“Which is better, a Mac or a PC?” Students on campus seem to be evenly divided on the answer. Art students in Seigfred Hall will tell you Macs are the way to go and computer gurus in Stocker Center will tell you to get a PC. Different computers have different strengths — you can decide which computer is best for you.

    Macintosh computers have a reputation for being this different entity that is confusing and strange. In reality Macs are just as easy to use as PCs if you know where things are and how they work. A Mac is just as capable of doing tasks as a PC. The real benefits of a Mac are its software and its graphics. Macs tend to be used by more creative types of people. Using a Mac provides that creative, out-of-the-box ingenuity environment. Macs are capable of running most programs for PCs; you just need to find the Mac version of the software. Another benefit of Macs: Fewer viruses target Macs than PCs.

    PCs have a reputation of crashing and being unreliable. This is actually a result of poorly written software in third party programs that interfere with the operation of the computer. PCs have many more programs written “unprofessionally” for them than Macs do. PCs are great business machines. They are built with the idea of writing programs and papers and working with spreadsheets. This makes them great for college students who need to write papers and work with accounting spreadsheets. PCs aren’t great for working on art projects or 3-D models.  

    PCs and Macs are both capable of doing the same tasks. How well they do them is what sets a Mac apart from a PC. Macs are better at creative artsy stuff, while PCs are better business machines. Next time you decide to get a computer, think about how you are going to use it, and that will help you determine what computer fits your needs the best.

Daniel Reed is a senior studying special effects, games and animation. Send him an e-mail at dr252507@ohiou.edu.