PC or Mac?
Melanie Messina
Issue date: 2/16/09 Section: Lifestyles
??The ongoing battle continues. Parents and students stand in front of a large selection of desktops and laptops of all colors, sizes and features. The question still remains, a PC or a Mac?
Joey Aldrich, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, is a PC user and believes the only way to go is the PC way.
"At the time, the Mac was very exclusive to Apple products, and there wasn't really any interchangeability between PC and Mac," Aldrich said. "Most of the programs that I worked with at school were on PCs, so I just decided to get a PC. I knew that when I went to college the PC would be used more, and I didn't want to have to either run a dual operating system or use two different machines."
A PC, the acronym for "personal computer," is a general-purpose tool built around a microprocessor. It has different parts, including memory, a hard disk and a modem, that work together. "General purpose" means that the user can do many different things with a PC, such as type documents, browse the Internet and send e-mail. Today, when someone says PC, chances are they mean a machine running the Microsoft Windows operating system with an x86-compatible microprocessor, according to an online article, titled "How PCs Work," by Jeff Tyson on http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm.
Mac computers function in the same manner as PCs, but they have all the essentials built in, including the latest wireless technology, advanced Intel chips and an operating system that is loaded with innovations. A Mac also connects to the user's digital camera, wireless device or external drive, according to the official Apple Web site.
Meleah Gross, a sophomore biological engineering major, said she thinks the easiest and best way to go is with a Mac.
?"I've owned a Mac for a year and a half now," she said. "They are user friendly and great for my music and photos. You don't have to go through 12 steps to save a picture. Just click, drag and it's saved. [It's] simple."
Joey Aldrich, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, is a PC user and believes the only way to go is the PC way.
"At the time, the Mac was very exclusive to Apple products, and there wasn't really any interchangeability between PC and Mac," Aldrich said. "Most of the programs that I worked with at school were on PCs, so I just decided to get a PC. I knew that when I went to college the PC would be used more, and I didn't want to have to either run a dual operating system or use two different machines."
A PC, the acronym for "personal computer," is a general-purpose tool built around a microprocessor. It has different parts, including memory, a hard disk and a modem, that work together. "General purpose" means that the user can do many different things with a PC, such as type documents, browse the Internet and send e-mail. Today, when someone says PC, chances are they mean a machine running the Microsoft Windows operating system with an x86-compatible microprocessor, according to an online article, titled "How PCs Work," by Jeff Tyson on http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm.
Mac computers function in the same manner as PCs, but they have all the essentials built in, including the latest wireless technology, advanced Intel chips and an operating system that is loaded with innovations. A Mac also connects to the user's digital camera, wireless device or external drive, according to the official Apple Web site.
Meleah Gross, a sophomore biological engineering major, said she thinks the easiest and best way to go is with a Mac.
?"I've owned a Mac for a year and a half now," she said. "They are user friendly and great for my music and photos. You don't have to go through 12 steps to save a picture. Just click, drag and it's saved. [It's] simple."
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Tony C.
posted 2/16/09 @ 1:19 PM CST
This article seems somewhat biased toward the Mac. The reality is that both PC's and Macs are capable of word processing, wired & wireless networking, photo and video playback/organization/editing, connecting to external drives and digital cameras, browsing the net, and yes - even running iTunes (though there are arguably better music mgmt programs). (Continued…)
Allison
posted 2/16/09 @ 3:49 PM CST
Unlike Tony, I installed Vista on my mac and had drivers instantly, because Apple included them with Bootcamp. So the software limitations of the past are gone. (Continued…)
naffel
posted 2/16/09 @ 6:53 PM CST
Hmph...I'm so sick of definitions being destroyed...
PC means personal computer. Macs are PCs.
Linux isn't mentioned at all.
With virtual machines, it practically doesn't matter. (Continued…)
Kory
posted 2/17/09 @ 12:01 PM CST
This article is poorly researched and biased towards Macs, which are PCs.
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