Friday, February 12, 2010

The End of the Debate

The Apple Macintosh (“Mac”) versus the Personal Computer (“PC”) is one of the longest running debates in computing history. This historic article will certainly settle the debate once and for all.

One of the most oft’ touted benefits of owning a Mac is that it is less susceptible to viruses and more stable than a PC. This is true but with some caveats. The fact is that Macs comprise fewer than 10% of the total computers out there. Unlike petty criminals, software criminals are pretty darn smart. They know that if you want to do as much damage or steal as much money as possible, you’ll write malicious software for the PC simply because there are lots more of them.

Mac pundits generally insist that the Unix-based operating system on a Mac (called “OS X”) is inherently more secure than Windows. A critical examination of this claim reveals it to be no longer true. Apple’s Safari internet browser is notoriously insecure. So if Apple continues to gain market share Macs will become more of a target.

As for the stability of the Mac, I’m going to walk out on the plank in front of my geeky peers and Mac fanatics and state that a Windows PC can be just as stable as a Mac. The problem with PC’s is that vendors tend to load them up with all sorts of junk that can sometimes cause compatibility problems. Again, because of market share, there isn’t as much “junk” that can be loaded on a Mac. So, for the moment, the Mac is generally more stable than a PC.

PC software won’t run on a Mac and vice-versa. Although you can do everything on a Mac that you can do on a PC, there are rare times when Mac users feel stuck in a PC world. For example, you will not usually find Mac software at Wal-mart. If you want some new software for the Mac, you have to shop online or visit a Apple store.

If you ask any Mac user what he thinks of his computer, you will generally see his eyes glaze over while they proclaim their love for their Mac and use terms such as “elegant,” “beautiful,” “stylish,” that will generally evoke a cautious, slow, backwards step of the listener. These people aren’t actually nuts. The Mac really is a work of beauty and elegance from the inside out. If you open up the case of a PC you are likely to see a disorganized rat’s nest of wires and electronics – especially if it is one that I built. The innards of a Mac are arranged with Zen-like cleanliness. The same can be said of the operating system. Things are simply where they are supposed to be and do what they are supposed to do.

A desktop Mac will set you back at least $599.00 while a PC can cost as little as $300.00. Granted, the $300.00 computer will not have the quality, features and capability of the least expensive Mac. Those features may be unappreciated by home users simply looking to surf the ‘Net and access Facebook. Computer savvy folks are much more likely to appreciate the advanced features and quality of the Mac.

2 comments:

Fallon said...

Heavy duty blog...Hi...I'm Fallon, a fictitious character in Bobby Harwell's novel Flawed. Bobby played TV Face in Spielberg's movie A.I. If you'd like more of Bobby's film credits please go to IMDb.com. If you would like to know more about his novel or how to buy it please go to brharwell.com. To go to my blog please click here: Scene from "Flawed". We also made a video excerpt of the novel's prologue.

Click here for Video prologue of "Flawed"


Thanks...Fallon

Anonymous said...

Thank you Jim for an insightfull article :) It was
cool to speak with you today.
I will look forward to reading
more of your blog . Thanks
Barry Douglas

unitystudios.blogspots.com