A guide to the differences between a PC and a Macs.

Have you wondered what the difference between a PC and a Mac is?

I have experience with both PC’s and Macs and have felt the need to share some of my observations. I currently have an older 2009 MacBook, a 2015 Mac Mini and a wide variety of windows based PC’s. I will be covering just the basics in this article and try not to go too into detail.

Some of the main differences are:

1. Design – Apple like to differentiate their selves from the competition with stylish but unified design across their devices. They use a single piece of aluminium as their case where possible. This looks quite good but can make servicing difficult. Whereas PC’s come in many different looks and styles even from the same company. There are many different companies building PC’s and each has their own style. Some higher end devices use aluminium as their main material but many cheaper devices particularly laptops and tablets stick with plastic.
2. Software – Apple devices use the apple created OSX as their operating system which looks and behaves differently to windows. Software designed for Windows will not work for OSX and software designed for OSX will not work for Windows but some companies will make software for both platforms such as Adobe. There is Microsoft office available for OSX but it is lacking features compared to Office for Windows. It is not just possible but quite easy to install Windows and OSX onto a Mac to enjoy the best of both worlds but you have to pay for a windows license.
3. Security – For a long time Macs have been seen as more secure then windows but in recent years this trend is slowly reversing as Macs become more popular exploits and malware targeting Macs is becoming more lucrative for hackers while Windows has been tighting security with Windows 7,8 and 10. Windows is still the largest attack target because of the higher amount of users. The days of Mac’s not needing anti-virus are over and all computer users should have some form of Anti-Virus. Avast and AVG work on both PC’s and Mac’s
4. Reparability – Modern Macs are designed to be the bare minimum size which limits what can and can’t be repaired within the device unlike their PC counterparts. For example, in modern Mac’s the RAM chips are soldered onto the motherboard while in PC’s the RAM chips are on a circuit board which clips into a socket on the motherboard. This can prevent faults where a RAM module is partially dislodged but limits your ability to upgrade since the amount of RAM you buy is what you are stuck with for the life of the device. On the other hand, Apple tend to have better support and warranty for their devices. Often if there is a serious fault with a device you can take it into an Apple Store or Authorized reseller and leave with a replacement device whereas with a PC you either have to send it back to the manufacturer under warranty or bring it to your local computer service business. But when it comes to PC’s computer repair businesses are able to quickly diagnose and repair the fault. Most PC parts are universal across brands unlike Apple parts which only fit the one model of device.
5. Value – Macs tend to be high end devices and have a price to match. Even older devices retain their value while PC’s come in all price points from low end all the way to high end. Things move so fast in the PC world that used PC’s can lose their value quite fast and older devices can often be picked up on special because newer devices are in.

Overall

The only person who can choose what you want is you. Once you figure out your needs and price range my advice is try out as much as possible in your price range to find a device you enjoy using and will last for as long as you want the device. You might want to try something new or stick with what you know don’t let a sales person talk you into a device you are not comfortable with using. Macs are only needed for developing iPhone and iPad apps just about all other uses can also be done on a PC.