Are Mac/Apple Computers better than PC's?

Question

I'm looking into getting a new computer (desktop, not laptop) and I'm tired of all the BS that goes with windows. Are Apple/Mac computers better at fighting viruses, spyware etc? Are there any major compatability issues?

Answer 1

Having a UNIX BSD base, OSX is a far more stable and secure system, and not prone to viruses. And for those who still insist on quoting that tired old myth about market share and viruses: UNIX varients are the most widely used operating systems outside the home, yet they suffer none of what windows suffers.


Apple does NOT make all the software for Macs. They make the operating system, the iLife suite (bundled with Macs), and a couple of others. I use Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign Dreamweaver, Acrobat Pro), MS Office (Word, Excel, etc), and a smattering of other apps for my work. It is true you can't walk into Best Buy and find Mac Apps, but you can go into Fry's, CompUSA, and of course any Apple Store. Mac apps are available online by the thousands. I have the same apps at home, plus a few dozen games, including the best sellers.


They're very easy to upgrade, and come with pretty good hardware out of the box. The kind of set-up most PCs upgrade to. If you were to configure a Dell to the same specs as an iMac or MacPro, and add comparable software that Apple includes, that Dell would cost a little more than the Mac. You get what you pay for.


Peripherals are plug and play, and yes, Mac's come with multi-function mice now. They're dead easy to upgrade, and there are hundreds of periferals and upgrades available for many, many companies.


For some inexplicable reason, PC people seem to have the odd idea that Macs are only good for graphics. A little reasoning here. Graphics are the single most operation intensive procedure any computer can perform, and Macs do it well because they have serious process operation ability. All that other junk a PC does, a Mac does without even breathing hard.


Macs can have multiple operating systems loaded. You can be running in native OSX, and run windowze through parallels (we have one at work doing this) so we can used the ONE PC app we need, that isn't available for a Mac (Publisher). I've used both systems. Windowze is clunky and bloated by comparison. A pain in the cyber-butt.


The next Mac OS, OS 10.5 "Leopard" will be out this fall.


Apple innovates.
MS Imitates.

Answer 2

Apples/Macs are more reliable, but many people don't understand why.

The primary reason is this- with a Mac, all of the hardware inside the case is made by Apple. This means that Apple has actually tested every hardware configuration which is found on store shelves- whereas with a PC, Microsoft is simply providing an operating system, but the hardware it's running on was made by thousands of different companies and assembled by people who pick & choose a nearly infinite combination of motherboards, CPUs, sound cards, video cards, disk drives etc.

Microsoft can't possibly acquire every model of even ONE major brand's possible configurations (like Dell) for testing- let alone the generic box computers. Keep in mind that IBM, HP, Dell etc. make different models for sale in different markets- so certain notebook models are only sold in Asia, or sometimes have a different motherboard between the European and US versions, etc.

So fundamentally, Microsoft has only seen a fraction of the hardware combinations actually out there- and occasionally there are issues with some components. But by and large, the hardware works- Linux runs on PC hardware and is much more stable than Windows.

Since Windows is by far the most widely-used operating system, it's the platform that 90% of viruses and worms are written to attack. It also has tons of security holes due to the some awful coding (and the need to accomodate such a wide variety or hardware and remain compatible with so much 3rd-party software)

If any other OS like Max OS or Linux ever got a significantly larger share of the computing market, more viruses and worms would be writtent to attack those platforms.

But if you're a virus writer and want to infect as many machines as possible, you target the largest possible population of computers, which means Windows. And yes, Windows makes it much easier than it should be- it's not just a large target, it's an EASY target with so many bugs and security holes.

So Macs have fewer problems- but when there are problems you often can't fix them yourself. Since it's all proprietary apple hardware inside, you can only do minor upgrades or replacements, like adding memory or switching mice. You can't decide to upgrade your CPU, replace your own motherboard etc.

The other issue is software- the Mac/Apple market is much smaller, so there's much less software available. The major stuff like Office, Photoshop etc is of course available. But for example, stock trading software? Many companies that develop this stuff only have PC versions. It's a chicken-or-egg thing since developing software costs money, and they don't feel the Mac market is large enough to justify paying people to create and support a Mac version. But without more software available, many potential Mac customers wind up buying PCs instead.

Answer 3

I switched to a mac last fall & love it. I am not a computer expert at all and the switch was easy. Only problem is a few websites dont work well with the browser Safari. But I just use Firefox for them and no problem. Have had no virus or spyware issues either. I wish I would have switched sooner.

Answer 4

Macs are more reliable. They arn't memory hogs and the OS is very easy to navigate. As long as you don't need certain software you should be fine, but now adays there are plenty of universal apps that will work. So in short yes they are better. Go to Apple.com and watch the ads that they have there. They can explain the main differences between a Mac and a PC.

Answer 5

Apple has always prided themselves on making premium hardware, which is true. Their computers are rock-solid compared to most PCs.

I think that their Operating System totally blows. So on my Mac I installed Linux Ubuntu. It was really easy and is a lot more user-friendly if you have been using Windows for a long time.

Linux is more resource conscience and safe from viruses, etc. than any other Operating System.

Answer 6

Mac

Answer 7

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