I didn't feel sighted, just needed to correct you - I only love Apple stuff because it works and the simplicity of the Mac was enough to keep me in a job when it went digital and even then it was a close run thing. I have real reason the be thankful to Steve Jobs, he's kept a roof over my head

As if I know what that even means

What have microsoft got to do with hardware? Do you know what hardware is?
Let me educate you.
An imac - For your £1,649 you get a core i5 3.1ghz, 4gb of mid range ram, 1TB HDD and a 6970HD radeon. PATHETIC!
I could build a PC with a better spec for half that.
Still if you want to buy over priced crap that comes in a pretty box go for it.

How the hell can you say apple have always been in front for the last 20 years? What planet are you on? Mac only started using intel in 2006! Before that they were stupidly underpowered and a laughing stock. And as for the fabulous apple and their creations, why do ipods use USB and not firewire?

You are very narrow minded when it comes to software. There is more to life than an OS. IF the software does exist for mac the chances are it will cost a fortune. That's if your lucky. The number of times someone I work with hasn't been able to do work because they have a mac and the software doesn't exist for it is laughable.

Quote: bren2k "He changed the world, several times over, and kept a roof over lots of people's heads in the process, no doubt about that.'" Good for him. What a guy... www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... contractor The continuing reports of deaths and distress at Foxconn have created a PR problem for Apple, which is seen as the principal user of the company's facilities.

Quote: bren2k "He changed the world, several times over, and kept a roof over lots of people's heads in the process, no doubt about that.'" Good for him. What a guy... www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... contractor The continuing reports of deaths and distress at Foxconn have created a PR problem for Apple, which is seen as the principal user of the company's facilities.

All I can say is that I am writing this on an iMac, which is pretty powerful, and I am in a room with no other sounds. And all is silent. No fans. Just silence.

I have no issues with PC's, and in some respects I find them easier to use. I understand how they work better and am probably more adept at sorting out problems with them. But the silence is beautiful. My last PC was pretty powerful, and my wife's hairdryer was quieter.

if you wanna pay more money for less spec, got ripped off on repairs and parts, have a smaller array of compatible software and generally be more restricted in what you can do...then go for the mac. But on the bright side, you will be down with the cool mac kids

I would have bet money 'mouth' was a mac user...

You can run OSX on a PC if you really want.

Yeah, but you wouldn't

I suppose I shouldn't be but here I am again surprised by how fervent each side is in this argument. I've bben in IT for 45 years now and have used everything from mainframes which would almost fill Belle Vue to smartphones and tablets. Because of this people often ask me which is best PC or Mac and my fisrt question is what do want to usee it for. The next is how much do you know and eventually how much do you want to spend. It's horses for courses really. For once I agree with vastman that if you just want to to buy it plug it in and use it without even having to open a guide let alone a manual then get a Mac if you can afford it. They have (rightly) turned the computer into an item of "white goods" like a washing machine - it just works. You do pay a penalty in price, software choice (and no not all PC software is riddled with viruses despite what many may say) and customisation but if that doesn't concern you (and I guess that means most people) then it's a fine choice. Always well built, usually reliable (although any repairs are costly) and it looks good.

A PC will cost less and allow you do do many more things but that has it's price as well - it needs much more user involvement in the management of it. The hardware is usually as reliable because they use exactly the same components (video cards, motherboards even) but each manufacturer puts them together as they see fit and to a budget - usually a low one. Now there's nothing wrong with this and many PC usres have been happily using the same machine for years without a problem. One of my PC's still used for web browsing is well over 10 years old and still going strong (slowly though as any 10 year old machine is). There is though a greater degree of variability and everyone tells the tale of the ones which went wrong - not the ones that were OK. More care may be needed when choosing one and even this is difficult because of the bewildering choice.

The OS is what most people interact with and call it the PC or Mac. Yes, OSX is more reliable and is arguably better but remember the "X" came from the fact that it could be said to be a derivitave of Unix and Linux - not really an original Apple idea/product. Windows has to cope with an "open" hardware system allowing many more choices and that is its problem and its advantage - the sheer flexibility. You could go for Linux (Ubuntu) on a PC and have the best of both worlds but that is still not as polished a software product as OSX.

Where does that leave us? What do want to use it for? How much do you know? How much do you want to spend? Answer those (and a few other questions) and then you'll find the best answer for you.