How I Came to Get a PC and Not a Mac

Joe Wilcox ^ | Posted on April 6, 2009 2:17 AM | by Joe Wilcox

[dennisw]

News Commentary. Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" commercials have generated lots of Mac vs. Windows PC debate. Surely there can't be enough, so I'd like to generate even more. Quite unexpectedly, I'm a PC.

I don't buy new computers very often, and for a long time I slightly favored Macs over Windows PCs. So no one perhaps is more surprised than me that my now four-month old laptop is a Sony and not an Apple. I found my decision process to be similar to Lauren and Giampaolo, the protagonists of the first two Microsoft "Laptop Hunters" commercials. Microsoft got something right about the buying process, something many people on the Mac side of the debate are overlooking.

GOT A TIP OR RUMOR?

Mac defenders have glommed on to pricing as the primary criteria behind both ads, $1,000 for the first and $1,500 for the other. But both Lauren and Giampaolo clearly state other criteria beyond price. My budget was higher. I was willing to spend as much as $2,000 on a new laptop, which largely eliminated the price premium typically associated with Macs as an eliminating factor. My choice came down to priorities that the Sony laptop met that no Mac in the price range could meet. The Sony wasn't an easy purchase. I had to shop around before unexpectedly finding the right configuration within my budget.

Unlike Lauren and Giampaolo, operating system played into my decision-making process. Microsoft's commercials quite purposely don't mention Windows. How can they? Mac enthusiasts, reviewers, analysts and pretty much anybody else who has ever used Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista would wag fingers of accusation. Vista is vastly inferior to Leopard and predecessor Tiger. There, I said it.

Mac vs. PC: Going Both Ways
Before writing one more word, I want to preface about operating systems. I'm not a religious computer user, meaning Mac OS and Windows are just tools to me. I don't religiously defend either platform. I'm neither Mac fanatic or Windows fanboy. I always use both operating systems, but still must choose one over the other as primary. I've flopped between platforms for more than a decade.

In December 1998, I bought a Bondi Blue iMac on a whim, from the now defunct CompUSA in Rockville, Md. The computer was cute, but the operating system got me more. Mac OS X 8.5 solved most of the problems I had with Windows 98 (crashes, performance) and Windows NT 4 (app and driver compatibility). I stayed with Mac OS until Microsoft released Windows 2000 in February 2000. I switched back and forth between Mac OS and Windows until Apple released Mac OS X 10.0 in March 2001. What a disaster. Apple launched Mac OS X with no optical drive support, among other problems, and with few native applications. I dumped the Mac within weeks, running Windows XP beta instead.

The day before Microsoft launched Windows XP, in October 2001, I gave the Macintosh another try. A month earlier, Apple released Mac OS X 10.1, and it looked good. Over the next three years, I regularly switched between Mac OS X and Windows every couple of months. Major reason: Work. I covered Apple and Microsoft and needed to be familiar with both platforms. But by 2005, I found myself using the Mac with increased regularity. Apple's operating system had easily surpassed Windows, for stability, usability and performance—and there were plenty of Mac applications. But in early 2006, I made the first of several attempts to run several Windows Vista betas full time. I didn't find Vista be even remotely usable in production until the release candidate issued later that year.

I wasn't as sour on Windows Vista as so many of its critics. Vista isn't a bad operating system, it just has some idiosyncrasies. In May 2007, I abandoned the Mac for Windows, which lasted perhaps six weeks. I switched between the two operating systems as primary every month or so thereafter. But during my off-work time, I almost exclusively used a Mac. All that changed in January 2009, when I bought my first Windows computer in years. Except for a few weeks hiatus to test iLife `09, I've been using Windows as my primary operating system. Windows 7 is the reason.

I don't write about everything I learn about Microsoft on this blog. Through unnamed sources (and not from Microsoft) I got enough early information about Windows 7 to expect it to be the Vista that should have shipped in December 2006. If not for this expectation, formed in December 2008, I might well have settled for less hardware features and bought a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Apple should worry about many potential Windows-to-Mac switchers coming to similar conclusion: Windows 7 is the better Vista.

Buying by Compromise
What I find missing in the Mac vs. PC debate generated by the "Laptop Hunters" commercials: Compromise. Buyers with limited budgets must make compromises and they rarely get exactly what they want. The ads do show this kind of decision process, even if briefly. My laptop buying would follow a series of perceived and some actual compromises to get as much of what I wanted within a given budget.

My computer shopping started the week after Christmas. I would buy the computer that best met my hardware criteria, whether Mac or Windows PC. What I wanted: a small but powerful portable with 13.3-inch display and weighing less than 3.5 pounds (1.6kg), but 4.5 pounds could be acceptable; 3GB-4GB RAM, 256MB dedicated graphics; 320GB hard drive (250GB OK); LED display; 1600-by-1200 or 1050 resolution; and attractive body.

What I considered outside the criteria: $1,599 MacBook or $1,999 MacBook Pro. Both computers appealed for their features, design and performance, and I could run Windows 7, too. But I couldn't get beyond the Pro's heft, and the screen resolution wasn't enough on either. I sidelined but didn't eliminate the Macs during my early shopping process. I quickly narrowed the decision down to MacBook Air and the Sony VAIO VGN-Z590 and just as quickly eliminated the Air. I had tested the computer, which I found to be underpowered. Slow performance and hard drive size (80GB), along with 1280-by-800 resolution, took Air out of the running.

I wanted the VAIO, and it was a purchase being made on faith that Windows 7 would meet my expectations for performance, stability and usability. But I was ready to take the MacBook, if I couldn't find the right Z590 configuration within my budget. The 4.5-pound MacBook, while heavier than my desired weight, had an appealing configuration: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (1066MHz front-side bus), 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with 1280-by-800 resolution, 2GB DDR3 memory (expandable to 4GB), 256MB nVidia GeForce 9400M (DDR3) graphics, 250GB SATA hard drive (5,400 rpm), double-layer DVD burner, 802.11n wireless, backlit keyboard, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, two USB ports, one Mini DisplayPort and Mac OS X 10.5.

For $1,699, $100 more than the MacBook, the entry-level Z590 model tempted. But I would have to settle for 2GB of RAM, 128MB dedicated graphics and screen resolution of 1366 x 768. The Z590 model I really wanted sold, with 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (with 6MB L2 cache), 256MB graphics and 1600-by-900 resolution, for about $2,800—way out of my budget. I either would settle for less VAIO or spend less to get the MacBook.

Then a friend found a reseller I'd never heard of, PCNation, which had just about what I wanted for $1,899: Sony VAIO VGN-Z590, with 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 13.1-inch LED backlit display with 1600-by-900 resolution, 256MB nVidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics, 3GB of DDR3 memory, 320GB hard drive, DVD burner, fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi and Sprint 3G modem. The processor cache was only 3MB but I would get 1066MHz front-side bus, which wasn't a feature on the lower-cost Z590.

Screen resolution wasn't at the top of my criteria list when I started shopping, but it later came to be. All other considerations pivoted on the one feature. I considered the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which has 1400 x 900 resolution. It was close enough to what I wanted but not near enough to justify a larger and heavier laptop. If my friend hadn't found the $1,899 Z590, I probably would have gone for the MacBook, running Mac OS X and Window 7 dual-boot. The $1,699 Z590's 1366-by768 resolution wasn't enough more than the MacBook's 1280-by-800 resolution to make up for the VAIO's lesser graphics memory and slower system memory and front-side bus than the Apple laptop.

During this stage of the decision process, I reconsidered MacBook Air, for $1,799. The newer model has same graphics as the MacBook, but the 80GB hard drive and 1.6GHz processor put me off.

The $1,899 Z590 changed everything. Within my criteria: Display resolution, system memory and hard drive size—all better than the MacBook. Equal to the MacBook: Graphics memory, processor speed, L2 cache size, front-side bus speed, memory speed and LED-backlit rather than LCD capability.

Difference: Windows 7
Both "Laptop Hunters" commercials stirred debate in part because the Windows PC buyers paid less than what they could have for comparable Macs. I spent more to get a Windows laptop than I would have for a good-enough Mac notebook. Other criteria mattered more than price.

Microsoft's commercials take Windows out of the decision-making process. As I explained earlier, almost certainly on purpose. Windows 7 took the operating system out of my decision-making process, because I expected it to be much better than Vista and as good as if not better than Mac OS X. I probably wouldn't have shopped for a Windows laptop, if not for Seven.

Four months later, I am more than satisfied with both decisions: Buying the VAIO laptop and taking a chance on Windows 7. The Seven public beta is speedy and functional. Sure, there are some glitches but nothing more than what should be expected from beta code. I haven't had this much fun using a computer since when I carted home that iMac more than a decade ago. I'm more productive, too.

That's with beta software. I can only expect better from the release candidate and final code.

Microsoft's "Laptop Hunters" commercials are paving the way for Windows 7. The time will come when Microsoft talks about Windows as part of the buying process—perhaps the biggest reason for choosing a PC. Apple has lapped up after Windows Vista for years, long before it released. Windows 7 won't as easily give up sales to Macintosh. In February I wrote about year-over-year U.S. retail PC gains against massive Mac sale declines: "The Windows Empire Strikes Back." Times are changing.

I love the Mac, but I must make her my mistress and take Windows 7 as the new bride. No one is more surprised than me.

I'm a PC, and I just can't believe it.

[dennisw]

Windows 7 is going to kill the overpriced Mac business model. This severe recession is also impacting Mac sales since many of the liberals and artistic types made money on Wall Street and our financial sector which is undergoing major shrinkage

[Glenn]

Vista is a great OS. The media killed it. The media hates Microsoft.

As I am a mutant (MacPC), I think they both have strong points, which is why I use both.

[momincombatboots]

I do not like Vista! It isn’t media hype, it is overloaded with jazzy looking features. I am not about appearance, I am about fast, efficient work. Never another Windows product again. This computer with any other OS would fly, with the bloated vista, it performs only satisfactorily, while I wait. My favorite Vista message:”____ not responding”. It can be email or my browser or any program. But WOW, it has really jazzy features. Grr. My other favorite was downloading a SP that left me unable to access the net, until I restored it.

[FUBO]

I’m a penguin.

[grey_whiskers]

Lovelorn ex-Cray.

Cheers!

[DB]

Microsoft made a huge error with Vista in the compatibility department. I’m not talking about hardware compatibility but instead software compatibility. It was a huge problem for me. I ended up having to use VMWare to run Win2k virtual machines to run software programs that there are no replacements for.

Other than compatibility I’ve had very few problems with Vista. I can’t remember the last time the OS crashed.

[sushiman]

Ping

[DB]

Sorry. I don’t get “____ not responding” with Vista. I’ve been using it 14+ hours a day for two years.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I’m a penguin.

I wish I were a Penguin. My next machine will run Linux.

[grey_whiskers]

Highly specialized case -- insisted on a notebook, and great screen resolution.

Hard to generalize from this.

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

You *do* realize how inane that sounds, don't you?

The OS doesn't work, so I have to use a proprietary platform to imitate other versions of the OS a lot. Other than that, it's great.

It's like saying your wife is great, but due to compatibility issues you need to keep several mistresses around. Other than that, she's great.

Cheers!

[econjack]

Sorry. I don’t get “____ not responding” with Vista.

About the only time I see this is when someone else's server is locked up.

I just retired from teaching in the Computer Technology department of a Big 10 university where there are thousands of PC's running in various labs. In most cases, users could care less about the OS than the specific software program they are running, and the variety is huge...from statistical packages (SAS, SPSS, Microstat, etc.) to mathematical modeling, to engineering software. Some MAC users stick with it because of a specific program they run on the MAC. I know relatively few who pick either machine purely because of the OS. They will even tolerate less-than-optimal OS performance as long as the program performs within reason.

[Biggirl]

I predict that Mac will survive, because of the quality of the product.

[Biggirl]

Plus PC’s are PRONE to viruses.

[DB]

The OS works. It just doesn’t support old software well if at all.

Much of the “old” software I’m talking about was written 10+ years ago and there are no replacements for. Specifically they are engineering programs designed to solve specific engineering problems.

For all the normal things people do there are few issues.

For anyone who primarily uses the software that comes with the computer or software that is downloaded off the Web that is current it isn’t a problem.

There is a difference.

[DB]

Yep.

My computer is a tool not a temple.

It is all about what software tools are available to solve the problems I deal with efficiently.

The bottom line is I’ll use whatever OS gets the job done with the least amount of pain.

[raybbr]

Your guy vs. my guy ping

[mkleesma]

“I’m a penguin.”

Me too; Ubuntu’s speed, performance and stability can’t be beat.

http://www.ubuntu.com/

[Lockbox]

Windows 7 is going to kill the overpriced Mac business model

I disagree, I have used both PCs and MACs since the 1970's, mainly PC's most of the time. Lately I am tired of PC's and the high maintenance in time to fix every issue. I recently sent in one of my Lenovo's for a broken latch under warranty. The laptop came back with no network connection, either Wifi or hard wired. So after 2.5 hours talking to Lenovo and down loading drivers on another computer, burning to CD to transfer, the laptop works again. With a PC it's always something to deal with. So if my PC was a car, I would always be working on the car in order to get back and forth.

My other complaint is that I takes a while for the PC to work, even when waking from sleep.

I have neither of these issues with a MAC, it works without issues and I open the Macbook and start to work.

Now that said there are software and some Internet web sites which do not support MACs, thus the need for a PC.

Bottom line, I'm tired of learning all about how to make and keep my PC working, while not even having to think about the MAC.

[Glenn]

I have used both PCs and MACs since the 1970's

As they didn't arrive until the 80's, I have questions.

[raybbr]

Plus PC’s are PRONE to viruses.

I've had PC's for about 15 years. Built my own and bought some. Never once had a virus. Some spybots but never a virus. I've had everything from W 3.1 to now, Vista (which I kind of like). The laptop that's running it has 4gb of memory. A Toshiba that I got from Newegg.com for $599. I could get three of those for the price of a Mac.

[Fresh Wind]

People who are emotionally involved with their operating systems are just weird.

[Juan Medén]

I buy PC’s just to stick it to the smarmy little democrats who think owning a mac is . . . well . . . pc.

[grey_whiskers]

The OS works. It just doesn’t support old software well if at all.

Thanks for playing into a pun-derful support of the analogy.

How many guys trade in the wife for a different model due to "old *soft*ware" on their own part, if you catch my drift?

Point taken on the engineering software.

Cheers!

[Labyrinthos]

I do not like Vista! It isn’t media hype, it is overloaded with jazzy looking features. I am not about appearance, I am about fast, efficient work.

All of the "jazzy looking features" can easily be turned off. The result is a superfast, efficient, and stable OS, if you have the hardware to back it up (i.e., don't expect Vista to run well with 256mb of RAM).

[Lockbox]

As they didn't arrive until the 80's, I have questions.

My first Apple was an Apple II in the late 1970's and I still own my 1st PC, a 5100 series from the early 1980's.

[Pontiac]

Lovelorn ex-Cray.

I sadly had to give up mine as well, the electric bills were killing me.

I loved playing Pong on it though ;)

[Gorzaloon]

I wish I were a Penguin. My next machine will run Linux.

You can Penguify your present machine free.

http://www.goodbye-microsoft.com

You can even keep your present Windows partiton and make the machine bisexual, and boot from either.

[MrPiper]

A Toshiba that I got from Newegg.com Bestbuy for $599 $499 two years ago and posting this. Why buy a Mac????

[Doc Savage]

Only a moron would buy a PC!

[OH4life]

Did you actually own a cray? What model?

Macs are nice when you need to run X on something and you don’t enjoy your computer looking like crap =) Cygwin is just way too frustrating to try to use, and Linux is typically okay (Ubuntu and Debian’s whole Apt-get architecture have made it *way* nicer in the last few years), but it seems like actually getting sound, wi-fi and printing to work successfully is hit-or-miss way more than I would like.

[WVKayaker]

Windows 7 is going to kill the overpriced Mac business model.

APPL 118.45 share - market cap- 105.49bn

MSFT 18.76 share - market cap- 166.79bn

Those stupid people at Apple... are gaining!

[capt. norm]

I predict that Mac will survive, because of the quality of the product.

The Mac are in the same category as Beta VCR's were.....better product, but the demand for them just isn't there.

[ctdonath2]

Even there, the Mac pic should show only one wire - using Bluetooth for keyboard & mouse interface.

[yazoo]

One thing left out of the article is the quality of the hardware. I went through two Sony laptops before switching to the Mac. The sony laptops both began having major hardware malfunctions before they were a year old and Sony was not at all cooperative in getting them fixed. With my second one the bottom of the case melted due to overheating and Sony refused to fix it, claiming user negligence. I have had Macs for three years now with almost no problems. When i did have a hardware problem with my MacBook, the folks in the Apple store fixed it for free while I waited. As for the operating system, Mac does everything I want without concerns about viruses or adware.

Sure, if you are looking for a small, light laptop the Mac is not the way to go, but I can think of no other good reason for not buying a mac.

[ctdonath2]

I probably wouldn't have shopped for a Windows laptop, if not for Seven.

This.

For all the verbiage, the author points out that even Microsoft won't advertise Windows Vista anymore, confirming that practically the only reason for a PC is Win7.

The only thing keeping me looking at PCs for my next computer is the sheer miniscule form factor of Sony's Vaio ultraportables (I'm wearing out my second one now). The Mac Air, and rumored Mac "netbook", will likely win me over.

[WVKayaker]

The Mac are in the same category as Beta VCR's were.....better product, but the demand for them just isn't there.

The Macs are more in the same category as a Ferrari... and you don't usually build your own Ferrari! You can make a look-a-like (Vista 7), but it just ain't the same thing! Plus, I can RUN Vista & on my Macs!!! (but I don't need it!)

[RoadTest]

Your comparison picture is striking. I’ve had the iMac for a couple of years now and it’s great!

[Peet]

Lovelorn ex-Cray.

Wow. There are still a few alive, huh? I cut my teeth on Cray's early CDC models; the 3XXX model mainframes.

Thanks for the blast from the past...

[capt. norm]

3 million out of 70 million isn't much of a chunk of the market.....we're talking less than one percent.

Macs are good machines but they are certainly not Ferarri-level by any stretch of the imagination.

I work with both every day (87 boxes).

[WVKayaker]

I still own a lot of older Macs. I regularly use a G3 iMac for surfing, and iTunes, in the back of the house. I have 4 old Powerbooks, including a G3 Wall Street. I put it on the shelf, when I got a G4.

I still use m G4 17" Powerbook, though I broke the hinges and the screen isn't lit. I just hooked it to a 23" LCD TV, and added a keyboard and mouse. I may, or may not, get it fixed.

I still run a first gen G4 Tower, again for storage of pics and stuff. It has two hard drives, and a DVD aftermarket burner. I plugged them in. I am not a tech, nor have had problems. I have lost THE INFORMATION on one hard drive in 32 years of computing. I learned the value of back-up in 1986.

I have been lusting for a MacBook Pro, but haven't justified it yet. Every Mac I own, "just works"!

[AppyPappy]

Vista works flawlessly for me.

[WVKayaker]

So, how many Microsoft computers do you own?

Gates got lucky, when IBM needed to find a DOS for a desktop. The Feds were their market, so, with the help of Wordperfect, et al, became a defacto standard for business. If you did biz with the gum't, you did the c thing.

In 1984, Apple introduced the Mac. It made a difference to a lot of people. It's graphics and ease of use were it's market. It remains that way.

If you are running a network with this mixed lot, answer truthfully... "how much time per computer" is needed to keep everyone working? When was the last time you got a virus on your Macs? How about on the Windoze machines?

Oh yeah, Windoze had to compete, because consumers demanded a graphic operating system, as usual, trying to copy success, with a ball peen hammer!

I bought my first Mac in 1984. I recognized value, when I saw it!

I bought one of these "Fat Macs" and had to order it, and MacDraft CAD program vs. IBM PC with AutoCad (a 30 day training included).

I set up the Mac in 30 minutes, and produced my first floorplan print a half hour later. I've never looked back.

[dennisw]

I do not like Vista! It isn’t media hype, it is overloaded with jazzy looking features. I am not about appearance, I am about fast, efficient work. Never another Windows product again.

You can easily cut out the Aero glass and other visual features and make it look like Windows 2000. This also will also boost performance 7% or so

Also Firefox is much better on memory than IE7 so I use it with Vista

Windows 7 will be even better and faster with better code and a few more visual features

[dennisw]

I do not like Vista! It isn’t media hype, it is overloaded with jazzy looking features. I am not about appearance, I am about fast, efficient work.

All of the "jazzy looking features" can easily be turned off. The result is a superfast, efficient, and stable OS, if you have the hardware to back it up (i.e., don't expect Vista to run well with 256mb of RAM).

I eliminate those features and Vista runs great with 2gb ram for me and a modest dual core Allendale. Firefox conserves memory. IE7 squanders it

[capt. norm]

So, how many Microsoft computers do you own?

I have six at home, four of which I built using cherry-picked components.

At work I am in charge of 87 (all PC's except 8 Macs) being used by idiots (TV news people to be exact).

I started in the mid 70's with a TRS-80, IBM mainframes in the early 80's and desktops from then on.

I spend most of my time with a macro-assembler for small modules and C++ for larger apps.

[WVKayaker]

So, how many Microsoft computers do you own? -page

I have six at home, four of which I built using cherry-picked components.

So, you own NO Microsoft computers. You USE Microsoft PROGRAMS on your pc's. I can do that on a Mac, legally.

I never liked that c>. I loved the graphic environment. I had GEOS on my C64, using a joystick. It was clunky, at best.

The Mac was a real deal. It was easy to use, out of the box. I've never had a network administrator, though I did AppleTalk in the 80's at home and office. It was plug-n-play. I loved it when I first hooked up a modem, and dialed a local BBS. Now, I carry an iPhone, with more computing power, more POCKET capability,and EASE OF USE, than any competitor.

Good luck with those MSFT nophones...

[Pontiac]

Nope, just joking.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Sony VAIOs are the best PC hardware I've used. Avoid HP and its proprietary Windows drivers at all costs!

That said, I've made the switch to an all-Mac environment over the last year. I recently bought a Mac mini and installed Windows XP on it with Boot Camp to run a few Windows apps I needed - it makes an outstanding Windows PC.