Five reasons you should get a Mac instead of a PC

Jacqueline DiOrio 14 Jul, 2010 at 5:04pm ET Article published in Tech

It's... it's magical!

As a follow-up to our article “Five reasons why you don’t actually need a Mac“, we only felt that it was fair to try to represent the other side of the conversation. So, if you’re already leaning towards the Magical™, here are five things that might tip you over the edge.

The operating system

While there’s no way to prove which operating system is the best, many users prefer Mac OS X over Windows. Considering just how integral the operating system is to the user experience with a computer, if you like Mac OS, you really have no choice but to get a Mac.

Macs have fewer problems with viruses.

Perhaps because of its much smaller installed userbase, there are fewer threats from viruses. Macs are definitely less vulnerable to viruses, spyware, trojans, and keyloggers than PCs.

Macs have better developer tools

While the pool of software for PCs is larger, there are many amazing IDEs and tools for developers for the Mac. Many developers have jumped ship—especially web developers—because of the more seamless development environment that Mac OS can deliver.

Macs have better tools for filmmakers

Along with developers tools, there is also the de facto standard for budget filmmakers, in the form of Final Cut. Heck, you can even make good films with iMovie.

Easy to get repaired

If something goes wrong with a Mac, there’s an easy and convenient location to take it to get repaired. Every Apple store has a Genius Bar where any Apple product can be taken to be fixed. In addition, their AppleCare program is legendary for service.

Final Thoughts

While the Mac does sport a higher price tag than the average PC, it does have several advantages over its cheaper competitor. Hence, those that need a computer for the above reasons, or simply just like the OS better would be better served by having a Mac than a PC.

Comments

14 Jul 2010 ~ 5:07pm primesuspect Four of those five reasons are strictly due to Mac OS. If Mac OS was legally available on PCs, that would be the end of Apple hardware.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 5:13pm MrTRiot I personally don't like macs especially when considering 1) you'll gimp yourself for gaming and 2) there really isn't a large market for IT jobs dealing with macs

It's a strictly apple OS and that irks me quite a bit. If you don't like windows on your PC, go for a linux based OS and if you still don't like it. Go buy a mac...
14 Jul 2010 ~ 5:18pm mondi

primesuspect wrote:

Four of those five reasons are strictly due to Mac OS. If Mac OS was legally available on PCs, that would be the end of Apple hardware.

If Mac OS was available on PCs, that would probably be the end of Mac OS too.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 5:53pm Obsidian And nothing of value would be lost.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 6:17pm Basil Seems you're just comparing Macs to Windows based systems rather to PC's generally as the title led me to believe.

O well, filmmaker bit is spot on, final cut is really very nice.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 7:50pm Tushon Macs have fewer problems with viruses = almost all Unix based systems have fewer problems with viruses because of the way that permissions work in Unix. UAC tried to do something about the problems with permissions in Windows, but most users simply found it annoying and clicked yes every time because it was so ubiquitous.

I support trying Linux first, but if you aren't willing to work a little for your free OS, then you can pay the premium for a Mac.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 8:16pm djmeph This article was a bit contrived, but I don't blame the author. Finding someone around here to write a fair, objective piece on Apple products is like asking a prisoner to write an essay titled "5 reasons you will like being locked up in my prison."

I have always said that Mac OSX is a better operating system than Windows, and it's still true. I just refuse to support a company that is riding off the success and innovation of the PC industry, while maintaining closed standards that work against the industry that blessed them with the cutting edge hardware they boast of.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 8:22pm mirage Are there five more reasons?

Because with all these reasons, well at least 4/5, I would choose Linux if I have to leave Windows behind.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 9:10pm Paladin677 I am a proud supporter of Linux and the Open Source as a whole. However Apple must be doing something right if half the notebooks I saw at Texas Linux Fest (and I've heard this is common) were Macs. However two reason stick out that weren't mentioned were:

1. Better integration with those Apple products you already have.
2. The overwhelming and tremendous sense of smug you get with each Apple product.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 9:52pm fatcat

Paladin677 wrote:

1. Better integration with those Apple products you already have.

and.. Mac OS

can we move on now people, this debate is as old as primesuspect
14 Jul 2010 ~ 10:59pm brightblue Forget "easy to /get/ repaired". Like so many other companies, Apple does not make their service manuals very accessible. I do not always want to pay an "Apple Genius" to repair what I own; there is satisfaction in doing it myself. And in that regard, nothing beats a ThinkPad. The Hardware Maintenance Manuals are free for anyone to download, right from the product support site.
14 Jul 2010 ~ 11:36pm QuadWhore Sunday I get to replace the harddrive in my friends mac because the spindle decided to shake hands with the disk, and now it doesn't work. Silly mac's aren't always built up to par, as I've noticed. And it seems that whenever you drop and Ipod touch or an Iphone the screens always crack... I find that interesting.
15 Jul 2010 ~ 8:26am Snarkasm

djmeph wrote:

I just refuse to support a company that is riding off the success and innovation of the PC industry, while maintaining closed standards that work against the industry that blessed them with the cutting edge hardware they boast of.

Right, because Apple is such a bastion of open standar- oh, wait.
15 Jul 2010 ~ 9:10am Nibiru2012 Primesuspect and djmeph stated it the best.

Really nothing I can add except that Linux has a good future IF the GUI improves and the OS gets a little more user-friendly.
15 Jul 2010 ~ 9:30am kryyst The biggest stumbling block for linux is that it's development isn't cohesive. If linux was only available in vanilla and not every flavor under the sun it's development and integration would be much further along.

Linux continues to stumble because it's being torn in to many directions. Ubuntu has gone leaps and bounds to making Linux more of a usable experience for the masses. But it should have been at this stage 5-7 years ago already.
15 Jul 2010 ~ 9:47am rapture This was a disappointing follow-up to the article from May 26th. At least that one had a few truths rather than a copy/paste from Apples usual fud.
15 Jul 2010 ~ 5:44pm djmeph

Snarkasm wrote:

Right, because Apple is such a bastion of open standar- oh, wait.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Hence me comparing Apple to prison. Mac users should be going Attica on Steve Jobs right now.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 12:11am QuadyTheTurnip Old debate is old.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 12:11am QuadyTheTurnip That article image makes me want to punch a sugar cube.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 12:15am primesuspect My girlfriend drew it. She's good at conveying that exact emotion
16 Jul 2010 ~ 1:51am ardichoke Yeah... as has been mentioned by so many before me, I couldn't help but notice that most of this article had to do with software and nothing to do with the actual hardware. Further, the viruses bit and the developer tools are not exclusive to Mac, as mentioned previously Linux (and most *nix systems) can claim the same.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 1:46pm Tushon

kryyst wrote:

The biggest stumbling block for linux is that it's development isn't cohesive. If linux was only available in vanilla and not every flavor under the sun it's development and integration would be much further along.

Linux continues to stumble because it's being torn in to many directions. Ubuntu has gone leaps and bounds to making Linux more of a usable experience for the masses. But it should have been at this stage 5-7 years ago already.

I agree 100%. If only we could unite all the devs behind one or two distributions, so much more could be accomplished. There are certainly reasons for why they are so fractured right now, but the amount of progress that could be made by teaming up is so substantial that people need to get over their differences and unite!
16 Jul 2010 ~ 1:53pm primesuspect Have you met many greybeards? There are certain personality traits that sort of go along with being a Linux dev, and many of those traits maybe kind of preclude friendly social interactions with people whom they feel are "wrong" in some way.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 2:26pm Tushon I haven't met them but I certainly know the type and that is why I know it won't happen. I express hope and wait for someone to crush it succinctly.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 2:37pm primesuspect Linux is one of the most self-defeating communities that has ever existed. Generally speaking, they are elitists who don't want to share their amazing operating system with the world, because they feel we won't "get it" or use it properly, and yet, without us they will never elevate beyond the obscurity they are trying so hard to get out of.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 3:00pm shwaip But seriously, 2010 is the year of linux on the desktop.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 3:02pm Paladin677

primesuspect wrote:

Linux is one of the most self-defeating communities that has ever existed. Generally speaking, they are elitists who don't want to share their amazing operating system with the world, because they feel we won't "get it" or use it properly, and yet, without us they will never elevate beyond the obscurity they are trying so hard to get out of.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 3:16pm Paladin677 If I were to describe to the Linux community I would use religion as a model since to many of them FOSS, with Linux being the messiah, is their religion. As such it is their inherent duty to preach the gospel of open source and the evils of closed and proprietary software. Believe me, I have never met a devout religious person who believes so much that their specific should be followed by the whole world as that of a FOSS follower. Christianity? Nope. Islam? Nope? Team Edward? Close but not quite. The thought of them keeping Linux to themselves is humorous. However like every religion, the movement is fractured. Everybody having their own belief on how this new world order that is FOSS should look. Of how Linux should develop. Of what makes the best desktop environment. Best social network. If there is a product, there are a group of opinions. FOSS is both a testament of how well a society can work together, and how badly they can work together.
16 Jul 2010 ~ 4:00pm ardichoke

primesuspect wrote:

Linux is one of the most self-defeating communities that has ever existed. Generally speaking, they are elitists who don't want to share their amazing operating system with the world, because they feel we won't "get it" or use it properly, and yet, without us they will never elevate beyond the obscurity they are trying so hard to get out of.

And yet Linux powers most of the internet... I think most Linux devs are happy with that, knowing that all the windows lusers depend on them every day whether they know it or not.
19 Jul 2010 ~ 4:45pm Tushon

ardichoke wrote:

And yet Linux powers most of the internet... I think most Linux devs are happy with that, knowing that all the windows lusers depend on them every day whether they know it or not.

I almost called you out on that, but my googling itch and like of Linux made me double-check and you are semi-correct. The market share according to the netcraft survey showed 41.59% windows, 41.02% Linux, then Unix and others for the other ~16%. By revenue though, Windows counts for 41.6%, Linux 14.7%, and Unix for 29.9%. Interesting numbers for sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems#Servers
19 Jul 2010 ~ 5:17pm ardichoke I question that netcraft survey. I believe that survey is taking into account all servers period. I was referring more to web hosting servers and the actual Internet infrastructure, both of which is dominated by Linux, BSD and other *nix variants. I can tell you this for sure, you'd be hard pressed to find any router running some form of Windows, routers run *nix based firmwares all the time though. Sure, perhaps not Linux specifically (though they are out there) but still in the same vein.

You may complain about how fragmented the Linux and/or open source community is, but that's what makes it so versatile. The fact that people develop things in different directions, adapting them for specific tasks, and freely shares their work with each other allows the platform to adapt in a way not possible for Windows or OSX.
20 Jul 2010 ~ 11:11am litenku Meh, either way, there's BSD in that thar OSX. So what does that say? That the religious wars of RedHat vs. Debian vs. Slackware applies with Linux vs. OSX?

Oh, and btw, those top 5 reasons to buy a <insert product line here> fit with any <insert product line here>.

Each of the 5 things mentioned have an immediate counterpoint, however.

1. Well, but that's true with anything - if you like the Ford Coyote Engine, you're only going to find that in the 2011 Mustang GT. Sure, you can buy the engine separately and hack it into, for example, a Gremlin.

2. While there may be fewer viruses or other malware written for Mac (and *nix OS's in general), they aren't any less vulnerable to other threats to your computer. They're not any harder to "hack into" than any properly maintained Windows installation...

3. I've used some very nice tools that integrate with Windows (most of the recent .NET studio IDE's). Other tools get better every day. However, I don't know what specific tools were being referred to in the article...

4. I wonder if that's a circular argument - Are there better tools because more filmmakers have been convinced that they have to use an Apple and the market is there?

5. If my video card dies in my PC, I fire up newegg (or any other online retailer) and buy one, knowing that just about anything I plug in will work. Which I can't necessarily say is true for an Apple product. Note that this only applies if I'm out of the AppleCare period...

There are plenty of other reasons why an Apple isn't the best choice for a user. Most of it falls under the general theme of "customization". My recent experience with the Genius Bar has been fine, but so have been my recent experiences with other PC vendors.