PC vs. Mac

-or- the suit vs. the slacker

Published on May 23, 2006 By BlueDev In OS Wars

By now, I am sure most of us have seen the new round of Mac vs. PC commercials. You know, the one with the middle age, sort of uptight looking, fuddy-duddy dude in a suit representing a PC, and the young, hip, cool, laid-back dude in old jeans and a T-shirt representing a Mac.

I have seen a couple of variations, but they all focus on the same thing. They all are trying to convey the same message: Macs are just cool and "work", whereas PCs are out of touch, laborious and problematic. Of course, I find it odd that so much of the advertising lately is on the hardware (considering I am typing this entry on my Windows laptop with Intel Core Duo processors, an pretty nice ATI graphics card, more RAM than a Mac Book and a larger HD than a Mac Book, at easily a few hundred dollars lower cost).

Nevertheless, I am not a Mac hater. In fact, I fully anticipate owning a Mac someday, when I can afford to have one IN ADDITION to my Windows computers. But I have to admit, I really don't care for these new ads. They just seem like such a faulty use of details, that honestly, I think they are embarrassing. In that spirit I share the following (sorry, can't paste the image myself as it is not mine and I don't have permission to be pasting it):

An alternative comparison between PC dude and Mac dude.

I found this quite entertaining.

Comments (Page 3)

nightbirdsf

on May 26, 2006

"In addition to." I like that.

I have a Sony V505 13" screen laptop with XP and Object Desktop, along with a lot of other stuff. I love it.

I am also planning on buying two Macs. One will be a Duo Core Mini, which will be used for both a server and a media center. The other will be a used "iLamp" (G4 iMac) from eBay for my kitchen to watch DVDs, casual surfing, and videochatting. Both of these are luxuries which I don't need.

My Little Sony *giggle* is my window into cyberspace. It's what I use for computer work. Playing music (as in MP3s, not being a musician). Etc.

At work I have a 17" PowerBook. It's nice. When I bring it home, it makes a great DVD player. But that's it. I don't have any other personal use for it. And I can have the UI be any color I want, as long as it's brushed steel. *blegh*

Judging from the lookalikes here on Wincustomize.com, some of you like the Finder UI. I don't. I'll stay with Explorer and Object Desktop. Or if I get bored with that, I'll re-install geoShell. Or install liteStep and gnuStep (think of gnuStep as Cocoa for Windows or *nix). Or boot into SuSE Linux and run KDE, or Window Maker and gnuStep, or Gnome.

As for Finder, it seems like some other people feel like I do. I hear rumors that Leopard, the next version of OS X, will have a different UI.

Maybe when Leopard comes out, I'll decide to switch. We'll see. Until then my plans are when Vista comes out, I'll get a new laptop and load Object Desktop on it.

BlueDev

on May 26, 2006

You typed it up on your Windows system, well, I type this up on my x86 Debian/KDE system in Konqueror using the KHTML engine. So what?

My point exactly. It is all about preference. I disagree about iTunes though. It is decent, but has some serious flaws, such as the inability monitor folders and a serious lack of options when it comes to naming ripped files, etc. Integration with the music stores is done well, but other than that, I still don't see what the big deal with iTunes is. Now, that is, of course, on a Windows system, so it may be a very different story on a Mac.

Tominated

on May 26, 2006

What's wrong with itunes, it's great. Everybody at school I know has it.

BlueDev

on May 26, 2006

What's wrong with itunes, it's great. Everybody at school I know has it.

Like I said, it cannot monitor or smart scan folders. This is huge. You have to manually add and remove any music you want. Winamp can automatically scan any folders you want and add and remove files, foobar 2000 can, WMP can (and has been able to since at least version 9, if not before).

It has very limited naming capabilities. I like all my mp3 files to be named Artist-Album-#-Title. WMP can do that for me, as can many other programs. iTunes gives me the option to name files # Title. Weak.

iTunes has a lot of problems with reading album art from ID3V2 tags. If iTunes isn't the program that put the album art there, it won't recognize it. I have files I have tagged with album art. Winamp can read those, foobar2000 can read those, CD Art Display can read them, WMP can read them. iTunes? Not unless I manually go in there and add that album art, even though it is already there in the tags.

iTunes has very limited (and pretty crappy) DSP capabilities. You cannot adjust the sound of your music nearly as thoroughly as foobar, Winamp or even WMP (especially through external plugins).

iTunes is bloated as can be. I don't really care that much since I have 2 gigs of RAM, but iTunes will use at least 40-50 megs of RAM (with that much virtual memory as well). WMP, foobar and Winamp all use at most half of that, even when using lots of additional plugins. Very inefficient.

There. You have a beginning list.

Tominated

on May 26, 2006

ok ok, i get it. I still like it 'cause it's easy to use.

MommyDoo

on May 28, 2006

Rarely have I logged in to post a comment on anything besides a Windowblinds skin, and this would actually be my first time commenting on a article. But when I saw the 'alternative comparison' ad, I lost it!!!

It automatically makes me think of the smug little pr*ck that work in the IT department at my job... He is the epitome of the Mac jerk, down to his wrinkly jeans and perpetually-worn-on-the-outside-and-4-sizes-too-big plaid shirt.

That being said, never having owned a Mac, I don't really have the right to criticize them. They do seem somewhat easier to use (most software installation instructions seem to have 7 steps for Windows and 3 for the Mac), but you gotta figure if somewhere around 90 percent of the world's PCs run on Windows, it's gotta be for a reason.

Thanks for the laugh, BlueDev!

MasonM

on May 28, 2006

The alternative comparison is pretty funny.

No secret that I use Slackware Linux as my OS of choice. Never did like Mac but that's a personal choice.

starkers

on May 28, 2006

It automatically makes me think of the smug little pr*ck that work in the IT department at my job..

Sort a reminded me of when pollies accept a huge pay rise and try to convince voters it's for the better good of the country.

ryannonoffensivelastname

on May 29, 2006

it's easy to use, you're right. but you also don't do what others do with their computers, so that's where it lies.

easy for basic users,

retarded for experienced users.

ryannonoffensivelastname

on May 29, 2006

there are programs that take care of the registries whenever you uninstall a program, even if the program is a jerk and doesnt want to..

"your uninstaller 2006"

would be the name.

cactoblasta

on May 29, 2006

It automatically makes me think of the smug little pr*ck that work in the IT department at my job..

He reminds me of Apple Store staff. I've never ever bought something from an Apple store and not had to deal with some pretentious dickwad with a superiority complex. It's probably the biggest disincentive to buying Apple around - at least at a PC store there's no instant assumption I don't know what a computer is.

Underdog45

on May 29, 2006

One of my roommates is looking at getting a Mac. The iLife apps are the main selling point for him. It's kind of funny, because he hates iTunes and once said that Unix is "disgusting." He got a free copy of Windows XP from being an engineering student (courtesy of the MSDN Academic Alliance) so if he gets it he'll dual-boot with Windows. For what he wants, it's the best out-of-the-box solution that won't require additional software purchases.

Tominated

on May 30, 2006

that is kind of wierd, because on the apple website say "if you know iTunes, you know mac." they are probably not going to like it if they don't like iTunes.

catluvr2

on May 31, 2006

An alternative comparison between PC dude and Mac dude.

I love it!

lolapoa

on May 31, 2006

WEll let me give you another point of view:

I am a graph designer, with the wrong job, the Co gave me a hp,windows is slow,bug full and bothering, finally i got the solution, i bought a Mac Book Pro, its amazing, i installed windows for MS office only (which i stoped using cus mac one is better, u just have to get used to it) it is actually faster than the core duo HP my buddy has, except his has a better HD (7200 rpm vs. my 5400)my computer starts up windows faster than the same pc based on the same specs. What i like bout ppl login here is that they change the OS appearance cus its ugly,and yet u complain bout a beautiful workfull os like mac, interesting how the "better" ad goes, windows is better in office work, that's true, however,all work in mac perfectly well, only with some changes (for instance excel formulas, same speed and all, but windows CANT MATCH performance on PHOTOSHOP,ILUSTATOR,ACROBAT READER,and the list goes on.Most windows users have to re-install XP after 6 moths to a year,or sooner (virus,lots and lots) and it has to do on the terrible oranization of windows, when u uninstall something, loads and loads of dll and other archives stay on the HD and registry, mac is just, grab and drop in the bin! surfing the desktop is wonders with EXPOSÈ, plus, the dock is way better than a start menu.Just correct me if i'm wrong, how come ppl with windows make skins that look and work like mac, and ppl with mac dont make skins that look and work like windows?
The hardware is cutting edge, but the software, for instance this quote correct me if its wrong: Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries. MAIN REASON WHY WINDOWS PC'S WONT NEVER DO NATIVE MAC OS.
AND GETTING BACK, WHAT IS WINDOWS PLATAFORM HUMMM---OH RIGHT..............MS DOS, well whenever i see more MS DOS based super servers than UNIX BASED SERVERS, ill give u a call.
tell me a good thing bout windows i cant do on a mac, can windows dualboot? can windows do heavy graphics? can windows NOT get virus, can windows DONT crash, can windows have a IDVD IMOVIE OR IWEB, nah ill stick up with the clock and the calculator LOL, PPL UR IN A FORUM WHERE PPL COME TO CHANGE THERE OS ALMOST IN EVERY WAY, SO I GUESS WINDOWS IS NOT THAT NICE THEN...
sorry bout my spelling im from Spain.

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