Mac or PC?

[ki11erDM]

I can count on 1 hand the number of technical difficulties I've had, and those resulted from human actions (IOW, abuse):

See my issue with that is that I hear the very same arguments from the people here (at work). They say “but this Apple always works and I never have any issues with it!” and then I pull up the work logs and show them that the reality they live in is not the reality I work in. And then they go to the director and complain that we keep a work log.

And I want to make it clear that I don’t love any hardware vender to death or anything, they all have their own issues. But the free pass that Apple gets is just nuts.

[rant]
Oh and just because it happened again between this post an my last one I will bring this up, I have never had a company lie to me in the way Apple has.

Just over a year ago I sent a MBPro back to Apple because the system was crashing randomly (Spinning Beach Ball Of Death) . I had done a good bit of diagnostic work on the system and was reasonably sure it was the main board or the power management unit (the Apple phone support tech was in agreement with this assessment). They sent it back and said they had put in a new hard disk and reinstalled the OS and everything was fixed. Which was odd because I had booted the system off a known good HD with a clean OS and had still have the issue. So we started marking the components before we shipped them out with a black sharpie.

This past week was the second time this year that they sent back a repaired system with a new main board but they claimed they only replaced the hard disk. Why? I just assume they want to be able to blame the HD manufacturer but it still gets my goat that they have lied to me about it at least twice.
[/rant]

 

[Orius]

In contrast, many of my PC using buddies are always talking about malfunctions and the like. However, I realize that they're also not typical users- almost all of them are programmers, so they're likely trying to push their equipment harder than the average user.

Hmm, interesting, I thought a lot of PC problems were caused by users how didn't know what they were doing, rather than people who know just enough to really screw things up.

Still, I've had few PC problems under XP, so I see little reason to jump on the anti-PC bandwagon so many seem to follow.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Hmm, interesting, I thought a lot of PC problems were caused by users how didn't know what they were doing, rather than people who know just enough to really screw things up.

Still, I've had few PC problems under XP, so I see little reason to jump on the anti-PC bandwagon so many seem to follow.

Well, sometimes I am amazed what kind of troubles non-experts get themselves into that I never experienced.

I remember we recently made a usability study on our software, and two of our newer guys got to watch the participants. They came back with the words: "I really didn't know our software is that hard too use!"

These days, I have - for the first time in a very long time over many computers - hardware problems with my PC. It sucks.

 

[Mercule]

Hmm, interesting, I thought a lot of PC problems were caused by users how didn't know what they were doing, rather than people who know just enough to really screw things up.

It depends. I'm a programmer and I like bright shinies (the two often go together). So, I do things like try out a series of similar applications that don't play well, mess with configuration settings most users aren't aware of, and edit the registry.

I've had some pretty spectacular crashes, but it's in the name of learning something new. Any more, I've got my "dev PC" and a "family PC" at home. The family PC is stable and runs pretty well because I'm the only user with administrative permissions. My dev PC needs a rebuild every 6 months or so. But, I know that going into the deal, so it's not quite the same thing as what happens to novice users.

 

[Steel_Wind]

PC. It's not really even in doubt.

When it comes to games, software, expense and upgrading, the PC is vastly more better served, with vastly more choices, cheaper and more accessible. And yes, faster, too.

Apart from some highly technical niche applications (photo editing for use in print media being one of them - and even then...) there really is no rational basis for choosing a Mac.

That said, these discussions are generally not based on rational criteria at all. Instead, they devolve quickly into religious arguments. And when that occurs, the old addage that it is impossible to reason someone out of a position they did not reason themself into in the first place prevails.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Apart from some highly technical niche applications (photo editing for use in print media being one of them - and even then...) there really is no rational basis for choosing a Mac.

I don't know why you think it is clever to insult everyone on this thread who already uses a Mac, but you won't be posting in it again.

Threadbanned.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Well, my first computer was a Mac, then I used a PC for about a decade, and then I made a conscious decision to use a Mac again.

Having experienced both operating systems through multiple iterations, it comes down a matter of preference -- I find Mac to be easier and more fun to use, it's more intuitive, seemlessly integrated with other aspects of the Apple universe (like my iPhone), and seldom has the kinds of incredibly irritating problems I used to experience with my PC. Plus, NO VIRUSES!

So, I don't know whether those constitute a rational basis for my decision, but those are my reasons, and they seem pretty good to me.

 

[tomtill]

Mac

I use both Macs and Windows. I prefer Macs overall. I use Windows for specialized purposes.

More to the point for this poll, if I have a choice, I will choose to run the software version that runs on the Mac, even if it is missing features. If I bother to crank up the PC version, it is only because I really need those particular features. If I can avoid using the PC application at all, I usually do. If there is a native Mac version written in Cocoa, I will use that instead. Why?

Note that I agree with previous posters who said that Apple QC has deteriorated. I believe the thin notebooks they've released are overly flexible and prone to problems as a result. (I hope the new solid aluminum ones will have solved this issue.) I believe that Apple should do a better job of standing behind their products, and make a greater effort to keep their offerings in line with the rest of the market cost-wise (after all, they are built now using off-the-shelf components). I dislike elitism. That said, I haven't noticed any particular largess from PC companies like Dell or Sony, either, though the consumer does benefit from greater competitive pressures.

So why use Macs? I am familiar enough with XP that others come to me to help troubleshoot their computers, both software and hardware. I have built two from the motherboard up. I use XP every day at work. I maintain my wife's and daughter's XP, and my son's Vista. I am writing this long post because I am asking myself this question: why do I gravitate towards Macs, even though I have to deal with "premium" costs and incompatibility issues?

I can't think of an easy answer. Only that overall, after several hours of use, I am less likely to be frustrated by MacOSX than Windows. It is even a pleasurable experience. Your mileage may vary, especially if you have been heavily trained under Windows. The workflows are quite different. Oh, and if you are in the market for a new computer, Macs of today have almost nothing in common with their legacy, other than the name and the Apple logo. They are modified Unix-based systems on Intel processors (usually with relatively anemic graphic cards).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

See my issue with that is that I hear the very same arguments from the people here (at work). They say “but this Apple always works and I never have any issues with it!” and then I pull up the work logs and show them that the reality they live in is not the reality I work in. And then they go to the director and complain that we keep a work log.

I don't doubt that there are people who have Macs that have hardware problems. I'm just not one of them. Nor are my parents. My Dad is still using some original iMacs in his office for writing up his notes for patient files. Oh yeah- he just found a power-cord for his laptop, too (which he needs- the rechargable battery is simply dead).

Really, though, any manufacturer can produce garbage, regardless of industry. In my lifetime, my family has owned 4 Volvos. The first 2 lasted nearly 18 years each. One only lasted a few years, but that was because it was accordioned in a wreck. The last one was sold while in perfect working order at age 4.

OTOH, I had some friends who had 1 Volvo. In the 5 years they owned it, it spent nearly 1 1/2 years at the mechanic's. That is no exaggeration- the thing was a classic lemon.

 

[Thanee]

Plus, NO VIRUSES!

I would be careful with that... naturally, PCs get the bulk of the attention, but Macs surely are also attacked.

Bye
Thanee