6 myths about the PC vs. Mac debate

The PC vs. Mac wars just need to die. They’re stupid and pointless. They accomplish absolutely nothing but just more back-and-forth shouting, and the same exact arguments come up every time, making the PC vs. Mac flamewar one giant cliche.

Here are six arguments that come up in every PC vs. Mac debate that are complete myth and have absolutely no merit.

“Macs can’t play games!”

Yup, they can actually. The Portal series runs great on a Mac and so does Civilization IV, Bioshock, and numerous other grade-A games thanks to Steam. Even on the low-end Macs that only have integrated graphics, these games coast along fairly well.

I will say, though, that PC has and will probably always have more titles available than the Mac, but the number of games available for Mac machines is growing and will always grow from this point on.

“PCs are slow, they always crash, and get viruses!”

I’m not sure what PC you’re using, but within the past five or so years that I’ve owned my PC, not once has it gotten a virus or crashed. I also never considered it “slow.” That’s mostly because I took care of my PC and knew how to use it. It’s just like a vehicle: If you know how to use it and take good care of it, it will perform admirably. However, if you never change the oil, expect only problems to arise.

Aside from regular maintenance (on a Mac too, not just PC), you should expect the occasional failure of hardware. It shouldn’t happen, but it just does. And it’ll happen with both PCs and Macs.

Whenever a Microsoft hater spells the company name with a “$” (Micro$oft)

So, I’m pretty sure you’re not aware that Apple is the most valuable company in the world and has more cash reserves than the Federal Government. Microsoft’s money-making ways don’t even come close to Apple’s.

Apple’s “stupid” one-button mice and “not-that-much-better” trackpads

I will admit that Apple’s one-button mouse from a few years ago (the Mighty Mouse) was pretty crappy. Like…really crappy, but they’ve come a long way since then with the Magic Mouse and glass trackpads thanks to the implementation of multitouch.

The trackpad on the MacBook is simply nothing like a standard PC trackpad. That sounds really subjective at first and most PC users will say, “It can’t be that much better than my HP’s trackpad.” However, it really is. MacBook trackpads are configurable to almost an excessive degree thanks to multitouch and utilities like BetterTouchTool. I can click, right-click, middle-click, scroll, two, three, or four-finger swipe in four different directions, pinch-zoom, expand, rotate, two-finger tap, three-finger tap, and four-finger tap. That’s just the tip of iceberg, really. There are a ton of other gestures that I can do, all with a flat surface and one single button.

“OS X just simply runs better than Windows”

This sort of goes back to the second myth, but the latest OS X (10.7) does not run better than the latest Windows (7) and vice versa. This argument did have some merit a few years ago when Windows actually wasn’t that great, but today both OSes perform fairly equally. They both have their strong advantages that make each unique, but they also have their own tiny, albeit annoying quirks that make you want to pull your hair out.

“Macs are way overpriced!”

I saved this one for last because it’s probably the most-known and most-used argument of all. A lot of Apple haters like to play the overpriced card and say they could get a PC with the same specs for way less. While it is possible to find a PC that’s cheaper on average, that doesn’t mean Macs are overpriced by any means.

However, the price gap between PCs and Macs is shrinking, especially with the direction that the industry is going with Ultrabooks and the MacBook Air (in fact, there’s hardly a price difference in that category). Eventually, the overpriced argument will be obsolete. I think that’s because PC manufacturers are now starting to add their own “Apple tax” to their new Ultrabooks because “if Apple can sell their thin-and-light laptop for that much, why can’t we?”

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, it’s all about preference. Some people like  PCs because they like Windows and they’re cheaper overall, and others like Macs because they’re aesthetically pleasing and come with a richer user experience you won’t find elsewhere. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, which makes them unique in their own ways. I’m both a PC and Mac guy because I couldn’t tell you straight up which one is better. I like both very much and I think they each have great things going for them.


Posted

in

, , ,

by

Comments

16 responses to “6 myths about the PC vs. Mac debate”

  1. Derek Johnson Avatar

    Personally I’m a PC, they are much cheaper for comparable or sometimes better hardware. Although I agree that the gap is shrinking. Last I checked the iMac had pretty impressive internals. iMacs have an IPS screen that will cost any PC user and additional $500. In the portable realm Macs have a longer lasting battery and typically a more slim design. If you are carrying your laptop around in a backpack all day, shedding a few pounds and not needing to carry the charger around may be worth the extra cash for a Mac. I like to compare them with a Toyota versus a Lexus, on the inside they are the same thing and both will do what you need them to, one will look better and have a few extras that you may or may not need (IPS screen, etc..). If I had the money I would buy a Mac every time, but until I have the money I can’t justify it. 

  2. Geek_News Avatar

     You should stop trying to push your idea that thew gap between a PC and a Mac is shrinking, Its an utter fail in your logic. The facts are the facts! The lowest priced Mac id still higher than most of the top end pcs out there with the same specs and still much higher than the avg to mid range PCs on the market.

    Most the rest of the post pretty much holds up with the exception of gaming. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say Macs don’t run games. More likely they say they aren’t great for gaming. Sure some games run ok on a mac but that is not to say all or even most do. Steam games aside most games aren’t even published for the mac and you can almost forget about optimized drivers for better gaming performance.

    1. Craig Lloyd Avatar

      Good point about the Lexus/Toyota comparison. Both will get you from A to B, but one will have a few more nicer features that some users would like to have (built-in GPS, OnStar, etc.)

    2. Bob Avatar
      Bob

      Macs have specs most pcs don’t: sensitive trackpads with multitouch, less choices in machines (yes, this is a feature), magsafe, aluminum unibody, minimalist/unified design/aesthetic, ilife pre bundled, better cable management, and a high resale value. Lexus tends to offer better warranty/support than Toyota – and yes, the apple tax does go to customer service. It might still be fair to say the cost of a pc is still less than a mac, but mac users usually are the type who would care about the types of specifications i’ve mentioned. To each their own.

  3. Geek_News Avatar

     You should stop trying to push your idea that thew gap between a PC and a Mac is shrinking, Its an utter fail in your logic. The facts are the facts! The lowest priced Mac id still higher than most of the top end pcs out there with the same specs and still much higher than the avg to mid range PCs on the market.

    Most the rest of the post pretty much holds up with the exception of gaming. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say Macs don’t run games. More likely they say they aren’t great for gaming. Sure some games run ok on a mac but that is not to say all or even most do. Steam games aside most games aren’t even published for the mac and you can almost forget about optimized drivers for better gaming performance.

  4. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    One of the largest problems with Macs is their corporate stance on their equipment working in a corporate network environment. Their support for Active Directory, multiple users, corporate software deployment, etc. is pathetic. Working for a government entity, the task of purchasing apps that need to be processed tax-exempt through something other than iTunes is a hellish nightmare that, in the end, doesn’t exist. Pair this with the FACT that similarly configured PCs are still less than Macs, savings on large corporate purchases add up. For a consumer, if you want to pay extra for the few quirks that fit your personalilty, go for it. For an enterprise, PCs are the only cost effective way to go (and we didn’t even address support costs – probably because Apple corporate support is abysmal).

    1. Craig Lloyd Avatar

      Apple doesn’t even target their Macs to corporate markets in the first place. They target to consumers, small businesses, education institutions, and MAYBE a bigger company or two. So what you’re saying is completely irrelevant. 

      1. Guest Avatar
        Guest

        Unfortunately, what I’m saying is not irrelevant. I work for a university with about 12,000 students. We replace about 1,000 units a year and the savings are significant. Mac labs are often a headache to support due to Apple completely ignoring consumers desires to push them into larger businesses and/or businesses (educational institutions included) that want include them in the corporate infrastructure.

    2. Craig Lloyd Avatar

      Apple doesn’t even target their Macs to corporate markets in the first place. They target to consumers, small businesses, education institutions, and MAYBE a bigger company or two. So what you’re saying is completely irrelevant. 

  5. Tim Brookes Avatar

    I enjoyed this article, especially the part about trackpads. While some PC manufacturers are starting to catch up (sort of) they’re still missing the mark by pumping out laptops with horrendous trackpads. Even the clones of Apple’s “clickpad” (if that is what it’s called) come up short, much of the time thanks to poor gesture control within Windows. 

    That, and much of the time they’re textured plastic with more resistance than a truck full of freedom fighters.

  6. TribalStyleMarketing Avatar

    I’ll never get a Mac, my girlfriend had one & it was biggest POS I’ve ever seen.  Just more comfortable on PC’s as well, more for your $$.

    1. Adarsh Viswanath Avatar

      hey

      i still don’t know why mac’s are better in animations.

      here are the few things which i have in my pc.

      i have fruity loops which is better than garage-band

      i have vocaloids. which can sync my voice into a singer.

      i have 3D max which allows me ….(u know)

      i have a Japanese software which allows me to make 3D holographic projection like this (if u have a holographic projector. plus sorry the link is japanese song )

      here are the two performances created by using the software.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTXO7KGHtjI

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuOU_ymF8OQ

      still need more just E-mail me using this id adarshrockzexe@gmail.com

  7. Steve A. Cobb Avatar

    apple is like nintendo, sux and behind when it comes to performance. woopdy doo their track pad and resolution is better? thats it huh…Can I get a mac with a gt680? or even 2 gt680’s? no.

  8. Kathrine Goodrum Avatar
    Kathrine Goodrum

    You guys should check out http://www.formvote.com , it’s pretty great.

  9. David Sellars Avatar
    David Sellars

    Good points there, i personally use a mac but alos pc. personally i believe go for what is best fo you this is also why i have a android phone. the main resigns i went for mac is the OS now is a lot better than it use to be and to me better then windows 7 and certainly 8 (8 sucks 7 is good), the design etc of the computer and if you look at alien were yeah u get 2gb graphics card but to get the same support and ram as a mac it achey costs a bit more than a macbook pro (£1600). The resign on my mac i have a windows 7 partition though is so i can play windows exclusives eg. Showgan total War.

  10. Incognito Rain Avatar
    Incognito Rain

    Well Actually… When you put a mac pro against something like an alienware area 51, or a macbook pro against a razer blade pro, they just get rekt, in both pricing and in performance, the macbook pro cost 4000$, were as the alienware area 51 cost 3800, now i know thats only a 200$ gap, but when you look at the specs it changed, the alienware area 51 is running a 4 ghz with turbo 6 core processor while the mac pro is using a 4 ghz quad core processor, 1070 graphics card versus D500, and when it comes to “style” and “design”, look at the razer chroma devices or the mastercooler cases, they light up and have a clear case as well. Only thing i ever gave apple is its osx system is harder to get viruses on then windows 10, but when it comes to gaming, everyday usage, and other various activities, pc excells

Leave a Reply