Are You Mac or PC?

 updated 1/29/06

New clients frequently ask me that, the most loaded question in the business. The Q&A typically connotes camaraderie, empathy, sympathy, lifestyle, structure, and even cultishness. Depending on my mood, I usually say they're both awful or they both rock. I can go either way and I'm difficult like that, and I don't like giving out simple yes/no answers to complicated questions.

Mac vs. PC. Wintel (Windows On Intel) vs. Apple. Think Different vs. Think For Yourself. It's an argument that has been going on for nearly two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. I could list the advantages and disadvantages of each platform ad infinitum, but I think ultimately there are three major practical differences:

Security: For the most part, security is a non-problem under Apple's OS X. Users of Windows are asking for trouble if they are not aware of basic antivirus and update procedures.

Cost: Apple's computers cost more, at least up front and they tend to be more expensive to repair than most PCs, Sony is a notable exception.

Choice: There are some software packages and services for Wintel that you cannot use on the Apple. The major music services and applications, with the obvious exception of iTunes, are unavailable on the Apple. There are a handful of applications you cannot get for Windows that are available for the Mac, but not many.

Many folks in the Apple camp really and truly, even zealously, believe in the Mac, believe in C.E.O. Steve Jobs, and overall think their way is the right way. A lot of them seem to really love their Macs. The more intense people in the Wintel camp wax geekily about gigahertz and front side buses, but are a more agnostic about their computers. Overall, the vast majority of users don't really care as long as they can accomplish whatever it is they want to, and that's where their problems begin.

Often, these are the people that somewhere along the way ask me if I think they should switch. My stock answer is that they should stick with whatever they've been using, particularly when they've been using it for years. Switching requires learning a whole new set of computer skills, and without a compelling reason, I don't think that either option is worth the trouble. Users who have made an effort to learn one platform will have to repeat that effort with the other. Users that haven't made an effort on one are most likely uninterested in spending the time learning how to better use either, so what's the point?

If that sounds like you, the point is that getting involved and engaged is the key. If you're reading these articles you're already on the way. The bits of knowledge you pick hear and there will set you free, regardless of what platform you choose. People who don't want to spend 5 minutes a week on security issues or 5 minutes a week reading a help file on whatever is bugging them, will be unhappy either way. That attitude will inevitably come back and bite you in the ass. However, if you're willing to spend those 5 minutes, you just might learn something and become a happier more productive computer user. It doesn't matter which platform you use. Apple or Wintel. They're both awful, they both rock. It's you that makes the difference.

Entire Document (print, email, or web page) Copyright 2005-6 by Steven M. Lastoe. All rights reserved.