PC vs Mac: Which is the right one for you?

The personal computer (PC) vs Apple machine is a debate that has raged on for years and will continue to rage on.

There are hardcore supporters of each who have staunchly defended the hardware platform they prefer.

It is not necessarily that one platform is better than the other, but it is that each is built in a certain way and both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Starting with a PC, whether it is a desktop machine or a laptop, it is a sea of hardware out there. The choice with hardware is just so huge that it can get confusing as to what to buy. There are two major manufacturers (Intel and AMD) that offer processors at various price points and performance levels. One has the choice of graphics cards, displays, keyboards etc. to choose from. One is spoilt for choice really.

On the other hand, tough the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro also uses Intel microprocessors, there are a limited number of products to choose from. Largely, it is a dedicated fan base that buys Apple products. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As long as one is convinced that a particular machine is for you and that it suits your needs.

There is one part where the PC scores over the Apple machine and that is if one is into do-it-yourself. If one is the kind who likes to fix a faulty laptop/ desktop, build a desktop for gaming or home use or even upgrade an older machine, a PC offers flexible options to do so.

With an Apple MacBook, DIY is rather restricted to, perhaps, upgradation to or of the solid state drive. A look at the innards of an Apple machine will show how neatly it is largely all surface mount soldered and there is little scope of DIY upgrade or repair.

But with a PC laptop or a desktop, spare parts are freely available on e-commerce websites and even if they are not the best quality, they will at least get the machine going. Let us say the power switch on the laptop goes kaput. It can be easily ordered online and fixed by the DIYer. Or the smart DIYer can also cannibalise and probably modify from a discarded machine.

For the DIYer, there is nothing more fun than building a desktop PC for gaming for instance. The whole process, right from sourcing the parts to the assembly, can be loads of fun. These days, top quality parts are freely available on e-commerce platforms and brick-and-mortar shops.

However, when it comes to Apple, they don’t have the flexibility of Windows machines but one has to hand it to them for one aspect – longevity. Buy any Apple product and it will easily last several years. This is because their products have been engineered well and the company makes the software and hardware themselves. They are purpose built for each other. That explains the higher cost of this company’s products, and also due to the fact that there are stricter quality control measures.

In the end, it is all about what the user wants. If it is about flexibility and in upgrading a desktop, then a PC makes sense. Or if one is the kind who just uses the machine and shuts it, but also wants something a bit more premium, an Apple machine it is.

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