The age old Mac vs PC debate rages on. However, there will always be many a blogger denouncing the Mac and defending the PC and vice versa.
I'm willing to accept that there must be something good about MAC's otherwise people would not buy them, yeah? Peoples love of fashion and the chaps over at Apple have cashed in on the people who simply can't be seen in public with a laptop that doesn't have a glowing Apple symbol on the back of it.
Every time I ask a MAC user why they love their Mac, they respond with "its just so easy to use!" Sure this is a valid point. I then ask "what do you actually use it for?"
9 times out of 10, the answer is "Err, well I check my email, surf the web and look at photos & stuff."
Wow, really?....& you can't do that on a PC just as adequately then?
From my experience, the vast majority of people that I have come into contact with who use MAC's are simpletons (save a few who use it for very good albeit singular purposes, such as video editing with Final Cut Pro, or sound mixing with Garageband.)
My home PC(s) run Windows XP, Windows 7 & Linux. I have a 2.6mhz Quad Core 2 Duo & 4gb of RAM. I can multitask between Photoshop, Firefox, Wavelab & Powerpoint quite satisfactorily.
- I am a power user.
- I am very productive on my PC.
- I can customise it in any way I like.
- Its costs half the price of the MAC and it goes twice as fast.
- It is not a fashion statement & I'm not really sure that I would want it to be.
I do in fact have MAC's. A few G3 Imacs that I picked up for £20 each & a G4 Powermac that was kindly given to me by a very good friend who has always dabbled in MAC.
They're...err...ok i spose. They're a little dated now but run fairly cleanly. However, after having spent many years using PCs (I remember being issued one at work in 1995 & being told "Here's your new computer - now see how you get on with it.") the PC does exactly what it says on the tin.
With not so much as a hint of a tutorial or any real direction, I managed to overcome the fear of "fucking something up!" This lead to a much better understanding of how the beasts worked & has stood me in good stead these past few years by way of being able to assist others who have "bricked" their PC's through ignorance or downright bad/non-existent maintenance.
People also ask me, "Should I get a MAC or a PC?"
I reply with "What exactly do you want to do with it?"
You wouldn't believe how many times this response has un-nerved people. Generally people do have a specific purpose but the majority say "Well.....i wanna go on the Internet, download music & organise my photos...you know?"
A good friend of mine likened the MAC vs PC debate as being similar to buying a car.
On the one hand, you can buy a Ford.
Fords are relatively inexpensive to buy & when you need spares there's a wealth of availability- again, at reasonable prices.
Or you could buy a BMW.
A BMW will set you back considerably more than a Ford, is more stylish but spares will cost you more than double the price of the Fords & are not always so readily available.
Sure- it's horses for courses & both have their redeeming features but there is a certain amount of what i call "ignorant pomposity" by the "MAC-set" who look down their stylish noses at the masses & denounce PCs (even after having migrated from them) like a Scientologist trying to tap into someone who's "Fair Game!"
So, I often wonder just how many MAC's are being used significantly? Other that is, than being a symbol of how sophisticated the owner is.
If you like your MAC then good for you - but like the plethera of different religions that often find themselves at our doorsteps or plying passing trade at the local shopping centre, I say "If that's what you choose to believe & if it works for you- all very well but don't try & shove it down my throat as I'm quite happy the way I am thank you!"
MAC? you can keep it & I'll keep my PC. If you're as happy with it as I'm mine - there's no problem then....or is there???
Wow my sentiments exactly... I work within the sector that just assumes you will use mac's chiefly because the people who use them do not have the sence to make significant changes to anything important. The OS takes much of the responsibility/freedom away from its user. Go have a look at the dumbed down control panel for a microcosmic view of the way apple treats its customers. Or alternatively go have a look at the iPhone and the restrictive nature it has when trying to put on your own material. All signs of a manufacturer who has managed the software alchemy of giving the user what the apple company wants while making the user think the reverse.
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