Computer question: Mac vs PC?

Question

I am going to be a first year student at UVA next year, and I have the option of buying a laptop through the school next year. I have been a PC user all my life, but I have been a constant victim of viruses, despite frequent updates on my antivirus software. My main complaint about my PC is just that: the frequent viruses. It has cost me more money than I ever wanted to spend on a computer. I heard that Macs do not get as many viruses as PCs because they run on a different code (although my computer friend tells me that this is because very few people work on that code and that far more people work on the IBM code). I am not especially computer savvy; however, I am not incompetent either. I would appreciate any advice, or even just an outline of the benefits of a PC versus the benefits of a Mac. Keep in mind that I will be using this laptop primarily for school. Thanks!

Answer 1

I've been a PC user for over 20+ years and if I were on the market now I would go with an APPLE computer. Apple systems are designed for work, graphics, business and school work. PC's are great but they are falling short.



I recommend PC's if you want to learn about computers ect.. It's great for learning troubleshooting, configuration and things of that nature. It's impossible to become a great PC tech on a MAC. Hardly any issues to troubleshoot which is great for the average person but not people who want to master technology. All the crashes, bugs, malware, viruses and incompatibilities on PC are great for real world training : )



Before MAC's were at a disadvantage because they were using PPC processors and their system was mostly proprietary. Now that they use Intel i386 technology it can run both MAC and Windows. They are becoming more flexible in what is allowed on their systems.



MAC will give the option to become an iphone, ipad and platform developer. You will also have the option to use Windows and tap into that market as well. PC's can't run MAC OS natively but MAC's can now run Windows without issue.



Lastly, MAC is updated constantly : )





In the next 5 to 10 years hardly anyone will be using a desktop or laptop. Burners and discs will fade out because all will be replaced with cloud services, digital downloads and newer technology.



The majority will be mobile using phones, tablets and eye glasses with built in operating systems to connect to the net. Techs won't be needed as much because systems will be designed to self heal with backup restore images and such. Furthermore, cars are now adapting Internet access on a greater scale. Even low end cars will have some sort of net access in the near future.

Answer 2

Viruses are easy to avoid if you are careful about the thing you're downloading. The thing with mac vs. PC is that it's difficult to compare because of their vastly different nature. i'll do my best.

Mac: Macs are extremely good for photo/video editing. They have really nice displays and good hardware. unfortunately, they are not nearly as good for pretty much anything else. also, they are pretty fragile. I accidentally broke a macbook pro by simply setting it down at a wrong angle (although most apple products usually have pretty good warrantees).

PC: PC's are only slightly less user-friendly (not a problem if you're originally a pc user), but they run pretty much everything. the problem with mac, is that they don't have a lot of programs designed for them. most programs you will find are PC only. microsoft office, is of course mac-compatible, but it's not as good on mac (not as many options as there are on pc)

In all, I would reccomend you buy a pc, and just be careful about what you download. you wont get a virus if you don't download stuff from wierd websites and popups.

Answer 3

Mac > PC in every way. And I'm not biased, because I actually have a PC. But Macs have much more apps and things to do on it. More reliable.