Roll up for this year’s biggest rematch. Barely a year goes by before the two goliaths of the computing world, the PC and the Mac, get back in the ring to battle it out for IT supremacy. In one corner we have the PC, a real all-rounder that can take just about everything you can throw at it, and in the other corner, its glitzy archenemy, the ever resilient Mac, the heavyweight with a big punch, particularly when it comes to graphic applications.
Ding! Ding! Round one.
When it comes to price, the PC comes out fighting. The common view is that Macs are more expensive. However, look a little closer and you’ll see that you get more for your money with the Mac. Buying a PC with, for example, the MacBook specification, could actually cost you more than a MacBook. Looking for a basic home computer for Internet access, email and some word processing, then, sure, a PC will cost way less than a Mac, but if you’re looking for something more powerful then perhaps your money should be on the Mac.
Keep your guard up.
When it comes to security, the perception is that the Mac comes out on top. But, this is only because viruses are more often created for PC, as there are more PCs in circulation. Conversely, statistics show that Mac users tend to lose more money in phishing attacks, perhaps because they’re less concerned about security. What this really says is that the biggest compromise to computer security is the person using it.
Keep moving
Round three and our contenders are neck-and-neck. In terms of portability, Mac used to be the clear favourite, but today, PC laptops are smaller than ever and the tiny PC Netbook sacrifices power to win hands-down when it comes to portability. Comparing like for like, however, it’s more difficult to make a comparison, as the MacBook combines the size of a conventional laptop with a lot more muscle. Let’s call this round a dead heat.
Who’s fastest?
The Mac’s Leopard operating system gives its counterpart, Vista, a thorough beating on boot-up/shutdown times and the speed with which it opens applications. Here, the Mac, or rather its operating system, is the clear winner. However, when it comes to CPU processing times, dual CPUs, found on nearly all high-end PCs top the benchmark tables.
Looking good.
In the ring, looks don’t count for much, but they do on the shop shelf. Much of the appeal of a Mac is in the design. This also demonstrates one of its biggest let-downs – customisability. You can build, accessorise and future-proof a PC to your own specifications. A Mac might look and perform fantastically when it hits the market, but it’s a different story two years down the line when you want to upgrade parts.
The Judges decision?
With components in both machines coming from the same pool of manufacturers, it’s a very evenly fought match. Many computer users prefer the look, feel and simplicity of Apple’s operating system, while PCs offer more choice for mixing and matching hardware.
So, who is the winner? That decision is down to you, the buyer. Your power requirements, the applications you want to run and, to a lesser extent, how stylish you machine needs to be, will decide your champion.
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Originally Posted by anon
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