“Hi, I’m a Mac and I’m a PC.” Everyone has heard that familiar commercial comparing the alter egos of a Mac computer and a PC. This series of ads, which began in 2006, is known to poke fun at the Windows PC while boasting the best of the Macintosh’s abilities. After having switched over to a Mac from a PC more than six years ago, I find these commercials to be a good testimony to my experience using the machines. The Mac provides a simple user experience while offering many top-of-the-line features. Such a great computer comes with a hefty price tag, but if you are willing to spend the extra money, an Apple Macintosh is an excellent choice for anyone in the market for a new computer.

The Mac computer provides an easy to use interface and an overall better experience over a Windows PC. The OSX software found on a Mac is simple and easy to use utilizing a dock located at the bottom of your screen, which is the virtual holding place for shortcuts to your numerous folders and applications. PCs have a complicated “Start Menu” that has a cluttered interface, often making it difficult to find what you are looking for. Another advantage of owning a Mac is that fact that it does not freeze as often or get as many viruses as a PC does. This will save you hundreds of dollars in expensive virus detection software and trips to the Geek Squad when your PC does get a virus. When you first purchase a Mac, you can simply remove it from the box, plug it in, and you are ready to start using it. PCs can take up to three hours to set up with many calls to a technical support service. Switching from a PC to a Mac was one of the best choices I have made. The switch was very easy because it took a few clicks and all of my music, photos, and files were transferred from my PC to my new Mac. Once I switched I never had to deal with constant freezing or becoming frustrated with doing something as simple as checking the weather. Buying a Mac is a much better alternative to buying a PC.

All of Apple’s Mac computers come loaded with many top-of-the-line hardware and software features that you do not get with a PC. The line of Apple laptops all offer a uni-body enclosure with a high resolution, which makes watching a video or viewing high resolution pictures an enjoyable experience. Apple’s most expensive laptop, the MacBook Pro, offers a backlight keyboard that makes finding keys in the dark a breeze. This feature proves to be quite useful in my experience when trying to type a password in the dark since you cannot see what you are doing on-screen. Another great feature on the laptop line is the MagSafe charger, which uses a magnet to hold the charger in place so incase a person trips over your laptop cord, the laptop does not get dragged to the ground. Apple laptops boast some of the best battery lives on the market, with the most being up to eight hours. Apple’s desktop computers are also great because they are an all in one computer meaning that the only part to the computer is the screen, which houses the hard drive and other essential computing needs. Another feature all of Apple’s computers offer is a built in webcam that works seamlessly with iChat and Photobooth for video chatting and taking fun pictures using a wide variety of effects. Video chatting on a PC requires the user to download software, and if they want effects, they have to download even more software. All Macs come bundled with Apple’s creative suite of software called iLife. It offers photo and video editing, website creation, music making, and much more. The bundle is valued upwards of $300, but is free with every Mac. Most PC’s do not offer extra software other than the essentials. Also, most desktop PCs require a tower and a monitor that can take up a lot of space.
Although Macs are great computers, one of their few negative aspects is the hefty price tag that comes along with them. The cheapest computer that Apple offers is the MacBook that starts at $999. Most people will bargain that you can find a cheap PC for as low as $400, but you have to ask your self, is it really worth it? A study conducted by CNBC’s Jim Goldman shows that in order to get a PC to function as well as a Mac, a person has to spend an addition $600 after purchasing the computer. These expenses include: $50 a year for anti-virus software, $104 multimedia software, $100 music software, $140 for photo software, and $129 for a Geek Squad visit, all of which adds up to about $600. If a person were to start with a decent PC prices at about $500 or $600, after purchasing all of these options, their total would be around $1,100. You would be able to purchase a Mac for that price because they do not require any additional software than what is include.
Shopping for a new computer can be a difficult task because of all of the choices and options you have. A PC may seem like the cheapest option, but in reality, they can wind up costing just as much as a Mac. The Mac provides an easy, enjoyable experience for all users, especially those switching from PC to Mac. Macs also include a wide variety of hardware and software options that most PCs do not. The “Mac versus PC” commercials are a good example for my experiences with a Mac because ever since I made the switch, I have been nothing but satisfied. I highly recommend purchasing a Mac to anyone who is in the market for a new computer. Do yourself a favor and save yourself time, money, and frustration by switching to a Mac.