PC or Mac?

[Buckshot]

It's time to change our PC
We've never looked at an Apple before, I know people who have them say they're brill!
So in laymans terms please (I know a few basics but I'm certainly not a techy) why is a mac better than a pc?
And perhaps as importantly, what will it not do that a pc will?
I know it used to be the OS isn't compatible with pc ones so excel and word etc wouldn't work, has that been sorted now?
There's a reseller in Oxford but before I go in to the 'big smoke' I want to know a little more about it please
Cheers

Mark

 

[Toadflax]

I can't tell you too much, as I don't use a Mac, though people at work do. As far as I can tell, people who like Macs, love them and comatibility with the rest of the world (i.e PC /Windows) is getting better. Macs to tend to be more expensive and I'm not sure what you get for that, other than a much more stylish looking system.

Windows software (e.g. Microsoft Office) is available for Macs, and if you really need Windows compatibility, you can run Parallels (which gives you a virtual Windows PC running in the Mac). Alternatively, you could use the (very good) OpenOffice - free office-type software that will read and write Microsoft office files.

If you want to play Games, I'd be inclined to go for a PC, as by far the majority of PC games are designed...for PC.

One of my assistants loves Mac so I could get him to give you the pros and cons of each.


Geoff

 

[tobes01]

I know we've had this thread before...

A Mac isn't better than a PC, it's different. Because Apple control both the hardware and OS, that tends to make it simpler and more reliable, BUT the pay-off is reduced flexibility, upgradeability etc. There are fewer OSX apps than Windows, but you can do most things with PC compatibility (only significant area I've found that you can't is business accounting).

Office 2008 for Mac is compatible with Office 2010 for PC, but is a little flaky, the new version is due out in September. Apple's iWorks is excellent if rather lean in features, then you've got OpenOffice etc. which are free.

I've been on Macs since 1998 for my business and never have compatibility issues with client files. MS-Office occasionally stuffs up formatting when dealing with documents that originate on a PC, and I've got Windows 7 installed in a virtual machine (Parallels) so that I can still use it if I really need to (I never do).

BUT: if this is your only domestic computer and you've got kids at school, remember they'll be using PCs so you should probably stick with one.

Hope this helps a little...

 

[Adze]

What Tobes said really makes a lot of sense.

Mac hardware is somewhat overpriced to keep their software prices low - example, you can buy a Mac OS X Snow Leopard 5 station upgrade pack from Apple direct for $49. A single upgrade licence for Windows Vista to Windows 7 is going to cost you about £120 if you buy it direct from Microsoft. You can expect the next generations of Mac OS X and Windows upgrades to be similarly priced, however, you're going to spend a significant proportion more on the hardware if it's a Mac unless you're buying a seriously 'weapons grade' PC.

At the end of the day it comes down to budget... you're barely going to get a Mac at all if your budget is, say, £500 - it will be secondhand. You could get an entire PC system, including printer and a limited software bundle for that which will easily see you right for the next 4 or even 5 years.

There are precious few things a PC can do which a Mac cannot, but gaming is one thing Macs fall down on. Older games can be run in a virtual machine running Windows on a Mac, but for more up to date stuff, particularly where high end graphics adapters are required, that just won't cut it. You'll still need a Windows licence to run it in a VM, usually it will install OK if you have the product code from your old PC, but not always.

Even if you're a computing novice and the majority of what you'll use your home computer for is web browsing and email, with a few office type documents now and then, don't ignore the various Linux distributions as a genuine possibility for you. The only real drawback with Linux is the relative scarcity of people able to support you on a commercial basis should anything go wrong. However, the web community is vast, so it's not impossible to get free support for your free operating system provided you don't mind doing a little research and pressing some buttons yourself. As the operating system is free you can frequently save £70 to £80 on the price of the same hardware by not buying the bundled Windows licence.

In short:

Low budget: Intel Atom based netbox and monitor with linux OS and a compatible printer - in the order of £320

Medium budget: AMD based PC with Win7 £500-£600

High budget: Macs start at around £800 and for a top flight one can exceed £2k

You pay your money... especially with a Mac

Cheers,

 

[Trunks]

I have two macs, and am really happy with them

 

[Adze]

Do you have your trouser 'legs' tied on at the knees too?

 

[iamasmith]

I would go a little further on the subject that Apple make the hardware AND the software. They ensure a pleasant experience as well as stability.

Apple always do their damndest to ensure that their software performs acceptably for their purposes on their computers. Granted if a computer is ancient and the modern machines are much faster Apple tends to do things like cease support for them eventually in their newer products (sounds reasonable) or limit the functionality of the products so that an acceptable level of performance is there (Video effects on iChat were unavailable on PPC based Macs when OSX Leopard came out etc.).

What you DO benefit from beyond stability is better bang for the buck when you start to use apps that do things like Video editing.

My Mac is by no means new, it has a 2.4Gz Core2 Duo Processor and 4Gb RAM. It's an iMac that I paid less than £1000 for and the very base entry level iMacs far outstrip this now.

What I can say is that the way that hardware is used with OSX and my video editing product Final Cut Express, I can edit in real time High Definition Video at 1920x1080 and I get real time playback when previewing. I get to use a subset of software used in the film and music industries where a lot of work is put into a workable editing experience for the hardware.

In short Apple have nobody else to blame for how their software performs on their hardware and they take this seriously to make a good experience.

Microsoft ALWAYS has the fallback of saying that you need a faster machine etc. this time round. Who actually saw the 'Windows 7' launch blurb in the shops saying 'A new version of Windows, time for a new PC!'.

I could go on and on.

If you want to trial something not Windows though and see if you can pick your way around why not also consider something that most likely will boot on your current PC and download a free copy of Ubuntu which will run booted from DVD and you can trial it out without wiping out what's on your HD then decide later to have it permanently if you do like it on your HD.

 

[Woodcutter]

Mac any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[British Red]

Mac for image manipulation (photo or moving), PC for price, coprporate compatibility, value for money, range of peripherals and software.

Macs are fine for home use - neat, stylish, a little expensive and not as flexible for PCs. PCs are certainly cheaper, they do neet good anti virus which is less critical than Mac.

Both work

Red

 

[khimbar]

Two questions you need to answer.

How much do you want to spend? What do you want to do on the machine?

 

[malente]

It's two different kinds of hassle, neither one better. If you want to save money, buy a used thinkpad and put linux ubuntu on it. Then you have some money for bushcrafty gear It's also a hassle, but at least not as expensive.

Seriously though, if you are a recreational user, any of them (PC/laptop with WIN7 or LINUX Ubuntu or a MAC) should be good.

 

[Fizzy]

Macs are certainly great for people who aren't all that internet savvy, due to spyware and virus issues that are so predominantly aimed at PC users. Very expensive (new anyway) if you're not going to use it to it's full potential. My missus always seemed to pick up spyware and viruses on her PC so I bought her an old G4 PowerBook. Despite being quite old it was still a very capable internet surfing/general use machine.

 

[David.s]

I'v been using Windows all my life, school, home, work, my laptop then broke and decided to look at a computer this time rather than a laptop, my cousin had a iMac and i had a mess about with it, seemed extremely easy to use.

so i went and got one, honestly the best decision i have made, yeh it was a lot more expensive than the equivalent windows spec'd up one, but the software on it is IMO the way a computer should be so easy to do anything on. i dont think i could ever go back to windows now.

 

[Buckshot]

Interesting stuff guys thanks
As has been mentioned I'm after something that will do excel and word sometimes with internet surfing.
Maybe some holiday snaps and video too but no editing, just playback
Cheers

Mark

 

[British Red]

PC all the way then

 

[Allie]

Even though you're not bothered about video editing etc, I'd still be inclined to say get a mac if you don't mind spend a bit more.
I got a macbook pro a few weeks ago (I basically have the same requirements as you - although watch a lot of video as well) and I would never go back. I think what I've realised is, you don't realise how much you hate PCs until you've grown accustomed to mac
I also feel a lot more secure with the lack of viruses etc - gives a bit of peace of mind.

 

[Metatron]

I work in tech, and teach a lot of students at all different levels on Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD and UNIX. I think hands down Apple make a better laptop, but only their Mac Book Pro's. If you have the money I think there very well made and spec'ed from a hardware standpoint.

As for Mac's as a whole there fine, I tend to consider Macs like TV's, you switch them on, do what you need to do, then switch them off, they don't break or go down much and when they do it tends to mean a visit to the Apple store and using your Apple care plan.

PC's (Windows) require bit of thought into things and need maintaining, if you like to fiddle with things, or want to spend as little as possible their ideal.

Linux/BSD/UNIX are not user friendly, even "user friendly" Linux distribution like Ubuntu have issues such as upgrading graphics drivers and the GUI no longer working. Its fixable but requires you to use a command line interface. No matter how user friendly a distro is said to be I've found I always need to use the cli at some point.

 

[ProjeKtWEREWOLF]

I love my Mac...but I also have a PC which doesn't get used an awful lot though. The Mac is very expensive for a home computer but it is well designed and works superbly as a 'thing'. I will never go back to PCs as my main machine. If you have the money, then get a Mac by all means. It is low maintenance and cheap to run, goes off and on very quickly unlike my PC and doesnt require loads of add-ons to make it work. They are hard to kill too. Also, you are really really unlikely to get infected with a virus any time soon.

If you have kids, then Windows Parallels and Win XP is a must for compatibility with school etc, but Office type software can be found free at Openoffice.org. I love it and prefer it to Office nowadays.

Word of advice; purchase the Apple Care 'warranty'.....definitely worth every single penny.

Once you have a play for a while, you'll see why it's a great machine. Also, there are plenty of games for it and support from Valve (half Life, Portal, Left4Dead) as well as loads of other stuff via STEAM......thereis definitely a future for gaming.

 

[tiger stacker]

Macs are great, used them alongside Pc's Now both my sisters complain about viruses trojans etc my machines are clean.

Music options
Video options
moon landing options (a mac model had the capability of the original apollo launch control)

 

[Adze]

...my machines are clean.

How do you know?