There are some basics that one should keep in mind when talking about PC vs. Mac. A PC is, broadly speaking, a personal computer, just as a Mac is a personal computer. Especially when people talk about Mac vs. PC, talk about Mac vs. software. Windows software that runs on a PC
Just a little basic; A PC is a piece of hardware manufactured by various vendors. It is equipped with an operating system (OS). The most common is one from Microsoft, such as Windows 7, Vista, XP, etc. Another popular operating system is the different Linux distributions. A Mac, on the other hand, is hardware made by Apple Corp. with an operating system called OS X also made by Apple.
In my discussion, I will discuss the PC with Microsoft software vs. the Mac. Microsoft became the world’s largest software provider quite early in the company’s operator. They had a fairly simple operating system called MS Dos. It wasn’t even a good operating system. But Microsoft did its business well with many hardware partners who created the PC. At the same time, Apple was successful with the manufacture of its hardware and software: the Macintosh. At the time, the Mac had a mouse and graphical software, but the PC was not graphical in its user interface and did not use a mouse. Later, in the early 1990s, Microsoft also began creating a graphical user interface with Windows 3.x and later with Windows 95. Without a doubt, Microsoft was years behind the Mac in usability. But Microsoft was also the dominant market leader; Apple was just a niche player. Fifteen years later, things have changed and the Internet is the main reason. Microsoft’s success in the 1990s was based on client-server technology. The Internet has opened barriers and more and more systems can work through a browser. That doesn’t force companies to standardize on a specific customer’s technology. Apple is no longer a niche player; the company is even bigger than Microsoft in value today. And households and private businesses are considering whether to use a Mac or a PC. Both systems should work; if not, it could be argued that there is something wrong with the system.
One advantage of Apple is that they create both the hardware and the software. This makes it easier to make sure everything works fine. Microsoft creates the operating system and software above and has to rely on the computer vendors that create the drivers for its hardware; that works well with the software. It can be as good as the Mac, but obviously it can also be worse.
What about usability, ease of use? The Mac has always been graphical, and today’s Windows operating systems from Windows 95 to Windows 7 have always been a few steps behind the Mac (some might argue that this is a subjective little statement). The Mac is known to be easier to use, and “it just works” is a recurring claim.
Speaking of price, Apple is known to be more expensive. When comparing the PC with equivalent hardware and the cost of the Windows operating system with a Mac, at least Apple would argue that it is reasonably priced. Since there are so many hardware vendors building a PC, this market is more complete and will probably always be cheaper. At least there will always be cheaper PCs for sale.
The open vs. owner is difficult. There is also a lot of discussion among people who have vague ideas about openness. The PC is more open in the sense that the operating system you buy can run on a large set of different types of PCs from different vendors. If you buy a Mac OS X, you need to run it on a Mac. Other than that, openness is about open sharing and receiving. The Internet has had a great impact on the issue of openness. Today, both Macs and PCs understand auxiliaries equally well. Cell phones, printers, cameras, etc. everything works fine on both systems.
Legacy systems; This is the biggest obstacle for Mac and always has been. In the days of client-server technology, all systems were built for the operating system. And since MS was the market leader, all systems were first and in most cases only made for PC. This made it impossible for companies to choose anything other than the PC. Since the advent of the Internet in the late 1990s, there has been a paradigm shift. And now, a long decade later, many of these client-based systems are switched to Internet-based systems that work through a browser. Many companies have yet to use MS. MS Office with Outlook and MS SharePoint are systems that unite companies with the world of PCs. In the private consumer market, this is not a big problem.
I would say that there is no such thing as being better here. It is a subjective statement who is better. Usability and time spent on problems might be, in the end, the most important thing for the choice. I’d say Mac has the upper hand at this point. A link to client systems or legacy systems is another important issue, especially for businesses. On the other hand, the PC has an advantage due to the historical reasons described above.