Comments on: Is an Apple more form than function?

One of the reasons people buy an Apple is aesthetics--and not just because some guy said it in a Microsoft ad.

[Homer1972]

Oh I did want to say one more thing, Apple moved many of its engineers off OS X to the iPhone and since then 10.5 has become almost as buggy as Windows. I hope Apple realizes what a mistake they are making letting this happen. Much like Windows once the bugged code is in there nothing but a complete rewrite of the OS will get it out.

[blafouille]

Obviously the comparison is in favor of Dell,More speed ,more memory,more graphic.It will be good to know witch mobo and the brand of other hardware.I do not run Mac because I think it cost to much for what is it,since they used the same hardware from the same provider...Now for the software Linux is free and do the same job.I think a choice is more subjectif than technical..

[lincseagles]

You really seem to forget some of the other great things about Macs. This includes the less memory required by the OS. Not to mention the susceptibility to thousands of viruses and spamware. You also seem to forget the great applecare service. Through most manufacturers if you choose to forego the warranty, you have to take it into Geek Squad or formerly Firedog. And those with a warranty have to send their PCs away for extended periods of time. Most problems can be taken care of with macbooks right at the apple store and they service you right away. Its great to have a computer company that cares about its customers not simply just adding more specs and saying wow more power. Now I can watch two pornos at a time :0. Wait No I can't the spam will infiltrate Vista and kill my PC. Sucks.

[stancoplan]

Hahahaha very funny. Apple is all form, function can be found in any computer.
Apple depends on being the leader to succeed, too bad you can't always be the leader.
One mistake and Apple is gone.
What, no netbook, uh-oh form and function are missing in that segment.
Why do Macs run a MS operating system? Because if they don't their small market share will decrease even further.
Apple is not a computer company anymore, it's a fad company.
iTunes fad, iPhone fad, iTouch fad
Too bad cause I LOVE Macs.

[mikestatic1]

Netbooks are for poor people. I'll bet you have one.

[seven7dust]

it's Funny how these Fads have made Apple into one of the richest tech companies in the U.S ! they can literally buy RIM Palm Nvidia Adobe etc etc without borrowing a cent !

Another thing all Apple products have the highest Levels of satisfaction in their respective Industries ! Something Apple is doing must be right . huh!

[rplat]

If that Microsoft dude knew anything about Apples he'd own one instead of buying that ship anchor in his add.

[jjinalisoviejo]

I was a PC guy for decades. In particular, an XPS Dell person (although I had a couple Sonys and HPs in my day). It was with huge excitement, I purchased a Dell XPS 1330 as soon as it was released. At first, I was amazed and pleased. Then the "Vista Factor" kicked in. I soon experienced constant OS lock ups and several complete hardware crashes and failures. Yes, Dell send complete new hardware, but it started to wear then on a brand new expensive laptop less than one year old. The 3rd crash was all I needed to try my first Mac.

I got the 13" Macbook. WOW!! What had I been thinking all those years!! The quality, the lighted key board, the ease of wireless connection, the constant strength of the connectin, the high quality body, the amazing feel of the keyboard, the battery life, the tricks and lighting fast Safari, the intutitive OS, the FUN factor, iLife (in particular iPhoto!!), and more. I can gush for hours.

I have never looked back for my home computing!! Within two months, I purchased iMac to sit side by side by Dell XPS One. There is no comparison (although I do like my Dell XPS One), it has crashed twice since I have owned it.

Look PC geeks, once you go Mac, you will never go back!!!

[monkeyfun14]

Stop with the I was a pc guy ******** as soon as mac fanboy posts that you know he's lying.

It's like you all have a conference on how your going to start your fanboy comments.

[jjinalisoviejo]

Thanks Monkeyfun for the compliment (i.e. mac fanboy). I never thought of myself one since I still use PCs at work and one at home for work. I have own my two Macs for less than six months. I am still learning the OS system. So I never thought myself as a "Mac fan". But you are right, I am a Mac fanboy! I own an iPhone, iTouch, and even Apple stock. So you are correct, I am totally a fan of Mac!

[ewsachse]

Dude! You are getting a Dell.

The Dell lets me actually do work. I could be a software engineer or a financial wizard. The PC supports all technical and business needs.

The Mac just looks cool with all the other unemployed slackers hanging out at the coffee shop.

[newmacguy]

I migrated from a PC to a Mac about a year and a half ago. The operation of the Mac OS compared to Windows is perhaps best described as being like returning to the US after spending time in a third-world country where things just don't work like they do at home. The Mac mail, photo and other programs work without complication or mystery. I even like Microsoft Office for Mac although had I purchased iWork software to begin with I would not have Office for Mac. The absence of annoying pop-ups is a blessing as is not having to be continually reminded of how vulnerable PC's are to viruses. The customer service is without equal. SInce I paid over $1500 for my last PC and a tad over $1000 for a MacBook the Mac felt like both a bargain and within days, a revelation: the folks who had been telling me to try one were right! Surprisingly, not everyone I recommend get a Mac follows through - a testament to the power of price. Do what you want but as a former PC user I am glad I made the switch.

[wmrfisher]

I am beginning to lose any confidence that i had in cnet. I support my 87 year old father's computer efforts. Many years ago I put him on the mac operating system and we have no problems. I support my friends windows machine and get panic calls weekly. Frankly Apple offers far more reliable function than its beautiful form but obviously the myopic gearheads at cnet don't get it. I am just thankful that I don't have to use software or user interfaces designed by them. geeeshhhhhhh

[booskatz]

It looks to me like Mac is winning. Going over these comments I do not see the typical mac / pc arguments of the past. I see that the tone has changed a bit. PC believers are scratching for anything to sell their cause (like a political party who is for party before people) and the mac crowd which seems to be making current and valid points as it applies to today. Of course there are loony's on both sides but it is clear that we are not arguing that the mac is for serious workstation work and the pc runs everything, anymore. Now it is, I want something that works as opposed to something that may not work.

Here is my 2 cents, if you are the kind of person who likes a fixer-upper where you can remodel for eternity, go with PC; if you are the kind of person who would like to get a house that is move-in-ready, go with Mac. Again, the PC is the old hot rod you have in your garage that you do not take out to often because everytime you put the pedal down, you are back in the garage; the mac is akin to a porsche cayenne, the pedal can be laid out as often as you like, and you can still tow your kids around.

I think it comes down to an OS being designed for one BOM and the other OS being designed to take into account so many possible BOM combinations which leads to bloatedness, complexity, and this concept demands more hardware to run it in order to remain on parr with a mac. In short, OSX has way less lines of code compared to Windows therefore OSX is more efficient with hardware than Windows.

[m.meister]

The mistake MS and others are making is that that they are trying to win a branding differentiation on pricing alone. What MS is saying is that they are nothing more than a commodity component. There is no real value-added with their OS and that the only thing to be concerned about is the cheapest hardware.

In other words, Windows OS sucks so bad that they cannot compare it directly to the Mac OS X -- and so they pretend OS's are completely irrelevant, ie. Windows is completely irrelevant.

Now Apple, for it's part, has essentially said that the OS is a critical piece in the complete user experience and they attribute real value to their OS and the software they create.

In all my years, I have not run across very many people that *enjoy* using Windows or Windows software. They tolerate it, but they certainly don't enjoy it. Despite some of its quirks, Mac OS X does provide a more natural, more enjoyable experience.

Part of it is because Apple tries to focus on the user. They don't always succeed, but it remains a key goal in all their software and that can be seen by looking at the progress Mac OS X has made over the last few years.

There will always be people where the cheapest up-front pricing is the *only* concern. It is just like buying a car. Some will *always* buy a Ford Escort over the BMW 3-series. For others, the entire experience plays a role and people are willing to pay more for that experience.

But in all this -- the value of Microsoft Windows is greatly diminished, by Microsoft.

[kaipaniolo]

Interesting that they don't mention the user experience with a Mac vs a PC or the interface in the ads. I am a recent convert, but still have a PC for Windows "must" apps. My Mac is "sexy" but my PC comes in a pretty nice box too. I am using a Mac because of the user experience and the ease of doing the things I do 90% of the time on my computer. I feel like my Mac has multitasking in its DNA and my PC (with 4G of RAM) hits the skids whenever I have more than 2 Microsoft apps open.
A pretty box is only good until you turn it on.

Randy B
From Hawaii Island - a really big rock in the middle of the ocean.

[tgibbs]

Comparing computers without considering the operating system and included software is a very much like comparing the value of cars without considering the engine--and then concluding that if somebody selects one over the other, it must be because of the finish.

What strikes me as remarkable in this comparison is that differences in hardware capabilities are so small in these similarly-priced computers when taking into account the substantial amount of added value provided by the Mac's operating system and bundled software.

[zvonr]

I might add one advantage to Apple Laptops: Customer support!!! You can always walk into a apple store and solve your problems..., with dell you talk to somebody on the other side of the planet...

Also the typical nontechnical windows user, spends 100$ every couple of months only to "clean up" their systems by all the crap that gets stuck to IE.

Macs fail, PC's fail. Macs and PC's use largely the same components, though their exteriors differ so greatly. Many Mac users may chose Macs out of loyalty, many because Mac OS systems plug and play better with iPods or whatever other peripheral they like, and the same arguments may go for PC's and other peripherals. Certainly cash-strapped students are more likely to buy Netbooks than either of the machines shown here. There are so many factors affecting why people buy _any_ product that you can't narrow it down to hardware performance/$ alone. Many of the people who switched to macs in the last couple of years, I suspect, did so simply because they were tired of viruses and Trojans. Are there none for the Mac? Of course there are, but thousands of times fewer than for the "majority" OS. And so on and on.... millions of users/buyers, at least dozens of factors that decide people which kind of hardware to buy.

[alibabanotheives]

Buy the Dell and you have a steaming diaperload of useless software to remove. Buy the mac and you have a ton of very useful software you will use every day, and for $79 more, you can get iWork and have pretty much a full compliment. Buy the apple care support and you have 3 years of pretty good repair service. I have a Dell next to my iMac and I use both, all day long. But although I can do my video, photos, editing on the Dell, I do 99% of it on the mac, because it just doesn't suck as much. I have some rather pointed criticisms of the mac too, but if you look at how I spend my time each day, having the option to just switch at will, you will find that I do most of my serious stuff on the mac, with one application exception, because of a preference of my boss. The value you get from the mac is not listed in your side by side comparison. Working on the mac is more pleasant, and there is value in that, and value in intuitive, well thought out software. My Dell is not a bad computer, but I turn it off whenever I can because I don't care to hear all the internal fan noises and waste power. It is useful for a few things, but if I could have only one computer on my desk, it would be the Dell that would exit my office.

[NCTARHEELS]

Honestly, owning an iPhone has brought me over to OS 10. Really I do love Windows, but iTunes for Windows is not very good, and I need my iPhone synced to a computer at all times. I decided to get a Mac, decided I like it a lot, as well. If I had a Blackberry, or if I choose to get the Pre, then I just might flock to Windows again

[penandpaper52]

reading this debate far too much lately... can we see some substance to it?
Firstly, comparing an Apple to one competitor hardly makes a case, though, let's be honest, the basic comparison probably holds true across the board.
But, does hardware run faster on a mac platform or a pc platform? What is MAC OS actually worth compared to Windows? Do people need to shell out the extra few hundred to get the full version of window vista to get all they would want from the all inclusive Mac OS?
Are Macs less prone to viruses like they say? Is that not worth more than a brand name?
Lastly, what the hell does the user want it for? So often you see these comparisons, mac to pc or just pc to pc, and how many people use their computers for more than word processing and basic web surfing? I know far too many people who don't know how to use their computers for anything more than that, and so name brand, speed and god knows what else mean even less. For them, buying that Dell, as I'm sure many do, would be an equally 'buy for flashiness' type purchase.
Humbug.

[chippind_2095]

The real fact is that Mac are overall a better value. I believe that mac users spend less time with maintaining the computer which if you value you time that can be a big thing. Also the resale value is much higher and of course the included software is much more usable and achieves better results with less hassle. When buying a computer it is the experience over the lifetime of the computer that makes it worth the price whether it be a Mac, PC or Linux box. And of course, it is usless if the program you need doesnt run on it. Fortunately you can run Windows, Linux and Mac OS on the current Macs.

[whatwouldbobdo]

I have been a PC user since the 80s. two years ago I moved to Mac. Aside from the ergonomics and the reliability, I have the wonderful ability to run Mac applications and through a virtual drive run everything I have ever run on a PC. I have one laptop and maximum productivity. Mac provides simple and reliable networking and a better core sweet of daily products such as e-mail, address boook and web browser. I have MS Office for Mac for basic work. On the PC side I have all my leagacy applications for PC including business applications developed in Access and Visio.

Twenty five years of work on one laptop and the backup of Time capsule.

Life is good....