Apple Versus PC

August 16, 2007

I'm thinking of getting a new computer before the end of the year. I've been using PCs my entire computer-life, typically Dells. I'm seriously considering making the jump to Apples, specially a new iMac and quite likely, if I can swing the money, a MacBook to go with it for my occasional travel needs.

Here are my concerns.

1. Money. Macs are just plain more expensive. The upside of this is that because they seem significantly more resistant to viruses, you may get a longer life out of your Mac. (And I'm still surprised that old Macs seem to have resale value. Can you imagine a PC having ANY resale value?)

2. Viruses. As mentioned above. There are over 100,000 viruses aimed at Windows and only a hundred or so written to attack the Mac OS (based on Unix). Mac claims this is because their Unix-based system is less susceptible. I suspect it's because virus-writers think that Steve Jobs is cool and hip and Bill Gates is a nerdy rich guy. (Honestly, guys, Steve Jobs is a pretty nerdy rich guy, too. Really.) This is actually my #1 reason for considering a Mac, because my last Dell became totally corrupted from viruses and my current Dell--now 3 years old--has these bizarre periods of sluggishness. I don't know if it's from viruses or just heat and humidity. It's a Dell XPS mongo laptop and laptops aren't necessarily designed to run all day long due to heat issues.

3. You can get MicroSoft Office for Mac, but Mac claims the new iWork can handle it. I'm skeptical. If it were strictly writing, I wouldn't necessarily have a problem here, but I do a fair amount of Excel work with surveys and government databases, so I'm inclined to think I'm going to have to flip for MS Office either way. Also, I'm an editor, so people send me manuscripts in various formats, although unlike 5 years ago, MS Word format is almost all I get. And RTX change handle almost anything. Either way, the expenses start climbing.

4. The iMac (and MacBook) seem to be really smartly designed so you don't have to do a bunch of add-ons. In fact, taking a close look at the iMac, I'm really impressed with the design. I spent some time on the Dell website looking at a PC and by the time the $500 system had everything I wanted it costs over $1000. And what's the deal with their sound system add-ons, anyway?, the sound system on my Dell XPS is fantastic for a laptop, but we've got a cheap laptop we bought for under $500 2 years ago and the sound system is practically nonexistent. How's the sound on a Macbook, anyway?

Okay. Just some thoughts. I'm sure you've got some opinions. Lay 'em on me. I'm all ears.

Cheers,

Mark