Mac vs. PC: A Compromise

This is something I've wanted to write for a while.  Partly because I feel I lose some nerd points because I'm personally a Mac user.  It limits you in the culture to an extent.  You're less likely to be into computer software and hardware, less likely into programming, and less likely to be into computer gaming if you are a Mac User.  That's a lot of points to lose, especially as a gamer.  But I am still confident about my choice to stick to Mac, and not because it's all together better. (Note how I said in my title "a compromise", not "an ultimatum") 

I first got into Macs right before college.  My school, for practical purposes, is a Mac school.  The computer store here is a Mac store, which means if something breaks down on my Mac I can just hop across campus and get it fixed relatively quickly.  Seemed economical, despite the higher price tag.  I personally prefer walking or driving to a store, knowing what is going to happen to my computer before I sign it off to the company, and then pick it up a week later, rather than having to ship it off to the middle of nowhere and hope that not only the company but the postal service will do their job.  I picked up a powerbook (I now have a macbook instead because I messed up the screen of the first laptop) and proceeded to love the operating system as well as the machine.

I think I officially switched my loyalty when I came back home for winter break and I tried to play the Sims 2 on my computer and home, and it was glitchy.  My brother had proceeded over the course of 4 and a half months, install 6 viruses, a couple worms and tons of spyware while I had been at college.  Even uninstalling and reinstalling didn't make anything better.  In fact, I couldn't reinstall at all, everything had messed up.  You could imagine my frustration.

Frustrated just like that.

On top of the ease that most viruses have with the Windows OS, it was really difficult for me to just try and fix everything with my ignorance.  My mother was nice enough to help me get Sims 2 for the Mac (Aspyr is good at keeping the series somewhat current for OS X) and I never dealt with a home PC unless I had to from then on.  

Does this mean the PC was horrible and how could anyone deal with it?  Not at all.  If The Boyfriend had the same problem I did, the thing would've been solved within a 24 hour period.  Why?  Because he knows the innards of computer better than I do.  But I don't.  Nor do I want to take the time to learn something that I'm honestly not that interested in.  I don't want to invest the time to know what's going on in the background of my computer as I work on word documents and play silly casual games online.  I just want to be able to do those things without hassle.  And that is why a Mac is good for me.

Macs are meant for people who don't care about their computers that much.  The computer is merely a tool to use for web browsing, music collecting, communicating... etc.  When it breaks, you take it to a specialist who tells you what he or she is going to do and then just does it.  You don't worry about upgrades, you don't worry about  replacing parts, you just take the computer as it is and use it.  I am this kind of person.  I am not ignorant about computers, but my care about a video card or the RAM is limited to "Will this work?  No?  Then give it to someone who can fix it!"

PCs are a step up.  If you do care about your computer, maintaining it and updating it, personalizing it, you get a PC.  Partly because there's a lot more variety.  Partly because the OS is easier to manipulate.  Completely because you can change a PC to be specifically yours.  Need it to be the fastest stock reader and meeting center for video conferences?  Easy to do.  Mega gaming machine?  Even easier.  Just to use WordPerfect and solitaire?  Well, don't know why you want to use WordPerfect but sure, super easy to set up.  You just have to do the research to set it up correctly.  If you are willing to put in the time, get a PC.

"But d20 Sapphire, how can you cal yourself a gamer?"  Well the only computer games I play are the sims, so that's not a big deal.  For me it's not about how fast it will process, just the funny stories and the genetics.  The rest of the games I like to play are on consoles, so I don't need a computer to play them.  Well, except for Starcraft but that game is so old it can run on practically everything.  I don't need a gaming PC, so I'm sticking to my Mac.  

Let's not say one is better than the other overall.  Mac's are favored in their simplicity, PCs for their versatility.  Let's say that to each his own when it comes to this debate.