Why a Mac is so much better than a PC

[ESA]

1. Mac OS is soooo much better optimised for higher resolutions.

2. Normal use is sooo much faster on a Mac. And it keeps its speed for many many years. Meanwhile Windows get slow. A Mac can hold well for 10 years.

3. Anti reflective screen. Some PCs have a good screen. But they reflect light like hell in the higher resolutions.

3. Screen brightness. When sitting outside nothing beats a Mac.

4. The speakers! For me the speakers is super important. Why in hell cant any PC-manufacturer make better ones than apple?

5. MacBook Pro is good not to show smudge on the chassi. For example the Razer blade and Dell XPS get smudged as hell after only some minutes. Looks awful!

6. You can use Windows on a Mac if you want to. (For gaming)

7. Design. They look the best.

8. The updates. It’s only one every 2 months. Windows is update hell.

9. Settings. In widows it’s so much weird **** that you should turn off.

10. Battery life. It’s better.

11. More quiet.


——-

Things like " yeah but you can get it for half the price lol rofl... " for me is the stupidest comment in these discussions

And I also don't understand why PC- manufactures can't do as good quality as a Mac. Especially the trackpad and the speakers.

I’ve got an iMac and a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini. But I also got a desktop PC with a 34 inch Alienware screen I game on. I am no Apple fan. I use both. But on the laptop side and phones. I think Apple is hard to beat. But in the desktop area I think PC is better. Macs have not been good gaming-machines since 2012 with the GTX680MX that was amazing.

 

[CreeptoLoser]

This debate is beaten to death years ago.

Both systems have their advantages. Mac have ease of use. PCs can be anything you want them to be and need to maintain long term backwards compatibility and legacy support.

They are very closely aligned in terms of the GUI. Each year they borrow bits from each other. They both do virtual desktops, split screen, dark mode, a dock and exposé now.

The main reason I use a Mac is the Finder and Labels. It would be very hard to work without labels because team members use them for versioning and approvals.

Most importantly, cross platform acts behave identically. But Apple needs to take desktop computing seriously again. Video rendering on a laptop is a no-no.

 

[netnewswireuser]

Mac is better, but you don't need too much to be better than a Windows PC anyways.

OTOH MacOS is getting worse release by release since Snow Leopard while Windows is getting better release by release since W10.

 

[LeeW]

I am not so sure your reasons are that compelling in honesty, nothing you have mentioned really touches on the important aspect of what you use it for. I use macOS in the main, but I use a PC as well, each has its own benefits.

The statement "a mac can hold well for 10 years", can it? Depends on what you are using it for and the initial spec. With a limited upgrade path 10 years is unlikely, again depends on use.

I always come back to the same statement, "cost and style aside, use what works for you".

 

[northernbaldy]

Having the OS written specifically for the hardware is a huge advantage
Windows has always suffered from having to be compatible with an almost infinite diversity of hardware

 

[maflynn]

I'm sure there are threads/posts in windows centric forums that postulate at how much better windows/PCs are then Macs. Saying how great a Mac is on an apple fan site is basically preaching the to choir.

I'll just say that both Macs/macOS and Windows/PC have advantages and disadvantages. Neither platform is perfect and I've had my share of issues and headaches in both Mac and PCs.

 

[theluggage]

I agree with many of your criticisms of Windows.
To be fair, though, a Windows user switching to MacOS would doubtless come up with their own list of Mac annoyances, and once you settle down to work the experience mainly depends on the application you're using.

The current big problem with Apple is the limited choice of form factors and features, and the recent over-zealousness in declaring still-useful features "obsolete" before their time. Assuming that Apple have now sorted the keyboard reliability and excessive throttling issues, the current MBPs are perfect if they meet your needs. If you want/need (say) a mobile workstation with near-desktop class CPU/GPU and the space to cool it, a headless desktop (that isn't 4-5 years out of date), a tower system with space for PCIe cards and internal hard drives then, basically, its Hackintosh (which can't really be recommended for serious use) or Windows.

Things like " yeah but you can get it for half the price lol rofl... " for me is the stupidest comment in these discussions

Again - that assumes that Apple is selling exactly what you need.

Take the 5k iMac - you certainly won't get a PC and a 27" 5k display for half the price (at the moment, you won't get a 5k PC full stop) and "comparable" machines like the Dell XPS 27 are going for (suspiciously) comparable prices.

However, if you (say) want a matching pair of smaller 4k displays, or a 40" 4k display, or a curved ultrawide display, then that 5k display is worth $0 to you - and with the display out of the equation you probably can put together a powerful headless mini-PC for significantly less than the iMac. It's certainly not knock-for-knock comparable with the iMac but if it is closer to what you want then that's not the point.

Or, lets imagine, they'd kept the Mac Pro cylinder up to date - odds are, as when it was launched, you'd be able to tot up the price of a PC Xeon workstation with ECC RAM, fast SSD and dual workstation-class GPUs and show that the MP was highly competitive. Which is great - if you wanted that. Even in that imaginary universe, you're stuck between a dual-core MacBook-Air-in-a-box Mini and the huge premium for Xeon/ECC/FireGL, where an i7 PC mini-tower + decent 'consumer' GPU would hit the spot nicely. Of course, in the real world, both the MacPro and the Mini have been left to rot for years so they definitely aren't good value.

I bought a high-ish end iMac last year and I'm pretty satisfied with it but its really not quite what I wanted (which was a headless desktop with umpteen USB ports and decent "consumer" PCIe GPU with multiple displayport outputs). It was touch-and-go whether I switched to Windows and built my own. If things haven't changed when the iMac is up for replacement then I'll probably switch.

 

[TimmeyCook]

Having the OS written specifically for the hardware is a huge advantage
Windows has always suffered from having to be compatible with an almost infinite diversity of hardware

I've seen this "argument" countless of times.

It is not true.

It simply isn't.

Mac's are industry standard PC's. Like Intel/AMD platform, they use x86 CPU's, Intel north and south bridges, PCIExpress, USB-C, etc. No Apple specific chips, or at least, chips that interact with the software.

Also, on Windows, Microsoft is making the OS, but the hardware manufacturers do the drivers, e.g. AMD does drivers for AMD GPU's. So it's no excuse.

Also, macOS allows every kind of hardware to be plugged in, the old Mac Pro's had PCI-Express cards, the new machines have Thunderbolt 3.0, which is just a port that allows PCI-Express cards to plug in, macOS of course has USB support, which is what most common hardware uses today.

Also, most of the advantages OP has posted, have nothing to do with the hardware/software interaction. Most of the advantages are purely hardware (e.g. "Anti reflective screen. Some PCs have a good screen. But they reflect light like hell in the higher resolutions. ") or purely software (e.g. "Settings. In widows it’s so much weird **** that you should turn off. ").

 

[AidenShaw]

Mac's are industry standard PC's. Like Intel/AMD platform, they use x86 CPU's, Intel north and south bridges, PCIExpress, USB-C, etc. No Apple specific chips, or at least, chips that interact with the software.

Not completely true.

Apples have proprietary BIOS firmware (forked from the deprecated old "EFI" spec), whereas new Intel systems have industry-standard BIOS (the "UEFI" spec).

You can't call an Apple "industry-standard" if its firmware is incompatible with (and inferior to) industry standards.

 

[Fancuku]

1. True
2. Not true
3. Neither true or untrue
4. Speakers don’t matter to me
5. True
6. True but bootcamp drivers for the touchpad are awful and Mac runs hotter on Bootcamp
7. True
8. True
9. True
10. True
11. Not true

 

[Strider64]

I used to be a PC user for over 30 years and the last 4 to 5 years been an iMac User. My opinion one form factor (PC or Apple) isn't better than the other, for both have their advantages and disadvantages. The first years of using an iMac it was a little daunting for me, for I was concern I would have a hard time getting used to OS X. The reason being is I would go over to my late Aunt's place and goof around on her MacBook and had a hard time navigating around OS X after using Windows (and DOS) for over 30 years. However, I put my concerns aside when I bought my first iMac, because of my knowledge of computers and even starting building my own the last 10 years of being a PC person. The main reason I decided to go to Apple was of the 5K retina display, but after using the iMac it soon became my computer platform of choice. I could go make a pro and con list for Mac over PC, but I could also do it for PC over Mac. I call it a wash and that is why I will never be a fanboy of either Apple or PC computers. That's is one of the reasons I don't like looking at youtube videos that bash Apple or PC, for I usually read stupid comment like Apple Sucks without any explanation or logical points on why they don't like it.

 

[TimmeyCook]

Not completely true.

Apples have proprietary BIOS firmware (forked from the deprecated old "EFI" spec), whereas new Intel systems have industry-standard BIOS (the "UEFI" spec).

You can't call an Apple "industry-standard" if its firmware is incompatible with (and inferior to) industry standards.

You are 100% wrong, it is UEFI (aka EFI after version 1.10)

 

[maflynn]

BIOS firmware

Apple doesn't use a Bios

 

[AidenShaw]

Apple doesn't use a Bios

UEFI is a BIOS, at least according to Intel.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000028532/mini-pcs.html

UEFI BIOS Update Instructions for Intel® NUC

Last Reviewed: 25-Jul-2018
Article ID: 000028532

The UEFI Flash BIOS update utility allows you to update the BIOS from the EFI Shell. Follow the instructions below or print the PDF version.

UEFI Flash BIOS Update Instructions (PDF)

Size: 115 KB
Date: May 2018

Note: PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader*.

Note

• All BIOS update files for Intel® NUC products are available on Intel's Download Center.
• Update the BIOS on your computer only if the newer BIOS version specifically solves a problem you have. We don't recommend BIOS updates for computers that don't need it. You can view all BIOS changes in the release notes included on the BIOS download page in Download Center.
• Downgrading the BIOS to an earlier version isn't recommended and may not be supported. An earlier BIOS version may not contain the support for the latest processor microcode, bug fixes, critical security updates, or support the latest board revisions currently being manufactured.
• Before initiating a BIOS update, be sure to read and precisely follow the instructions included in this document. You may wish to print the instructions for easy reference.
• If a BIOS update process is interrupted, your computer may not function properly. We recommend the process be done in an environment with a steady power supply (preferably with UPS).
• Before updating the BIOS, manually record all BIOS settings that have been changed (from default) so they can be restored after completing the BIOS update.
• All images in this example are for illustration purposes only. You need to select the correct BIOS files for your Intel NUC.

Update your BIOS using the EFI Shell.

[doublepost=1533429952][/doublepost]

You are 100% wrong, it is UEFI (aka EFI after version 1.10)

Please supply some support for that claim - every place that I look has things like:

https://wiki.osdev.org/UEFI#Apple_systems

Apple systems

Apple systems implement EFI 1.0, as opposed to UEFI, with the distinction that UEFI applications are loaded from HFS+ file systems instead of FAT12/16/32. Additionally, those UEFI applications must be "blessed" (either directly, or by residing in a blessed directory) to be loaded. Blessing sets flags within the HFS+ file system that Apple's firmware checks before loading an application. The open-source hfsutils package includes support for blessing files within HFS file systems, but not directories nor HFS+.

Apple uses a proprietary, bastardized version of the old EFI standard, with some nonstandard extensions and bits of newer UEFI features tacked on.

If Apple uses UEFI, then why are "boot screens" such a big issue?

 

[TimmeyCook]

UEFI is a BIOS, at least according to Intel.


[doublepost=1533429952][/doublepost]
Please supply some support for that claim - every place that I look has things like:



Apple uses a proprietary, bastardized version of the old EFI standard, with some nonstandard extensions and bits of newer UEFI features tacked on.

If Apple uses UEFI, then why are "boot screens" such a big issue?

Your source is outdated.

The page doesn't have a date of when it was last updated, or how the author arrived at his/her conclusions.

But it is certainly outdated, as it doesn't mention APFS in that section even, but most importantly, the blessing is not made with hfsutils anymore as stated, for a long time, blessing is made with the bless tool.

Also, here it is:

Apple is even a promoter of UEFI.

Also, I don't have any "boot screen" problem on my Macs, so, are my Macs running UEFI? That must be it, according to your logic.

Your signature is all wrong.

 

[smoledman]

What really gets me is it's 2018 and no Windows PC maker has yet made an 'all in one' that is even close to the quality of the iMac. Nothing is even close!

 

[Lloydbm41]

When you're doing work with Microsoft suite or Google's Suite does it matter if you are using an iMac, MBP, Windows PC or even a Chromebook? Nope.
Does it matter which type of computer you use if you are surfing the web, downloading software, or watching video's? Nope.
And I just mentioned what the average joe uses their computers for 99% of the time. So, for the vast majority of users, it doesn't really make much difference what they buy. It'll do what they need. Apple is simply a status symbol and that's why so many people want one.

 

[maflynn]

What really gets me is it's 2018 and no Windows PC maker has yet made an 'all in one' that is even close to the quality of the iMac. Nothing is even close!

Simple solution to that, buy an iMac

 

[LeeW]

What really gets me is it's 2018 and no Windows PC maker has yet made an 'all in one' that is even close to the quality of the iMac. Nothing is even close!

What really gets me is that in 2018 Apple don't have a decent solution for those not wanting an AIO device.

 

[JagdTiger]

1. Mac OS is soooo much better optimised for higher resolutions.

2. Normal use is sooo much faster on a Mac. And it keeps its speed for many many years. Meanwhile Windows get slow. A Mac can hold well for 10 years.

3. Anti reflective screen. Some PCs have a good screen. But they reflect light like hell in the higher resolutions.

3. Screen brightness. When sitting outside nothing beats a Mac.

4. The speakers! For me the speakers is super important. Why in hell cant any PC-manufacturer make better ones than apple?

5. MacBook Pro is good not to show smudge on the chassi. For example the Razer blade and Dell XPS get smudged as hell after only some minutes. Looks awful!

6. You can use Windows on a Mac if you want to. (For gaming)

7. Design. They look the best.

8. The updates. It’s only one every 2 months. Windows is update hell.

9. Settings. In widows it’s so much weird **** that you should turn off.

10. Battery life. It’s better.

11. More quiet.


——-

Things like " yeah but you can get it for half the price lol rofl... " for me is the stupidest comment in these discussions

And I also don't understand why PC- manufactures can't do as good quality as a Mac. Especially the trackpad and the speakers.

I’ve got an iMac and a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini. But I also got a desktop PC with a 34 inch Alienware screen I game on. I am no Apple fan. I use both. But on the laptop side and phones. I think Apple is hard to beat. But in the desktop area I think PC is better. Macs have not been good gaming-machines since 2012 with the GTX680MX that was amazing.

1. Mac OS is soooo much better optimised for higher resolutions.

2. Normal use is sooo much faster on a Mac. And it keeps its speed for many many years. Meanwhile Windows get slow. A Mac can hold well for 10 years.

3. Anti reflective screen. Some PCs have a good screen. But they reflect light like hell in the higher resolutions.

3. Screen brightness. When sitting outside nothing beats a Mac.

4. The speakers! For me the speakers is super important. Why in hell cant any PC-manufacturer make better ones than apple?

5. MacBook Pro is good not to show smudge on the chassi. For example the Razer blade and Dell XPS get smudged as hell after only some minutes. Looks awful!

6. You can use Windows on a Mac if you want to. (For gaming)

7. Design. They look the best.

8. The updates. It’s only one every 2 months. Windows is update hell.

9. Settings. In widows it’s so much weird **** that you should turn off.

10. Battery life. It’s better.

11. More quiet.


——-

Things like " yeah but you can get it for half the price lol rofl... " for me is the stupidest comment in these discussions

And I also don't understand why PC- manufactures can't do as good quality as a Mac. Especially the trackpad and the speakers.

I’ve got an iMac and a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini. But I also got a desktop PC with a 34 inch Alienware screen I game on. I am no Apple fan. I use both. But on the laptop side and phones. I think Apple is hard to beat. But in the desktop area I think PC is better. Macs have not been good gaming-machines since 2012 with the GTX680MX that was amazing.

The Alienware laptop used klipsch speakers at one time.

 

[AidenShaw]

Your source is outdated.

The page doesn't have a date of when it was last updated, or how the author arrived at his/her conclusions.

But it is certainly outdated, as it doesn't mention APFS in that section even, but most importantly, the blessing is not made with hfsutils anymore as stated, for a long time, blessing is made with the bless tool.

Also, here it is:

Apple is even a promoter of UEFI.

Also, I don't have any "boot screen" problem on my Macs, so, are my Macs running UEFI? That must be it, according to your logic.

Your signature is all wrong.

Note that I said that

Apple uses a proprietary, bastardized version of the old EFI standard, with some nonstandard extensions and bits of newer UEFI features tacked on.

Do you honestly think that Apple's membership in a trade consortium is proof that Apple is shipping current standards-compliant products?

Honestly? How about a link at apple.com saying which UEFI version that they support?

I stand by my .sig.

 

[Tech198]

1. Mac OS is soooo much better optimised for higher resolutions.

2. Normal use is sooo much faster on a Mac. And it keeps its speed for many many years. Meanwhile Windows get slow. A Mac can hold well for 10 years.

3. Anti reflective screen. Some PCs have a good screen. But they reflect light like hell in the higher resolutions.

3. Screen brightness. When sitting outside nothing beats a Mac.

4. The speakers! For me the speakers is super important. Why in hell cant any PC-manufacturer make better ones than apple?

5. MacBook Pro is good not to show smudge on the chassi. For example the Razer blade and Dell XPS get smudged as hell after only some minutes. Looks awful!

6. You can use Windows on a Mac if you want to. (For gaming)

7. Design. They look the best.

8. The updates. It’s only one every 2 months. Windows is update hell.

9. Settings. In widows it’s so much weird **** that you should turn off.

10. Battery life. It’s better.

11. More quiet.


——-

Things like " yeah but you can get it for half the price lol rofl... " for me is the stupidest comment in these discussions

And I also don't understand why PC- manufactures can't do as good quality as a Mac. Especially the trackpad and the speakers.

I’ve got an iMac and a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini. But I also got a desktop PC with a 34 inch Alienware screen I game on. I am no Apple fan. I use both. But on the laptop side and phones. I think Apple is hard to beat. But in the desktop area I think PC is better. Macs have not been good gaming-machines since 2012 with the GTX680MX that was amazing.

2. Subjective to user (Windows only gets slow because people load it/uninstall apps up and things stick in the Registry).. less problem on the Mac, but i still don't like bits and pieces left overr after an uninstall whichever system its on.

3. Also, subjective to user
4. Today's PC motherboards have HD audio:
5. That's why you clean them... Apple too priovides a cloth with Mac's but i've never had to use mine.
6. Not existent. As that's a legal issue. hardware not just software wise with using Mac on Windows. (except hackintoshes, but that's not an issue here either,as its breaking out of the eco-system)
7. I'd probably say, some PC laptops are just as good now, but only thanks to the MBA.
8. Yes, but you an customize what you want installed.. Although Apple gives gives you a basic choice, it doesn't encourage me anymore to do updates on a Mac if i choose not to... just because it's easier.
9.. Look at iOS 11.... It reminds me of turning of the privacy settings in Windows 10... Siri & Search suggestions ? No thx.... Took me ages to go though all of this stuff to turn them all off because its "per app" as well.

 

[TimmeyCook]

Note that I said that



Do you honestly think that Apple's membership in a trade consortium is proof that Apple is shipping current standards-compliant products?

Honestly? How about a link at apple.com saying which UEFI version that they support?

I stand by my .sig.

Of course you stand.

 

[Kiwikat88]

1. Mac OS is soooo much better optimised for higher resolutions.
2. Normal use is sooo much faster on a Mac. And it keeps its speed for many many years. Meanwhile Windows get slow. A Mac can hold well for 10 years.
3. Anti reflective screen. Some PCs have a good screen. But they reflect light like hell in the higher resolutions.
3. Screen brightness. When sitting outside nothing beats a Mac.
4. The speakers! For me the speakers is super important. Why in hell cant any PC-manufacturer make better ones than apple?
5. MacBook Pro is good not to show smudge on the chassi. For example the Razer blade and Dell XPS get smudged as hell after only some minutes. Looks awful!
6. You can use Windows on a Mac if you want to. (For gaming)
7. Design. They look the best.
8. The updates. It’s only one every 2 months. Windows is update hell.
9. Settings. In widows it’s so much weird **** that you should turn off.
10. Battery life. It’s better.
11. More quiet.
——-
Things like " yeah but you can get it for half the price lol rofl... " for me is the stupidest comment in these discussions

1. OK
2. Citation Required. How often do you see a 10-year old Mac with the original OS? How often do you see a 10-year old Windows PC with the original OS? I don't think this use case really exists outside of servers.
3. Apple has no matte screen options available. Matte > anti-reflective coatings.
4. OK, though some manufacturers have improved significantly recently.
5. There are other computers like the Surfacebook that look the same way.
6. Windows on a Macbook Pro is awful. Horrible battery life. Horrible drivers. Been there, done that.
7. Completely subjective.
8. Eh, maybe. Windows update is fine *when it works*. The problem is that it sometimes doesn't. The number of updates or frequency of updates isn't the issue, the reliability of windows update is the issue.
9. No?
10. No.
11. No!
(12.) Not a stupid comment at all. Price is a huge consideration when buying anything unless you're filthy rich.

 

[Mousse]

OTOH MacOS is getting worse release by release since Snow Leopard while Windows is getting better release by release since W10.

Preach on, brutha. OSX has been getting more and more bloated as of late. Bring back the svelte OSX of yesteryear and they might entice into buying a new Mac. As of now, I'm plenty satisfied running Snow Leopard on my cheese grater PM. Well, I can't run the latest software, but they're mostly subscription based now. I hate subscriptions.
I've got a custom built PC for Windows/Linux stuff, not Win10. Win10 snoops into EVERYTHING. You have to turn of a bazillion toggles to have any privacy in Winders 10. Bad boy, Winders, bad boy.