Mac
If you've spent years working with PCs - as many of us have - you may have heard a constant rumour that Macs are on a higher plane. Well, as an IT Professional with 30+ years working in a Microsoft environment, let me tell you that the Mac is indeed on a higher plane. I'm not going to waste your time comparing things on a technical level - the web is full of such things. Instead, a few simple phrases that I hope will sum up.
- Macs just work.
- Macs look terrific
- Macs make you feel better
- Macs are designed by designers
- Macs are made by people who care
- Macs are used by people in the creative areas
- Macs are for people who say "what is a spreadsheet"
- PCs are over-complex because they have to work with bits of software and hardware from the past
- PCs are used by people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing
- PCs sometimes are the only thing that will do the job
- PCs are made by anybody using any old parts
- PCs are used by people who know no better
- PCs are for people who say "what is art"
- PCs sometimes work sometimes do not
- PCs look awfull
Are Macs perfect then?
No. If you only do straightforward things, they are fine. But, sometimes if you are doing something a bit different, only a PC will do it. The Mac is like a pristine set of tools. The PC is like a rusty box of old tools that have seen better days - but may work if the shiny ones don't.
No. Programs do crash sometimes although the machine probably wont. Software can be more expensive although probably better.
How long does it take to "go Mac"? Well, I was using my Mac straight away - it really works out-of-the-box. Some folk find the change difficilt however. The more I use it, the more I like it. It's like driving a BMW after a Ford - ah, that's why people pay more for a BMW than a Ford when they both seem to do the same thing.
Take a look inside a Mac and the attention to detail is breathtaking. take a look into a PC and you'll see a mess of sharp aluminium bits.
Windows was built years and years ago, and even the new Windows 7 still sits on that old rocky foundation. It is inherently unstable and prone to virus attack simply because it allows them to cross-infect. The Mac does not. Windows has to run on any old PC anyone has flung together and it still has to run old programs that were written to exploit its weaknesses. Really it doesn't stand a chance. Mac programs are written for the Mac which is a known quantity. The Mac equivalent of Windows, OSX is a highly stable secure system that only has to run on Macs that Apple build. No contest.
And that's just the computers - of course the ipod and the iphone and the ipad are just the best. Same superb design and attention to detail.
So, take the plunge - invest in a Mac but keep the old PC in a corner just in case.
