PC or Mac, what would you get?

[DialMforMummy]

Hi,
current laptop in on the blink, so we are thinking about getting a new one. We have a budget of about a grand but could stretch to a bit more if we are to get a Mac.
I tend to lean towards a Mac as people have said that they are quick to start and don't tend to slow down after a few years as PC do.
DH leans towards a good PC as he finds Mac expensive (you get a 17' screen size for the price of a 11' Mac) and we have to buy software on the top of the computer (we can get office and other stuff for free from work).
We use the computer mainly for browsing and Office.
Are Macs worth the extra money? Are they more durable than PCs? Or are they just fashionable and grossly overpriced?
Any advice and thoughts gratefully received.

DollyTwat, the expected life of a Mac's battery is much the same as for a Dell. They're the same technology made in the same factories.

The difference is that swapping a laptop battery in a Dell is a 10sec job you can do yourself. Swapping a battery in a Macbook is something that you have to return it to a service center for.

I think for the vast majority of modern home users there's so little real difference between a Mac and a Windows PC that it's largely irrelevant.

90% of home computers are used as no more than a web browser plus a convenient storage place for photos and music. And cloud services (with or without the over-used "i" in front of it) means that local storage is becoming increasingly less important too. If the first thing you do when you turn on the computer is fire up the web browser and then spend all day in there, does it really matter that much who wrote the operating system that browser is running on?

There's nothing magical or special about Apple build quality. It's certainly no better made than any other similarly-priced kit. But it has its niche in the home market and in certain limited business markets and that's fine.

I don't think the comparison of Apple to BMW is quite accurate though. I see Apple more like Harley Davidson. Looked at objectively, a Harley is not a particularly special motorbike. It's expensive for what you get and there are any number of alternatives that are faster, cheaper, easier to work on etc.

But what Harley is spectacularly good at is marketing. People buy Harleys because of the brand image and, in particular, what they think owning one says about them. They like the Harley riding style and all the things that Harleys are bad at are dismissed as unimportant. Fair enough. Each to their own.

So how do you explain those of us who used Macs long long long before they were expensive and fashionable? I was a convert to Apple when the company was moribund. People laughed when you told them you were a Mac user. But there was no way in hell even back then I was buying a PC.

MAC 4ever :) only wishI had known that years ago.
they never crash.
they never get hit by viruses.
really easy to update stuff between iPhone and iMac too - bliss!

also, aside from the cosmetic angle (they are beautiful, but that isn't everything) they are a breeze to use, especially when installing other devices - basically recognises and does everything for you, instead of faffing about with installation disks.

Buy a PC and you get to keep your soul! PC far FAR superior in every single way if you look after them and have a bit of computer sense.

Agree the security thing is a biggy. We've used Macs at home & for work for the last 17 years, have never run anti virus software, & have had one problem with a virus (in the late 90s, IIRC).

We generally seem to start with machines around 5 years old, and they maybe last us another 5 years before becoming unusably slow. I don't reckon overall we spend more per year than we would to have the same number of functional PCs (3 laptops currently - not just for us, for the business as well!)

Having said that DH finds things like replacing the backlight on screens entertaining (like doing crosswords, he says ) so that does make a difference

A Mac is a intel based computer system, containing components made by Nvidia, Intel, Kingston, Panasonic, Seagate etc etc, they use a Unix based proprietary operating system and are produced by Foxconn and Iventec.

A PC is an Intel based computer system, containing components made by, Nvidia or ATI, Kingston among others, Panasonic among others, Seagate among others etc etc, they use a verity of operating systems some free some not that are based on Unix, Linux, Windows etc etc and are produced by many companies around the world.

Sooooooo............why is there 3 pages of this thread?, whats up next arguing about the sky being blue?.

Ryoko - because they have a different operating system. One is more expensive, but has certain benefits (in particular security and stability), the other cheaper but more inclined to crash & get viruses. You pays your money, and you takes your choice. . . .

You pays your money and then you format your hard drive and stick this on it or something similar.

www.opensuse.org/en/.

I own a PC, last time I used virus software was 1998, when I had windows but I got that monkey off my back.

Comparing the two by moaning about if you like Windows or not, is like comparing a Sony and Pioneer hi-fi and saying the Sony one is better, because the CD that came free with it contains the Rolling Stones rather then the N-Dubs one that came with the Pioneer.

Ryoko, bear in mind that the vast majority of people just want to open the box and switch the PC on, not fuck about with the operating system and end up with something only a minority of people can help them with.

"PC far FAR superior in every single way if you look after them and have a bit of computer sense."

Um no. It smacks of either desperation or ignorance that you have to dismiss people who prefer Macs as having non "computer sense". I've worked in IT for years, I can make a Windows PC pretty much do anything I need them to, but for some things I prefer to use a Mac. They're just tools, both have positives and both have negatives.

"You pays your money and then you format your hard drive and stick this on it or something similar. "

Most people, due to a lack of interest or ability, don't want to faff about with a version of Linux. They've come on in leaps and bounds, but they're not quite at the stage where they're something that just anybody can pick up, but they'll get there.

"Comparing the two by moaning about if you like Windows or not, is like comparing a Sony and Pioneer hi-fi and saying the Sony one is better, because the CD that came free with it contains the Rolling Stones rather then the N-Dubs one that came with the Pioneer."

No.

Macs are a complete bundled package, so the hardware and the software all work together and need to be thought of together. So when you talk about Macs or OS X you have to talk about the hardware and the software. So the "CD that comes with the stereo" is very relevant.

Agree with Badgers. I work in IT as a techie and so have a lot of "computer sense". I also understand that to your average user, a computer is an appliance much like a stereo or a washing machine. You turn it on, you expect it to work.

I'd happily pit my computer sense against maig's any day.

We switched to a Mac last year, I'm still not converted. Yes it has good points, most of which have been highlighted here. But I just don't really like it. Almost too simple, you have to do everything the way it wants you to, rather than setting it up how you want, I cannot get on with IPhoto at all and Word for Mac is dreadful. I don't suppose we will go back, but I wouldn't rule it out.

RustyBear when I mentioned upgrading I meant hardware, not OS.

I would separate the arguments here for laptops and desktops. I think macs are vary strong as laptops and neither the upgrade issue nor the overpricing issue are as significant here since PC laptops are hard to upgrade too and cheap PC laptops are a bit crap at times.

Also the real cost saving for a PC only happens in 2 places. At entry level apple doesn't attempt to compete - it has no budget desktops. Secondly, if you have the skills and knowledge to build your own PC you will end up saving money on an equivalent spec. If you are intending to buy from PC world then your going to be charged a premium whatever you buy!

Also I'm a gamer - desktop PCs are still the best option there with their modular nature. That, and a need to have a computer that is fully compatible with software produced at my work, are key parts of my pro-PC stand. That and the fact I've never quite forgiven apple for the one button mouse

I love that right click function way to much

I use a PC at work and we have Macs at home. We did have a Linux laptop and a Dell PC too. dh converted the Linux machine back to a PC to run some software he needed for work (he's a programmer). Both it and the Dell machine are now dead. thought that the Dell would be better value, but it turned out the build quality really wasn't up to much (I think two years life from a £1k machine is a bit crap personally).

When it comes down to it what machine suits you depends on what you are looking for and what you will use it for. For our home PC I use NeoOffice (free) and it's good enough for the occasional document that I write at home, but I'd not be able to work from home (I bring my work laptop home for that). If you think you'll need to do lots of stuff that is compatible with work stuff then I'd think twice about a Mac.

Oops. That should say home Mac obviously!

I converted to a Mac 3 years ago and have never regretted it. I appreciate that for those who like to tweak and tinker, macs are not the way forward..but mostly because you don't NEED to. Mine has never crashed, it doesn't struggle to install anything, it just works! As a hobby photographer I LOVE the fuctionality and the beauty of a decent screen and the ease of use.

I also love not having to stress over every new virus doing the rounds! I do use Office for mac and while I don't love it it works fine.

I did ditch the Apple mouse as I like my right click, but thats not an issue with new macs and I use a macbook most of the time (we gradually replaced our ailing windows laptops with macs)

Plus.. macs are so well built and beautiful

PC with Linux

What are the software options on mac? I'm getting really teed off with Microsoft atm because software is so pricey.

Linux is probably cheapest software wise, I'm guessing. A lot of it is free. But not for those who aren't interested in learning some script or tinkering because it can make a newbie cry...

I love my mac, I'll never go back now :)

Which Microsoft products are you saying are pricey? Because you can get the main ones from Software4Students for £40ish which is great value really. If that's too rich for your blood, you can download OpenOffice which is entirely free.

If you want the widest variety of software then it has to be the PC. But most home users just want to surf the web, do a few documents and that's it. For that a mac is fine.