Pc or mac?

I need to get a new 'puter. I'm undecided between another pc or getting a mac. I use my pc for work as well as leisure - what are the limits benefits of either? Please help, I need to be getting something soon as my pc is slowly dying a death of s thousand cuts.

Comments

  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    I use both. The iMac is soooooooooo pretty.image I've been using it for nearly a year and haven't seen any drawbacks yet.
  • Get a Mac, you can bootcamp it and have one half running Mac OS and the other running windows...image
  • I've long been a PC advocate. Never had any particular problems with them, even though I'm a software developer with a tendency to knacker things.

    However, I also love my MacBook Pro - it's gorgeous.
  • I love my MacBook Pro too....image
  • I bought my Macbook 2 years ago, and I'm really pleased with it. As Dellh said, I also split it between Mac and Windows XP operating systems.
  • Hmmmmm

    Plastic coat or a Mac ???

    Defo a plastic coat cos macs are too long and can get caught in the spokes of the back wheel.
    [whispers] And really old people wear Macs image

  • Another vote for a Mac. I ditched my Windows laptop for a macbook last summer. Probably one of the best decisions I've made in a long time, can't believe I didn't do it years ago. Loads of plus points but the main one is Macs just work! They're fast, intuitive and (as mentioned) so pretty! I love the keyboard on my macbook too, it's a joy to type on it.
  • I use both PC and Mac (with Bootcamp installed) - they have their plus and minus points. the downside of Mac for me is for business as my productivity software only works with MS - but with Bootcamp offering a dual boot into MS, then it serves nicely as a home PC

    the alternative YODS is to replace the OS on the PC with Linux which is both free and easy to use - I had an old laptop which was giving grief under Windows but I replaced with Ubuntu which is probably the most usable of all the various Linux distros - it looks and feels like a standard PC. it has been given a new lease of life doing that

    and head over to Google Apps for free word processing etc - it's just like MS Office but is free and accessible from anywhere.

    the upcoming ChromeOS looks interesting but is only at the beta stage - it will take off I am sure when freely available. www.google.com/chromeos if you're interested......

    then there are the tablets - Apple v Android

    so many choices
  • The Mac vs PC debate is so tedious these days. My MBP was £1700. If I spent £1200 on a Windows-based laptop I'd have got the same or better performance.

    The difference between design applications (such as PhotoShop) for Windows and PC is so trivial these days that unless you've already bought in to hardware and software it's of no consideration.

    The bottom line is that you should chose based on your own bottom line. I got mine because I wanted it - the screen is superb, the whole thing looks fantastic, and you needed OSX to develop iPhone/iPad apps.

    People associate PCs with dinosaurs and BSOD because they've not used modern ones with the latest processors (the same as those in Macs) and the latest operating system - Windows 7 is so much better than Vista, the Windows ME of its day.
  • ChromeOS does look interesting, but it will never take off in a big way because you have to run it on approved devices. It's not a fat OS - it's entirely designed for cloud-based computing, and has now local storage capability. It won't be something you can download and install yourself.
  • IM - you're not far wrong in that the whole Mac v PC debate is no longer valid - they both do their jobs very well, although the Mac camp will always think they have this air of superiority, and to be fair, Apple does generally have the edge when it comes to designs and innovation of ideas on the boxes themselves. But at the end of the day it's the OS that makes the real difference.

    with more and more programs being run from the cloud, everything is becoming more browser based anyway which is where the tablets are now scoring well in that you don't need large amounts of drive space so the boxes are getting simpler - that's why the ChromeOS and the box it will run on is VERY interesting
  • "but it will never take off in a big way because you have to run it on approved devices"

    errrm - MacOS, iOS??? can't download and run them on unapproved devices..... image
  • iMac for me... but I've binned the crappy keyboard and mouse.

  • I would go with Macs only because I've used them for 20 years and know my way around them. I have no air of superiority though image.

    Is it still true that Macs are less likely to suffer at the hands of viruses?
  • @fb - ChromeOS is far more limiting than MacOS. It's stuck between tablet and netbook. It's the Linux of the mobile OS world - it'll be loved by geeks and nerds, but will remain an item of mystery to others.

    For info., you *can* install MacOS on non-Apple devices.
  • yes - you can install MacOS on non-Apple but your average punter won't go there.........bit like you can crack iOS on an iPhone but again, more for the experts than the "masses"

    sure ChromeOS is limited but if you look at the market they's pitching at - those who just need access to the internet, social networks, e-mail and perhaps some office (Google Apps) applications - I suspect it's on the button. with a netbook like form and a standard keyboard, I think it will do well. and because it has no big memory, no large drive, no DVD it will be quite cheap as well - that will appeal to many

  • Your average punter won't go anywhere near installing any OS on any machine.

    I'm not knocking the ChromeOS machines at all. I like the idea of fast, light notebook, but they're not mass-market, and by the time they're available tablet devices may well have too strong a grip on the casual market. Perhaps that they offer a sub-set of features over netbooks will give them an edge over small laptops. As an option for students they're probably ideal, but the storage issue is a massive consideration for many. What about people who use digital cameras? A ChromeOS device could only viably be a second machine, just like an iPad2...

    It'll be interesting to see what happens with 3G/4G data packages to make it a viable mobile device.
  • ... and you get Angry Birds on iPad!
  • "As an option for students they're probably ideal, but the storage issue is a massive consideration for many."

    I can also see a market with sales reps on the road, utilities guys, field staff of all sorts - a lot of these guys need simple data access and for reports with SaaS products. and they tend to like keyboards for this and cheap prices for the companies as they would be bought in bulk.

    tablets are seen as a lifestyle product, ChromeOS could end up being a good business product. remember the Psion netbook in the 90's and their earlier MC range?? they were ahead of the game with a small portable PC - ChromeOS could be the product that the Psion could have been.

    but as you say the rate limiting factor will be the data packages - if the ChromeOS boxes are wi-fi only, they'll die.
  • The practice of putting Mac OS on PCs is also known as "Hackintosh"image
  • The PC. It's cheaper.
  • If I just used a computer for a word processor, excel, internet and email, I would go with a PC. But my devotion to Mac is based purely on software for work. Lots of useful bits and bobs that I can only get on Mac, or that are far cheaper than the PC equivalent. So the initial costs were higher, but I saved on licensing costs. I personally don't use Microsoft office at all and don't need to. But the Mac interpretation of excel (Numbers) is really horrible if you need to do any macros or owt a bit more complicated.

    For everyday stuff, photos, music etc my Mac just works and is really easy and instinctive to use. For work stuff, I have to put in a bit more work to track down what I need - but when you find it, it works well, is usually cheap, and often I am surprised by the genius of what can be done.

    Also battery power on my MacBook Pro is incredible. I can get 8 or 9 hours out of it if I am not processing too much stuff at once. I have to travel a lot, and this is a really big plus to me.
  • I have a Mac and love it, never had any problems at all. Not going to pretend I bought it for any technical reasons though. It is pretty to look at the salesman was too!
  • I have absolutely no idea, but I saw this today and it made me think of this thread image......

    The Oatmeal

  • LOL - love the Linux part of that. I recently set up an old laptop with Ubuntu Linux - probably the most user friendly version around - and it works well for most things like mail and web browsing, but there are some programs that you want to install when you have to get into Linux geek mode using command lines - bit like going back to the old MS-Dos days - which can be incredibly frustrating if you aren't familiar with it which I'm not.
Sign In or Register to comment.