The general audience of computer
users often refers to Apple and Windows brands as Mac and PC. Through decades
of computer design and upgrades, Mac users are often thought to be young, hip
liberals, while PC users are thought to be older, number crunching
conservatives. These stereotypes don’t necessarily make the most sense though.
Hipsters who might want to choose from multiple designs like customized colors
for the shell and a desktop layout might really be happier with a PC. But businessmen
would probably also like Macs for the firewall and anti-virus protection as
well as the uniformity of shell designs and features.
Some pros for the Apple brand are
the closed operating system (or firewall), good standard applications that come
installed on the computer (such as iMovie and Garage Band), and higher quality
hardware. Macs also don’t get as many viruses as PCs users tend to endure and
therefore require less overall maintenance. Many designers use Apple hardware
to create blueprints. Some of the cons with using Macs are the lack of
customization and the general thought that Macs are a more expensive brand. Mac
is also compatible with both OSX and Microsoft Windows.
PCs
are more customizable to the individual user’s preferences, thought to be
cheaper, and most gaming software are meant to be played on PCs rather than
Macs. Unfortunately most computer viruses and malware are targeted
towards PCs because, unlike Macs, PCs must have an additional program for virus
protection due to their open operating system. So while software designers
appreciate the open operating system, hackers are also able to send viruses to
trick users into opening or installing corrupted files, which allows hackers
access to the operating system.
Users can’t really compare the
prices between Mac and PCs, because even if all the hardware and memory storage
were the same, there would still be the varied operating systems to deal with. Users may have to buy software like Microsoft
Office for Macs or anti-virus protection software for PCs, which adds to the
basic computer purchase price.
Macs are considered to be higher-end
processors with more expensive parts, while PCs maximize RAM availability and
often provide special features like Blue-ray players and additional USB ports.
Mac also reduced the amount of wiring necessary compared to Windows computers,
but if you want a certain design and Mac doesn’t offer it then you are out of
luck. PCs have many different brands like Dell and IBM, and so a person can easily
choose from many designs to personalize their purchase as well as offer a wider
variety of retailers.
Each brand has their own pro and
con list, which makes some aspects easier to deal with on certain devices. If you
want a gaming system you need a PC, but if you want extra free apps, like
Garage Band and iMovie, then a Mac might be your best choice.
So in
the end, it doesn’t really matter if you have a Windows phone or an iPhone
because while they are very different users can link devices on the iCloud program
or the Windows SkyDrive. Personally I prefer the iPhones and iPad better
than Window’s tablets and phones, even though I would rather own a Windows
computer than a Mac.
Reference
Great blog! I like how you talk about the pros and cons of each as well as addressing certain misconceptions some people have.
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