So you want to get a personal computer. Should you get a PC or a Mac?
Let’s look at another complicated purchase decision – buying a car. Some are good on highways and some can also travel off-road. Some car brands charge a premium price for their vehicles – for no better reason than their fancy name (my opinion). Some cars can do things that other cannot (E.g. run only on electricity; carry 7 people at a time, etc.) In spite of all their variations, all automobiles do provide transportation.
Both PCs and Macs provide a platform for personal computing. It’s what you can afford to buy or what you want to do in your personal computing (I.e. the programs) that should help you to make a good decision for you.
Here are some questions you need to answer and how they can affect your purchasing decision:
- Are there programs you need to run that are only available on a Macintosh or a PC? If so, you have no real choice. Buy the computer that will run the programs you have to run.
- Is there a “requirement” that you buy a PC or Mac? This might be the case when you buy a personal computer for a child that is going to college. Some colleges require one type of computer. (Check with the college before you buy a computer!) If there is a particular requirement, you have no real choice again.
- Is the “look” of your personal computer the most important thing, no matter the price? On the whole, Macs are very sleek and “sexy” in their design while the design look of PCs lags behind.
- If all things are equal (E.g. screen size, memory, processing power, programs available, etc.) will you purchase the less expensive option? Note: Comparing the cost of like units (apples to apples?) the Apple unit is usually 25%+ more expensive than the comparable PC.
- Will your personal computer ever need to be repaired? On the whole, the more expensive a personal computer is, the more costly it is to repair.
- Are you concerned about being attacked by viruses? PCs are attacked much more by viruses than Apples. Does that mean that Macintoshes are immune to computer viruses? No. Should you be concerned about viruses if you own a Mac? Yes, if you ever use the Internet.
So what is my recommendation? I have used both PCs and Macs. I have purchased well over 1000 personal computers in aggregate for personnel in the various companies where I have worked. Most companies where I worked were more concerned about the initial costs of the units. As a result, the vast majority of those units were PCs. That was my recommendation to my bosses and it is my overall recommendation – buy a PC over a Mac.
