Monday, June 30, 2008

Mac or PC?

Mac or PC? I am asking myself the question that every laptop buyer must ask themselves in the year 2008. Mac or PC? And the answer isn't as easy as deciding between the old guy in the gray suit or young skinny guy in the commercials. (Although let's be serious, I wouldn't date either).

So which do I pick?? Mac's are definitely more expensive but people say they will last longer and cost less in the long run in regard to software. PCs I already know how to use. I'm comfortable, you could say, with their operating system. Mac's are better for artsy stuff but PC's better for document-type stuff. Well, I want a computer that is good at both!

The research out there on the web seems to be passionately for one or the other, so how on earth can one make an educated decision? Oh, I don't know. What should I do?

10 comments:

  1. anonymousJune 30, 2008

    i just found your blog on a link on postsecret. I just made the switch from a PC to a Mac and I adore it. Although the mac was way more expensive, I think it is worth it. I've had it for almost a month and I love it to pieces; I don't think I'll ever go back to a PC!

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  2. i switched over to a mac my freshmen year of college.
    i purchased a used powerbook on ebay, & 3 years later, it`s running pretty well.
    if you`re just absolutely certain that you wouldn`t feel comfortable with the mac operating system, you can get windows on the mac. so it`s sort of win win.
    in summary, hooray macs!

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  3. I'm going with everyone else on here. Mac's are definitely the way to go. I have both a PC and a Mac, and since I got my Mac, I haven't really used my PC. PC's are like high-maintenance girlfriends, you just keep putting more into them, and you still need to get a new one every year or two. I don't think you'll have much trouble with the transition, it only took me about a week to get fully used to it. As far as word processing goes, now that Office is available for Mac, there's no real need to have a PC.

    Hope this helps a little, though in the end it's your call. :)

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  4. I would go with a Mac. My next computer will be a Mac, but that is the mathematician coming out in me. I have a PC and I am just waiting for it to die on me. In the amount of time I have had my computer, it is crashed twice and I have had to get a new hard drive. I am tried of my computer. Try something new!

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  5. You are write about passionate people out there on this subject. Let me see if I can give you some background that might help.

    The way you described the two - artsy vs. documents - was definitely the way it USED to be be. Mac had their niche in the art/marketing/drawing areas and PC had the business world. But ever since Microsoft saw the writing on the wall and produced Microsoft Office for the Mac, that all changed.

    If you were not able to do the same PowerPoints, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets on the Mac, I would definitely say stick with the PC. But since you can now do all of that and be compatible with any document somebody sends you AND it is a more basic, stable operating system, my recommendation is to go with the Mac.

    I currently have a Dell laptop and I have decided that as soon as it dies, I am going to pony up the money to get a Mac.

    Oh yeah, and just so you know, the whole Windows GUI (the pretty icons and how it opens documents, etc) was all based on the Mac operating system. You will be amazed at just how similar they are to operate.

    Good luck...

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  6. well, let me tell you about my Mac/PC experience...
    At work for two summers, I had to use a mac computer...and even though I was using a Windows Office program on the mac, when I would make a powerpoint on the mac, when I would go to present my powerpoint during lab meeting on the PC, my powerpoint was so distorted and the fonts and everything were so different, I would have to take at least 5 minutes before the meeting to correct everything in my powerpoint..a big pain in the butt.
    And Jenn, if you never used a mac before (and knowing you, you don't read instructions) you may have a rough time figuring out how to use the mac. It's a lot different. And the mac laptops, you can't either right click or double click...I can't remember which.
    This coming Christmas, i would have had my PC for two years...and it's doing fine.
    If I were you, I would ask one of the faculty or students at U of M to see what they use or recommend because you will want to be compatible with them

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  7. Thanks for the advice. I think I am leaning *more* toward the Mac now...

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  8. AnonymousJuly 01, 2008

    buy a mac.
    i just bought one and it is the best investment i have ever made.
    i was going to buy a pc, but to buy one with all of the features and ram and gigs, i would be spending as much as i would on a mac, and the mac would still be better.
    pc's suck.
    window's sucks.
    and i noticed someone said that macs are hard to figure out?
    its only because you arent used to. you cant just pick up a bike a ride it if you've never touched one before. once you play around with it, everything becomes so much easier and you think to yourself, how could i have ever lived without this mac?

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  9. AnonymousJuly 02, 2008

    definitely get a mac- it's totally worth the investment. pretty much all of the problems and viruses are aimed at microsoft and windows software, and since i've had an imac- for the past 2 years- i've experienced NONE of the problems i had with my pc. (think about it- pcs are made and sold cheaper, so you have no choice but to buy a new one when one breaks.)

    the only valid arguement i've heard is that pcs are better for games if you're a gamer, but other than that- hands down- go with a mac. you'll be glad you did in the long run.

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  10. i've had my Dell laptop for 3 yrs. i haven't had any problems with it. Windows XP professional is way better than vista though. I plan on sticking with PCs in the future.

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