Macs are better than PCs

It only takes a few hours for anyone to get familiar with a Mac. The programs that come pre-installed on a Mac are easy to use, powerful and have well-polished interfaces. “Nice looking graphics” however are only one aspect of the package. The included software is efficient and works better than the included alternatives in Windows, and often outshines even paid alternatives.

One person’s opinion on user interface does not reflect the general consensus. Most people who find Macs hard to operate are those who don’t want to get used to anything that differs even slightly from what they are used to already. The minimize problem is a great example of this. On windows, the close, minimize and maximize buttons are located on the top right corner of a window and marked with x, a dash and a square respectively. On a Mac, these buttons are located on the top left and are colored red, yellow and green respectively, thus mimicking the more intuitive traffic light pattern. (When a user moves the moves over these buttons, they display an x, -, and + respectively.).

Besides, the Mac’s GUI is so popular and loved, that Microsoft have stolen/copied it. Windows Vista and 7 are a proof of that. All the new in their GUI’s is a copy of Mac one, but rotten and corrupt, a wrong/bad copy. Two example, in W-Vista the Sidebar Windows is the same thing that Mac Widget, but it use more computer recourses and have a “Bar” even if you display your gadget across all the desktop.

It’s true that there is several programs and games only Windows Compatible, but there aren’t few for mac users. A Mac user can find anything for his/her needs.

Even though the widely held perception of “Mac Invincibility” to malware has been under question recently, Apple’s Mac OS X is still widely regarded to be less vulnerable to security threats since most computer hackers write code that predominantly targets Windows based machines.

F-Secure warns Mac users to take security seriously but admits that the number of attacks on Macs are relatively low. A Google search produces about 120 results for “Mac malware”. Norton Antivirus for Mac lists just under 20 viruses that affect Macs.[http://gizmodo.com/337077/us-army-to-instigate-wider-mac-implementation]] The US Army recently initiated a program (under the leadership of Jonathan Browsky) to add more Macs to its Arsenal. Following internet attacks on the Pentagon and members of the army industrial complex such as Boeing and Raytheon, the Army has been working to increase network security and eliminate flaws within the network. The decision to employ a larger percentage of Macs was a penultimate measure to achieve these goals.


Even in spite of the recent exploit in Canada, Macs are less likely to develop problems with malware and viruses because of 4 important facts.

1) Mac OS X users don’t run with administrator privileges. Until Windows Vista, almost every Windows user had all privileges to install and modify their OS at all times. Mac OS X, on the other hand, always has users run without such privileges. That means you have to type a password to install or change any critical system software. That minimizes the damage that Web or email-based malware can do. And unlike Windows, there is no compatibility requirement for ActiveX binary code insertion into the user or kernel environment via the Web in Mac OS X.

2) Mac OS X has less spaghetti code. Ask any security guru and he or she will tell you: a simpler software model is easier to secure than a complex one. Any Unix has only about 200 entry points into the secure kernel environment. And while there are many libraries in the Mac OS X system, most of those don’t have enough privileges to do anything really bad.

3) Mac OS X mail doesn’t automatically run attachments. One of the poorest security decisions that Microsoft made was that back in 2000 or so, it configured its Outlook and Outlook Express mail systems to automatically execute script code on incoming HTML email without any user action required. This was one of the big vectors for virus proliferation earlier this decade. Microsoft has since patched that problem, but it remains a headache for the entire Microsoft ecosystem because unpatched systems still exist. Meanwhile, Apple mail systems have never run attachments or HTML code automatically, so this very common vector for virus transmission just doesn’t exist in the Apple world.

4) Apple can actively manage and verify its hardware Apple doesn’t need to sacrifice security for compatibility with a million different hardware configurations. In fact, as we’ve seen in its latest Leopard launch, Apple actively prunes the number of hardware configurations it supports. And Apple has demonstrated with its iPhone that it is no stranger to locking down its hardware/software products to guarantee a good user experience. As a result, Apple doesn’t have to provide insecure compatibility interfaces for old hardware or software systems—and therefore can minimize its threat exposure.

Furthermore, Safari is based on WebKit, which is open source. Charlie Miller was able to develop an exploit for Safari because he used his access to WebKit’s source code, while had this exploit been in the wild from the get-go, more than likely a third party would have discovered the flaw and disclosed it before it could become a significant threat. That’s the beauty of open source. Miller actually held back the exploit so that he could win some money and fame, which is contrary to what open source is supposed to be about.

And the simple fact remains, no hacker was able to hack into the MacBook Air remotely on the first day of competition. In order to get his exploit to work, Charlie Millier had to use a crossover cable that connected his MacBook directly with the MacBook Air in question. He was also allowed to direct the MacBook Air user directly to the malicious site containing his exploit.

Everything on a Mac works out of the box. Since Apple produces their software to work with specific hardware of their designation, consumers don’t have to worry about drivers, upgrades and compatibility issues. Everything just works out of the box.

Most Macs now ship with built-in, high-quality microphones and webcam. This reflects on the ease of use and hassle-free experience that Apple strives to provide its customers. No device, be it a computer or a washing machine, is ever 100% reliable, but Apples are much more reliable than most, and having the whole computer hardware and software package come from one supplier reduces problems when trying to work out which company is at fault. Applecare is fast and covers most hardware and software issues, and Mac ‘Geniuses’ provide a great service to customers on a personal level, that cannot be found in retailers such as PC World.

It is a well-established fact that Macs are traditionally preferred and used by professionals in creative industries such as photography, design, film, media, publishing, music, etc. The stability and robustness of the OS X operating system gives the Mac an edge over PCs which run the buggy Windows OS.

As the number of business-related applications on Macintosh continues to grow, more businesses are switching to Macs, proven by their increasing market share. There is no evidence that teachers, doctors and lawyers prefer PCs. In fact, Apple’s education programme is increasing in uptake, and more and more students are choosing Macs over PCs, facts proven by recent market surveys.

Apple’s market share in the PC industry has shot up ever since the introduction of Intel-based Macs. Before that, Macs were used primarily in advertising, media and other creative industries such as art, photography and music. But now Macs are rising in popularity amongst home and business users.

The market share of Macs in now rising across all demographics, be it students, home makers, professionals or businessmen.

Although the popularity of the iPod has attracted many customers towards Mac computers, most people won’t buy a Mac simply because they like an iPod because of the obvious cost factor. They will buy a Mac for a multitude of reasons: because it suits their needs; because it looks stylish; because it all works out of the box; because it is better.

Compared to most PC’s (Desktops and Laptops) that are covered in stickers and labels, Macs are simple and strikingly beautiful. And when it comes to choosing a “better” car or a “better” house, one of the first things anyone does is choose what is aesthetically pleasing. No-one ever says, “I bought a car that looks as ugly as sin in my opinion”.

iMacs, Macbooks, Macbook Pro’s and the new Macbook Air all subscribe to Apple’s design policy which states: “Simple is good!”

There is a very good reason why people are flocking to buy Macs with better design. Computers are more than simple commodities these days. Everybody has one, so naturally people are more inclined to pick computers that stand out from the beige boxes we’ve come accustomed to. There’s this great analogy in this 3 year old article by Nicholos G. Carr, a writer for BusinessWeek. Carr pretty much predicted the resurgence of Apple after writing an article comparing Dell to Apple. Dell was dismissing the iPod at the time as a fad, but Carr used this analogy about Ford to explain why Apple was going to start dominating the computer market:

“It’s the classic Model T strategy. Like Dell with PCs, Ford Motor came to dominate the car market a century ago by turning the automobile into a cheap, mass-market product. Other manufacturers couldn’t compete with Ford’s extraordinarily efficient operations. By the early ’20s, sales of Ford’s drab but well-built Model T surpassed those of all other U.S. auto makers combined.

Then the market changed. As consumers began to take cars’ basic functions for granted, they started seeking a little pizzazz in their vehicles. An unadorned black roadster was no longer enough — everyone suddenly wanted a stylish set of wheels. Niches proliferated. Fashion mattered… While Ford continued to churn out one-size-fits-all Model Ts, GM introduced a string of attention-grabbing Chevrolet models with smart new features. It also began tweaking its models every year, following the lead of clothes designers. By 1926, Chevrolet was stealing market share from Ford. By 1927, Chevys were actually outselling Model Ts. The market had gone, to use Sloan’s terms, from “mass” to “mass class.”

Okay, so if you don’t understand that simple analogy, you’re never going to get why people love Apple. Many people think that Steve Jobs just throws a fresh coat of paint on Apple products and makes a nice commercial to sucker everyone in, but unless you’ve owned a Mac, you’ll never understand how the power of Macs are more than skin deep.

Steve Jobs once said, “Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer— that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Many people hesitated from buying Macs in the past because Macs couldn’t run windows and some applications are available only on the Windows platform. But since the introduction of Intel-based Macs, Mac users can now run Windows side-by-side with OS X on a Mac and take advantage of both the operating systems, together with the powerful hardware features of the Mac. Dual-booting is made excessively simple through Boot Camp, and virtualisation is easier in Mac’s Parallels Desktop than with programs available for Linux. As someone who has tried to grapple with WINE, I can speak from experience. This makes the Mac the only platform which can enable you to run Mac OS X, Windows and Linux distributions on the same computer!

Gamers can now run all their games on a Mac after installing windows on it. High end Macs have powerful graphic processors that will satisfy even the fussiest of gamers.

Alternatively, with a greater uptake of Macs, a wide variety of games are now available on the OS X platform.

One of the many reasons that game developers are flocking to consoles is due to the unpredictability of the hardware on PCs. It becomes harder to design a game when you must support an endless variety of video cards and processors.

Macs are easier to develop games for due to the fact that the hardware environment is better controlled, much like consoles. It’s not that OS X can’t run games, it’s that Windows has a bigger market share and therefore, it makes more economic sense for the game developers to create games for the PC market.

As the Mac gains more market share, that reality will change.

Note: this is really the opposite of a “negative point”, so it’s duplicated below as “Macs can’t right click”. dont seem to be able to delete points though.

Ok I dont think the point is that pcs were invented first I think the point is that macs do have a easy right click despite having one mouse button. furthermore it is easy to right click heres how put 2 fingers on the trackpad and click or control click both of these will induce a right click command. So guess what mac users do know how to right click oh pc loving one

I have recently returned to using a Mac a year ago after living in exile in the Windows world for several years. I can say that my return to the Mac as a platform has been more exhilarating than a trip to Narnia, often because of the extremely tasty color palette. During my brief exile in the windows world (I was in rehab) I have made some observations. Windows users just seem to be… boring and hyper technical at times. They tend to focus on the trees while missing the forest. I realize some Windows users will take offense at this comment, but it serves to capture the different ethos between the two users.

The Mac platform for me is an intuitive and creative operating system. It not only helps me with basic tasks, but it lets me transcend them as a powerful creative tool. When I am using a Windows machine I feel like I am in a narrow box; however, when I use a Mac I feel like I am leaving the ground for an unknown adventure, as I like to take a hit of LSD right before. When I leave the ground, my creative juices flow like the waters of the Amazon, and a positive torrent of wild thoughts and creations spring forth into the world in which I live. This perhaps explains the extreme emotional attachment people have for their Macs. A Mac is more like a piece of furniture or art as opposed to a cold pale beige business tool.

Dave

I agree with Dave’s point. I have gone to mac from pc and find that I am far more productive in the mac environment than the pc. Instead of figuring out how to make pc do what I want, I just do it. The mac environment is far more intuitive. No longer do I have to mess about with software and hardware that isnt working. On the back of using the mac I have changed my my mobile to an iphone and I am now enjoying the world of mobileme and everything that brings.Yes, there is a premium to pay on the design and the mac equivalent of excel is terrible to use, but other than that, there is no way I would ever revert back to a PC. Full marks to Apple, they have got it right.

While PC’s quickly lose value, macs have a steady value.

That’s because a Mac is designed to be “synchroized” and optimized for its hardware and software combination. That’s why a Mac can run more quickly than a PC, even if the Mac have minor technical specification.

For that reason, a Mac can last running newer aplication over the time, longer than PC.

In the other hand, due to Windows and Linux have to be “compatible” with every PC, and they are a lot of PC model a pieces of hardware, its to difficult for the developers to achieve the best performance of the hardware and the software.

For that reason you have to buy pieces of hardware in order to keep working your PC with the last software in the market.

Macs have a better performance than a pc.

That’s thanks to synchrony and harmony that they have. Apple creates the operating system, Mac OS X, for the computers that they design themselves. That’s why there is only one company which makes Macs: Apple.

In the other hand, Windows and Linux have to be compatible with all the alternatives that the PC market offers to users. Their developers can’t exploit all the potencial of each pieace of hardware.

For that reason a Mac can run faster than a PC, even with less technical specifications. You can compare the initial specifications for Mac and PC, and you will see that Mac offers less ones (in the same commercial segment, coz we have to take in mind, that in PC exists several segments, the cheapest ones don’t exist in Mac), and that’s because the software for mac can run smooth and great with that, on the contrary, Windows and Linux need a better specifications for running well.

Macs are definetly more easy to use, especially when it comes to applications. I used to use Word for all of my projects, but now I turn to Pages, the Apple version. Pages has all of the options right there for you. Also, the Apple film editing application, iMovie, is a lot better than the Windows one that you have to pay extra for, which goes along with the “ready out of the box” thing. I use Macs instead of Windows for all of my school projects. iTunes is also great. No, you do not need an iPod to use iTunes. With a PC, you have to buy an mp3 or an iPod to get iTunes or a similar app. MACS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something interesting to think about is your point about how you say the Microsoft Office suite was “taken” and eventually “developed without Microsoft’s copyright.” Is that really true? Microsoft fully owns their office suite. There is no possible situation in which Apple would be allowed to “steal” Microsoft Office. Also, why would Apple have to develop all the applications for their own operating system? Microsoft sees a need to develop for Mac OS X, and so they did. That’s their own choice. Just because a competing software company is developing applications for a platform that is not their own means nothing.

Also, what is the problem with using iMovie? It is an intuitive application that, yes, does make making movies “fun”. Is there a problem with fun? iMovie makes polished productions that will look far better than anything Windows Movie Maker was ever designed to make, and integrates with the operating system quite well. The reason that some people like to have “fun” with iMovie is because it is so easy to use. There is little learning curve, and makes it very easy to do what you want.

Macintosh iLife is fare more intuitive than Windows Live.

Macs do not ask for a restart on every single app installation. They ask only for critical core updates and therefore allow a user to save time and effort.

Mac have prefect graphic compare to other operation system, that most of graphic designer in the world use Mac.

no

Macs and Windows PCs are not aimed at the same market, as the poster of the argument claims. PCs and Macs both aim at the wide variety of computer markets. At home, Macs are more user-friendly and more “fun” than their PC equivalents. In the office, Mac technologies make networking and data sharing excessively easy, and their general immunity to viruses makes them safer workstations. As a server, Xserve has a dedicated support team that knows the hardware inside out, and is much easier to use than a Linux alternative.

The reason why this debate exists is that we believe that in all the markets, Macs are more capable than PCs.

People pay for looks and style. This is an undeniable fact. Why else do we have catwalks and fashion houses? Mac computers are more expensive, but that is because they are better computers in terms of style and ease of use. A Skoda costs less than a Mercedes that does the same job, but if you gave people the option, more people would choose the Merc any day. Probably because it’s more stylish and easier to use.

The argument that the premium is excessively high is also a non-starter. PC World offers laptops for £300, but for the same tasks that a Macbook can handle, you would not want the £300 laptop. For equivalent laptops, you must look at computers such as the Sony VAIO series, which start from £500 for a very basic model – not far from the £700 of the Macbook (£600 with educational discount), and do not come with nearly as much useful software.

Furthermore, is the fact that there are many PC and PC component suppliers a good thing? If your PC spontaneously breaks down, you have to work out which component is at fault and then fight with that company’s tech support team who will tell you that it must be the fault of someone else’s component. With a Mac, all you need do is take it to Apple and they’ll fix it.

One more thing: although consumers and investors tend to believe Macs cost 20% to 30% more than comparable PCs, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, an investment banking firm, Macs are only on average priced 16% higher than PCs with comparable hardware. With laptops, that percentage goes down to 9%.

in the long run macs are actually cheaper than pcs because of all the anti virus and software updates that pc users have to deal with over the years and macs never have to worry about all of that nonsense

This is a common misperception about Macs. Macs use the same hard drives that go into PCs, which means you can easily buy any SATA hard drive from the same sites you order your PC hard drive and replace the one that comes by default with your Mac.

This is also true for RAM and video cards, although with video cards, Apple only creates drivers for a certain selection of cards from both nVIDIA and ATI. A video card not recognized in OS X will however be recognized when using Windows in Boot Camp. However, the argument that “spare parts” are unavailable outside Apple does not stand up.

And we have to take in mind, that indeed they are pieces of hardware as Ram, videocards, ans other which are no Mac compatible. But that’s because Mac oS X is optimized, as we said before in the point about the Mac performance, for certain hardware, and Windows and Linux no.

This is a complete generalisation. Not every person who owns a Mac believes they have bought a lifestyle, just as not every person who owns a PC enjoys making sweeping statements about those who don’t.

Every debate of this kind is started by a Mac user. That is in no way true. Some Mac users do like to think that their computers are better than most other Windows or Linux computers on the market. Isn’t that truly natural? What’s the problem with having self esteem? Something interesting to think about is that if every debate made in this way was started by a Mac user, how many PC users even want to stand up? How many truly think that they are able to back up their points if every debate of this kind is started by a Mac user?

15% of all laptops fail in the first year. This is not a problem with Apple, this is a problem with all laptops, which contain hard drives that were not created to be portable. While flash drives will make this problem a thing of the past, Mac users who buy real computers like Mac Pros, experience a level of satisfaction unprecedented in the computer industry.

Mac Pro users have been known to have earlier models like G3 PowerMacs for up to 10 years after buying them and can easily sell their machines when they get ready to upgrade because Macs have the highest resale values in the industry.

The build quality of macintosh laptops is much stronger than that of the average laptop. Macs can be customized with RAM and hard drive space, just as any other laptop. and who uses ultraportables anyway, those are a big gimmick if you ask me.

And finally, we can’t forget, that Mac are optimized and armonizad for certain hardware-software combination.

Macs have always had the ability to right click. That they don’t is the biggest myth in the history of Mac computing. Before the introduction of the multi-touch Mighty Mouse in 2005, you could right click on a Mac by holding down the CONTROL key and clicking. Macs were always capable of using any HID compliant mouse. The right click on those third party mice would work exactly like the right click on a comparable Windows machine.

The important thing is that on a Mac, you don’t need to right click. It makes things a lot easier of course, but you can live without it because Our Holy Lord Steve Jobs decided it was cheaper.

Users of Macbooks and Macbook Pro’s can enable the two finger right-click in System Preferences. The right click then works by tapping two fingers simultaneously on the touchpad

The higher quality of Macs has nothing to do with their exclusivity. It also isn’t about having better hardware: it is about how you *use* that hardware.

The Mac OS X operating system can use the same hardware more efficiently than Windows XP and Vista. In order to run Vista with Aero, you will need a *minimum* of: a processor at 1 GHz (I’m thinking you will need higher to make it smooth) with 2 GB of RAM and a 128 MB video card.

In contrast, you can run Leopard with all the bells and whistles on a 768 MHz Powerbook running 1.25 GB of RAM and a *32* MB video card.

The operating system starts up faster, runs faster, and gets the same tasks done with less hassle, all with less hardware. *That’s* why they are better.

To argue the point about PCs currently being more popular than Macs in the current market, the share of the Mac has grown quickly year-over-year, while the market share of the Windows operating system has dropped quickly, and a slowdown in the growth of that operating system is evident. More and more are turning to Macs, and that is fact.

As someone who works with Macs and PCs, this argument does not stand up. The only reason why I can conceive that you would have to convert file formats is because you are using an obscure piece of software that hasn’t been released either on the other format.

As regards the argument that Macs break down after the warranty period is over, this is also false. I use, and other people also use, Macs that have had no need of repairs or even memory upgrades for seven years. Try using a seven year old PC now.

Apple is a business like any other – the tactic of releasing a new product soon after another is not unique. Look at Microsoft – the next version of Windows is scheduled for a 2009 release, only two years after Vista ‘launched’.

First at all, we have to clarify Microsoft, Windows and Office terms. Microsoft is a enterprise, they create Windows, an operating system, Office, a office suite, and other software. It’s like Tommy Hilfiger, which make t-shirts, bags, etc.

Microsoft sell software, so they are not going to lost Mac users pontencial consumers. For that reason they create Office for Mac, and Internet Explorer, etc.

Apple sell software, too. And they are not going to lost PC users potencial consumers. For that reason they create Quicktime and iTunes for Windows.

They are no working together, they’re just doing their bussines: sell. It’s like if Tommy Hilfiger decides don’t to sell clothes whom use Addidas, or to think that they sell clothes to everybody just because they are working together.

Furthermore, Apple can’t ban Microsoft to develop to ther platform, that’s a monopolizing behaviour that is forbidden around the world. Indeed, Microsoft was accused of obstruct the third party developer to create software for their Windows operating system. And, at the end, a court condemned Microsoft.

Finally, Mac and PC have differents architectures in design and software. As We have said before, Mac have a optimized, synchronized and harmonizaed software-hardware combination, and Mac OSX is building in a modular way. Two features that a PC doesn’t have. In the linux hand, a Mac with Linux is not a Mac, Mac is a computer designed by Apple with a operating system designed by Apple, that the Mac magic.

An Intel Mac does not run off of the same base as an Intel Windows computer. Linux is a different story. Windows runs off of the MS-DOS base, a base criticized for its lack of built-in security and inefficient development. Macs instead run off of UNIX, a stable, secure operating system base that runs in an entirely different way. PCs and Macs do have the same x86 architecture, but that is for CPUs, not operating systems, which I believe is the point being brought up.

Mac are just the best thing you can have this start from the design and the quality of it. I am a media student and all along i have been using mac and their have got good graphics and fast as well. however their very expensive but the money is worth it!

Is that really a problem? Is there really a problem that Macs are gaining market share for this reason? People are recognizing the aggressive marketing and appeal of Apple’s products. A great way for people to want to buy something is because of friends. Friends sometimes do just give false arguments to do something but when people actually look at something and still see that it works well and looks cool, what’s the problem there?