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Editorial |
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The battle of techies: Windows vs. MAC
Mac, because smart is better
Let me start by saying I do not support a company that continues to move backward. Like every consumer on this planet, I want to get exactly what I am paying for and know that it will function properly.
Thus said, in the words of the now infamous commercial: I’m a Mac.
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The Macintosh computer by Apple has been perfected over 20 years and keeps getting better with each reincarnation. To some Windows users, a Mac seems like a foreign language. The news flash is that everything is a foreign language if you don’t bother to learn; a Mac can be as intuitive as signing your name.
It seems that with the alternative being Microsoft’s PC operating system, Windows Vista, the Mac and its operating system Leopard (or Tiger, equally wonderful) becomes a breath of fresh air. In a world endless connecting cords cluttering your space and cryptic error messages, the Mac is becoming more appealing. It’s not uncommon to see anyone from a student to a graphic designer to an instructor working on a computer with that famed apple somewhere on the monitor.
This shows the wide range of Mac users among us; it can be used by anyone. Because the computer is already built to function with the operating system, few upgrades are needed for the machine to do what it needs to: work. When I hear someone explaining that they needed four processors, a strand of garlic and Babe Ruth’s rookie card just to get Vista to operate on their computer, a Mac seems more superior.
Macs are for the people who want to hit one button to turn their computer on and wants to see a cursor move easily around a friendly interface.
I know enough about computers to know when to reboot and get out of a frozen program when I need to, but I don’t want to waste time trying to figure out why my applications continue to shut down.
It’s often stated that computers will someday take over the world and man will be run by machine. It should be also stated that this same person most likely used a Windows machine. Macs provide the sense of security that the computer will do what the user tells it to do. With a Mac, I am treated to a “dock” that hosts icons that with one click will open any application. While it could host every application in my system, a la the Windows “Programs” option from the start menu, I choose the applications on my dock. While I haven’t alphabetized them, I have certainly highlighted the ones I crave the most. Now my work is one click away.
Many people are terrified at the prospect of leaving the abusive relationship they have with their Windows machines. Luckily, Apple always has innovative technologies. This means that aside from frequently updated software, Mac has the program “Bootcamp,” allowing Mac users to not only run their Mac operating system, but Windows’ operating system as well and all of the PC software they want.
And as a former PC user, I can say that switching over isn’t the pain that Microsoft wants users to think it is. In fact between the usability, easy access and functionality, the Mac does what Apple CEO Steve Jobs always said it does: It just works.