PC vs. Mac, Why I'm Right

I often find myself locking horns in a debate about something not worth debating.  Not that I'm argumentative, but sometimes people just have no idea how wrong they are.  Quite often, however, nobody is wrong, but of course I'm even more right than my counterpart 10 times out of 10.

The perfect example of this is the argument over Mac or PC.  You may be wondering which one I prefer.  But if you know me well, you're not wondering at all.  Even if you've never seen my computer or heard what I have to say on this matter, you're thinking "Dave isn't cool enough for a Mac", and you're correct.  I'm also too poor for one.

Let me start this argument out by saying that I get it.  Apple makes the best computers.  Believe me, I have plenty of friends who love their Macs more than their moms, so I've heard the arguments.  "A PC is fine if you want to replace it every year" or "sure, get a PC, you'll be re-starting it every hour or so".  If you care that much about your computers, you have the right computer.  And unless you need the best computer made for your profession, you're kind of a loser.

I got my Gateway laptop 3 1/2 years ago and it works like a champ.  I paid $900 for it and I can't remember the last time I had to re-start it.  Sure, I have to re-start for updates every month or so, and that takes me about two minutes each time, but I can afford 24 minutes a year.  It hasn't been infected with anything, probably because I don't forward garbage emails and respond to every spam email and facebook invitation.  Not once have I wished my computer did this or that.  Actually, that's not true.  I periodically wish my computer would make me some dinner for me, but I'm pretty sure even Apple hasn't figured that one out yet.  As soon as it does, I'm the next convert.

I relate the Mac vs. PC debate to the Toyota vs. Mercedes debate.  If somebody tells me I need to buy a Mercedes, the easy answer is "I can't afford it".  End of discussion.  But when I try the same response about a Mac, the guy with messy hair and girl jeans takes a sip of his green tea latte and gives a condescending shake of the head, as if to say, "you poor Neanderthal, if you were more civilized you would understand".

Like a Mac, a Mercedes has bells and whistles that my Toyota does not.  It would be cool to have some of those things, but I don't need it.  What I need is a dependable car that can get me from point A to point B in relative comfort.  Similarly, I need a computer that I know will start right up, let me read and send email, use the internet (so I can educate the world about how to be more like me), and store some pictures and music.  I don't think I've ever used my computer for anything else.

For somebody like me, the only way I would make the switch (short of Apple coming up with a cooking computer) is if the price was the same.  And I don't mean the same like "well Mac makes a wristwatch that's $900"...I mean the same like a comparable price for a comparable computer.

On Amazon, you can buy a 13-inch MacBook for under $1,000.  Sounds like a pretty good deal!  You get a computer with an Apple on top and a lifetime subscription to the Apple Dork Club for under a grand!  But sometimes you get a cretin like me who doesn't mind using a mouse with two buttons.  So for a comparable PC (I agree that Acer or eMachines does not make a comparable product), HP has a 13-inch Pavilion for under $600.  As far as I'm concerned, it's the same computer.

The way I see it, there are three types of Mac users.

The first is the artists.  These people need a Mac to create music, art, videos, etc.  Mac is the best for that, no arguments here.

The second is teachers.  Teachers get a great deal on Macs, which I think is great.  More companies should give educators good deals on their products.  Hats off to Apple.

The third, and by-far the largest group, is the people who think they have to have the very best.  Some are wealthy and can afford to have the best of everything.  Maybe someday I'll be there.  But most of you have a Mac so you can sit in the coffee shop and look cooler than me.  You've been fed a line that says you have to have these things to be a functioning part of society.  You think you can afford the best of everything, just because the money is in your bank account or you have enough room on your credit card.  Of all the brilliant innovations Apple has made in terms of technology, none have surpassed their ability to convince people they need a Mac.