Mac or PC- which is better?

[Sven]

We've seen the ads as to why Mac is better then PC- what's the take of this group?

[Stephen Surette]

I LOVE those commercials, having been a Mac person a long time ago, apple II days, I used to think that they were always better. I have had some computer from Computer-Port, no plug intended, I know many people whose computer have died but not mine. I think Mac looks better, has better software out of the box and is more stable. I also know, it is what you "do to them" that can make a difference, with downloads and installs they get filled up with junk and end up dying. Overall Mac has a edge in stability, although I have not made the complete jump back to Mac yet, I am stuck in PC for awhile.

[Elnor]

Never really used a Mac so cant really comment on the user experience, but I can say that throughout my IT years I have seen most users (unless they where in specific niche markets) very happy with PCs. So yes, it's not as stable as Unix/Linux or any proprietary version of them, but its easily compatible with everything that is out there and you can get support for a PC much more commonly than you can get for a PC.
So my verdict - if you really know what you are doing and can support your own Mac - go for it. If you need some support and need to be fully compatible with the rest of the business world - Go with a PC and realize that you will have to reinstall the thing once in a while...

[Seth]

I have to say that I find this to be a prevalent, but disappointing approach. Most of us learned what we know of PC's by "messing around" with them - I myself, reinstalling windows thousands of times when I destroyed my system. For all of the complaints about Microsoft's monopoly, at some point it is up to the IT industry, as individuals, and familiarize ourselves with additional platforms. This, regardless of performance, makes alternative operating systems more available. Apple has stepped up their game - offering boot camp for those of us who are having trouble jumping in with both feet -, now it's our turn to return the favor and at least familiarize ourselves with the products.

[Glen Group]

To Seth's point: Bootcamp, for those who haven't heard allows you to load a copy of XP or Vista (extra cost) onto a Mac. Essentially you have a PC AND a Mac in a Mac. I am still surprise how many people are not aware of this. Another compelling reason.

I won't begin to get into the many applications Apple has created that are almost always a pleasure to use because they have taken the time to create an enjoyable and intuitive user experience.

[Rob Casella]

Mac is certainly stepping up.. The shortfall in recent years has always been compatibility - more or less forcing organizations to choose between Mac & PC, which then becomes a business decision or maybe even a popularity contest. Now that the compatibility barriers are nearly down more individuals within organizations are choosing Mac and running their productivity (MS Office) apps on them. Increasingly, we are integrating and supporting Macs in our customers' business operations and networks alongside PCs, primarily because folks simply enjoy working with them more than PCs. I suspect this trend will continue as larger software application and utility vendors jump on board. I don't think we're quite at that point where we can say one is outright better than the other; in a practical business sense they're still a bit too different. But the gap is closing...