The age old debate, Apple Fan boys vs. The Rest, Jobs vs Gates…which is better?
I’m here to give you a couple of facts that’ll help you see which side you fall on or prefer.
Why go Mac?
Screen – Retina Display (laptops) & high def LCDs…need I say more… with a pixel density of near 300ppi (on laptops) very few PC’s will ever be able to match that.
Build quality – All aluminium body, Apple don’t compromise on this, ensuring a beautiful ‘unibody’ design with a fantastic finish. They’re sturdy & pretty, the perfect combination. While PC’s are made from EVERYTHING, from titanium to recycled plastic.
Keyboard & touch pad (laptops) – Most PC manufacturers such as Sony have replicated the design elements of the Mac Keyboard. The keys are comfortably spaced and the back light is just a nifty feature that PC has not yet understood. Their touch pad is unrivalled…its functionality, 3 times that of a PC touch pad.
Quality of devices – As Apple have a limited range of laptops & desktops they can ensure the perfect cohabitation between their OS and Software…this ensures their laptops just work, well, and with little hassle. PC can be made by ANYONE, there are no Set or Universal standards for PC hence quality depends on the manufacturer and the series you picked from that manufacturer.
Streamlined choices = Better Laptops/Desktops – This works in conjunction with the above point. The fewer the variants the easier it is for Apple to press on in hardware and software advances as they have few variants to consider while making changes to hardware and software.
Macs can run Windows, but PCs cannot (legitimately) run Mac OS X.
You buy a new Mac out of lust and a new PC because your old one is crap.
Why go PC?
Cost – they start from a meagre 20,000 KSh and range to 100,000+ while Mac can’t be obtained at 60,000 Ksh or less… This is the greatest strength of PC’s.
Availability – Shops that sell Macs locally can be counted, while PC shops have sprung up everywhere in the city.
User Friendly/Common – Out of the total number of Computer literate Kenyans less than 10% know how to use Mac OS. As we are biased and have grown up in a PC based country, most Kenyans will view PC as easier to use, but in my own opinion Mac is fairly easy to use but if I were to type out a document using Word on either Mac or PC, I’d RUN for PC.
Spares & fixing – Have you ever damaged a Mac or a problem arose with hardware & lived financially to tell the story? I have; the glass protecting an iMac screen shattered during transportation…cost for replacing the protective screen went well above 20,000 Ksh not including the time wasted waiting for the glass (screen) to be imported. PC parts are much cheaper & require less importing.
Better support for accessories, ports & software – From your average mp3 player to your Android phones, PC supports them out of the box or the software to support accessories and plug-ins are easily available. The adapters for Mac as they use proprietary ports or rarely used ports such as Thunderbolt & FireWire are hard to find/locate and are costly.
Which is better is now a conflict of interest. Macs are quality and really good to use, simply functional devices…in short I love Mac, but the overal cost is just too high. What drives me & I think I speak for most Kenyans when I say, we are driven by cost of acquiring and maintenance; Macs are horrible in that sector. PC’s are everywhere, affordable and the accessories & software support is really good.
Again, in my own opinion…..if you love hardware & software seamless functionality Mac is for you….a great device that just works.
If you’re driven by Cost, availability & support….PC is for you. It all boils down to your taste & depth of your pockets.
254tech 