Five reasons Macs are better than PCs

9 December 2008 11:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

In the first of two parts, we asked a Mac head and a PC bod to give their five top reasons why one system beats the other.

Apple Macs are better because:

No viruses
A virus, what's that? I've been using an Apple Mac for the last 10 years and not once come across a virus, not once had to worry about opening an attachment and not once turned my computer on to see that it's in meltdown. It also means that I haven't had to spend £40 a year on virus software or worry about a collection of dials, graphs and pop-ups saying that I'm "under attack" or at "high risk". The closest my Mac has ever got to catching a virus is when I accidentally sneezed over the keyboard.

Even my grandma can use it
Being the IT tech support of my family, weaning my parents off of a PC and to a Mac means that they rarely phone up to ask for help any more. Macs are so easy to use that even my grandma (if she was alive) could use them. The interface is easy to use, the file system a doddle and being able to look within files without actually opening them is such a bonus. Better still the machine doesn't come bogged down with stacks of trial software that will run out 10 minutes before you turn it on for the first time.

It looks good
If it's one thing that Apple can do, it's design. Shiny aluminium boxes, big trackpads, sexy looking keyboards, attractive icons in the dock, lovely. When was the last time you thought that about a black or beige PC? The Sony's Vaio has tried to break away from the crowd, but they just can't match the looks of the new MacBook Pro can they?

You get all the software you need in the box
When you buy a Mac you get all you need in the box. Full versions of photo album software, music software, video editing software, email, browser, word processor and chat applications are all present. Buy a PC and you get some of the above, but Word is extra, you have to pay for a decent photo or video editing software and, as we've already said, your machine is filled with 30-day trials that when over just become bloatware for your PC.

Sleeping and waking
When it comes to turning off your Mac it couldn't be easier - you don't. Apart from long trips or times when I know I am not going to be using my computer, it doesn't get turned off. In fact all I do is shut the lid. When I want to use it I open the lid. 5 seconds later after I've typed in my password - not 3 minutes like a PC - I am up and running. None of this hibernating, or please wait while we put your PC to sleep like it's a dying dog.

Tune in next Tuesday (16th) for why PCs are better than Macs.