Apple vs. PC - What's the Difference?

Does the marketing confuse you? Apple or PC? We hear a lot from the TV commercials about the differences between a Mac and a PC but how much of it is real? I would like to take this time to point out the 'differences' between a Mac and a PC. In the end what type of computer you purchase is up to you, but knowing what each machine has to offer is always a bonus.

As far as hardware goes, there is no difference between a PC and a MAC anymore. Macs and PCs both use Intel processors, Seagate hard drives, etc and (I have actually done this myself) I can wipe a mac hard drive and reformat as a Microsoft machine and voila. MAC = PC.

Even so there are differences between how the hardware performs between Macs and PCs but despite the marketing hype, these are not positive differences from the MAC perspective.Let me give you some of my experiences as a PC repair technician.

MAC Laptops: I fixed these for a year - constantly over heat - severe in some cases - this is due to the exact same technology as you find in Dells and Toshiba's being crammed into a laptop case half the appropriate size for it so that apple can claim to have the thinnest notebook around. The problem is cooling is lacking in the MAC laptops due to reduced space - this leads to overheating. I once had a report of an escape key at 198 degrees. The technology simply isn't made to be crammed into that thin laptop case. We did warranty work for Futureshop so we got technology of all makes and types in for repairs. PC laptops were by far more robust and have far less technical issues, they are usually thicker and slightly heavier than MAC laptops.

MAC and PC Desktops - Actually pretty good to be honest, never had to fix many of these at all, either MAC or PC, they just seem to be more robust than laptops are as a rule.

So, if the hardware is relatively the same, except in how it is used, then it must be the software right? Not so much anymore.

MAC is built on a Unix back end since OS 10 so don't be fooled by the 'cannot be hacked' and 'has no viruses' claim. Norton actually produces an anti-virus software package for MAC machines. Kinda strange that symantec, a company known for it's smart business decisions, would divert development resources to build an anti-virus program for a platform with no viruses isn't it? And unix machines are hackable and have been hacked many times in the past and MAC is built on a unix back end so ...

Don't be fooled by the marketing types either, the unix MAC is built on is not some super unix that only apple has that can never be hacked, that's just apple nonsense. It is regular Unix same as anyone else who uses unix has.

Macs also tend to exagerate the abilities of the operating system. Here is a listing of some of the illusions regarding Mac software.

1) No patching - I turned on a MAC laptop fresh out of the box and it spent the first hour and 45 minutes of it's life with me updating itself over the net ... PATCHING! so much for no patching this is a COMPLETELY false claim.

2) Plug and play - one of the commercials I have seen for Apple states that you can just plug any hardware in and it will work, you do not need to download drivers or anything, just plug and play. It portrays a PC user as someone who must spend hours and hours updating the software so his new hardware works right. In my experience there is no difference between the plug and play capabilities of a MAC vs a PC machine. This stated difference is a marketing gimic and it is false.

3) No viruses - and yet you can buy anti-virus software for a machine with no viruses. Think about it. MAC is built on a unix back end - is unix immune to viruses? - no they are not and neither is a MAC. The reason why MAC machines have less viruses is because they have way less of the market share of computer users.

Consider: When a malicous software developer makes a damaging piece of software he is not going to target a system used by virtually no business anywhere (as MACS cannot run database software like Oracle and MS SQL Server) and used by very few individuals (due mostly to outrageous price tags) when they can write one that targets business and will cause a real ruckus when it gets lose and potentially impact a billion computer users.

4) MACS don't crash - yes they do and just as often as PCs do, I find this claim to be a funny one

And since Windows 7 I would have to say that the interface capabilities of both platforms have drawn about equal now.

So, then, if the hardware is virtually the same and the software operates no better than a Windows machine does then the difference must be in the service right? Perhaps Macs have better warranties?

Not really, I can go to a Acer website and download whatever driver I need for whatever ACER machine I happen to own, even old ones. I can review service manuals, join technical chat forums and ask questions and get answers directly relating to my machine and it's inner workings. I can do this also at Toshiba and HP and even at Dell to a limited extent.

Not at an apple site - In order to get detailed technical information about the computer I paid for and own I must be a certified apple technician and must have a log in name and password to access even the most basic of technical information about my piece of hardware that was purchased and is MINE!

During the process of becoming a certified apple technician you are warned over and over again to NOT reveal any information relating to past problems any particular unit may have had or any defects that may have been detected after design and construction of the unit (such as the laptop cases being too thin to allow for proper heat circulation)

I was not supposed to inform the customer of the exact specifics of the repair work I was doing. For instance I could not say 'I replaced the LCD panel in your display screen as it was defective' - instead I had to state simply that I repaired your display screen.

Even though on the inside of a MAC the hardware is exactly the same as the hardware on a PC laptop you are not allowed to order any apple parts from anyone other than apple. Apple assigns their own inventory numbers to these parts and so even having the original inventory number (such as the one Seagate would assign to a hard drive it constructed) would not help you find any part at apple.

So, in conclusion, there is no longer any real difference between MAC and PC except for the price tag which is massively outrageous as far as the MACs are concerned.