How to Switch from a PC to Mac

So you finally decided to do it. Make the big plunge and take the advice of those obnoxiously trendy commercials. Smart move. Macs are actually fabulous computers that work very well. They’re not perfect (and nothing is), but they are very well designed from their hardware all the way up to their OSX operating system. The jump from PC to Mac can be daunting, though not as much as one may think. With a few tips, the jump from PC to Mac can be a lot less of a hassle.

Right about here is where you probably expect me to start listing tips and tricks, and we’ll get to that, but first I’m going to tell you something I wish someone had told me when I made the switch. There  are a TON of “How to Switch from PC to Apple” articles out there. But none of them tell you this, and it’s simple...

“Don’t listen to anything the Apple fanatics say.” Tell them to put a sock in it. You know who I’m talking about. It’s all those Apple users out there shouting, “It’s so Easy!” and “It just works!”

Forgive the following metaphor, but it really applies. Imagine a garage with a vintage Corvette and a brand new Honda Accord. The Corvette is your PC. It’s powerful as heck, it’s fun, and you’re really able to get in there and tinker with it. The Honda Accord is your Mac. You just get in and you drive. Sure you may need to take it in for servicing now and then just like the Corvette, but all in all, the AC is cold, it gets decent mileage and for day to day purposes the Honda Accord is just going to do its thing. If you’ve been driving your beloved Corvette your whole life, you might be surprised by how relaxed you are once you get into the Honda Accord and not have to think about it. Okay, with all that out of the way, let’s get into a few tips that’ll help get you started. Before you even turn your Mac on, you’ll probably notice a few obvious differences. Fear not, they can all be explained.

The Command Button – Down by your spacebar you’ll see a button with what looks like a mutated four-leaf clover on it. Beside the “clover” there’s also an apple. That is your command button. It functions much the same way the ctrl button functions in windows. Copy is “command + c” Paste is “command + v”.

Little history lesson, Windows copied this from Mac, not the other way around.

The Delete Button – This is actually the backspace key. If you’re on a keyboard that only has that button for removing text, the way to forward-delete is to hold down the “fn” button while you push delete.

Right Clicking – Aw, that pesky one button mouse. Ironically, it’s quite confusing compared to the six button mouse I have on my PC. How does one “right click” with a one button mouse? Easy. Hold down “ctrl” on your keyboard when you click. For touch/track pads, holding ctrl down works too, but there is a better way. In system preferences go to your keyboard and mouse settings. Click on the “trackpad” tab. In there you’ll see an option that makes it so when you have two fingers on your touch pad the one button counts as a “right click”. You can also make it so dragging two fingers on your touch pad scrolls like a wheel mouse.

How to Eject CD’s – The eject button for your CD drive is probably on your keyboard in the top right corner. You can also eject CD’s by right clicking” their icon on the desktop and selecting “eject”. Once you get your Mac turned on you’ll notice even more differences. Once again, these can all be explained.

Task Bar – On the Mac, this is the “Dock” at the bottom of the screen. It works differently though. Whereas the Windows taskbar only displays what programs are currently running, the dock shows this as well as the icons for your most popular programs. Any program currently running will have a symbol beneath it (either a black triangle or a white dot).

Start Button – Macs don’t have one. Instead, double-click on the hard drive icon. It’s probably labeled, “Macintosh”. This is your “finder window”. Once it’s opened, double click on “Applications”. That’s where all of your programs are. You can drag the ones you use the most down to your “dock”. You’ll also notice there’s a link to the finder window on your “dock” too.

Menu Bars – In Windows, every window has it’s own menu bar. On a Mac, there is only one menu bar. located at the top of the screen and it changes depending upon what program you’re currently using.

Searching – Click on the magnifying glass at the top right-hand corner of your screen. That is “Spotlight”, the Mac’s search function.

Control Panel – Click on the Apple at the top left-hand corner and click on “System Preferrences”.

Device Manager/Properties – Click on the Apple at the top left-hand corner and click on “About this Mac”.

Close, Minimize, & Zoom – Those are the red, yellow, green buttons respectively at the top left-hand corner of each window. Macs do not have a “maximize” button. The zoom button instead resizes the window to what the computer feels is best for that program.

Quitting Programs – Note that the red button in the top left-hand corner of each window “closes” the program, but it does not “quit” it. The program will keep running in the background. Fight the urge to be annoyed by this. Macs are A LOT less cluttered with multiple programs running than Windows based PC’s. If you have enough RAM you won’t notice any slowdown. And even better, programs will “open” much faster (instantly) since they’re already technically running.

Switching Programs – Keyboard shortcut users can push “command + tab” which acts like “alt + tab” in Windows, but there’s a better way. Go into system preferences. Click on “expose”. Make sure the expose tab is selected. You’ll see a picture of your Mac’s screen. Select one of the corners of the picture and set it to “all windows”. Now, whenever you bury your mouse cursor into that corner, your screen will display all programs currently running. Click on the one you want.

Spellcheck – Just a little heads up. Spelling and Grammar check are built into Apple’s operating system. This means that anything you type anywhere on the machine will be underlined if it’s misspelled. IM’s, emails, you name it. Not just in your word processor.

Installing Apps – Some installations will emulate a CD or a “Drive” on your desktop. Double click on the “drive” and drag the icon of the program your want to install into your applications folder. That’s it. When you’re done “right click” on the emulated CD or “drive” and “eject” it.

So there you have it.

With those tips and tricks in tow, you should be good for a much easier switch from Windows to Mac. Once you're up and running be sure to checkout How to Switch Email from a PC to a Mac and How to Switch Pictures and Music from a PC to a Mac. One more tip... check out Bootcamp. It will let you install Windows on your Mac for any PC programs you can’t live without.

Have fun, and good luck!

How to Switch Email from PC to Mac

So you finally did it. Made the big move and jumped from PC to Mac. Only problem is you have switched computers and all of your stuff is still on your PC...  Including your beloved email: your saved forwards, the love letters you’re saving so you can impress your wife the next time you do something really bad, and let’s not forget the immortal argument you won against your film-geek friend that George Lucas did indeed steal your childhood. So how can you move it, make the switch, and get all of your emails over to your Mac? Let’s take a look.

Delete Them – Before we start, ask yourself, and be honest, do you really need yourold emails? Are they really THAT important? When was the last time you went back to an old email? For a lot of us the answer is never.  In fact the only reason a lot of us HAVE archived email is because we’re simply too lazy to delete any of it. If your email isn’t that important then save yourself the hassle and don’t bother transferring it. If you’re holding onto your old PC then you have an even better reason to not bother. If you need an old email you can just boot up your old PC and find it.

The Cloud – The cloud is your friend. What is the cloud? It’s a doofy marketing term. Here, I’ll explain. Back when computers were new, a large office would have only one central computer. The screens and keyboards you’d see on everyone’s desk were actually only terminals connecting into that central computer.  Files, programs, everything was stored on that central machine.  History goes in circles and it’s in the process of coming around again. This time though “the central machine” is the internet (“the cloud”) and your full fledge computers we have are the “terminals”. Why do I bring this up? If your email is stored in the cloud (ie, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo) then you don’t have to ever bother moving your mail as it’s already available to you from any computer (including your phone) that has an internet connection. Apple’s own cloud program is known as MobileMe and can be found at: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/
Alright, with those twosuggestions out of the way, let’s move on to actually transferring your mail. There are a few popular methods.

IMAP – “Internet Message Access Protocol” Alright, so what the heck does that mean? Basically, IMAP mail accounts act as your own personal cloud.  Depending on your internet service provider, any of your email accounts/addresses could be changed to an IMAP account, which means your emails are now stored on your internet service providers server instead of your computer. Cloud email services like Gmail can also use IMAP, but I don’t want to confuse you. Too late? Oh well. Apple.com has a great article on transferring your files over with IMAP that you can find here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1534

AOL – If you have AOL then your best option is to set up your AOL software to store the AOL mail messages on AOL’s servers instead of your own PC.  Then it’s just a matter of downloading AOL’s software on your Mac (or just viewing it through a web browser).

Thunderbird – If you already use Thunderbird, great! If not, it can be used as a handy bridge between getting your emails off of Outlook and onto your Mac. Unfortunately for Mac users, Outlook doesn’t let you just export a file over to your Mac. With Thunderbird though, you CAN; thus all you need to do is export your Outlook files to Thunderbird, then over to your Mac. Mahalo has a great guide on how to do this; check out step 3: http://www.mahalo.com/How_to_convert_from_pc_to_mac

Flash Drive/Burned CD –There is a middle ground between deleting your emails and transferring them. In a lot of cases, you know all of your emails are safe to delete, yet you still have that little voice in the back of your head whispering that there might be something you forgot.  What I suggest then is using Thunderbird to create an export file, then saving that file on either flash drive or CD. Just in case.No matter how “easy” people claim changing computers may be, there’s still going to be a learning curve. With these tips in tow though, you might be able to keep the hassle down to a minimum.

How to Switch Pictures and Music from PC to Mac

So they finally
convinced you. All of those hippie Apple friends of yours finally convinced you to go out and buy a Mac. And they were right, because Macs aren’t just for hippies and teachers anymore. Macs are great computers and pretty soon you’ll be glad you have one.  For now though, you’ve just realized the first of your hurdles. Your new Mac might be cool, but all of your STUFF is still sitting over there on your PC. So how do you move it over, especially you photos and music? Read on.

There are third party software packages out there written specifically for moving files from a PC to a Mac. Some even come with a “special” USB cable for doing the job. If you want to go that route you’re more than welcome, but you’ll have more control over the process if you do it yourself. The choice is yours.How to move your pictures:

The Cloud – The cloud is your friend. And what the heck is the cloud? It’s a fancy way of referring to the fully self contained web applications on the internet. The cloud will likely not be of much help with your music collection (unless you acquired every single song you own from a particular site that allows you to fully restore your collection). What the cloud is good for is pictures. Popular sites like Flickr, Picasa, and SmugMug are great sites for storing your pictures. Why is this so great when it comes to changing computers? Because if all of your pictures are stored on one of these services then you don’t have to move them. Any machine with an internet connection can already view them. Apple’s own cloud program is known as MobileMe and can be found at: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/

Recordable Medium – At the end of the day, pictures are ridiculously easy to move. They don’t have anti-piracy technology and any images a Windows machine can read, a Mac machine can read as well. What does this mean? It means all you have to do is copy your files onto some sort of recordable medium such as a flash drive, external hard drive, or burnable CD/DVD. Then, just plug that recordable medium file into your Mac and copy the files over to your Mac’s “Pictures” folder

Direct Transfer – If you want to get fancy you can also network your PC and Mac together then copy the files directly over.How to move your music:

Non-DRM Music –In other words, MP3’s (and any other music file that has no form of anti-piracy technology). Files like these are as easy to move as pictures, so the “recordable medium” and “direct transfer” suggestions above will apply here as well. There are, however, two heads up. Mac’s might need you to install a third party player for certain music files such as Ogg Vorbis.  Second, iTunes, which is the Mac’s default music player can play mp3’s without a problem. What it will do by default though is copy the MP3’s you play into it’s own library.  This is fine. It’s literally just copying your MP3 into a different directory on the machine. Once you’ve moved all of your MP3’s over, I would in fact recommend loading them all into iTunes so it can copy them, then deleting the original files you moved over.

Zune – You’repretty much out of luck. Microsoft currently doesn’t support Zune software for the Mac, unlike Apple which supports iTunes for Windows. The one work around is this. Burn your songs to a CD then rip that CD on your Mac. You will lose audio quality doing this, but currently it’s the only real solution to a problem that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

iTunes – You can manually move your files over the way you would your pictures and MP3’s. The only difference is you’ll have to authorize your computer to play your iTunes purchased songs. Look up at iTunes menu and click “Advanced”, the authorization tool should be there. Getting back to moving the files though, for a lot of us our iTunes collections consist of multiple playlists and ratings we don’t want to lose. If that’s the case then I recommend checking out Lifehacker.com’s guide to moving your iTunes library.

It can be found here:
http://lifehacker.com/software/itunes/geek-to-live--how-to-move-an-itunes-library-from-a-pc-to-mac-and-back-242468.php

Until you get your stuff moved over, a new computer can feel like a house without any furniture. Hopefully the tips above will help you with “moving in”. Good luck!

The History of the Computer: First PC's and the Future Computer Timeline

As time marches on, it becomes more and more difficult to recall our world before the invention of the computer. For those who tire over answering an infinite number of daily emails, imagining this world may seem like a pleasant dream. But for the rest of modern society, this is probably not something we'd like to imagine. Whether you are a technophile, or someone who simply requires a computer for your day-to-day activities, you've probably wondered at least once who is responsible for the modern computer.

The History of the Computer

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First, a necessary digression: Some will argue that the first computer was invented 5000 years ago when the Sumerians developed the abacus. But for those of you who can’t remember World History 101, the abacus was a man-made wooden calculating tool that allowed the user to formulate and keep track of easy math problems. The simple fact is that a distinction has now been drawn between these calculators and modern computers.

The First Electronic Computer

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So, let's move forward to the commonly accepted definition of the modern digital computer. A Nazi by the name of Konrad Zuse developed the first freely programmable computer. Zuse’s computer required three basic elements: a control, a memory, and a calculator for the arithmetic he needed to process. Zuse continued to build upon his work over the years by developing the first algorithmic programming language, and in 1941 he completed the first fully functioning electro-mechanical computer. Following this progress, Zuse was unable to convince the Nazi government to support his work for a computer based on electronic valves because the cost to create such a machine would have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Nazi’s thought they were close to winning the war and felt no need to support further research.

Remarkably, the 1960’s were a decade known for a lot more than the invention of the microchip. However, this invention is arguably one of the most important in the history of modern man. At the time, Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce (founder of Intel) were not partners, they actually didn’t even know each other, but as fate would have it they both invented almost identical integrated circuits (a.k.a. microchip) at nearly the same time. To put it simply, these integrated circuits allowed computers to run more with fewer parts. Most notably, it was the microchip that enabled man to fly into space and to land on the moon. Regardless of running more with less, in the days of vacuum tubes and the early microchip, a computer with less than a megabyte of memory would fill up 1/4 of a soccer field, and cost millions of dollars to produce. And it wasn’t until the 1970’s when the microchip allowed a computer to fit on the top of a desk instead of filling the entire house.

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Another important year for the computer was 1962. This was the year known for the Cuban Missile Crisis, but also the year the first computer game was invented. “Spacewar” was invented by a team of geeks from MIT, and was led by a young computer programmer by the name of Steve Russell. It took the team 200 hours to write the first version of Spacewar. What was significant about the game was that the operating system was the first to allow multiple users to share one computer simultaneously. But it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the computer moved outside of the expensive university and into the living room.

The First Personal Computer

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For the controversial price of $666.66 a piece, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs built by hand the first 50 personal computers in 1976 (answers.com). It has now been over thirty years since that introduction of the first personal computers to the world market in 1977. And since their introduction --The Commodore PET, Apple II, and TRS-80-- the world has been forever changed. This is perhaps most notable in that, during the first three decades of availability of consumer computers, they have dramatically changed the way billions of people now conduct their daily lives. Additionally, we have witnessed the growth of what is now a global, multi-billion dollar industry. The rate at which the technology has grown and the increased availability of products over the years has had a dramatic impact on the affordability and subsequent distribution of personal computers at the consumer level.

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Initially, one of these computers, along with a printer and programs, would cost the consumer in the range of $2000-$3000 dollars. That might not sound like much, but when adjusted for inflation in 2008, that would be like spending $7,000 to $10,000 for a computer with four to 16 kb of RAM. Considering that the average family income in 1977 was in between $13,000 and $16,000, this was not a regular household item obviously. Therefore, if you were to purchase one of these machines in the year it was released, you would be spending more for a computer than the most popular new car at that time, the Ford Pinto, which sold for just under $2000.

Apple Makes Personal Computers Affordable

Skip ahead a couple of years. It’s 1984, and millions of Americans are watching the Raiders pummel the Redskins in Super Bowl XXIII. When during a commercial break in the third quarter, a one-minute ad is aired for Apple’s new personal computer. This Orwell-inspired advertisement helps Apple bolster sales for its $2500 Macintosh Computer to 50,000 units sold within the first two months on the market. This feat had never before been accomplished in the personal computing industry, and marked a turning point in the market for such devices. Regardless of the turning point in the market for Apple, the average computer cost was still too high for the average consumer. And personal computers were only in 7.9% of American Households, of which, the majority were households that made over $50,000. Adjusted for inflation in 2008, that would be households that made over $105,000 a year.

The First PC

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Within a matter of a decade, the percentage of households that owned personal computers would more than quadruple to 36.6%, thanks in large part to one computer company - Dell. Michael Dell began his company, while still in college in the mid-eighties, and by 1997 Dell, Inc. had become the largest seller of PCs and successfully shipped its 10 millionth system. Dell sought to build its business model around the practice of individually assembling each personal computer. Not only did this model set Dell apart from the competition, but so did the company’s consumer-oriented focus which allowed for customers to customize their computers during the ordering process. By the mid-nineties, competition within the industry had driven prices to a more affordable $1000 to $2000, and, as a result, more and more people from diverse backgrounds were able to purchase personal computers.

Fast-forward to today where technology has become affordable enough for 62% of the U.S. population to own computers. Therefore, within a twenty-year time frame, the availability of personal computers has increased to the point that nearly 190 million people in the U.S. now reap the technological benefits of computing. That means around 170 million people who couldn’t afford a personal computer twenty years ago now had the means to purchase one on their own. Anyone can look through a catalog in the Sunday newspaper and find PCs that are selling for as little as $300. Adjust that for the rate of inflation and that would be like spending $85 for a PC in 1977. Do the numbers and that comes out to being 95% less than the going rate when personal computing first emerged on the market, with exponentially greater computing power on top of that.

The Future Timeline of the Computer

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Why is this important? Everyone knows that technology is more expensive when it first comes out. When we compare the availability and cost of personal computers in 1977 to 2008, we can begin to see how much cheaper technology is available for today. And when we begin to understand this, revolutionary ideas like the $100 laptop come about.

Taking that even one step further, a team of MIT students have set out to make a very simple computer that would retail for just $12. It is loosely based on the old Apple II, with Nintendo-like controls to perform basic functions. It’s these ideas that begin to shape our world and make it a better place. This effort is to make technology available for all people, from all backgrounds, around the world. Because of the advances in the affordability of technology, it is now becoming a reality, even in the Third World. These revolutionary innovators who consistently push the envelope of what is thought to be possible, will continue to transform the way we go about our daily lives, and open new realms of opportunity across the globe.

Buy a Macintosh/Apple Computer or a PC? Why do I need a mac?

I love Macs. So much so that I have two: an iMac Desktop and a MacBook Pro. I am a big sucker for their product line, think their marketing is genius, and am impressed with the intuitiveness of its operating systems. Recently, however, I've watched my business partner, as well as my girlfriend buy brand new PC laptops at a fraction of what I paid for my computers. They both were able to get great deals via Dell, both for under $700.

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While, I'm not ready to replace my computers with PCs today, I am not alone when I say that the state of the US economy is a bit worrisome, and I do anticipate replacing our business' computers with new ones in the next year or so. Therefore, I'm trying to decide if I need to stick with Mac. I put together a list to neutrally weigh the pros and cons in what is often a very annoying Mac vs. PC debate, to shed some light on the question: Do I really need a Mac?

Mac AppleCare vs PC Support

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Like I said, I'm on my second Mac right now and am trying to figure out what to do when it's time to buy a new system. One of the issues that I have always worried about was my Mac going down without warranty, which has happened to many friends of mine. I have experienced first-hand the care they provide under their standard 90 day tech/ 1 year hardware warranty: I had just moved to the UK for graduate school a few years ago and my computer just turned off and would not power up. After getting tech support on the phone, we determined that the ram was defective. The computer wouldn't work at all, When I came home from class the next day a parcel from Amsterdam was waiting on my door step. It wasn't pot, but rather a replacement piece of hardware. They even walked me through the installation. Very nice, Apple. Very nice.

However, I'm a bit of a cheapskate and I didn't have AppleCare beyond the grace period, nor do I have it now. And with the economy being what it is, the complimentary 1 year hardware and 90-day telephone tech support seems a bit short-sighted vis-a-vis most products put out by Dell, which generally offer three year on-site warranties as standard. It's also a known fact that one of Dell's service representatives will come to your house or office to help you set up your computer if you are unsure how to get things going, while AppleCare can cost up to $300 for 3 years of service. If you are a whiz and know how to work on Macs, maybe this point does not apply, but for someone like me or my Grandmother who's 80 next month (and not a big techie), Dell's offer sounds pretty good. Additionally, if you are beyond your warranty, it is probably easier to find a technician that is Microsoft certified than someone who has Apple certification. This may be a deciding factor for newer computer users, but not for everyone.

Mac vs PC: Office Usability

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While the Mac lab does look pretty great in our office, Microsoft is still the king of most offices in America. While Entourage is decent and Squirrel Mail is on its way, I earnestly believe that Outlook Web Access/Exchange are still in a league of their own. And while I personally am willing to compromise function for fashion (to some degree), there's no denying that anyone with a need for a computer beyond basic internet surfing and music downloads will need Microsoft Office Suite. One great upside, is that the Office Suite either comes stock on Windows, or can be downloaded for free online.

Microsoft Office has been a staple for years in businesses, universities and in most people's daily lives. Having installed Office for Mac on both my computers, I still believe that they do not compare to the PC version. The validity of this claim is based on my personal opinion and experience, but we could all very well agree on the fact that it has taken Mac a few years and countless updates to improve their versions, which always come out months after updated versions of the Microsoft programs are introduced. It seems as though I get more bugs using Office for Mac compared to when I used to use a PC. I am sure we can expect this improve over time. I do know that all my friends who decided to pursue careers in finance work in offices that still use PCs. Perhaps there is a correlation. What we do know is that there is probably a reason why many people who rely on Office software to do their jobs, and maybe also a reason why they haven't switched systems.

Mac Customization vs PC Customization

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If you are looking to customize your computer and tune it specifically to your tastes, the logical step for you is going to be to get a PC. Whether you will customize for gaming, video workstations, media centers, etc., the number of possible configurations are endless. This is perhaps the strongest argument on the side of PC, because "Power Users" (people who require special software/hardware for either their professional or gaming needs), can customize each and every component of their personal computer. Macs are pretty much all the same out-of-the-box, and while they offer a fine array of user-friendly programs, they typically offer something to be desired for the serious computer user.

Additionally, the open architecture of the PC operating system will allow each person to spend money on only the programs they will use without wasting space on their computer's hard-drive, or their money on software they will never use. My brother, for instance, is a sound engineer and doesn't even have MS word on his studio computer. Ever heard of building your own Mac? Not gonna happen for the average Mac user, aside from the minimal selection of upgrades offered upon purchase, unless you are willing to drop big bucks for the Mac Pro.

Compatibility of Software for Macintosh Computers vs Windows

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Earlier this year, Japan announced that 10% of all its country's computers in use are now Macs. That's pretty big news for Mac, but it's still only 10%. And, last I checked Japan was still just an archipelago. The fact of the matter is that Windows remains the operating system for the masses. Case in point: Apple Boot Camp. This software is for those who want the look and feel of a Mac, but aren't willing to give up Windows. Perhaps we could all take this as admission on Steve Jobs' part that, although Apple is steadily capturing market share, Windows isn't going anywhere just yet.

If you are buying a Mac for school, remember that much of the software and technical support provided by colleges is geared towards Windows, so even if you buy a Mac, you might end up having to pay for a copy of Windows to use via Boot Camp. My girlfriend is starting Law School this fall and will be using ExamSoft. This PC-only software was her primary reason for not choosing a Mac, and partly the impetus to my research on this subject. In short, Mac OS X fails to provide a platform with a good amount of compatibility, including a general failure in not being able to run common software such as enterprise applications and basic games.

Mac Performance vs PC Performance

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It's often argued that one is better than the other when it comes to performance. Examples include: Adobe Photoshop is better and faster on a Mac, while gaming in general is better on a PC. What about the day-to-day usage for the average Joe? From my experience, Firefox loads and runs really fast on a PC, and shuts down pretty regularly on my Macs. This seems to be the case with Office too, and most types of everyday type programs, especially those that are cross-platform.

I must admit that when you get your first Mac it is quite the experience. You get the wonderfully designed box with its impressive packaging. I personally was amazed when I got my first Mac and was impressed even more so when I got my first iPod at the ingenuity employed in the packaging design alone. When you open that Mac box, all you have to do is simply plug in the mouse, keyboard and power source and hit the 'On' button. There, you are ready to go. The Mac OS is extremely intuitive and is a very attractive operating system. For those that want a great out of box experience, Mac definitely has the upper-hand. However, for those of you who want to run Linux, go ahead and install the newer Linux distribution called andLinux. Operating within the actual window's operating system. This is pretty cool for all those geeks out there that run Linux. Performance issues are, I believe largely a matter of preferences, and which system you prefer to run on your computer.

Mac Gaming vs PC Gaming

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Once I turned 21, my gaming career took a turn for the worse. Now you can take this one way or the other. I do however find the bug to play a strategy game like Civilization or Starcraft every once in a while. And to be honest, I've not been able to find a good version of either one of these games, or any of the shareware classics like Wolfenstein 3D, that I used to play when I was a kid, for a Mac. However irrelevant my own gaming tastes are, it is well documented that PCs still have the market cornered when it comes to gaming. This is because most games developed today are made with Window users in mind, and because Microsoft itself spends quite a bit of money developing new games and gaming software.

And typically, games that do make it to the Mac OS are far more limited and are distributed only after proven success in the PC world. The aforementioned types of games that I used to enjoy are still the best sellers for Mac because games that require after-market graphics hardware like Halo 3, typically won't work with a Mac. Usually these are only compatible with the Mac Pro Towers, so if you own a iMac or MacBook you are out of luck. I've also been told that if you have an XBox 360, it will operate seamlessly with the new Windows Vista. Pretty cool.

Creative Suite for Macintosh and PC Computers

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Although everyone wants to think of themselves as a 'creative' type, do Macs really provide an interface that will facilitate your becoming a graphic designer, digital music producer or the next indie film mogul? In fact, I have found that PCs can perform nearly any task that Macs can when it comes to: video editing, photo editing, audio editing, etc. I have done photo editing and design on both PCs and Macs over the years, and haven't noticed a significant difference.

The fact of the matter is that most every piece of software that is out their for use in the creative arts has a PC-compatible counterpart. People hail the Mac as being a better computer for design, but in all truthfulness you can get the entire Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, et al), as well as every piece of music publishing software worth anything (sorry Garageband) for PC. The only situation where there may be a marked advantage (at least in terms of user-friendliness) is with the pro-sumer Final Cut Pro, which currently is not available for PC. There is, however, the very decent Sony Vegas, which is currently available exclusively for PC.

Mac Multimedia vs PC Multimedia

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You have an iPod or an iPhone and want a PC, guess what? There is no problem. They work on Windows too. Even more so, the Windows Media Center is very much comparable to iTunes, I think when we get to a discussion of these two media management software, personal taste will play a large role. Perhaps a digression on the evolution of Apple is in order. It seems like the company is heading in the direction of becoming a hardware/electronics company. While Microsoft has branched out with the Xbox and some other peripherals, Apple is going after different markets such as the iPod (Yeah, Microsoft has Zune...) and the iPhone.

The rate at which these products are evolving and the increasing market share they are taking over in what was once uncharted territory for a computer company begs the question: where will their dedication be to software in the future? Microsoft has, and and currently is a software company primarily, and it will be interesting to see what happens in the future. At the very least we can say that the two types of computers are very much on the same level, at least when it comes to contemporary media management. Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro was recently stating that "Apple recently admitted it is more concerned with fine-tuning its iPhone than working on its latest operating system." This does make me wonder whether or not the Mac will be able to compete with PC on the multi-media front. Perhaps only time will tell.

Mac Marketing vs PC Price

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At the end of the day. One of the most important factors in choosing between the Mac and the PC is going to be the price. The annoying and ubiquitous Mac vs PC commercials featuring Justin Long do not address this issue. While it does poke fun at the PC, citing the attractiveness of the Mac brand and its product line's features, no where on this commercial will the PC guy speak up and say, "But a PC is about half the price for the same technical specs!"

Here is a look at the pricing and technical breakdown of two comparable machines, the 20" Apple iMac and the 19" Inspiron 518, courtesy of TechBlog:

iMac: $1,199; 2.4GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 20-inch widescreen display (integrated), 1GB DDR memory, 128MB ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics, 250GB hard drive, 8x double-layer DVD burner, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 g Wi-Fi, Webcam and Mac OS X 10.5.

Inspiron 518: $739 (after $150 instant savings); 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 19-inch widescreen monitor, 3GB DDR memory, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, 500GB hard drive, 8x DVD burner and Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1.

There is no doubt that Steve Jobs is a master marketer, and he knows good design. But the question remains: Are the branding, the design and the cool factor worth Apple's price tag? This is where many people are at a crossroads. I am not sure necessarily what I am going to do when it's time to get a new computer, but I do know that price is ever-becoming a more important factor.

All this being said, no conclusion on the subject will be cut-and-dry. Personally, though I am familiar and comfortable with my Macs, I am becoming less willing to pay more for features that are really comparable with what a PC offers. Sacrificing my comfortableness with Mac's OS X and giving up the sleek aesthetic doesn't really appeal to my superficial side, but functionally and financially, it is starting to make more and more sense.