i am getting a new computer. should i buy a mac or a pc?

Question

i keep hearing how macs dont get viruses and how windows 7 is better than mac are these both opinion?

Answer 1

You should get a Mac; it will last you for years if you take care of it, unlike a Windows PC. There are no viruses for Mac OS X and never have been, so you won't need antivirus software; it can't protect you against something that doesn't exist. This is a fact, despite what some people may say or believe. Saying that Windows 7 is better than Mac OS X is a delusional opinion. Macs currently have more than 10% of the market, and growing, while Windows has less than 90%, and declining.



The Mac comes with everything you need to get started doing what you want to do, including the iLife suite of programs (http://apple.com/ilife), and you can also purchase the iWork suite for $79 if you need word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs (http://apple.com/iwork). Mac OS X is the most stable and technologically advanced OS on the market; so good that Microsoft likes to steal ideas and features from it to put into Windows, but without success.



The cheapest Mac starts at $599; you can get a student discount for your purchase at the online Apple Store for Education (http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/findyourschool?mco=OTY2ODQzMg) if you can prove you're a currently enrolled student; otherwise you don't get any discount. In that case, you should consider getting a refurbished Mac from Apple here: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTY0MjUwOTE



These have the same 1 year warranty as all other Macs, but for less money because they were returned by customers for some reason. Stock changes frequently (daily) so if you see what you want, grab it then, because it will be gone soon.



Don't get caught up in the false promises of specifications between Mac and Windows machines, since they mean nothing in the abstract. Performance has little to do with processor speed, and far more with the efficiency of the operating system, and the efficiency of the code in the applications you're running.



Contrary to claims made by Windows PC fanboys, Apple does not use the same components as crappy PC makers. Apple designs their own systems, including the motherboard, for each Mac model, and they source their components carefully, which is why a Mac has far fewer breakdowns or failures than a Windows PC.



If you go with a Windows PC laptop, you invite and have to deal with more than 150,000 known viruses, with more appearing each day; a PC loaded with adware/crapware/trialware that is of no use to you, low quality components in the hardware, and an operating system riddled with many, many bugs that Microsoft has known about for years, yet done nothing to fix. Do you want to spend your time dealing with all those issues?



Macs retain their resale value far longer than a Windows PC, and Apple has the highest rated support of any computer manufacturer, for the past 3 consecutive years. No PC maker even came close to their ranking.



You can read reviews of the latest models of each here: http://www.macworld.com/products/mac.html

Answer 2

Well, your question sounds a bit confused. I think I'll answer it in parts.



"macs dont get viruses"

This is a fact. It's not a true fact, but it's a fact.



What's better to say is that there are very few viruses for Mac. However, that doesn't mean you can just do whatever and there won't be problems. As long as you do tame stuff, you should be fine, on average. And there usually aren't horrible problems if you do stuff that's not tame. However, horrible stuff can and does happen.



"windows 7 is better than mac"

This is an opinion. I think it's wrong, but it all depends on the situation.



What is correct is that Windows 7 is better than Windows Vista. This is not high praise.



What is also correct is that Macs are usually *nicer* than Windows. It's really hard to quantify, and many times Macs are slower than PCs, but I think you really shouldn't discount the benefits of serotonin when using your computer. Windows makes me stressed out, and Macs make me less stressed out, and I'm not the only one who feels this way.



But, above all, you should use whichever computer works with your programs and your budget. If you want Final Cut Pro or Logic or something of the sort, then get a Mac. If you need AutoCAD or Cubase or such, then get a PC. A lot of the time, though, programs are available on Mac and PC, such as Office, Photoshop, Firefox, and Reason, so you can make a choice based on taste and tolerance for stress. Did you know that chronic stress leads to early heart failure?



Also, if you want a really tiny computer, or a truly cheap computer, or one of the many options that Apple doesn't sell, then get a PC.

Answer 3

Well it all comes down to if your time is worth it. With a Windows laptop you will need to install an antivirus application, if you want a good antivirus application that means you pay for it. You will also need to do daily virus updates and scans. So with big files and a big hard drive, you will be spending time doing nothing. You'll also have the expensive of a legitimate antivirus application, there goes some of your savings. And since the best antivirus application only catches 90% of the 1,000,000 + Windows viruses, odds are you will lose some of your work one way or another. The last MacOS X virus was written in 2006. I taught a digital photography class with Photoshop, we just used Macs. My daughter has a degree from an art college, they just used Macs and she just uses a Mac Pro for her illustration/design business. The software that is included on a Mac will need to be added (something similar but not as good) to a Windows computer, there goes more of your savings. All in all it is generally agreed that a Windows computer with the same or similar hardware and software that is on a Mac will be about 10 to 15% cheaper. For that extra expense you get the highest rated tech support, highest reliability, excellent (7 hour +) battery life, and great resale value. The top rated 13", 15" and 17" laptops are all MacBooks.

Answer 4

Macs do get viruses. They are a little safer in they way they are built, but the truth on why everyone says they are so much safer is because Macs own about 3-5% of the market, while PCs own 90%, so if some one wanted to write a virus for an operating system to target as many people as possible, who would they target?



I prefer PC over MAC because they are inexpensive, less hassle, and the new Windows7 operating system is actually really good. If you want to do graphic design and that kind of stuff, then a MAC is more suitable, if you want to play games and run most apps, then PC is for you.

Answer 5

Of course they're opinions. Macs can get viruses, although rare.



Depends what you're doing with it, I personally think there's little downside for using a PC as a PC can run almost anything minus a few mac programs, and the Mac can't play a lot of games unless you want to have a dual boot set up. But at that point, I'd just rather have a PC.



Personally, Artsy stuff = Mac

Anything else = PC.



That and I find Macs are more expensive. :\

Answer 6

I would get a Mac if I was you, have you ever heard of "Boot Camp"?

It's a Program on Every Mac that lets you Install Windows OS.



Mac Hardly gets Virus than Windows



Highly Recommend to get the Mac

You also get better Customer Service

Answer 7

Macs do get viruses. Nobody writes viruses for Macs because more people use PCs. Viruses are the results of probing the internet and downloading stuff where you shouldn't, combined with the neglection of using anti-virus programs. More Mac Myths are that Macs don't crash (they do) and Macbooks have long battery lives (in lab-tested conditions with the screen's brightness turned down as low as it can go and idling without doing anything, yes, this is true.) If you like iLife, download Google's Picasa for free and buy Mixcraft + Adobe Premiere Elements for a combined price of $130 with this coupon code:

http://www.guitarguy.info/2009/10/mixcraft-discount-coupon.html

(sure beats spending an extra $130 or more on a mac)

those 3 programs will do absolutely ANYTHING iMovie, iPhoto, and Garageband will do and MORE. By the way, the coupon code also gets you the next version of Mixcraft for free. Anything else told to you by Mac fanboys or the Mac vs. PC commercials is either untrue, exaggerated, or totally preventable by common sense or learning how to use Windows and everything it offers effectively. My PC with Windows 7 is absolutely fantastic and beats any Mac.



By the way, let me point out to you a few mistakes that Yahoo! Answers Mac advocate (rabid fanboy) "Jon" made:

1. the only reason that Apple's computer market survived is because Microsoft was crushing it underfoot, but has let up in the last 5 or so years to keep the Mac from going under altogether.

2. Even if the cheapest Mac's price was cut in half for everybody, it would still be equally crappy. Believe it or not, there are PCs for $599, too.

3. benchmarks ARE measurements of the efficiency of the OS and the quality of the code that's running; that's why so many show Windows coming out on top. Most top programmers use PCs anyway because they know more about computers than to buy Macs.

4. the notion that all PC companies use crappy hardware is not only a stupid stereotype, but hypocritical. Apple gets most of their components (little more than scrap metal) from a cheap-selling Chinese company called Foxconn. It's a common criticism of PCs that they have bad hardware, but mac fanboys really need to do their homework first.

5. antivirus: the thing standing between you and viruses. The last time I checked, you don't have to deal with EVERY virus for PCs in the world by owning a PC.

6. they do patch their problems, Jon. It's called making a new OS or even installing a service pack. When OS X came out years ago, Mac users have had to pay $20 about every two years ever since to have the newest version. With Windows, you buy one and the Service Packs and small updates along the way come for free. Apple took over 70 days to patch the massive bug that can crash your computer when logging into a guest account on a Mac, whereas Microsoft makes updates like those in a quarter of the time, not to mention the hundreds of issues people have had with Snow Leopard, Apple's newest $20 "service pack", like having your Mac freak out and freeze up when daylight savings time begins or ends, or just freak out and freeze up. The difference between a fatal windows error and a fatal mac error is that Windows tells you what's wrong.

7. Macs retain a high resale value because they're trendy and expensive to begin with. People like Apple's customer support because they hold your hand and stuff the information down your throat. If you actually know a crucial bit about computers, you can diagnose one yourself and you don't need customer support. And yes, PC companies have come close. Apple only beat the runner-up in customer support by a 2% margin. (82% of Apple customers were satisfied, and one PC company scores around 80%, not to mention most others are in the 70%-80% range.)

8. to get a good review on a laptop, you want to avoid bias. Going to a review site for a review on a product screams "bias" out loud.

9. "25 years of Mac and Corporate IT experience." suuuure. And I have 1,000 years of experience, so I would know more than you. for one thing, 25 years ago, macs weren't nearly the same as they are today.



Enjoy your PC!

Answer 8

Macs are for designers or people who think they are designers. Get a PC every time. Did you know that the language of Macintosh is completely different to that created by IBM some thirty years ago. What does that tell you? Backwards compatible? Don't go Mac.



Windows 7 is the greatest operating system ever concieved, it is faster and more efficient than any previous OS.



Macs can get viruses, its just so hard to run internet content on them that it rarely happens.



PC every time.

Answer 9

okay here's the deal

if you on a budget and want plenty of free applications get a pc

if you got the money to spend and heaven knows most mac appls are about 29-40 dollars up to 300 dollars

yes a mac rarely get viruses but you'll pay for most of their appls

http://www.microsoftdownloads.com for free downloads

www.cnet.com, www.freedownloads.com,www.tucows.com,etc

http://www.apple.com

for mac products two of the best free ones are safari, and i tunes

mac - excellent support, and expensive

pc- windows 7 great os, very good support,and again plently of free appls

Answer 10

how could you even consider a mac?



pc is like an ipod touch

mac is like a nano...



pc = win

Answer 11

Get a Mac. You won't be dissapointed.



Have a look why :)



http://www.apple.com/getamac/