Disgruntled Apple users get vocal as Macworld looms

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For a consumer who knows nothing, you can get a good computer that can process words and surf the net for MUCH cheaper than any Mac. A PC is harder to use than a Mac and is prone to more upkeep needs and crashing/virii, so these same people probably take their computers in for service to BestBuy for things like eliminating trojans, virii, and defragging hard drives; or, they buy a new one once a year or every other year, when performance on the old machine becomes ridiculously slow, and there are amazed at how much faster their new computer is (compared to the mis-configured, virus and tojan-laden, fragmented hardrive). They probably never crack the case, even to add memory. These folks see a computer like a toaster--the cheapest toasts bread, so why pay more? A $1000 iMac cannot compete here, even if it has better video and sound than a $600 Dell, which comes with a scanner, and printer.

A knowlegable person can build a comparable or superior PC machine himself, which will compete with or utterly smoke any Mac (with the possible exception of the high end dual G5's. As an aside, the P4-Extreme processors beat out the Athlon64's, which are also 64 bit processors like the Apple's G5. Since I haven't seen comprehensive compariosons between the G5, the P4 Extreme, and the Athlon 64, I dont know who has the fastest desktop processor right now). For half of what the competing Mac costs. Neither high nor low end Macs can compete here.

An uninformed person who wants top of the line Mac-comparable PC componenets must buy from a system builder. THIS is where the argument lies. Yes, if you buy a top of the line Dell or Alienware machine, there prices are comparable to Macs. This is where Macs compete.

A fourth option exists--those who are not technology hobbyists. Those who need stable, fast computers and DONT want to tweak BIOS settings, worry about the newsest virus threat, etc. For example, video/graphics professionals. These folks tend towards Macs, because they are an integrated, stable, easy to use solution. Or, you are well-heeled and do not care if your computer is $300 more than a Dell, you just want it to work every time you turn it on, and you want the photo application to work like the email program, and the chat program to work like the video application, and every part of the operating system to work like every other part. Then, you buy a Mac.

I used to be a Mac only guy. Now, I am a PC only guy, cause I have much better computers that are self built than I could afford on the Mac platform. And, I am an avid gamer. While it is true that many big name games make their way to the Mac, most do not. In my business, if there were viable legal practice management software, I would standardize on Mac, because I DO believe there is a lower TCO (total cost of ownership) on macs--just from dealing with the at-home hassles with my PC's--but there is NOT acceptable software available, so PC's it will be when the time comes.

Posted by: atlascott   Posted on: 01/02/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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