PC vs APPLE debate *which is better*

[alan671]

I am currently having this debate at work with some people (4 all together) right now as I'm typing this thread. 3 of them have been using their Apple for the last 6-8 years and the last 1 had been using both pc and his mac, but the last time he used a pc over a mac was 2 years ago. Now I have told them things have changed since then and even since apple started coming out with their "built to last" computers (desktops/laptops) and I personally believe the pc is and have been always better than apple for overall use *due to apple's limit with certain things* Based on what I have told them regarding why pcs overcome apples, the 4 of them deny my claims and said that they would need solid proof, since the info they're are getting it from are from one person (me) and they would love to hear other opinions (other proof)

So what I'm asking from all of you computer users out there, what is the best computer out there for overall use? PC or Apple? (gaming,movies,video editing,photo rendering,graphics, etc)

If anyone could give me links to site where its been proven that PC overcomes APPLE or vise versa, that will do me much good.

 

[shabby]

Rather than you wasting your time trying to prove the obvious, have them prove to you that macs are better than pc's...

 

[SAmalathion]

It's very pointless to engage in these debates. What system is going to be best for the end-user depends on their individual tastes and preferences. If someone prefers macs, they should use macs. Brand loyalty is a very weird phenomenon and only enables corporate managers to fleece their users.

 

[JackMDS]

Tell your friends that if they have spare time on their hands they would serve humanity Better if they volunteer to help others. :thumbsup:

It would be good with Mac or PC No difference when volunteering. :gift:

 

[alan671]

I know many have said it depends on personal interests, but aint it true when it comes to overall price/performance, the pc overcomes Apple? I mean one of the guys has an apple notebook that he just got and I have seen what his laptop is all about and researched it for this past hour and noticed that my 2 year old system out performs his apple, and his apple just recently came out.

Also the vast majority of computer users (business/personal) are pc users, forgot the link but will post it up, in other related news regarding on what I have just said, apple's market share has only risen 2-3% every year since 2000, but the pc (Dell for example) have been growing in the market 14-19% for the past 4-7 years. Its just funny how apple users (talking about the 4 guys, no offense to other apple users out there) claim that pcs are limited and apple computers are limitless per say.

Yea you have an apple computer, but can you upgrade/customize your apple like you can with pcs? not so much

 

[lxskllr]

With a PC you can walk into a BestBuy, close your eyes, pick any software off the rack, and it'll work on your computer. You can't do that with a Mac.

 

[Winterpool]

Personally I suspect this sort of discussion thread should be locked before fanboys and haters get hold of it. There ought to be some sort of certification of maturity required before one is allowed to discuss such a volatile topic...

If you're looking for quantitative proof of Apple's superiority, you're not going to find it, at least not in a price-performance ratio sense. This should be fairly obvious by now, especially since Macs now use Intel processors. Presuming the buyer is an educated and responsible computer user (which I'll admit Joe Average is decidedly not), then if you're considering Apple at all, your criteria essentially fall into two categories:

1.) Software. Do you find Mac OS X (and its apps) to increase your producitivty? Is it more intuitive, efficient, etc, for your usage? A good test is whether you think iLife makes you suddenly realise the utility of modern computers, or if you think it's just a bunch of overhyped low to mid-powered multimedia apps.

2.) Design. Do you prefer the Steve Jobs / Jonathan Ives aesthetic? That's presuming you think beauty justifies $$$ (I definitely do, whether it's computers, clothes, cities, etc). If not, then Apple is not your brand, and don't bother arguing with people who do care if the things of this world bring pleasure to the senses. To a somewhat lesser extent, one could also argue that Apple design offers superior build quality, though obviously there are 'PC' machines that are also built well, if not better (though they too tend to cost more than commodity Dell kit).

 

[Winterpool]

You may want to peruse this thread, which specifically addresses the 24-inch iMac, but also discusses Mac v 'PC' in more general terms. It started out well (and relatively objective) but later degenerated into the usual religious wars. Reading the thread will also expose you to my trademark bloviating about the 'value' of things (beyond 'utility' in a purely quantifiable sense). Warning: if people persist in dredging up price-performance metrics, I will very likely unleash more pseudo-philosophical prattle on this hopeless subject.

My biggest frustration about this whole business is when the opposing sides fail to realise (or accept) that their criteria , their values, may simply be different, which naturally leads to different choices. Now, if you want to argue the merits of different value-systems, well let's just cut to the chase then, rather than rely on the fairly flimsy proxies of consumer electronics.

 

[pmv]

They both pale into insignificance compared to the MicroVax. VMS, now there was an OS. MVS on the other hand...shudder. Can you imagine an OS that required you to run a special batch job once a week just in order to retrieve all the disk space lost from deleting files?

I miss the days when there were lots of different 'puters and people weren't all obliged to join the PC or Mac tribes (not to mention the PC sub-tribe of Linux gurus).

I can't believe people are still starting threads on this in 2008.

But surely Macs are for arty media types who want to do arty media things and don't want to have to think about techie things, and PCs are for those who like tinkering and optimising and tweaking and getting the best performance for price ratio (though not factoring in all the tinkering time into the price because they like that kind of stuff).

I can't stand Apple's marketing though. All that drivel implying that your choice of which mulitnational profit-crazed corporation to patronise somehow makes you a subversive rebel. God help us. Though come to think of it Intel and MS's adverts have generally been dire also.

PS to OP, petty to pick up on spelling, wouldn't normally, but, well, its in your _signature_.

 

[chinaman1472]

The two are aimed at different markets. Which ever one suits yours needs is the best.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: SAmalathion
It's very pointless to engage in these debates. What system is going to be best for the end-user depends on their individual tastes and preferences. If someone prefers macs, they should use macs.

True...

Besides the fact that alan671 makes such broad generalizations as to preclude any meaningful conclusion.


alan671,
You should debate with your mates over something really useful like which color is best... red or blue... :laugh:

 

[pcgamer321]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: SAmalathion
It's very pointless to engage in these debates. What system is going to be best for the end-user depends on their individual tastes and preferences. If someone prefers macs, they should use macs.

True...

Besides the fact that alan671 makes such broad generalizations as to preclude any meaningful conclusion.


alan671,
You should debate with your mates over something really useful like which color is best... red or blue... :laugh:

Red is better

 

[0roo0roo]

there is no proof. its all preference and what you choose to do with the platform.

its a pointless debate.

video/audio/multimedia editing=apple
gaming=pc
neither wins 100%
optimally you'd be able to own both.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: pcgamer321

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: SAmalathion
It's very pointless to engage in these debates. What system is going to be best for the end-user depends on their individual tastes and preferences. If someone prefers macs, they should use macs.

True...

Besides the fact that alan671 makes such broad generalizations as to preclude any meaningful conclusion.


alan671,
You should debate with your mates over something really useful like which color is best... red or blue... :laugh:

Red is better

Sure red is more vibrant at first. But over time red fades into pink, while blue fades into a softer powder blue.
Also, blue is a more soothing color. :laugh:
Therefore anyone that really knows their colors would choose BLUE.

 

[MarcVenice]

If you look at marketshare, isn't it easy to conclude PC's are better? We'd own macs if macs were better ?

I'm pretty sure you can objectively determine which is better. A computer isn't there to stand in your living room just to be pretty, it has to perform. Otherwise you'd buy a painting or some nice furniture A whole different questions is wether it is relevant to know which is best. If people enjoy using a mac, and it does everything they need it to do, it obviously is good enough for them, a PC being better is then irrelevant. If a PC could do everything they need it to do, for less money, then they should really consider buying a PC. But if they have to money to buy a mac, then there is still no problem at all.

Saying it's inpossible to establish which is best is kind of naive though.

 

[0roo0roo]

market share?

we all wouldn't own macs if they were better because they cost more.
like a lexus vs toyota. better is subjective and specific to narrow definition. if your finances are good a macs premium is not a big deal. its ease of use with ilife/iphoto/idvd/imovie and all the rest of its software that makes things that normal people want to do on their computers easy and fast are much harder to replicate on a pc where for most people the "ability" to do many of those things remain theoretical because its too much trouble to figure out how to get it working.

 

[MarcVenice]

Well, I suppose for a real debate you'd have to outline what you are debating? Is it purely mac OSX, and the software that comes with it? Hardware wise you surely pay to much compared to PC's. Not sure how expensive the software is though.

Still though, if macs are so great, and people really can't figure out how to video-edit on a PC, they'd buy a Mac, even if it was more expensive. But I think video-editing on the PC is no longer as hard as people make it out to be.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: alan671
I am currently having this debate at work with some people (4 all together) right now as I'm typing this thread. 3 of them have been using their Apple for the last 6-8 years and the last 1 had been using both pc and his mac, but the last time he used a pc over a mac was 2 years ago. Now I have told them things have changed since then and even since apple started coming out with their "built to last" computers (desktops/laptops) and I personally believe the pc is and have been always better than apple for overall use *due to apple's limit with certain things* Based on what I have told them regarding why pcs overcome apples, the 4 of them deny my claims and said that they would need solid proof, since the info they're are getting it from are from one person (me) and they would love to hear other opinions (other proof)

So what I'm asking from all of you computer users out there, what is the best computer out there for overall use? PC or Apple? (gaming,movies,video editing,photo rendering,graphics, etc)

If anyone could give me links to site where its been proven that PC overcomes APPLE or vise versa, that will do me much good.

If the stock config is fine for you: Mac. (Mainly because you can always install a Windows OS on it)
If you want to upgrade: Regular PC (no requiring specific Mac graphics cards, more processor freedom through BIOS etc).
If you are pushed for money: regular PC (because a Mac costs more).
If you want to do pretty much anything: Regular PC because of better software availability.

 

[BladeVenom]

It's not even close when it comes to gaming. You can put together a good gaming rig for a $1000 or less.

A Mac Pro starts at $2800. And despite that high price it only comes with a 2600 XT. The best you can get on a Mac Pro is an 8800GT which is already out of date, and no match for the newest cards available for a PC.

Go check any new video card reviews and look how the 8800 GT fairs. Anandtech's benchmarks.

To play most games, a Mac user has to run Windows. Not many games get made for Macs. Which also takes away any claim of a Mac being easier to use, since all the Mac users I know had to learn how to use both operating systems.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
If you look at marketshare, isn't it easy to conclude PC's are better? We'd own macs if macs were better ?

I take issue with your assumption that market share equals "better" or "best".
I'd refer you to the Betamax vs VHS battle of the mid 70's.

 

[JackMDS]

There is nothing that my grandson can do with his Mac Book that I cannot do with my Laptop.

My PC type Laptop cost half of the price of the MacBook so for me the Laptop that I have is the best Bang for the Buck (as far as my needs goes).

The issue is Not technology the issue is the human tendency to view whatever is their own personal needs and capacities as a yard stick to some sort of objective Best (AKA Egocentrism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egocentrism tendencies).

On the other hand since Social desirability can be considered as a personal need too. The MacBook can be the salvation to many, and nothing is wrong with this either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_desirability_bias

 

[0roo0roo]

Well, I suppose for a real debate you'd have to outline what you are debating? Is it purely mac OSX, and the software that comes with it? Hardware wise you surely pay to much compared to PC's. Not sure how expensive the software is though.

equivalent software for the pc tends to cost more. some apple software products even are reasonably priced in family packs if your entire family uses mac it doesn't cost that much. buying many copies of ms software will r@pe you bad.

 

[Slugbait]

Apple is better with their TV commercials.

...except for the Halo 3 commercials, in which case Apple commercials suck. Especially all of their iPhone spots.

Otherwise, if I wanted best performance, and I bled money out of my eye sockets, I'd buy a Mac and install XP on it.

 

[angry hampster]

I just think it's funny how computers that run Mac are not considered "PCs" anymore. PCs can be Mac or Windows-based.


Also, as a photographer and a journalist who has had lots of experience with cutting video and audio, MacOSX is not reliable. I've had countless photoshop crashes on G5 computers with 4GB RAM, especially when joining 30-40 images through photomerge. On my 2GB windows computer at home, it's never crashed during photomerge. Historically, the MacOS has been very effective in maintaining stability in multimedia editing applications, but with the introduction of Windows XP SP2 several years ago, Mac has fallen behind and not recovered. I consider Vista to be just as stable as XP.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: SAmalathion
It's very pointless to engage in these debates.

I thought all those old Apple fanatics were dead. Zombies?