The document discusses the ongoing debate between PCs and Macs. There are four sides to the debate: ardent PC users, ardent Mac users, users comfortable with their current system, and users comfortable with both. Ardent PC users argue that PCs are more affordable and have more options, while ardent Mac users say Macs are worth the higher price for the user experience. The document also examines differences in software compatibility, hardware compatibility, networking capabilities, and other factors for PCs versus Macs. It concludes that while differences exist, there are now more similarities between the two as the technologies continue to evolve.

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The Debate Over PC Versus Mac
By: Linda M Coologeorgen
Concordia University
May 2012

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Introduction to the Debate Over PC Versus Mac
The debate between PCs and Macs has been going on since Darwin 0.1 Mac
OS X beta was released on September 13, 2000 (Singh, 2003). PCs found a foothold
in personal computers throughout the 1990s. If you discuss the type of computer
you have at home, at work, or at school, then you’ll quickly find out that you’re part
of this very emotional debate. In most debates there are two sides, but in the PC
versus Mac debate there are actually four sides. The four sides of the debate are:
the ardent PC user, the ardent Mac user, the computer user that’s comfortable with
whatever system they’ve learned on and have always been using, and the computer
user who is comfortable and likes using both platforms.
The ardent PC user will defend their purchase of a PC by starting with the
cost. You can find a PC for approximate one third of the cost of a Mac, but if you
compare the cost of a Mac with the cost of a similar Windows machine, then they’re
almost the same price an ardent Mac user will point out. Next, the ardent PC user

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will state that they’re able to choose from a wide range of Windows PCs, whereas
Mac users have a limited number of choices. They’ll go on to praise Windows
newest operations system Windows 7. In October of 2009, Microsoft shipped
Windows 7 as a solid upgrade to Windows XP. Most PC users would rather not
debate security issues with a Mac user because Macs don’t really have the same
issues with viruses, trojan horses, and malicious application attacks. There’s
another small debate on the reason why Macs don’t have the same security
problems PCs have. Most people believe the reason has to do with the psyche of the
world’s computer hackers. If their going to spent time and effort creating trouble,
then they’re going to affect the greatest number of computer users they can. Since
PC users own ninety percent of the computer market that’s who hackers target with
their malevolence.
When the ardent Mac user is attacked about the price of a Mac they many
times use the analogy of purchasing a Jaguar (Mac user) and a Camry (PC user).
Yes, they could spend much less money purchasing a Camry (PC user), but why
would they want to do that. In their way of thinking, there really is no comparison
even with the Camry (PC user) being approximately one third of the price of the
Jaguar (Mac user). Then, they’ll go on to brag about Apple’s iLife suite. The suite
comes with editing, organizing, and sharing photos, video, and music. They’ll also
beam about the AppleCare Protection Plan that they received when purchasing their
computer. This protection plan lasts for up to three years from the computer’s
original purchase date. Finally, the ardent Mac user will quickly remind everyone
that Macs don’t have the same security issues that PC users have, but with the

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growing number of threats that target social networks and other online venues
they’ll have to be just as concerned as the PC user.
The computer user that’s comfortable with whatever system they’ve learned
on and have always been using is the third party to this debate. They don’t really
have a good reason for why they like the computer and platform they’re using. The
reason they’re defending the computer that they’re using is because they know the
quirks of their operating system, and they don’t really want to learn a new system or
change.
The final party to this debate is the computer user that likes each platform
equally or almost equally. This computer user is comfortable with both Macs and
PCs. Usually, it’s a person who has equal access to both platforms on a regular basis
without any allegiance to either a Mac or a PC. If they’re purchasing the computers
they’re using, then it’s probably with institutional funds, and most of the time
they’re described as a techie. There are some exceptions to this description, but
most agnostic computer users fit it.
Setting
The setting for the computer lab being described in this paragraph is an
elementary school with approximately eight hundred students. The school is a pre-
K through sixth grade facility, but the computer lab with thirty-five Dell (Window 7)
desktop computers only services each of the kindergarten through six grade
students one period a week. Prior to the computer lab, we were definitely a Mac
school. In 1999, we had iBook laptop computers in our first traveling computer lab,

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and at least two to three iMac 400 DV Blueberry desktop computers in each
classroom. Today, we still have a few working Blueberry’s around our elementary
school. In addition to the computer lab, our elementary school has two laptop carts
with twenty-nine MacBooks (Mac OS X, Version 10.6.8) for classrooms to share.
There also are one hundred seven iPads that the fifth and six graders use, sixteen
Hitachi StarBoards (interactive whiteboards) with Dell laptops attached to all of the
interactive whiteboard, but two. Two of the whiteboards are utilizing MacBooks in
order to make them interactive. When we first purchased the Hitachi StarBoards we
thought that we were going to be able to use old laptops that weren’t part of the
moving laptop carts, but the interactive whiteboards needed to have laptops that
had an Intel Core Processor running them. At that time, we only had two MacBooks
that could be used. With each of these MacBooks costing sixteen hundred dollars,
we decided to purchase Dell Intel Core Processing laptops at a cost of nine hundred
dollars per laptop instead.
As described above, our elementary school could be labeled a dual platform
Windows 7/OS X school. We also have a media/library center. Our media/library
center has fifteen iMacs (OS X Lion). These computers were purchased through a
Double Matching Library Grant at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. In addition,
currently most classrooms have between one and three iMacs (OS X Snow Leopard)
desktops for teachers and students both to use when they’re not in the lab, the
media/library center, or they can’t get the traveling laptop carts. We still have many
computer needs, but we also know that we’re very fortunate to have the Dell
desktops/laptops and the Mac desktops/laptops that we already have throughout

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our school.
Software
When purchasing computers for a business, a school, or for home you should
mainly consider the type of software needed. Businesses typically pick PCs with
Windows 7 because their needs dictate that the platform purchased has to be
compatible with today’s enterprise applications. “Windows 7 is compatible with the
majority of existing enterprise applications” (Reisinger, 2011). Then, if they need
word processing applications they’ll purchase, for an additional cost, the Microsoft
Office Suite. This suite consists of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and technical support for different lengths of time.
How long a business receives technical support will be dictated by the price paid.
In order to do an adequate job of purchasing computers for a school, the
technology coordinator and the administration must also consider all the schools
needs. Word processing applications are a must in order to type research papers,
but teachers and students must also have spreadsheet software that allows them to
record and graph data. They’ll also want software that facilitates the presentation of
their work. At the elementary school described above, the PCs (Dells with a
Windows 7 platform) in the computer lab came with Microsoft Office 2010 installed
and ready to use. Microsoft Office 2010 has Microsoft Word for word processing,
Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet software) for recording and graphing data, and it also
has Microsoft PowerPoint in order create slides needed to present the work that has
been created. So, these computers fit the majority of our needs, and since we have

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the latest version of Microsoft Word we never have a compatibility problem when
opening a Microsoft Word document from other PCs even if they have a different
version of Microsoft Word. The iMacs and MacBooks that are throughout the
school and in the laptop carts include an iWorks Suite. This suite consists of Pages
’09, Keynote ’09, and Numbers ’09. Pages ’09 is Apples’ word processing software.
Keynote ’09 is Apples’ software used for creating slides used in power point
presentations. Numbers ’09 is Apples’ spreadsheet software. This iWorks Suite
usually fits our needs, but we have found that as versions of Mac OSX are upgraded
we sometimes have compatibility issues. This means that we’re not be able to open
documents that were created prior to the software being upgraded. Some versions
of Mac OS X are not compatible with other versions “running the risk of “entombing”
data in formats that can no longer be accessed on that computer” (EveryMac.com,
2011).
Hardware
PCs with a Windows 7 platform have a high degree of hardware
compatibility. “Hardware compatibility is quite high. Current products will work
with Windows 7. Legacy peripherals and other hardware products will work with
the operating system, thanks to the virtual version of Windows XP running inside
the platform” (Reisinger, 2011). Macs do not have as high a degree of hardware
compatibility because until recently Apple Inc. has been producing its own
hardware for its exclusive usage. “Hardware compatibility with most new
products is approximately equal to that of Windows 7. However, older, enterprise-

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focused legacy products might not work with Mac OS X. In general, more products
work with Windows than with Mac OS X” (Reisinger, 2011).
Networking
When you have both Macs and PCs at a school, a business, and/or at home
placing them on the same network can be done, but the work needed in order for it
to become a reality is more involved than networking the same type of computers
with the same platform. (In order to set up Windows file sharing: first, you would
go to the Apple menu; second, you would move your cursor down to System
Preferences and click Sharing, and once Sharing opens you need to select File
Sharing in order to turn it on so that you can then click different options; third, you
need to select “Share files and folders using SMB,” and then select the checkbox next
to the user account that will be used to share files with Windows users; forth, enter
the password for that user and click OK; and finally, to help keep your computer
secure, you’ll need to create a special account for Windows users in Accounts
Preferences. You’ll want to give your Windows users your computer’s address, the
name and password they should use in order to share files with your computer.
Your computer’s address is visible in the Sharing pane.) At the elementary school
described in the Setting’s section above, the Macs and PCs don’t intercommunicate.
One reason this came about is because
the Macs were installed and networked together using the school funds, whereas
CPS (Chicago Public Schools) networked all the PCs installed in the lab and around
the school to their own centralized network. This is not the most ideal situation

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because Central Office scans all the PCs (laptops and desktops) around the school
every Thursday evening. This will only take place if they our left on, laptops need to
be left opened, and both laptops and desktops need to be logged off. If all these
conditions are met, then this is the only time that any software updates and
maintenance occurs. This also means that the Macs at our school are the only
computers that we’re able to maintain, control, and manipulate.
Summation
In summation, when really analyzing both computers (Macs with an OS X
platform and PCs with a Windows platform) you find more similarities than
differences. As new generations of Macs and PCs are produced distinguishing their
differences from their similarities will even be a harder job then it is today.
Reference
EveryMac.com. (2011) Mac OS X10.7 “lion” q&a- published July 19, 2011. Retrieved on
April 29, 2012 from http://www.everymac.com/mac-answers/os-x-lion-faq/os-x-
lion-compatible-incompatible-applications-quicken-office-eudora.html
Reisinger, D. (2011). SideXside: windows 7 vs. mac osx. Desktops & Notebooks-CIO Insight.
Retrieved on April 29, 2012 from file:///Users/laurasorce/Desktop/SideXSide:
%20Windows%207%20Vs.%20Mac%20OS%20X%20-%20Desktops%20and
%20Notebooks.webarchive
Singh, A. (2003). What is mac OS x? Retrieved on May 1, 2012 from
http://osxbook.com/book/bonus/ancient/whatismacosx/history.html

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Weinberg, D. (2012). What is better for gaming: mac or pc? Salon Media Group, Inc.
Retrieved on April 30, 2012 from http://techtips.salon.com/better-gaming-mac-
pc-2635.html
Appendix
Attributes Mac PC
Operating System Mac OS X that is up-dated frequently. Mac Migrating from Windows XP through Vista
OS X 10.7 Lion is the newest version. to Windows 7.
Price Range from as little as $700.00 (Mac Mini) Range from as little as $200.00 to
to thousands of dollars depending on the thousands of dollars depending on the
needs of the purchaser. needs of the purchaser.
Multitasking Performs very nicely when multitasking. Performs very nicely when multitasking.

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Software Compatibility Newer versions of Mac OS X are not always Windows 7 is compatible with the
compatible with other older versions majority of existing enterprise
creating a situation where data that could applications.
be accessed at one time no longer can be
accessed.
Hardware Compatibility New products have good hardware Hardware compatibility very good
compatibility. Older, enterprise-focused because they accept many component
legacy products don’t work with Mac OS X. parts.
Gaming Good for gaming. “Apple typically builds Great for gaming. “PCs are compatible
their Mac computers with Intel with more games, have more options for
processors, capable graphics cards and upgrading and customization” (Weinberg.
high-quality displays, making them a solid 2012).
option for games” (Weinberg. 2012).
Graphics Great computer graphics. Good to very good computer graphics.
Customizable Have a limited ability to be customized. Very customizable. Have many
Apple creates and provides all its own components that are compatible.
components.
To determine if you are a Mac person or a PC person click on this link, and then take the test:
http://www.pc-vs-mac-test.com/