Apple Mac vs. Windows: The Apple Premium Is Gone

crApple come down to earth

As an IT Director who administers servers on win/mac/nix ive gotta say give me the Win2008 server everyday.

Macs are cute and useful in sound arts application, other than that very overpriced.

mojowrkn of CA @ Apr 28, 2009 19:00:12 PM

Apple Premium.

Any company charging a premium has to have a reason. In business, ff you do not need or value the company's 'premium' then a lower-price choice is logical and probably necessary. However, if you need or value the 'premium's offering', then paying the additional cost is logical and can be shown in total return on investment and/or increased productivity, durability, etc.

The emotional aspects of buying a product are another matter. I agree with all the aforementioned comments and in the interest of full disclosure, must say that I was a Windows PC user for ten years. Now I am a MacIntosh Pro user - for the last six years. Six years, one Mac. Ten years, four PCs. In the lyrics from a Fleetwood Mac song, "Never going back again."

Michael A. of MD @ Apr 27, 2009 08:49:27 AM

Ridiculous claim

McLady of MI apparently has no idea what they're talking about, since Apple's hardware consistantly scores better in benchmarks than equivalent machines while running windows. I have a theory that this is because Macs have limited hardware configurations, and as a result, Apple is able to write very specific drivers for Windows, so that the components just mesh with the OS better. This is the Achilles' Heel of "traditional" Windows boxes: The hardware varies so much that it becomes difficult to make sure every single component works 100% with the OS as it ships from Microsoft. Apple has a much more predictable hardware set, and therefore each system will act predictably in regards to its function in the OS. An advantage, no doubt, but it is something that needs to be taken into account when one is discussing whether or not Macs can run Windows well.

And yes, back "in the day", Macs used IBM PowerPC processors and had to emulate x86 processors that Windows runs on. This is not so anymore, and Macs can now run Windows natively either through Boot Camp or through a Virtual Machine (NOT an emulator) as is often done in corporate environments or web hosting companies.

James of CA @ Mar 25, 2009 10:13:51 AM

Mac Windows

Mac's underling operating system is Unix. Unix is a business enterprise level operating system. Major corporations in business and defense use Unix.

In industry Windows is primarily used for Office and email not the core applications.

Rich of CO @ Mar 13, 2009 19:36:57 PM

Mac vs Windows

First of all, the title is misleading. It would be OS X vs Windows (pick a flavor). Apple hardware is less 'accessible' than a PC box, however, unless you are a wild haired hobbyist just what do you want to change in an all in one? You can upgrade memory and the internal hard drive with ease. Why on earth, unless I was the aforementioned hobbyist, would I want to touch anything on the motherboard? I can always also upgrade my system with external firewire or usb 2.0 drives.

As for hardware, Apple has consistently produced better quality computers than any other. They annually top JD Powers and other reliability monitors lists. I've read where Apple hardware consistently has a 5 year life span compared to 2 or 3 with Dells, HPs, et al. You do tend to get what you pay for. Apple's 'premium' has almost always been mythology in that regard. Over the years I've routinely priced 'comparably' equipped PCs with Macs and found that Macs were very competitive.

No one, including yours truly is probably going to convince the hobbyist or the person who's invested hundreds of hours learning Windows and the peculiarities of their hardware that they should get a Mac. But businesses are reassessing the ROI on Dells with Windows and Apples with OS X and finding the Mac to be a winner in nearly all regards. As for the comment of the above person who said that there was a performance hit for running Windows on Apple hardware is either uninformed or simply not cognizant of repeated tests in various PC forums, magazines, etc where the Apple Macintosh, booting from Windows (pick a flavor) outperformed Windows on a similar PC box. They may have been thinking of pre-Intel Macs where x86 emulators were used, but certainly not today's Intel Macs.

Apple premium?

The only premium I can think of is that if you want a basic 'computer' running a creaking and aging OS, you can indeed find a desktop or laptop for hundreds of dollars less than a Mac. But again, you do get just what you pay for.

David Heady of IN @ Mar 10, 2009 15:28:13 PM

Right Tool for Right Job

It is funny how so much emphasis is placed on the hardware. The long and short of that story is that PCs allow for easy customization as well as single component replacement. Mac does not. As far as software is concerened, Mac is great if you need Digital Media manipulation otherwise the best choice is Microsoft. Through Bootcamp you can run your Microsoft applications, however there is a price in performance.

McLady of MI @ Mar 10, 2009 14:04:01 PM

mac windows

mac=playiong

windows= work

on choice

Alex @ Mar 08, 2009 11:36:59 AM

heyya

hello

this was very good:)

Hamm @ Mar 05, 2009 07:19:47 AM