Mac vs. PC

[smarteyeball]

This picture was posted on some thread around here, now I can't remember was it Dwarf or someone else, but you know that phrase, one picture thousand words? Peace, there shall be not
View attachment 51917

Regardless of who originally posted it, that is definitely worth a thousand words. All of them correct

 

[TheTeZ]

I started out with the Mac 512 back in 84/85 owned a few mac laptops and went into PC repair/networking in 97, I have used PC ever since, I like the OS X and now like windows 7 just as much. If I could afford it I would own the new Alienware M11X and a Macbook. Alienware would be for gaming and the Macbook would be my video and art machine.

you have no idea how disappointed i was when i found out dell owns alienware

 

[Grimmjow]

So guys, how's the market in the States split between the big players? PCs, Macs.... Around here Macs aren't very popular, actually I don't now anyone that is using Mac, schools were using Windows, now there was some project or something, and they switched to Linux...

 

[jimbo45]

Hi
This type of thread is like what is better : Mercs, BMW's or Audi's.

Most people won't be disappointed by ANY of these.

These days performance wise etc there isn't much of a difference in which platform Windows or Macs so you have to make your choice on YOUR preferences -- remeber also that in general MACS are far more expensive than PC's and applications more limited.

Years ago almost ANYBODY doing any type of multi-media or still image processing / publishing would have used MACS without question.

Windows 7 changes the whole dynamic. It's stable, efficient and the UI has been tarted up.

Some people still prefer the UI of the MAC and to people who have never used a computer the MAC interface is slightly more "intuitive" and easier to master -- On this Forum people are experienced Windows users so this remark might seem strange but its based on my observations over the years - and I'm a 99.999% Windows user. I have used MACS and LINUX too.

I'd say these days that it really is a question of USER preferences and possibly cost.

Things like security considerations are not really relevant any more since most security problems now tend to be of "Phishing" and "Social Engineering" which is Platform Agnostic -- in plain English - not caused by the particular OS but by the Users actions on entering Bank data for example into "Rogue" internet sites.

So Mac vs PC doesn't really have any significance apart from your personal preferences.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[pparks1]

you have no idea how disappointed i was when i found out dell owns alienware

Yeah, lots of people seem to have been disappointed with that. Seems that a lot of people harbor bad feelings towards Dell....or just about any manufactured PC for that matter. My personal experiences with Dell have been pretty decent, from the machines that I have used at work to the couple of personal Dell's that I bought years ago for home use.

So guys, how's the market in the States split between the big players? PCs, Macs.... Around here Macs aren't very popular, actually I don't now anyone that is using Mac, schools were using Windows, now there was some project or something, and they switched to Linux...

In the states, the overwhelming majority of computers are PC's. Mac has a small marketshare. Generally speaking, the MAC's are heavily used in graphics processing and editing...so marketing departments in corporations sometimes have them for Photoshop and the like. That's the way it was at the last company that I worked for. We had about 1,000 PC desktops and about 10 MAC's for the marketing department. At my current employer, we have quite a number of developers now who prefer to use MacBook Pro's running both OSX and Windows. They say it gives them everything they need.

In addition, certain parts of the country seem to be more centric to Apple. For example, my brother in law went to college at Stanford in California...and MAC was really the standard there. For him to be best supported on campus, having a MAC was pretty much the only way to go.

I'd say these days that it really is a question of USER preferences and possibly cost.

I agree with this.

I'd also add that Mac has the "Trendy" factor going for it. So for those who like to be Trendy and do "What all the cool kids are doing"...will most likely gravitate towards the Mac.

 

[Grimmjow]

So guys, how's the market in the States split between the big players? PCs, Macs.... Around here Macs aren't very popular, actually I don't now anyone that is using Mac, schools were using Windows, now there was some project or something, and they switched to Linux...

In the states, the overwhelming majority of computers are PC's. Mac has a small marketshare. Generally speaking, the MAC's are heavily used in graphics processing and editing...so marketing departments in corporations sometimes have them for Photoshop and the like. That's the way it was at the last company that I worked for. We had about 1,000 PC desktops and about 10 MAC's for the marketing department. At my current employer, we have quite a number of developers now who prefer to use MacBook Pro's running both OSX and Windows. They say it gives them everything they need.
In addition, certain parts of the country seem to be more centric to Apple. For example, my brother in law went to college at Stanford in California...and MAC was really the standard there. For him to be best supported on campus, having a MAC was pretty much the only way to go.

Thanks for your time to answer my curiosity, pretty much informative

 

[TheTeZ]

as a "pc tech" i just dont really like the dells, i dont know if i would say all dells, but their budget pc's and their student editions are horrible. and they give a bad name to dell, but working on them, youll see how stupid the company can be at times...

 

[pparks1]

I'm a systems admin for a living and have been for 10+ years. My experience has been mainly with their business like (optiplex machines) and their business laptops (latitudes).

I understand where you are coming from though. As a long time user of Compaq ProLiant servers, and now HP Proliants, I love them. But working on a few Compaq presario machines left a ton to be desired. It was amazing that both machines had the same company logo on them.

 

[sergiogarcia9]

I like apple's design. But come on. The price is f'ed up, you can get a normal PC 4 times as good for the same money.
In the end, Apple is some overpriced-sh*t

 

[PhreePhly]

In comparison, a $2000 MacBook Pro has the same default-specs as a $1,000-$1,500 Laptop-PC.

To be fair though, the MAC hardware is very nice and well designed. It feels pretty darn sturdy. It's not typically built cheaply.

For comparison sake, a 15" MacBook Pro running a 2.53Ghz core 2 duo cpu, with 4GB's of DDR3 ram, a 250gb Hard Drive, webcam, illuminated keyboard, DVD burner, running a GeForce 9400M graphics card, supporting 1440x900 resolution, with a 7 hour battery is $1699.

A Dell Latitude E6500 laptop, with the WXGA+ screen which does 1440 x 900, plus an Nvidia NVS 160M video card, with 4GB of DDR2 RAM, with a built-in webcam, a 250GB hard drive, a DVD burner, with BlueTooth, illuminated keyboard and a 9 cell battery is $1450.

So, only about $250 difference.

Granted, you can buy cheaper made laptops and lower quality parts and drive your price down....but when you do such a thing you aren't really comparing evenly. Sure, a Ford Focus can get you 100 miles down the road on a full tank of gas...but then so can a Corvette or a Cadillac....doesn't make them the same thing.

Okay, I just priced a Studio XPS Laptop. This is a nicely built laptop.

Processor:
Intel Core i7-720QM

Memory:
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
Monitor:
Full HD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD (1920x1080) W/2.0 MP

Hard Drive:
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive 500GB
Video Card:
ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 4670 – 1GB

Battery:
85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Sound:
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi MB
Bluetooth Options:
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)

Wireless:
Intel® 5300 WLAN Wireless-N (3x3) Mini Card
CD ROM/DVD ROM:
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

Network Card:
Integrated 10/100 Network CardINTNIC1[430-3605]

This includes an illuminated keyboard, USB and eSATA ports, HDMI, Display Port, Card Reader, Express Card slot, Firewire.

$1574

No, Apple does not compete on the price.

 

[macgyver2]

I have 2 gaming friends who work at Alienware and even though dell owns the company the designs etc are still the same guys/girls from Alienware before dell started paying the bills. They let Dell buy them out cause they had some $$$ issues a few years ago and to stay operating Dell bought the major shares and let the designers and builders remain making the choices for the machines. It also gave alienware another outlet for selling the machines.

Being as picky as I admit I would buy Alienware by Dell before any other high end PC, I think Alienware builds like Apple builds and they pick each part and won't use parts just cause they are new or popular.

I started out with the Mac 512 back in 84/85 owned a few mac laptops and went into PC repair/networking in 97, I have used PC ever since, I like the OS X and now like windows 7 just as much. If I could afford it I would own the new Alienware M11X and a Macbook. Alienware would be for gaming and the Macbook would be my video and art machine.

you have no idea how disappointed i was when i found out dell owns alienware

 

[macgyver2]

Macgyver2, got you beat on the Apple's; Started out with the Apple II then on to the IIe then into the Commodore 64 and then the Mac Plus (1987) from there two many to mention. Got into the MS camp in 1993-94 with NT 3.5. At present I gave my Gateway FX-7026 to one of my brothers (only one of ten kids with kids at home). Will be thinking about a new PC, albeit at present the iMac 27" will have do of course there is the HP laptop.

Lee My father started me out at the age of 5 so what ever computers were around in 75 is where I truly started. When I made that post I was only referring to computers that were considered mine. My dad had all the Apple's and then in 1984 bought the first Mac (he still has the case with the signed insides) , I got the Mac 512 as my first computer and not the family computer. I personally have owned way to many computers from Apple, HP, Dell and custom builds that I can't count how many LOL.