not a flame war..Mac vs. PC? Overhyped?

[cookin chef]

Hey all, long time, but it's Christmas day and I have some extra time to chill.
So, I still like custom building pc's for a hobby, playing the odd computer game and I still work on occasional computer problems for friends and family. I also played with older MacIntosh computers and Mac OS 10.2 Jaguar...But I will always be a PC guy at heart just because there are so many things I like doing with a PC that I can't really do with a Mac.

Just in the last couple weeks, I took a job here for Apple tier 1 tech support agent for Mac desktop's and portables (they hate using the term laptop). I'm currently in training with others there for the next few weeks before I get nested into the call center. Gotta love paid training. LOL I like the fact I'm getting more familiarized with what Apple products can do, including Ipods\Itunes and their Macbooks.

So, this boxing Day, I found out some Macbooks will be on sale. I'm picking up a 13 " basic Macbook (Intel Core 2 duo) just to help me get more familiarized at home...I found I loved it's features and Mac OS X is a really easy to use Unix O/S...too bad Apple won't sell nor promote it to the PC market. Anway, I also admit that Steve Jobs is really good at selling Apple products and fills in that Niche Market. Apple's strength is in the multimedia, presentations, music, dvd's and artistic markets....so they always focus on that. I just saw some Mac vs. PC christmas commercials at apple's website, some funny, some dumb.
Anyway it made me realize something, Is Apple in Denial? Don't they realize their Mac's are a computer or really just an overhyped PC? They just use a different OS and hardware platform. But, now the hard drives are interchangeable and with the recent switch to Intel cpus (you can run windows xp now, but apple won't officially support it...) doesn't that lead to indications that Mac's themselves are slowly adopting the PC platform? LOL
Am I right or wrong about this? Don't get me wrong, I still love PC's because they can do things that apple can't do, but isn't the macintosh computers really overhyped PC's?

[Platypus]

I think you're pretty much right cc. It's easy for people to lose sight of the fact that what computers are for is to perform tasks by running software. The Wintel world is pragmatic about that & gets on with the job. Apple had to find a different angle to compete, so from the start with the Big Brother ad onward, promoted a more emotive & personal response.

When people took this up, their approach could become a bit evangelical & superior. The idea is that the Wintel world is conformist & stifling for innovation & creativity. The funny thing about it is that as far as the computers themselves go, it's really been the other way around. IBM had the open architecture that people were free to push and develop for, modify and innovate to their hearts content. Geeks could build their own, program & develop operating systems etc. Apple was closed and proprietary, even to the point of pursuing through the courts anyone who wanted to innovate outside of Apple's constraints.

It really comes down to what works for people. I wouldn't have been able to build my own system up bit by bit in my early involvement with computers if I'd looked at Apple. I'd probably have been trying to work with a IIe or something I could afford, instead of upgrading a 286 to a 386sx then a 486sx, and learning how to program DOS utilities etc and how all the down-to-the-metal stuff worked. The G5 in the home recording studio I help out at is as good as any other computer of similar performance. It can take some poking about and head scratching to work some things out that I could do quickly on a Windows machine, but the same thing applies on the odd occasions I run Linux on my own PC - it's not the computer, it's just what I'm used to.

Now I suspect Apple are becoming a bit more pragmatic, as I think they have to for survival. But it's interesting that now they're producing hardware with even more in common with the IBM compatable/Wintel world, they're still trying to promote the impression "Apple is so different".

[slgrieb]

I think Apple makes fine computers and all the iterations of Mac OS X are fine too. Still, Apple carries a premium price tag that I just don't think is really justified. I also feel Apple has a long history of introducing new standards and technologies that can get dropped in a hurry and leave customers in the lurch. I mean, where are all those old Apple video standards now?

I'd agree the Mac OS is still a more secure platform than Windows, but a lot of Windows security issues tend to be self-inflicted. I mean, how often does somebody download some free screen saver without ever thinking that 70 MB is kinda big for a screen saver (but, hey! it does come with some free extras), and ignore any security warnings from Windows, their AV software, etc. The Mac OS might make it a bit harder for a user to do this (like UAC in Vista) but the OS will still let users install software unwisely. Some pretty significant security threats don't employ rootkits, or patch the OS kernel; they just need ignorant users to work.

These days, you find software that used to be considered "Mac Faithful" releasing new versions for the PC before Macs. Adobe would be a case in point. Does anybody remember that Excel was originally a "Mac Only" product?

As much as I do like Macs, I don't like Apple any better as a company than I do Microsoft. If I wanted to bolt from the flock, I'd still go Linux before I went Apple.

[El_Squid]

Anybody remember the Next Computer?

[slgrieb]

Yes indeed, El! While the Next may be dead, it can still be said to live on in OS X.

[cookin chef]

Thanks for your thoughts people. It's nice to see different opinions.

I'm learning more all the time about differences and similarities between Macs and PC's. They are pretty much the same regardless.
There is nothing wrong with having both types. But, some hotheads out there might think otherwise.
I'm trying out bootcamp and xp pro later after the holidays.

I'm also impressed how some linux distributors are making linux o/s run on mac's either with powerpc cpu's or intel. cool!! Running Ubuntu off a cd with a Mac intel solo mini....no wireless networking support, but still works good.

[amyb]

I used to be a die hard pc fan, but we just got a mac for our son and I am falling in love with it.

[El_Squid]

Speaking of Macs, I noticed Steve Jobs managed to make the headlines again, but not in a good way. You would think with all of the money he already has, he wouldn't have to "cheat" the system for a few dollars more.

[Magic Marker]

I used to be a die hard pc fan, but we just got a mac for our son and I am falling in love with it.

I wouldn't mind a 24" iMac. I don't have much interest in building my own pc's anymore, so I just might get one. If I stay on the PC side of things I'll just get a nice laptop to get the mess off my desk.

[cookin chef]

I used to be a die hard pc fan, but we just got a mac for our son and I am falling in love with it.

Hey Amy, Hope your kid likes it. I admit, I love this MacBook, But I'll stick with custom built pc systems and not those IMAC's. Apple is bad for restricting upgrade potential. I will always be a PC guy.

Hey Squidy, yeah I heard about Steve Jobs making headlines. LOL
I will wonder if Apple will survive or not if something really bad happens to him. That's why I see such a slow transition of apple becoming another full fledged PC.

Magic Marker, Good luck with your mac hunt. Yeah, Laptops are becoming way more popular than the traditional desktop\tower system.