Windows vs Apple
Microsoft and Apple have new operating systems.
We put them head to head
Nigel Kendall swaps his Mac for a Windows PC for a week
Windows
I am typing this on an impressive new Toshiba laptop running Windows XP Media Center (XPMC), the new version of Microsoft’s globally dominant
Windows software. XPMC is available only to those who buy a new PC with it pre-installed, and is designed to simplify the task of organising digital
content such as photos, movies and music. It can also receive and record television pictures when connected to a household aerial. Generally speaking,
it works well.
However, its very existence seems to me to be a tacit admission that standard XP is getting it wrong, that the existing interface is too difficult to
use in the first place. This latest system, after all, offers nothing that you cannot do already if you are proficient with Windows and PC hardware.
Which is a big "if".
I write as someone who has been spoiled by simplicity for years. I’ve been an Apple Macintosh user since 1993 and have never had any serious
contact with Windows. Since I don’t play games on computers — that’s what consoles are for — the four Macs that I’ve
owned have always done what I want them to do. I can write, surf the internet, pick up e-mail, and, as the concept of the computer as a digital hub has
grown, I’ve started using them to edit movies, store music and photos and even design entire magazines. None of my Macs has let me down, and all
the computers that I have owned are still in daily use.
Coming to Windows for the first time is therefore a bit of a heart-stopping experience and, though I’ve been pleasantly surprised by XP’s
apparent ease of use, there’s always the feeling that something nasty and utterly incomprehensible is lurking just below the surface. This, for
instance, is the message that I received when trying to install my first piece of Windows software: "A read-only file c: inetwh32.dll was found while
attempting to copy files to the destination location. To overwrite the file, click the Yes button, otherwise click the No button." I do not doubt that
this means something to someone. I, however, am not that someone.
Other frustrations that I’ve encountered are largely the result of things that I take for granted on a Mac not transferring to another
platform. Why do the applications always quit when you close a window? Why can’t the system display Japanese and Russian properly? Why do the
bubble messages designed to help irritate me so much? After a week with a Windows machine I get the feeling that this system is designed by people who
know a lot about computers. Macs, on the other hand, seem to be designed by people who know a lot about people. If you like Windows and are comfortable
with it, keep using it. There’s very little to choose between the two systems in terms of what they can do. But if you find Windows a chore, think
about a change. Now can I have my Mac back, please?
Why buy Windows?
1 Everybody else does
Windows is installed in around 90 per cent of PCs worldwide, ensuring that nearly all external devices are compatible with Windows.
2 Easy to upgrade
Most Windows machines are designed to be taken apart so that the components can be replaced.
3 Cheaper initial cost
The cheapest no-frills Dell desktop PC costs £372. Apple doesn’t do no-frills systems, and its cheapest desktop offering is £649.
4 You use it at work
If it’s what you use at the office, you’ll probably want to use it at home.
5 You like to tinker
Thanks to the plethora of devices available, Windows PCs can be tinkered with like no other, leaving you to sort out any resulting problems.
Apple
"PC users like to tinker, Mac users like to use" goes the saying and, for the most part, I would say that is true. Apart from a brief stint using an
Acorn Archimedes, I have always been a Windows-based PC man and proud to say that my machine is always in pieces.
Over the years I’ve seen Microsoft’s operating system go from a rather horrid WorkGroups 3.11 to its latest incarnation, Windows XP Media
Center. It hasn’t been an easy ride, with the infamous blue screen of death at one point becoming a rather annoying friend. What makes it worse
is that after only three hours of using Apple’s latest operating system, 10.3, I started to wonder if I should have made the change years ago.
The well-styled hardware has a wow factor out of the box (even the box has wow factor), while the oh-so pretty user interface, with its rounded corners,
3-D rotating graphics and smooth dissolves, gives you a feeling of security.
The installation, when compared with a Windows PC, was annoyingly easy and even getting it to talk to my home PC was simple — something that even
my Windows laptop struggles with occasionally.
As with XP, basic applications are included in the box. Apple OS 10.3 ships with everything from iTunes (Apple’s popular music software) to
Safari (its internet browser) and Mail (its e-mail software), and Apple’s offerings pretty much match Microsoft’s like for like.
On the few occasions that I have used a Mac in the past I’ve found it easy to lose sight of an open file without a Windows-style task bar.
Exposé is a new feature in 10.3 that tries to address this problem by separating all open files at the touch of a button.
Apple’s system is also well geared to going online, and internet setup is a doddle. Once logged on to the internet the community seemed to be a
lot friendlier, proud of their select little group, and I suppose to many this is what owning a Mac is all about. But the Mac wasn’t all good
news. As an avid PC gamer, I found the Mac fell well short and the choice of games was extremely poor.
So what of my time in the world of Apple? Overall I have enjoyed the experience. The latest operating system isn’t really that much different
from Windows XP, though it feels faster and has more of a security blanket feel.
The hardware and the software make for a good workhorse, and while the cliché "it’s only for designers and media folk" does hold some
truth, building a system for people who pay close attention to detail cannot be a bad way to approach things.
As a PC user, my Mac experience has palled with time. I think that if I were new to computers I would go for a Mac, but as a Windows user I get the
feeling that I am too far gone: it’s too late for this old dog to learn any new tricks.
Why buy Apple?
1 Reliable
Macs are designed and built by Apple, the same company that makes the operating system, so hardware clashes are unknown.
2 Versatile
With additional software, Macs can run other operating systems. Windows PCs cannot run the Mac OS.
3 Lower cost of ownership
Surveys of computer users typically find that Mac users spend less time and money on maintaining and trouble-shooting their machines.
4 You use it at work
If it’s what you use at the office, you’ll probably want to use it at home.
5 You hate to tinker
You just want a computer that works when switched on, and have no interest in what goes on "under the bonnet".
