apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My employer provided me with a new desktop computer recently, so I had to vote PC Everywhere. If I ever leave this job, I am so getting a Mac laptop!

I'm not voting, because I guess I'm just one of those people who don't care. If I can check my e-mail and read news on the internet it doesn't matter much to me. I do hate Mac advertisements though - what's up with the anti-PC snobbery? I find it odd. It's a computer, I wasn't aware it was a status symbol. Then again, I always thought the iPod was just overpriced portable storage.

I just made the switch from PC to Mac in August with the purchase of a new MacBook Pro.

There has been a bit of a learning curve, and it hasn't been a perfect transition, but I don't regret the decision.

I recently switched to Mac -- I bought the black MacBook. It's true love. If only I could use Macs at work...

I grew up with both -- PC at home, Mac labs at school. Today, I despise my work PC -- it's just no where near as flexible or user-friendly as my Mac Powerbook. My partner's b-day gift this year was a new MacBook, so I'm suffering from new-Mac-envy right now...

I did switch to Linux for a few years and while it's the ulimate in flexibility, it really can be a PITA!

Vince, I just got a Mac for home because I was too lazy to go through the setup/newer Windows protection strife saga that I anticipated. And believe me, it was only the free Ipod that pushed me into it, as I did not want to feel like I was joining the Mac Cult of Special People.

I used PCs for years and years, but after the death of my second laptop in five years -- following the nightmare of viruses and crashes and fighting with warranty companies -- I converted to a Mac in January. I love it. And, even more, I love that I can go into the Apple store five blocks from my apartment and get instant help about anything Mac-related from really nice, friendly, knowledgeable people who don't ignore me or treat me like I'm a total idiot.

atomic librarian, just to be clear, I'm not saying that I hate Macs or PC's or that I love either one. I'm just indifferent. They are just computers and as long as it works I don't care about the brand. I think you know what I'm saying though - I just really don't understand the "Mac Cult of Special People." My opinion of how great somebody is as a person isn't linked to what kind of computer they own/use, and I hate to think that somebody's identity or self-worth would be linked to what kind of computer they use (although, sadly, I know people who are part of the MCoSP).

I'm a PC user. I certainly love the design of Macs and I love the idea of a mac but I really would rather take the $3k+ I saved by building a PC and go on vacation etc...

Not to mention I have a plethora of "aquired" software that I would never be able to afford on a Mac.

Now, as for iPods... it's all about that click wheel when you're looking for that Al Green song among 5,000 others...!

Oh, and isn't irrelevant what tool you use if you can accomplish the job...

IMO, the money spent upfront on a Mac is well worth the time and money saved in the long run by not having to maintain a PC. The time we've saved on non-existant crashes, viruses, maintenance, etc. has been well-spent on other interests...

Just thinking about the time I spent on my work PC trying to get a DVD to work (it was a work-related DVD, I swear!) makes me want to swear loudly...

Oh, we are on the same page, Vince--frankly, the Mac was a total splurge because all I use a home computer for myself is writing, internet and photos and I should be able to get by with the most stripped down PC available.

First off, a PC stands for Personal Computer, which is exactly what a Mac is. It should be Windows vs. Mac.

Secondly, those who are saying they had all kinds of trouble with PCs, like running software, DVDs, etc., that is completely user related, not the computer's fault. I never have a problem with my PC.

Lastly, this is a pointless battle to say which one is better because they both have their + and -.

With out a doubt though, I would rather go spend $1000 and build my own windows machine than drop $3000 on the Mac equivalent. They have WACK prices

I love my Mac at home.

We use to have Macs at work. I really enjoyed not having to rely on IT too much. Now that we've got PC's...not so happy about it, and seem to pester IT lots more.

But I am a huge Mac fan.

Mac. Absolutely.

Brian makes a good point, but he unintentionally points out why Macs have such a passionate user base.

"Secondly, those who are saying they had all kinds of trouble with PCs, like running software, DVDs, etc., that is completely user related, not the computer's fault."

Exactly. That's what the term "user friendly" means. No one is saying OS X is perfect, but it's more user friendly.

Where do people get this insane idea that you need to spend $3000 to get a decent Mac. You can get a very nice Mac laptop for a little over $1000. And the Mac mini is what - $500? On top of that, OS X is so worth it compared to Windows.

The other thing I've found (having owned by Mac and Wintel laptops) is that Macs last longer. My Wintel machines always seemed, over time, to get fat and sluggish over time as it accreted, I assume, more and more extraneous files and shit, from leftover bits of deleted spyware/adware, to leftover bits from software install/uninstalls, to the maddening sense that every damn Windows update and security patch made the machine run slower.

This doesn't happen with my iBook. Two years in on my early 2004 model G4 and all it ever needs is for me to run an Optimizer program once every three months. With Wintel, I was faced with the prospect of reformating the hard drive and starting from scratch just to get the damn thing to run like it used to.

You shouldn't have to be a computer geek to get your toaster to work.

When speaking about price it is relative. Yes you might be able to get a mac mini for $600 but it has 512mb of memory and a 60gb hard drive.

Personally, I think OS X is terrible. It is not so worth it.

My windows machine has been around for 5 years now. And is still faster than that Mac mini, and didn't cost a lot more.

I use a PC at work, and at home I have both a Mac and a PC. (The PC is primarily for gaming.) The Mac causes me far fewer headaches.

We've got 6 macs and 2 PCs in the house and I have 1 mac and a few PC servers at work :)

I have always been a PC user - I like the flexibility of both the hardware and software of PCs. I do use Macs at work, and I have found that over the last decade that each new generation of Mac is prettier and more enjoyable to use than the last.
Now that it's not horribly frustrating, and files don't get corrupted, I really like switching between the two user systems and taking advantage of the different strengths of each operating system.
I still land on the side of PCs (or PC plus iPod), but I still drool over the lovely Mac design!

i use a PC at work and a Mac at home. which is ironic, considering i'm a graphic artist and that's one of the things Macs are supposed to be best about. whereas, seriously, at home i pretty much just surf the net and such. and my secret PC gamer streak would be much better served by a machine that can, well, run PC games. in addition to all that, my office is pretty dependent on this one graphics program which isn't available for Mac. which is probably going to bite me in the ass when i get out into the 'real' world of the Officiallly Trained Million Dollar Graphic Designers' Club (tm).

real shocker with the answers here.

i got a PC laptop because it was $600 and the equivalent iBook or Powerbook would've cost at least $1500.

I use a Mac at home and a Mac at work. I am a graphic designer and I could't imagine using a PC. I have never had my computer crash at home since I got my Mac.

I use Windows on the new iMac.

I'm a designer and use a Mac at work, but prefer my PC at home. I have a Mac at home too, but I hate it, Adobe needs to get on the ball and release some Intel software so everything doesn't crash constantly.

Windows is too hard.

Proud and passionate member of the Mac Cult of Special People. Powerbook, 2+ years old at home. PC at work. Got my elderly father a Mac too--the mini--so there wouldn't be crashes, viruses, spies, etc and all that constant maintenance. Instead, only user errors.

My next computer will be a Mac. I use Windows at work and Ubuntu at home. But my wife is a graphic designer and uses a Mac and I love how it combines the reliability of Ubuntu with the application support of Windows.

I just wish there was an anti mac commercial, where the little prissy hipster turns into a color wheel and just spins for the entire ad!!!

Mac at home, Windows UNDER DURESS at work.

Actually glad to maintain exposure to both, but cannot understand how anyone could prefer a PC -- ugh!

PS - hate the Mac commercials -- 10 years too late and geekier than the poor PC geek guy!

PSS - our freakin PC network at work crashed in the middle of posting this - hah!

You can't understand why someone would prefer a PC?

They're way cheaper and most people can use them without breaking them. Windows supports a larger selection of software.

mac (with intel processor) because you can run both mac os and windows on the same machine using either boot camp or parallels. best of both worlds.

why a windows based machine: i grew up with them and love to tinker around, there's a lot more third party software available (and i'm not just saying games), i can trouble shoot and solve most problems i may have with a windows machine

why a mac: i'm in the art/design industry so macs are pretty much a prerequisite, i personally have access to a ton more typefaces on the mac platform

None of the above. I run Debian GNU/Linux at home and work.

I'm 21 and have been using PC's all my life. When I finally got the money last year I switched to Mac and my life has been better ever since, no lie. If you're thinking about switching, it's a good idea.

Linux at home and at work.

PC everywhere. I'm all about the right-click! Plus I've got some work apps that only run on Windows. At home, I can't justify the money for a Mac that would match the power of my Windows laptop.

That said, I respect Mac users, Linux users, and multi-platform users equally. Whatever works best for YOU is what's right for you.

Uhhh... Macs have right click?

MACs rule!

Windows is a Piece of Crap, running on shoddy cheap PC parts. Sure it saves money, but certainly not time, your sanity or your data.

Windows has always operated on the 'lowest common denominator' mantra, and after over a decate of being top dog, it still shocks me that even the startup logo isn't anti-aliased.

Macs are always ahead of the curve as far as innovation goes, and are truly designed machines.

I meant, Macs have right click!

I use a Mac at home and work (both G5s). At home I also have a Dell laptop that I bought a couple of years ago when I needed to run 3D Max, which is only available on Windows. I'd always been a Mac user since the late 80s, when I switched over from Commodore:

82 - Commodore Vic-20
86 - Commodore 64
88 - Commodore Amiga
92 - Mac SE
94 - Mac LCII
98 - Mac G3
02 - Dell Latitude
03 - Mac G5

The Dell had so many problems from the minute I bought it. Computers should have lemon laws, like automobiles. Within the first 3 months it wouldn't even get past the start-up screen. Had it broght in for repair- within a month it was at it again. I put it on the shelf. I haven't turned in on in almost two years.

As a Mac user, I'd often avoided the Cult of the Mac. I've always been happy with my Macs, and due to my line of work, need to have Macs, but always wanted an excuse to add a PC, to have a multi platform set-up. A "best of both worlds" scenario. When I finally had an excuse to do so, I realized why PC are so despised.

I run my Macs pretty hard, and apps do crash from time to time, especially Adobe CS2- unstable app. For those who suppose this instability to be a non-Intel native app issue, it is not. Both of my G5s are PowerPC chip based. CS2 is not a stable app (or collection of apps). I highly recommend sticking with CS1, at least until a mid-version bug fix update comes out.

Sorry, left out "Mac II"

82 - Commodore Vic-20
86 - Commodore 64
88 - Commodore Amiga
89 - Mac II
92 - Mac SE
94 - Mac LCII
98 - Mac G3
02 - Dell Latitude
03 - Mac G5

I switched from an HP desktop to a Macbook Pro this year after using a mac at work for a while. I think Mac wins hands down for built-in apps. iLife is just awesome for everything. The system is also silly easy to use,

My biggest complaint is over third party software. Why doesn't the Mac have a money solution as amazing as MS Money, and Entourage is a garbage, give me Outlook any day.

Yeah flamewar!!!!
Up next, Vi vs. Emacs.....

COM here. I have to use a Windows POS at work, where the IT staff has been breathlessly awaiting the release of Longhorn/Vista (moooooo!) for how many years? When it is released it will resemble...Mac OSX. Duh.

I'm a vet of the Mac/Windows flame wars and really don't want to go there again. That said, my experience w/my macs has been fantastic.

I have four older macs which still work. One, a Power PC, is still on my network because there's stuff there that I use from time to time and don't need/want to transfer it to another computer. I have a Blueberry iBook in the kitchen so I can surf while waiting for water to boil, play iTunes, or get a recipe. I have a "sunflower" iMac which works great and which I use for work when I work at home, iPhoto, iTunes, and my radioShark. In addition I have a 17" PowerBook G4, which I use w/ a cinema display for an extended desktop which I use primarily for fiddling w/my photos, and two 12" PowerBook G4, for taking to work and as an unobtrusive bedroom workstation. Love them all.

I'm a designer and I use nothing but Windows. Never had a problem. Plus I can run any software on the planet, except for retarded Mac programs, which I don't care about.

I do a lot of photography and use CS2, editing photos that are negative scans and 300+ megs. I've never had it crash on me.

Have the iMac OS 10 Tiger at work, for the most part I like working on it. At home I have the pc. Since I've been at this job I've been stuck with a Mac and I don't do any graphs, advertising or newspaper layouts on it like my counterparts do.

I have to remind myself sometimes when on the pc, doing shortcuts for Windows and Microsoft software that I'm not using a Mac.

The new Macs are cool and all plus not prone to get viruses but give me a pc any day....it makes things a little more simpler for me.

I use Windows at work and Macs at home. Macs are more expensive, but to me it's kind of like buying a luxury car versus a family hauler. I pay more to not deal with the problems Windows has.

And now it's all a moot point, since I can fire up Boot Camp and run Windows on an Intel Mac whenever I want. So far I haven't had the desire, as I can do all my nerding out on the Mac.

Now about VI vs. Emacs....

the computer at work can be frustrating, the mac at home is so much more helpful and easier.

PCs are perfectly OK. But Macs are simply great computers. They have the virtues that I admire in good design and in Apartment Therapy itself: they're well thought-out, functional, elegant, beautiful. Why wouldn't I use a Mac?

No Linux option?

Linux (and a little bit of Windows for groupware stuff) at work, Linux and Mac at home.

PC or Mac? It's like asking do you want power or better UI design? It's true that Macs are more powerful these days, but fact is, for the same price, you can get a more powerful PC than a Mac. More memory, faster processor, etc. When you're working on web applications, you need the fastest, most powerful computer you can get. In regards to viruses. As the tech world becomes more homogenized, hackers will make viruses for the Mac soon enough.

I got a Macbook Pro in August. For my grad program, the School of Communications IT guy recommended a Mac.

My old HP Pavilion with Windows ME needed to go even if I hadn'tg started school. Over the years I've accumulated Visio, Photoshop, Project, and Dreamweaver, so I had Windows XP installed on my Mac. Soon I'll install Parallels.

It's so great to not give the three-finger salute all of the time!

as someone who was a computer tech & used to do some security for windows systems, i have to say mac mac mac mac.

mac have a few flaws, but are way better systems overall. being based on an open source os is far more secure. the programs offered to us are more superior & we still have access to all of the windows programs.

the ONLY time macs fail is if you want a cheap, crappy dell (which for what you get is still overpriced) or if you want to be a gamer.

viruses will come eventually, but if you aren't a moron, you should be ok. honestly, you shouldn't be getting them in windows either.

Brian is right -- it should be Windows vs. Mac (and perhaps vs. other OS.)

I use Windows exclusively, because I think it's outrageous for Apple to ask that kind of price for their computers. Having said that, both Microsoft AND Apple are horrible for even charging customers for Operating Systems software. OS SHOULD BE FREE! At least a very basic, no-frills version. I feel if I spend the money on the hardware (which is a lot no matter which kind I get), without the OS they'd just be useless scrap metals. If these software companies want us to buy their products, they should at least give away the platform which to run these software.

I may have to move to Linux when my version of Windows becomes completely obsolete. Hopefully by then Linux will be mature enough and support more software.

"Microsoft Corp.'s forthcoming Windows Vista will take much harsher steps to curtail piracy than previous versions of its operating system, including crippling the usefulness of computers found to be running unlicensed copies of the new software.

The world's largest software maker said Wednesday that people running a version of Windows Vista that it believes is pirated will initially be denied access to some of the most anticipated Vista features. That includes Windows Aero, an improved graphics technology.

If a legitimate copy is not bought within 30 days, the system will curtail functionality much further by restricting users to just the Web browser for an hour at a time, said Thomas Lindeman, Microsoft senior product manager."

luv luv luv my new mac. the design is incredible. the magnetic power cord, the pulsing sleep mode, the two finger scroll, etc. all very smart and fun. sadly, i haven't found any mac-compatible free interior design software yet. if anyone has any suggestions, i'm all ears. thx.

I'm a design student and in a laptop based program at a design university and have no choice but to use a PC since the industry standart program (Autodesk Alias Studiotools) doesn't have a Mac version. Aside from that though, I've used PC's all my life and would never go over to the Mac side.

Its not that Mac's aren't good computers because they do serve a purpose for certain things, especially for those not used to computers and want something super simple to use. Its the idea that they think they can charge such a ridiculous price for everything they make simply because thay give it that shiney white/silver/grey mac aesthetic. A sheep I am not, pc's for life.

Is the real question is Windows vs. Mac or PC vs. Apple? Is it the software or hardware that really clinches the decision? I can't see paying for Apple hardware but OS X is cool. Luckily I can run OS X on my compaq with the help of www.osx86project.org Just another option for those who like Mac OS X but dislike Apple prices.....

So where is the choice for both? I have always been a Mac, Windows, Linux, UNIX (which MacOSX is also based off of, well a variant called BSD), SunOS. I've used all this stuff at school (public school, starting with Apples and Macs all the way up to the end of middle school, then PC's in high school, and everything in College).

We should think these polls through more before just putting up a few choices. They are all good systems. I own a Dell Precision 530, great machine as it is a dual processor Intel Xeon, with 1.8GHz each with hyper-threading on both chips running Windows XP. I have an AMD Athlon XP 2800+ with Windows XP, a Dell Pentium 3 laptop, a brand new Mac Mini Intel Duo Core, and a used but working great Apple iBook G4 12.1 runningat 1GHz. I love all these systems, PERIOD.

The Macs I use at the school computer lab freeze often. As do the Dells with Windows. The copy and paste functions are a pain as well if you're used to Windows. We still use Dells and emachines with Windows at home because of some software for work we also need to use at home. They are cheap as heck and need more memory right now but get the job done. Although I do like the looks of the Macs, I generally get my computers for well under $500, either used or refurbished, and can't afford to spend more for looks.

I grew up with MAC at school, PC (no windows!) at home. About 4 years ago, I bought a MAC, and I am never going back! I have to work on a PC @ work and I hate it...I also have a brother that works for Dell, and has brainwashed my family into thinking that Dell is King and MACs are the devil...why is it that my MAC has yet to have an issue, and that every Dell that has been owned in that house is constantly having problems?