Okay, I’m going to start by saying that this is a rant of sorts. So it is obviously going to be slightly skewed in one sense or the other. Also, for the sake of ease of argument and not wanting to deal with semantics. When I refer to PC, I am referring to the windows operating system and Apple, the mac operating system and how they function in their counterparts of Microsoft and Apple products.
First of all, I come from a PC and MAC household, my husband is a MAC supporter with his laptop and we both have iPhones. We have a home computer that is an HP Windows 7 and I’m typing on my personal laptop, Toshiba Windows 7.
My major gripe is that I don’t think it makes sense to compare the two in any way anymore. A lot of the problems that have been long-time arguments for the different operating systems are no longer problems. The problems have become out-dated. The main things were that Apple is faster and Microsoft has more software. But Apple has the app store and Microsoft has improved there speed with dual and quad processors.
So stop talking about one being better than the other. I really hate that idea. I’m not someone who believes in an elitist way of thinking and I do think that one company in particular has made a great profit off of this type of advertising campaign that I find mind-boggling in its pretentiousness. But hey, it’s hip.
So to start, I don’t like the mystique around MAC/Apple products. It gives me Tourette’s. The biggest myth is that their products are inherently better. That’s not true. The truth is that pc’s don’t start with a price tag of $1,000-$1,200 dollars (not counting the MAC mini starting at $600 and the MAC pro starting at a whooping $2,500) and if you buy a pc for less than the price that you would purchase a start-up MAC, yeah, it’s going to not be the same or as good as a more expensive computer. I think that this should be a huge deal and it’s not.
There are some things that you can do to make informed decisions though when you look at a PC, because they have so many options, that it just make sense to really shop around before you settle on a computer that you want. These are some of them, from personal experience, not from any real geeky-tech specs:
- I wouldn’t purchase a DELL computer unless you really know how to make it the way you want it and will personalize it. There are so many different things you need to look at it and there out-of-the-box options are cheap but need a lot of work if you want them to have the functionality that will get you further.
- Look for good processor speed (Ghz) and a good amount of RAM (computer data storage). The speed is how fast applications and programs will run on your computer and the data storage is good for a lot of reasons but mainly that there are programs that you may want to install that take up a lot of space so you don’t want to overload your space because you can’t fit anything else on it, and like a suitcase that is full, it also effects how far (the speed) in which you can travel lugging around a huge suitcase versus a neat and well packed suitcase with space for some souvenirs along the way.
- Get rid of the extras that come with a computer out of the box. Trial versions are unnecessary and are programs on your computer that just take up space and may even start-up when you prefer they wouldn’t. Just get rid of them and you don’t have to worry about seeing random pop-ups that are taking up space and speed on your computer. So go to your control panel and uninstall any of the trial versions that they give you and other programs that you aren’t using. If you’re not sure if you need it and are afraid to delete stuff . . . ask someone that has more knowledge of computers to help or go on the internet.
(Extra info about computers that I think are good to keep in mind, especially if you don’t think of these things.
Don’t leave stuff on your starter page and have a lot of applications open at start-up or update. If you notice your computer is slow and taking long to load and you have these starter things going on, there’s probably a correlation. If you like having those documents/pictures and etc. on your starter page though, just make a new folder in your documents folder, call it desktop folder, and create a shortcut that can live on your starter page, it will be as easy to access.
Get to know your computer and how to use it. Play around with and don’t be afraid to try things out, they’re harder to break than you might think. Also, the internet is a great resource and doing different searches can bring up a plethora of information. Some of the links may be harder to read than others but skim and see if anything sticks out and don’t just rely on the first page of links. The main thing is take your time and know that it might take up some time to accomplish.)
Main thing is to know what you want to use your computer for in the first place. If you want to do gaming, design, or just want to look at your email, make presentations, write documents, or store pictures and watch movies. The point is, knowing what you want will make it easier to find the right computer for you. So don’t buy into the hype and pay more for something just because it’s shiny. Like and use whichever one you want and make that the computer of choice. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about computers, it’s not about having one that makes you special, it’s about knowing what you are doing with it that does.
Monkiyo's Musings 