Mac or PC

[Exk]

@Vy pretty sure he's specifically targeting gaming communities, though he only vaguely hinted it.

Regardless, very true. Also macs benefit towards a lot of artistic aspects more than PC.

[Itch]

This thread is full of misinformation on both sides of the argument.

 

- NO apple isn't just for people who aren't tech savy, many very intelligent and sophisticated users use Mac. They don't corner that market either. However, YES they do cater to the computer illiterate which leaves some people to assume that Mac users are stupid... Stereotypes usually are based on something, but rarely truly represent reality.

 

- NO Apple doesn't own the market on well built/well designed hardware either. (one USB-C port to handle everything is a great example of bad design) The XPS13 is an example of a very well built laptop that could easily compete with the macbook pro.

 

- NO High end Macs won't outperform high end PC's or vice versa.... it all comes down to what you are using it for and what applications you need.

 

I posted a rather lengthy post re: the whole Apple vs. Other debate and although that post was in a phone related thread a large portion of it applies here...

 

I will preface this post with the following: I have personally owned 2 iPhones and 4 Android phones. (as well as several MacBooks and 2 iMacs) I have family and friends that use iOS/OSX devices (that I have to support) including my wife (who now regrets the purchase) has an iPhone 6s.

 

That being said, from strictly a support standpoint I absolutely hate the iPhone/iMac/Macbook. Sure they are generally speaking user friendly and sure most things "Just work", the problem comes in when something doesn't "just work", then your fucked and there is little or no recourse.

 

Whereas with Android/Linux/Windows you have tons of ways to either find an open source solution, or make your own.

 

The support issue is a big one for me I have to deal with it on a regular basis. Not only does the iOS/OSX system lock things out, it promotes a user base that doesn't understand why or how things work (nor do they care to learn, High end users aside). They just throw their hands up in the air and say "It doesn't work, fix it!" without attempting to find a solution for themselves. Generally speaking this is not a good thing. My experience both with phone support and with desktop/laptop support has been very much the same.

 

The Apple (iOS/OSX) environment promotes/breeds a dumber user base in general. Before you get offended... I know that I am speaking in generalizations and that there are many sophisticated Apple users out there. However out of the 15,000 users I support, those that contact me for support have proven time and again that my point is valid.

 

Let me give you some basic numbers from over 10+ years of support data we've collected. (We track all support cases and yes these numbers change over time, this is the current status using the data we have available here at work)

• We receive 64% more support calls from Apple users than all other OS's combined.
  To clarify if I have 1 Android/Windows and 1 iPhone/OSX user the iPhone/OSX user will call me 64% more for support than the Android/Windows user will.
  
• The average warranty for Apple products is 40% shorter (after purchasing Apple care, as and additional note the non-Apple laptops cover accidental damage and spills where Apple does not)
  
• The apple desktops/laptops run roughly 25% fewer applications (This is after accounting for duplicates, ie: 500 versions of Sudoku = 1 application) This becomes very important in specialized fields such as statistics or cartography where you have a stricter requirement or need. (Bootcamp/Paralells isn't always an option... I can provide a very real world example if needed)
  
• The average cost for similar hardware (ie: same cpu, ram, video, warranty, etc) is currently around 15%-25% higher for Apple products.
  I will admit the price gap seems to be getting smaller.
  

 

For those reasons and MANY MANY more... I will not be switching to Apple now, or ever for that matter.

That doesn't mean Apple makes a bad product, I just can't support a user experience that at the core is designed to cater to and promote knowing less about what your device does/is doing.

 

This is just my 2 cents after 15+ years of IT support at a University level.

 

I do get tired of the my computer/os is better than yours debate... in the end they are just tools that we use. You don't slice bread with a chainsaw... each tool has it's use and it's place. The only real recommendation I have is verify that you are purchasing the appropriate tool for your long term needs. I have on several occasions recommended Apple computers where the need fit the device. However I'd say the ratio is about 5% of the time. In terms of Gaming (this being a gaming forum) I couldn't in good conscious recommend a Mac.

[AlleFtw99]

Mac is mostly for making videos and homework. Meanwhile pc is for high definition games

[Pred]

I would chose a mac for work and a pc for playing games

[Hipster Hitler]

@Vy pretty sure he's specifically targeting gaming communities, though he only vaguely hinted it.

Regardless, very true. Also macs benefit towards a lot of artistic aspects more than PC.

 

Yeah.. looking back, i should have worded my post better, but yes. That's pretty much what I was getting at.

But, I feel like there's this whole stigma that Mac's are just the thing to use when you're working, but why aren't PC's? Programming can be done on a PC no problem. Engineering CAD, music production, video editing, graphic design.. all of these can be done on a PC just as well as a Mac, and if you have a high end PC work station, often better than a Mac in the same price range (mostly catering to CAD and video editing).

 

But for programming specifically, shouldn't that mostly comes down to the language your using? If your writing code for iOS apps or macOS, then yeah, its obviously a better choice to use a Mac. And if your coding for android or windows, then yeah, you get the idea.

 

¯\_(^_^)_/¯

[Vy]

But for programming specifically, shouldn't that mostly comes down to the language your using? If your writing code for iOS apps or macOS, then yeah, its obviously a better choice to use a Mac. And if your coding for android or windows, then yeah, you get the idea.

To actually compile iOS or Cocoa apps you have to have OS X. You could build a Hackintosh, but I remember a team in the same office building did that, said fuck it, and just used a old Mac that compiled everything in a few hours instead.

 

The reason why programmers prefer OS X and Apple products in general is because:

 

• A lot of applications for programming are built for the OS.
  
• Unix OS
  
• It allows you to develop for any platform
  
• Their laptops just work well
  

[Itch]

To actually compile iOS or Cocoa apps you have to have OS X. You could build a Hackintosh, but I remember a team in the same office building did that, said fuck it, and just used a old Mac that compiled everything in a few hours instead.

 

The reason why programmers prefer OS X and Apple products in general is because:

 

• A lot of applications for programming are built for the OS.
  
• Unix OS
  
• It allows you to develop for any platform
  
• Their laptops just work well
  

 

For the most part I'd agree, however the last statement is just pure B.S. I have years of data that proves definitively the failure rate is the same or higher for Mac laptops as it is for PC laptops. And when they do fail... the repair costs far more time and money in the long run than the PC side does.

 

Also development for Windows from a Mac is still very problematic.

 

I am curious now that Win10 now has linux command line access (essentially a Bash shell) if more programmer friendly applications will be forthcoming...

[frosty]

To actually compile iOS or Cocoa apps you have to have OS X. You could build a Hackintosh, but I remember a team in the same office building did that, said fuck it, and just used a old Mac that compiled everything in a few hours instead.

 

The reason why programmers prefer OS X and Apple products in general is because:

 

• A lot of applications for programming are built for the OS.
  
• Unix OS
  
• It allows you to develop for any platform
  
• Their laptops just work well
  

 

Every programmer in the business I work at use a DELL Latitude or XPS 15 and they are great. Only the mobile development team use MACs and one of them dislikes them.

[CollieFlower]

Linux mint. Done. Except for gaming. Windows. Mac? Artists, musicians, and hipsters with to much money.

[michellec]

Linux mint. Done. Except for gaming. Windows. Mac? Artists, musicians, and hipsters with to much money.

 

*Sorry I caN'T HEAR YOU RIGHT NOW OMG TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE REBLOGGING MY PICTURE OF THIS NEW IPAD-TYPEWRITER THAT I HAVE PURCHASED WITHT HE CRAZY AMOUNT OFMONEY I HAVE*

but seriously though, im not an artist, a musician, nor a hipster.. i just enjoy my game crashing every 5 minutes or so