“Ten years ago, 26-year-old Barry Jones wasn’t such a fanatic. Back then, programmers wouldn’t be caught dead using a Mac. It was a ‘PC or bust’ mentality,” Justin Chappell writes for The Greenville News. “Jones, a Web architect, has worked and played PC for life, but he bought his first Mac in May. It’s a love story not easily chronicled, but let’s put it this way: Jones went from being a PC powerhouse to a Mac advocate in three months flat, and he’ll do his best to make you one, too. ‘I understand why people call people Mac zealots now,’ he says.”
Chappell lists a number of very stale “PC vs. Mac” comparisons and gets a number of things wrong in the process. He buys into the “Security via Obscurity” myth, hook, line, and sinker. Macs aren’t more secure because “only” 20 million people use them. Macs are more secure, period. Macs account for roughly 10% of the world’s personal computer users — (some say as much as 16%) — so the first half of the myth doesn’t even stand up to scrutiny. Macs aren’t “obscure” at all. Therefore, the Apple Mac platform’s ironclad security simply cannot logically be attributed to obscurity. There are zero-percent (0%) of viruses for the Mac OS X platform that should, logically, have some 10-16% of the world’s viruses if platforms’ install bases dictate the numbers of viruses. The fact that Mac OS X has zero (0) viruses totally discounts “security via obscurity.” There should be at least some Mac OS X viruses. There are none. The reason for this fact is not attributable solely to “obscurity,” it’s attributable to superior security design.
Chappell also thinks “PCs” (Windows) run more software. Someone needs to tell him that Macs run more software because only Macs can run Mac OS X and Windows and Linux. Windows PCs are the ones with a limited range of software nowadays, Justin.
There’s more goofiness — trying to justify the Windows PC when it’s increasingly impossible to do so — in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Macs are more secure. Macs run more software. Macs work better. Macs are price competitive when you spec out similar systems. Macs look better. Macs last longer. So, why waste money a OS-limited Windows PC?
Related articles:
Gartner analyst tries to propagate discounted Mac OS X ‘security via obscurity’ myth via BBC – July 06, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Ray Lane:
I think that xvsxp.com does a decent job of attempting an objective comparison. They state specifically in the opening that they are ONLY comparing the bare OSes, NOT bundled software that comes with the machine!
Their reasoning is that if you, for example, were to buy a Mac with OS 10.3 and iLife, and later upgrade to 10.4, you wouldn’t get a free upgrade to iLife. You have to pay for that iLife upgrade since it is separate from the OS. Now, maybe it’s not all that important to stay on the cutting-edge of iLife versions, but still, they define their parameters pretty clearly.
I haven’t gotten to the security part, yet, so I can’t comment, but as for the Quicktime vs Media Player comparison, here’s their summary:
Mac OS X’s QuickTime 7
Live scrubbing
Bass/Treble/Pan control
Video updates live when minimized
No free full screen support (without resorting to workarounds)
No “true” mini mode (minimize to dock instead)
QuickTime licenses (to enable full screen support) do not carry across major
versions
No free MPEG-2 support (therefore, no free VCD and SVCD support)
No playlist support (unless you use iTunes, a poor solution)
Tint, brightness, color, and contrast controls are only available on Core
Image capable hardware
Annoying “Upgrade to Pro” message appears after first run; “Pro” icons litter
QuickTime Basic’s menus
Windows XP’s Windows Media Player 10
Free full screen playback
Free MPEG-2 support for VCDs and SVCDs
Video mini mode
Hue/saturation/brightness/contrast controls on all hardware
Built-in equalizer
TruBass SRS Wow sound
Video playlists
No MPEG-4 support
No live scrubbing
Here is one of my favorite stories.
My daughter’s cheerleading coach made photo CD’s for the team. She made them on her Windows machine. When I put the CD in our Compaq running XP, it would not even open the file on the CD, it was just spin and hum in the drive. So I put the CD in our G3 iBook, and guess what? They opened up just fine.
I tried another experiment with CD-ROMs with Win 3.1 and 95 software on them. Of course the PC running XP would not open or recognize them – and the iBook, which obviously wouldn’t open them either, at least knew the names of the CD’S!
So here I have this little old G3 iBook, that could give me better access to CD’s written for Windows than a Windows XP machine could.
And I too, have had much easier times hooking up scanners, printers, or cameras to a Mac than a PC.
Ray Lane:
Hmm, I wonder if it was because you were trying to get it to work with Canon’s software, which sucks. Anyway, thanks for the civil reply (apologies for the slightly hostile tone and USB comment). I’m familiar with XP, so I would agree that something that would take me a couple of minutes might be a nightmare for others. On the flip side, though, people familiar with Mac will be very quick to do things like an iPhoto album set to music, while I would probably fumble a bit getting used to the interface. At some point I’d like to see what all the fuss about iLife is, though. =)
Qman: Huh, maybe it was a problem with the drive? Haven’t seen that happen before-it’s just a bunch of files on a CD, so you’d think it would be easy to read. Anyway, not here to diagnose problems (just to say that based on my experience it’s not really difficult to grab pics from a camera/card with XP), if it happened to you it happened, I’ll take your word for it.
Cubert: “Crawl back under your Winblows rock”. Did I diss Mac at all? No. Whatever makes you happy, dude.
Hey 7up,
Your beloved Microsoft is a big user of Macs. They designed and wrote the OS and the games for the XBox 360 on Macs. They use Macs exclusively in the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft. Almost every Ad that Microsoft puts out in magazines and newspapers is designed on a Mac. In fact, every PC Magazine is made on a Mac.
You can go to your bathroom and throw up now.
My large construction company uses Macs exlusively. No problems here. No Windows either. Not necessary.
CERN (bought for over $800,000 value of Macs in 2006 alone)
EPFL (bought for over $600,000 value of Macs in 2006 alone)
ETH, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (slightly off EPFL volume)
Countless number of University and research centers.
Induquímica Laboratorios, replacing its entire Microsoft Windows computing infrastructure with Macs. It’s the fifth largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in Peru and the country’s largest exporter of natural healthcare products.
BNP Bank Parisbas (currently replacing ALL their PCs with Macs)
BBC broadcasting corporation
Polish National TV.
Aftonbladet, the largest newspaper in Scandinavia
EO, Evangelische Onroep, the largest of eight associations broadcasting on public radio and television channels in the Netherlandsger.
Hugendubel, Book retailer in Germany, in 2005, it generated a revenue of $300 million on some 700,000 square foot of retail space in 32 stores.
Centre Hospitalier de Hyères, runs the file system manager and storage management within the hospital’s environment. Replaced all their PC they had.
ITN, one of the largest news organization in the world.
TRE, Hutchinson Whampoa’s subsidiary. TRE was using SUN Solaris. Moved to Xserve, Xsan and OS X.
Sorry, more than 5. Examples like than runs in the thousands.
7up, take your head out of your behind. Such typical Windows user: brain in a cubicle. The world does much more than Office, you know?
If you say that macs run all this software because you can run windows, then you have to admit that macs that run windows are vulnerable to all the viruses that infect that OS.
Ever heard of virtualization? Run Windows in ‘sand box’ mode in Parallels.
PS
phishing still a problem but not virus infecting you off the net just because you are online.
PPS
But then again, the issue is simple: would you buy for same money (even cheaper now with MacBook) a computer where you can run anything or a computer where you cannot? Should be a no brainer today but if you like Windows and/or claim it is a great OS even no brainers will be difficult for you.
and then i will name you 50 that use windows and love it, THEY are not afraid of viruses.
Oh yes, they are. So much so that they devote $s in the millions every quarter just to TRY to avoid them!
running word and office the RIGHT way needs a pc, where you have outlook.
Oh MY! hahuhahhahuhuhhuhauhhauhhuha
OHUEHUHOHOHHHUHHAHAHHAHAHAHHA
Is this guy for real? Office…the right way…. uhhmmm ppffffffffftttt… UEHIUHOAHHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHHAHA
need a PC … oHAHHAOUHHAHHAHAHHAUHHAUHAHU
Sheessssh, must sux big time to be so frigging stupid.
Can’t believe anyone with a brain could truly believe that nonsense.
Ah, last thing. Outlook here where I work is FORBIDDEN. And people using Macs can use Office just fine without anyone noticing.
Need a PC for Office? Only in your deranged mind maybe, not in the real world.
On the flip side, though, people familiar with Mac will be very quick to do things like an iPhoto album set to music, while I would probably fumble a bit getting used to the interface. At some point I’d like to see what all the fuss about iLife is, though. =)
Nahh, I do not think you would have trouble at that even at first use of iPhoto. It is intuitive.
What about: select a bunch of pictures, click on “Make album out of Selection”, then click on “Slideshow” where you will see an iTunes icon with “Music”, click there and select from the tracks you have on your computer or iPod (if connected).
My 7 years old child succeeded at his very first try. I really doubt you would fumble or have to *get used* to the interface, whatever that means: it’s under your nose, literally.
At some point, you should hook up with a Mac user friend and ask to be shown iLife. Doing myself a movie with holidays clips. It is so easy for fantastic results it is crazy. All programs (iWeb, iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD) are integrated and talk to each other so that you find yourself into a smooth flowing path to get your film, your pictures, your soundtracks all with amazing effects and templates to use into a DVD with professional looking results.
Have a neighbor on a PC that compromised to simply get his clips sequentially and burn them into a DVD. He sincerely tried to get better results but the effort was just above the time he could spend on the projects. My movies (and DVDs) are becoming enough of a reason for him to switch: I showed him what I had to do in order to get that kind of results. You could hear his jaw dropping at the end of the block.
Cheers
Rasterbator: you can add these to the list for 7up to trip over as well:
Nortel
John Deere
ANY Magazine, Newspaper or other print company
IBM
Schools
and the whopper of them all:
Microsoft who uses them to design the Xbox and their OS
Hey 7up, here’s four more…
The United States Army
The United States Navy
The United States Air Force
The United States Marine Corps
Ok, so maybe there not “companies” in the traditional sense but they’re still pretty good sized organizations and they all use Macs.
Big Al said:
Your beloved Microsoft is a big user of Macs. They designed and wrote the OS and the games for the XBox 360 on Macs. They use Macs exclusively in the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft. Almost every Ad that Microsoft puts out in magazines and newspapers is designed on a Mac. In fact, every PC Magazine is made on a Mac.
That’s awesome if it’s really true! Got a link to back those claims up?
For the list of big time Mac users, I think I’ve read that the NSA or CIA uses them, too, but I don’t have any references to back that up. Does anyone here?
The FBI uses Macs:
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/215
“…many of the computer security folks back at FBI HQ use Macs running OS X, since those machines can do just about anything: run software for Mac, Unix, or Windows, using either a GUI or the command line. And they’re secure out of the box.”
“Macs evidently stymie most law enforcement personnel. They just don’t know how to recover data on them. So what do they do? By and large, law enforcement personnel in American end up sending impounded Macs needing data recovery to the acknowledged North American Mac experts: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
That’s awesome if it’s really true! Got a link to back those claims up?
true, what? That at Microsoft MBU they use Macs to develop their stuff? And what do you think they use? Sony Vaios?
http://davidweiss.blogspot.com/2006/04/tour-of-microsofts-mac-lab.html
iPodder:
Okay, you picked out the one sentence that is obviously true. How about the others?
They designed and wrote the OS and the games for the XBox 360 on Macs.
They use Macs exclusively in the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft.Almost every Ad that Microsoft puts out in magazines and newspapers is designed on a Mac. In fact, every PC Magazine is made on a Mac.When they first demoed games for the Xbox, the console itself was not there.
Microsoft had G5 running them. I hope I could find the link: was an old news on MDN a couple years ago.
For magazines, the key is “almost every”, where it means “almost every” magazine is designed on a Mac.
Anyway, believe it or not, here is a nice list of things made on Macs:
http://www.delta-9.com/net47/myth/mac.html
You may mail the author about the accuracy of his survey.
PS
PC Magazine *IS* there
BTW, PC World is the sister magazine of MacUser. MacUser is made entirely on Macs and PC Wold editor in chief uses a Mac.