across the board. Also, most, if not all, tools are accessible system-wide, such as spell check, dictionary and things like that- all can be used in any application.
I’ve also got to say that accessibility is a lot better on the Mac side than the PC side of things. I have many elderly clients and it is AWESOME the things you can do to the OS to allow them to see and hear the OS.
Most of what I do is shifting towards web-based things. I use a Mac-based invoicing app ( Billings 3 ), but have been testing out many web-based ones. They have really improved this past year, and it’s nice to be OS-neutral. Admittedly, I do use GMail and have recently purchased the excellent Mailplane ( http://mailplaneapp.com/ ) to integrate GMail more into my Mac system. But the interface is the same no matter where I am.
I do computer repair onsite, and my customers are both PC and Macs. I just happen at this point in time to prefer Macs over PCs for my daily computing needs. I do all my gaming on a PC rig ( so do my kids).
July 9, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Hi Adam!
Very interesting view of the whole PC/MAC debate. Many of my older friends are rather *forced* into using a computer because of their grandchildren. If they want to stay in close contact with the grandchildren, whether the family moves or the child goes to college, learning to use an email program is essential. It’s terrific that MAC allows ease of use. That’s a big plus on the MAC-side of the debate, in my mind.
I have heard others comment, as you have, that for sheer productivity, MAC is the better OS. For click-’n-go ease MAC seems to win hands down.
And I take your point about moving to web-based programs. Admittedly, I tend to be mostly web-based these days because I do travel from time to time and it’s nice to have access to my stuff when I’m out and about without having to lug a laptop along. Three cheers for the internet cafe!
It’s interesting that you have very separate uses for your MAC and PC. Sounds like you are willing to go with any system which will more easily facilitate your production, which is a very sensible approach, I think. When the debate boils down to it, productivity is the only real yardstick.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us, Adam!
Cheers,
Lori
July 9, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Yeah, I believe in the right tool for the right job. You’d be surprised how often I use Linux ( I prefer Linux Mint) to do data recoveries for both Macs and PCs. I have tools on both the mac and PC side, but linux seems to do it quicker.
But yes, any OS so long as it does what I need!
July 15, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Hi Adam!
Thanks for mentioning Linux. I didn’t want to further complicate the post by adding Linux into the mix, but I know that many people prefer Linux to other programs for more complex jobs. My husband uses Linux a great deal for some of the work that he does. He also hates to give Microsoft more money so he uses Open Source Programs as often as possible. I must admit that if I’m churning out a new batch of business cards, I turn to OpenOffice to do that; much easier than using Microsoft Word. I know I’ve strayed into programs and not OS by this point but as we have pointed out, it’s productivity and ease of use that are the main criteria.
What do you think of Open Source Programs?
Cheers,
Lori
September 26, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Mac doesn’t have a one button mouse. You can very easily enable scrolling and a secondary click from the scrollpad. And the scrolling is in fact far superior from my experience.
As for the comment about PC’s being for more serious business- could this in fact mean that PC’s are for people who want to spend hours sorting out the problems they have with their computer’s?