Mac vs. PC
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Aaron Wagner, and I am pleased to be guest writing for my good friend, and fellow web nut, Kyle. Looking forward to many more articles here on this great blog, adding my own, off-center, pithy style.
So, Mac vs. PC? This certainly seems to be an age old debate amongst those in the creative world, and even among a growing number of consumer users as well. I'll objectively (yeah, that's right) layout the case for each.
In the interest of full disclosure, I own two PC's at this time, and have plans, as soon as funds allow, to acquire a MacBook, and a high-end, Windows 7-based PC desktop (Once windows 7 releases that is).
There, now that that's out of the way, lets dive in.
Apple. Apple, with Steve Jobs at the reins, has certainly made huge gains over the years. Digg recently featured an article from macrumors.com that talked about a slipping market-share for Apple. I find this interesting, because if you believe the marketing, you would think Apple was set to take over as the computer of choice for the entire world. The fact is that, they still don't even have 10% of the market (according to the article, shows 7.4%). But one area it seems like Apple does have a firm hold, is within the creative industry. But why? Why is it that within this one industry, some estimates have Apple with over 70% (closer to 80%, depending on who you talk to). That's a pretty big leap!
So, in terms of Software, the Mac vs. PC argument seems to be a wash. You can get Adobe's Creative Suite on either platform. There are other options for both, again, depending on the platform you use. One area that MS seems to have the advantage is with it's own development software, Visual Studio, which currently is not offered on the Mac platform. But Apple, being Unix based, has a whole host of development options, and you can even Boot Camp Vista or XP and run Visual Studio on your Mac. So the software argument comes down to a matter of preference.
Going a little deeper, lets look at the Operating System. Microsoft has really put themselves into a pickle with Vista, but having two Vista-based PC's I can tell you that it has gotten better. I had both pre-SP1, and when SP1 was released, it got so much better. XP is still a viable option because it's stable, and widely supported. And a discussion about MS OS's would not be complete without mentioning Windows 7. MS really "stepped in it" with Vista, at least in terms of PR, and it is my contention that they HAVE to get 7 right. I think that 7 will be a great release and widely adopted, mostly because MS needs it to be.
OSX is Apple's offering in the OS world. Not a whole lot of options there. I think Apple wins this battle because of the Vista screwup, and the fact that Vista is still not what it should be. To get a strong, stable offering from MS, you have to go to a nearly 7 year old OS. Advantage Apple.
In terms of hardware, this is a tougher sell. Apple certianly has major points for engienering. If you open up a MacPro, you'll know what I am talking about, Apple has done a great job in terms of R&D. One place that they fall seriously short is options. With a PC, I can build my system however I want it, with the components I want, and often for about 1/4 the price. And I think that this gives PC the advantage here.
So, at the risk of sounding wishy-washy, I think this is a draw. It's all a matter of what is important to you: pretty pace and good engineering - Apple; performace, flexibility, and value - PC. For me, it's both (See the 3rd paragraph)
