PC vs MAC, TELL ME.! Options

[Jghelfi]

okay, i have always been wanting a mac since the first time i used the new Macbook in my 6th period at school, but i have a refurbished old 2001 PC desktop...

can somebody tell me what is good and bad between Macs and PCs..?!

i know that PCs Crash a lot
and that
Macs come with free software in the systems already..

so please somebody carify it for me!

[mipadi]

I always get a kick out of these "PC vs. Mac" debates, because I feel that the discussions are almost invariably flawed in a couple ways:

Choice

First of all, when approaching these discussions, Windows users generally approach them from the context that Windows is the choice, and anyone who chooses differently is deviating from the status quo and thus the responsibility is on them to justify their choice. In other words, Windows is the default, correct choice. But I've been using Macs since the early 90s, so from my perspective, switching to Windows is a choice that would have to be justified.

Quantitative Measurements

The PC vs. Mac often ends up in a discussion about technical merits (e.g., technical specifications), and all other aspects of the discussion are simply ignored. I think this usually happens because the participants in this discussion are geeky, and geeks love numbers; at any rate, it's easier to compare and contrast quantitative measurements, as opposed to qualitative attributes. So the discussion branches into two areas: capability and tech specs. Capability is a matter of generating a list -- "Can you browse the web on this computer? Can you play games? Can you use Microsoft Office?" -- and then ticking things off the list, and comparing the results -- "Oh! Your Mac can't play games! My PC is better." or "My PC can read email, too, so why should I buy a Mac?"

Then the conversation invariably turns to tech specs. "Your iMac is $1400. I can build a Dell with the same specs for $800. Why buy a Mac?"

What's Missing

Of course, such a discussion leaves out a very important aspect of computing: aesthetics. Because aesthetics is not easily quantifiable, it is generally left out of these debates, but it's every bit as important as the other areas (maybe even more important). By "aesthetics", I mean questions like "Is the UI attractive? Is the UI intuitive? How easy is it to install/uninstall applications? Does the UI expose powerful tools when necessary, but hide them away when I don't need or want them? How easy is it to change my (network settings, desktop settings, etc.)? Is it easy for the common developer to design attractive interfaces for their applications?" Or even more trivial aspects: "Is the form factor an ugly piece of molded plastic, or a gently-sculpted piece of aluminum?" (And if you argue that PC users don't care about that "nonsense", why do PC builders sometimes spend hundreds of dollars on a "pretty" case?)

So what the argument really boils down to is taste and priorities. What's important to you: price/performance ratio? whether the UI is pixel-perfect? ease of use? expandability? There's really no right answer here, but those questions are the basic fundamentals of the discussion -- even though everyone always focuses on capabilities and specifications.