Week in Windows: PCs vs. Macs for the holidays
If you successfully avoided those questionable Black Friday PC deals, but you're still in the market for a new computer this holiday season, it's worth checking out Rob Pegoraro's no-nonsense "How to Choose a PC" column from the Washington Post -- which starts by breaking down the pros and cons of Macs and Windows PCs. His conclusion: Macs are technically superior, but the price means they're not for everyone.
"It's fair to call a Mac a luxury," he writes. "It's more affordable than many other luxuries, but see what your bank account has to say first."
If your bank account says it's a Mac, check out Macworld's latest Mac buying guide,
explaining the features and differences among Apple notebooks and
desktops. If you decide to go for a Windows 7 PC instead, see
Microsoft's "PC Scout" online utility for some help narrowing down your many choices.
Speaking of Windows vs. Macs, the latest web traffic stats from online research firm Net Applications suggest that Microsoft's new operating system exceeded Macs in overall usage last weekend, at least temporarily, according to a ComputerWorld report. That's largely a function of Windows' larger market share, but the rapid rise is another sign that Windows 7 is doing well.
However, the traffic patterns also suggest that Windows 7 is being adopted more quickly by home users than by businesses, blogger John Lister notes. As industry analyst Roger Kay has noted, that's not as good for Microsoft, because business upgrades are mostly voluntary, driven by a desire for the new operating system, whereas consumer usage is largely a function of PCs preloaded with the new OS at retail.
Here's the type of headache Windows users were hoping to avoid this time around: Reports began to surface this week that Windows Vista machines with a specific type of Intel storage driver were unable to move to Windows 7 because of a problem in the upgrade process. See this Microsoft support document for a detailed description of the symptoms, and a temporary workaround for the problem. Glitches like this were widespread in early days of Windows Vista, but they've proven less common with Windows 7 -- so far.
Despite the best efforts of MacDailyNews
and others, it appears that Microsoft successfully thwarted an attempt
by Mac fans to take over the Windows 7-powered window displays at Saks
Fifth Avenue in New York. Microsoft had invited people to submit
messages to display on screens in the window by using a #holidaywindows
hash tag on Twitter. Hundreds of pro-Mac messages appeared in the raw
Twitter feed, causing the Mac faithful to think they had hijacked the
public displays. But Microsoft says it was filtering the messages all along and none of the Mac-oriented tweets showed up in the windows.
Wired calls Windows 7 and Google's Chrome browser an "excellent" combination on netbooks. "The two together make pretty good use of a netbook’s most limited resources: screen size and processor power," writes Dylan Tweney for Wired.com's GadgetLab. "The result is a surprisingly pleasant combination for browsing, working in GMail and Google Docs, and other lightweight tasks." He notes that it's also a good sign for Google's plan to launch its own Chrome operating system next year, initially targeting netbooks.
TubbyHubby on November 29, 2009 at 03:03 PM
Hey Walsingham - thanks!
Koblog on November 29, 2009 at 03:04 PM
The author writes: "Reports began to surface this week that Windows Vista machines with a specific type of Intel storage driver were unable to move to Windows 7 because of a problem in the upgrade process...."
It's beyond me why Windows is constantly belittled for problems with its upgrade path when the Apple method for upgrade is to throw away your existing machine and all its software and start over.
If you take the Apple upgrade "path" and buy a brand new machine with Windows pre-installed, it will very likely not have any problems either.
At the moment I literally have a pile of unusable old -- and very expensive -- Mac hardware and software in the backyard under a tarp (had to make room in the shed) because Steve Jobs decreed, "Apple's upgrade path shall be pristine and cost you a fortune."
Remember Jobs standing there saying "Motorola processors are faster than Intel!!!!" and the ads featuring the Intel snail? And SCSI? And ADB? And Apple Xserve? And all the Claris software unceremoniously dropped after users committed because they thought Apple would be there? That's the Apple upgrade path: throw it away.
Windows is remarkably adept at adapting to the future.
rrr on November 29, 2009 at 03:47 PM
TO: Chuck
RE: How annoying
Give it a rest.
Regards,
r(rr)
[You don't have anything substantial to offer anyway]
George on November 29, 2009 at 05:10 PM
Rich, you did well but you didn't meet the specifications.
Your $1804 system includes the Hannspree LCD display which is only 1920 x 1200 pixels. This falls far short of the iMac's 2560 x 1440. The Hannspree only has 62.5% of the iMac pixels.
There is one other iMac specification that I failed to mention: it is backlit by LED's (cooler, more reliable and more energy efficient). The Hannspree lacks that, too, but I won't hold you to that specification since I didn't mention it in the original challenge.
Matt - I am a PC on November 29, 2009 at 05:14 PM
Chuck is another reason not to buy a mac.
George on November 29, 2009 at 05:21 PM
Rich, you did well but your $1804 PC failed to meet the spcifications. Your Hannspree LCD monitor is only 1920x1200 pixels -- far short of the iMac's 2560x1440. The Hannspree has only 62.5% of the pixels that the iMac display has. And the iMac is backlit by LEDs to boot (cooler, more reliable, more energy efficient).
Mark Brittingham on November 29, 2009 at 07:17 PM
I am fortunate to have both Mac and PC computers: an 8-core Mac Pro that I use for multimedia and graphics applications and an 8-core Win 7 machine that I use for web application development. Both have 8GB of RAM, fast video cards, etc.
I like the Mac a lot - it is very stable, stuff does "just work", and, overall, it is petty easy to use. But, truly, the same can be said of Windows 7. Windows 7 has a number of advantages, though, especially in the UI: Windows can be sized from any direction (a BIG deal), the taskbar shows me window previews, I can shake a window to hide other windows (although hiding a Window is a simpler key-chord on the mac), window "edge pinning" is only found on Win 7, recent documents for an app in the taskbar are on he right-click menu, and there is generally better support for keyboard-centric work. Little things are nicer too: duplicating a file-management window (apple-N on Mac, ctrl-N on PC) starts in the same directory on a PC (important if you are on a different storage device) rather than always reverting to Documents on the Mac...stuff like that. While the "conventional wisdom" is that the Mac has a better/easier UI, I'd disagree based on the observations above.
Don't get me wrong, I still use the Mac pretty heavily: iTunes/Apple TV is at the center of my multimedia setup, Adobe CS is faster, and a few other apps are also just better on the Mac. In the end, though, I just use Windows 7 more than Mac OS X and tend to prefer it. Your mileage may differ but I'm a pretty objective observer given that I use and like both.
Felix on November 29, 2009 at 07:58 PM
I guess Chuckie boy doesn't drive a Ford or a GMC. He, of course, drives a Mac(k).
Nichevo on November 30, 2009 at 10:00 AM
The Hannspree display cannot be compared with the Apple. For one it is a mere 1080p, IIRC. The Apple is I think a 1440p, and practically obsoletes their we're-not-worthy 30" studio display. However, taking your post verbatim: while you may have come in a ha'porth under the Mac price, it ain't exactly half-price, is it?
Also, "Lunar Shadow, Alienware Aurora Chassis" - is that a custom engineered all-in-one half-machine half-modern-art-masterpiece like the iMac?
And, nice work shopping it two places. Nice that you didn't have to drive to two stores, but maybe your time is worth a little something? I guarantee I can Frankenbuild a Mac-beater - if my time is valued at $0, which I deny.
Chuck - too bad the mini hasn't two GbE ports.
Nichevooo on November 30, 2009 at 04:12 PM
"We're sorry, we cannot accept this data"
Why not? And where is my last post?
Alan T on November 30, 2009 at 05:41 PM
TO: Chuck Pelto
RE: What is with the memo format
Get over yourself, Chuck(les). It's OK if people don't agree with you. It is not a reflection on you personally. Really.
I am very impressed that you can cut and paste your own text, it is way beyond my comprehension, which is probably because I only own one Mac along with four PCs. Maybe if I buy more Macs I will feel smarter.
I hope you feel better about yourself soon.
Al(an)
Torley on December 03, 2009 at 01:16 PM
I use both.
One thing for sure, for multimedia production (screencasting, machinima, etc.), it's far easier to record both computer sounds AND a mic on a Mac than Windows. There are universal solutions for the former, but the latter is notoriously patchwork.
roger on December 06, 2009 at 03:54 PM
A mac with Pelto. It figures.
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