Some reasons why Macintosh computers have an advantage over Windows-based computers:
1) Mac OS is based on Unix, which means that most software that runs in a Unix or Linux environment can also easily be run on a Macintosh. If one is inclined, it is also possible to install a partition on a Macintosh hard drive that will run Linux (or course this is also true of Windows-based computers).
As you already know, newer Macintosh computers that have Intel processors can also run the Windows operating system. This means that it is possible to run all three of the most popular microcomputer operating systems (Mac OS, Windows, and Linux) on the same Macintosh computer.
In theory, it is also possible to do the same on a Windows-based computer, but it is not as easy.
2) The core of the Mac OS is Unix, and the Unix operating system has been around since the 1970's, and almost all of the software developed for the Internet was developed for the Unix operating system first. Contrary to what Al Gore may have to say, the Internet started life as the ARPAnet and was invented on Unix-based machines. Because of these facts, the file system and the communications systems that the Mac OS inherited from the Unix operating system have been tested for over 40 years from before Microsoft (or Apple) even existed.
3) Because the Mac OS is based on Unix, and Linux is just another flavor of Unix, most of the Internet-specific freeware developed for Linux to provide server functions (like web servers, e-mail servers, etc.) automatically work on the Macintosh computers. This is important if you want to use your personal computer as any sort of server.
4) Macinosh computers are less susceptible to malware (virus, spyware, etc.) simply because there are fewer viruses, and other malware that run on Macintosh computers. Because most people use Windows-based computers, that is the platform where most idiots who write malware spent their time targeting.
5) There are many more application programs available for Windows-based programs, but if you look at almost all of those that are only available for Windows (and not Mac) computers, and you will find that these programs tend to be much less capable, less flexible, and less reliable than those that are available on both platforms. As previously noted, games are one area where this is not true. However, for most other application types, this observation is correct.
Much of the consistancy that currently exists in how Windows-based application software works is due directly to the software developer's experience with developing software on the Macintosh platform. Because Apple issued Human Interface Guidelines to standardize the look and feel of application software very early in the life of the Macintosh series of computers, the Macintosh user community has very specific expectations about how an application should function. Application software that does not meet those expectations does not exist very long because no one will purchase it. The same cannot be said of Windows-based application software.
Even now, after over 25 years of professional experience in the computer industry, I still run into Windows-based application software where the function of said software is difficult to figure out, even for me. The same can very rarely be said of applications that run on the Macintosh (and their Windows-based cousins).
6) The Windows operating system expects application software to store its environmental parameters, configuration parameters, and user preferences in the System Registry. The same registry files are used by all applications, and any application (or the operating system) can corrupt any entry in the Registry.
If you are have not stored a backup copy of your Registry, and if you do not know very specificly how to restore the Registry data for your applications, if you have to reinstall your operating system (due to problems that occur), you will also find yourself having to reinstall many of your application software programs to regain the correct Registry configurations for these application programs.
The System Restore functionality that has been added to Windows XP can help with this, but it is still easy to find yourself reloading lots of application software.
On the Mac OS, environmental parameters, configuration parameters, and user preferences are stored in files in specific directory structures and if it becomes necessary to reinstall the operating system, you simple reinstall it, and start working again. None of the application-specific parameters are lost because the operating system stores its environmental parameters, configuration parameters and user preferences in a different location from the where the application software stores its data.
7) If you wish to clone a copy of your Mac-based system (and given the low cost of hard drives and the high cost of a system restore, this is a smart thing to do), you simply use the Disk Utility application which is included with every copy of Mac OS to copy the complete partition to another partition on either the same drive or a different drive (and for backup purposes, you want it on a different drive).
To accomplish the same thing on a Windows-based system, you have to acquire a copy of a third party program such as Ghost or Partition Magic.
8) If you want to move your current operating system and application software configuration to a different computer, if you are using a Macintosh, you just use swap the hard drive into the other computer, or make a copy as described in #6 above, and as long as the other computer runs the version of Mac OS that you are currently using, you just boot the other computer using your current configuration. Every copy of the Mac OS automatically knows how run on every model of Macintosh, and automatically adjusts itself to just work.
When working on Macintosh computers, I commonly use an external Firewire/USB hard drive at client sites as the boot drive, and I already have instant access to my custom system configuration and specific application software. I can then move the same external drive back to my office, and boot the same drive there on my Macintosh.
Obviously, the same is not true for Windows.
Computers that run Mac OS, Windows, and Linux all have their place, and it is simple to find someone who can point out reasons why one platform is better than the other. I have many years of experience using each of these platforms, and can state that each has its advantages, depending on the priorities and expectations of the user.
Most people largely want a system that they can remove from the shipping containers, plug together, and get their work done in the most intuitive manner possible with the least trouble possible. Most people have experience using Windows based computers, and they are not extremely computer literate. They simply have learned the minimum about their computers required to allow them to do the tasks that they wish to complete. Therefore, most of these people are probably best sticking with the Windows-based computers that they already have and know how to use.
However, if given the opportunity to use a Macintosh for a week, it is also true that most of these people would stick with the Macintosh at the end of that week. Whether or not that is because most people just tend to continue to use what is working right now, or it is because Macintosh computers continue to be more inituitive than Windows-based computers is the subject of much debate.
Want additional information, or need assistance with your computer systems? Erko Technologies provides on-site supports to users of Windows, Macintosh, Unix, Linux and VAX/VMS computer systems throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. See http://www.erkotechnologies.com for further details.
You can reach me at help@erkotechnologies.com