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One foot in the future - Question of choice
What sort of computer should I get?
You don't need to be a technical expert to know whether a laptop will suit you better than a desktop. If you like writing, emailing or web surfing in bed, on the sofa, in the garden or trains, it's a laptop for you. If you're the type of person who thinks such things are best done at a desk, buy a desktop. But the shape and size of your computer aren't quite the issue this month. We'll discuss whether you want to be part of the 95% of computer owners with a 'traditional' PC (what used to be called an IBM or IBM clone) - or the 5% who opt for a trendy Apple Macintosh (or Mac).
Isn't that just a matter of brand preference?
No, far from it. An Apple is a completely different animal from a PC. And there's only one manufacturer of Apple Macs; one of the many paradoxes about these babies (which we'll go into in a moment) is that while they are generally favoured by 'creatives' and alternative lifestyle proponents, they are one of the most monopolistic products on the market.
While Bill Gates' Microsoft (makers of the Windows operating system) is hated and derided by Mac loyalists, Microsoft doesn't actually make computers. In the case of The Apple Corporation, founded by Steve Jobs, they make both the hardware and the software - which you also have to buy from the company store.
So what are the advantages of these Apple things over standard PCs?
Well, beyond the fact that they're pricey, beautifully designed and made and impeccably fashionable - there are, funnily enough, some substantial advantages, too. Macs are much faster and quieter, quite a lot simpler to use and slightly less likely to 'crash'. They are also wonderful for handling photos and video. And they barely catch a virus.
And the disadvantages?
There are an inordinate number of these, too, otherwise there wouldn't be much to discuss - and, believe it or not, people quarrel passionately over whether PCs or Macs are better.
There's a good argument that Apple computers and software are the computer equivalent of Citroën cars - innovative but self-consciously quirky and sometimes different just for the sake of being perverse. In fact if Apple wasn't Californian, it would have to be French.
Specific disadvantages: Apples don't run all the programmes you may want to use - almost everything is designed for PCs, with Apple compatibility an afterthought. Also, whilst Apples are unquestionably simpler to use than PCs, if you're used to a PC, you may feel that the Apple is like a left-handed computer for right handed people. Another thing - just as PCs with Windows aren't as bad as some people say, Macs are not quite as reliable as Apple fans claim; they're excellent, but they're not infallible.
And lastly, they're such a metropolitan taste that you might have trouble getting service and help outside of big cities. If you're tempted by a bite of Apple, do check first that there are a couple of Mac-friendly geeks in the neighbourhood. It can be tricky in places like Cornwall, and nigh on impossible if you live abroad, other than in California, of course.
Can you have the best of both worlds, PC and Apple?
Until very recently, you had to choose one or t'other, but earlier this year, Macs became bilingual. The latest models will run both Windows and the Mac operating system, OSX. Download a free piece of software called Boot Camp from the Apple website (www.apple.com), buy a copy of Windows and install it. That way you can benefit from the ferocious speed and elegance of Apple hardware, but still have your familiar Windows interface whenever you want it.
Written by Jonathan Margolis
