Mac or PC?

The debate that explores the advantages/disadvantages and preferences in the use of computers often focuses on which platform you use. I have recently acquired an Intel mac. The reason being was that I feel that they are intuitive machines that come with a free range of killer applications, namely ilife. However, Charlie Brooke in today's Guardian has launched an onslaught against macs and mac users. He takes great offence it seems at Mac owners who say they like Macs because they are 'just better'. Cue his rant:

Mac owners often sneer that kind of defence back at you when you mock their silly, posturing contraptions, because in doing so, you have inadvertently put your finger on the dark fear haunting their feeble, quivering soul - that in some sense, they are a superficial semi-person assembled from packaging; an infinitely sad, second-rate replicant who doesn't really know what they are doing here, but feels vaguely significant and creative each time they gaze at their sleek designer machine. And the more deftly constructed and wittily argued their defence, the more terrified and wounded they secretly are.

From my perspective it's great to have a mac laptop and a PC desktop at home. It seems that I have the best of both worlds. However, I must say that I am increasingly regretting getting the Mac due to the fact that many if not all of the computer games design applications that are available seem to have issues when you try to run them on Parallels.

It seems to be the case that games design companies are not too concerned with making their materials workable within the Mac environment. It's a bit of a pest that I can't work on and demonstrate the range of games design applications via my Mac.

Could I be falling out of love with the Mac? Due to the restrictions that it creates within my specific context...maybe.

Comments

[Ewan McIntosh]

I don't know what the word would be, but I, too, am 'ambi-computed' - there are three PCs and only one Mac at home. And my handheld, like you, is a PC-based computer.

At the end of the day each computer has its merits for different applications. I wouldn't try to do my video editing on a PC just because I haven't enjoyed doing that in the past. The same for making podcasts. But for playing games and using Missionmaker, it's still pleasurable using the PC.

It's never worth taking a Mac user too seriously when they initially utter: "because it is". I think the fact Apple have managed to get their users so 'cult-like' is quite interesting. Wouldn't it be fun if everyone was quite so cult-like about PCs. It would make our job in trying to get the best IT use in classrooms a lot easier ;-)

[John]

Hi Derek,
What is nice about Macs is they now combine the easy of use iLife (or 3rd party comic life) type apps with an easily accessible unix/geeky stuff.
And they can combine; see the Blogging From TextMate movie. TextMate is a geeks editor, the blogging facility built by Brad Choate, geek power with mac goodness like drag and drop.

Of course you are right about the games weakness but as bootcamp and Parallels mature this might improve.

My opinion is probably worthless as I am one of those folk who are getting near cult member status, I am happy enough using windows but I find mac more lovable machines.

[hotmilkydrink]

John,
Your comment is appreciated and it has helped me to become a litle more circumspect with my black mood in relation to my Mac this morning. I think that you're right in the sense that as Windows emulators improve these problems with games design applications will be ironed out. In the meantime I'm still cross-platform and yes...the Mac is more lovable.

[hotmilkydrink]

Ewan,
Ain't that the truth.

[Durkin]

This section had me rolling about:

"Aside from crowing about sartorial differences, the adverts also make a big deal about PCs being associated with "work stuff" (Boo! Offices! Boo!), as opposed to Macs, which are apparently better at "fun stuff". How insecure is that? And how inaccurate? Better at "fun stuff", my arse. The only way to have fun with a Mac is to poke its insufferable owner in the eye. For proof, stroll into any decent games shop and cast your eye over the exhaustive range of cutting-edge computer games available exclusively for the PC, then compare that with the sort of rubbish you get on the Mac. Myst, the most pompous and boring videogame of all time, a plodding, dismal "adventure" in which you wandered around solving tedious puzzles in a rubbish magic kingdom apparently modelled on pretentious album covers, originated on the Mac in 1993. That same year, the first shoot-'em-up game, Doom, was released on the PC. This tells you all you will ever need to know about the Mac's relationship with "fun".

How true

Further observations on Apple http://cache.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/iProduct.gif

[Steve]

Derek, since I got my mac during the summer break last year I have hardly if ever used my desktop pc at home. I have installed bootcamp on my mac and use that to run GameMaker, Mission Maker and Game Factory2 all without a problem. I also use bootcamp to run Civ 4, but for gaming I still stick with my Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.

I believe it is about using the best tool for the job.

I have spoken to both Immersive and Game Factory and producing mac versions of their software and they both say it is cost prohibitive, and believe it is more likely that macs will run windows software in the future so that will get around the problem. I think Immersive are talking in the region of £80k to develop MissionMaker for the mac.

[Stuart Lennie]

Well I've always had this theory that Macs were to blame for the lack of ICT advancement in certain Authorities in Scotland (a controversial theory at that!). I remember the days when Macs would only work with Mac peripherals and Mac Printers- which were 3 or 4 times the price of their PC equivalents. I remember my school going back to BBCs due to the ongoing costs associated with their new Mac purchases!

And then we come on to repair, upgrade costs and freeware- Macs cannot even come close!

When you think about it, Vista is an incredible operating system (cue all the Mac people bleating on about OSX copy). Well, listen up! Mac hardware varies very little- a Mac is a Mac, is a Mac, is a Mac, etc. However, a PC can have one of a thousand different sound cards in it, and Vista 95% of the time will have a driver specific to that card. The other 5% of the time it puts in a native driver that does the job in the interim. That's an incredible achievement, no matter what anyone says.

Id rather have an LG Prada phone than an Iphone any day!