#38 MAC vs PC

Have you seem more humorous advertising? Mac vs PC. That poor old fuddy duddy Mr. PC. You wonder why anyone would buy a PC wouldn't you? Well to be fair, lets take a look at the other side of the debate. We love our Mac Mini, and there are lots of great things about MAC Os X that blows Windows away. However, there are reasons the world has not converted to MAC.

#1 and foremost is cost. There is no low end for MACs. The mini MAC is an underpowered 6"x6" box that starts at $599.00. For your money you get 512MB memory and a puny 60GB hard disk drive. For the same money you could have a pretty tricked up PC. And the PC throws in a mouse and keyboard (extra cost on the MAC). Desktop models like the iMac and Power Mac are way over prices versus their PC counterparts. Twice the price in many cases. See how nice a monopoly (Apple) prices its products? And don't even talk about laptops. The MACBook has a 13.3" screen and 512MB memory and that puny 60GB hard disk drive. Costs a scary $1099.00 vs $699 from HP, Toshiba or Lenovo. They will have 15.4" screens with 80GB hard drives. Is the MAC worth an extra $400 for less of a PC? To most no.

#2 Compatibility. Although there are an interesting array of software that runs on the MAC, it is tiny in comparison to PC options. I am constantly amazed at the lack of options of programs to run on the MAC. If all you need to do is browse the Internet and run MS Office, then the MAC is fine. Any specialization that isn't Graphic in nature you are hard pressed to find the program. And you'll pay more for the program than the PC equivalent. If you have some specialized software that your company uses, it likely won't port over to the MAC. There are also issues with the Internet browser that comes with the MAC. Safari is a decent browser, but it doesn't open every Internet site just right (of course the new Internet Explorer 7 has the same issues!). I've downloaded Firefox for the Mac and don't have those issues. Of course anything that was designed for the PC, like WMA audio files and MVM video files have to be translated to the MAC.

#3 Service. Apple is notorious for very mediocre customer service. Apples better be more reliable, cuz you are on your own if you have problems. Just ask ipod owners how nice Apple is when the battery dies. Now not all PC manufacturers are wonderful in customer service. But the options for extended warranties are much less expensive and available for PCs vs MACs.

I can think of great MAC vs PC commercials I can make from the above 3 items. The MAC would look as wonderful. I liken it to buying a car. The majority of people are happy with a Chevy, Ford, Honda or Toyota. Some have to have Mercedes, Lexus or BMWs.