Significance:
Every day, somewhere, someone will try to rationalise the decision of whether to switch from a PC to a Macintosh.
They'll look at hardware specs. They'll look at prices. They'll weigh up various pros and cons. They'll go to computer stores and prod away at one. They'll absorb anecdotes and opinions from others, switchers and non-switchers alike. But the one question they'll always run up against is...
"There's nothing you can do with a Mac you can't with a PC, for less money. So why bother with a Mac?"
End of story... yes?
To switch or not to switch, that is the question
You see, all this rationalisation, weighing specs against prices etc, only provides a small part of the answer. And as for the opinions of others, that means even less. Because the question of whether a Mac would be of benefit to you, is largely unquantifiable and subjective.
Why do Mac users remain as Mac users? It's clearly not so much what you can do with a Mac. A PC can indeed do all that and probably more. So it must be how it does it. Nuances and conventions of the user interface; the attention to detail of the hardware; the benefits of an integrated end-to-end system. All factors whose level of importance to an individual, are a matter of opinion.
On one extreme, for some folk, the whole Mac ethos is their computing nirvana where Apple can do no wrong. But then on the opposite extreme, there are those whose Windows ways run so deep, nothing but that which is exactly like Windows will suffice, right down to the Microsoft logo.
So in that respect, the opinions and anecdotes of others don't mean much at all, because they don't tell you anything about where you would fit into that scale. The fact is, you'll only really know for sure if you'll benefit from one, by living with one.
The big fat downside
That's all very easy to say of course, but there is a big fat downside. This kind of 'experiment' does not come for free. Macs are not cheap. There are no 'budget' models in the range. It's lot of money to spend if at the end of the day, you find its a white elephant you simply can't get along with. So, what are your options?
- Buy a used model to 'play' with. It'll be cheaper.
- Buy a new model, live with it a while, and then sell it if you really don't like it. Used Macs do hold their values rather well, so you might not lose as much of your initial outlay as you may assume.
- Buy a new model, live with it a while, and if you can't get along with OS X, install Windows on it instead (or as well as).
Or of course, you could do what most people do: Play it safe, stick with what you know, get another Windows PC, and accept that you'll never know whether you're missing out on something the bullet point specs and price lists didn't tell you.
