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A PC generally refers to a computer that runs on the Windows operating system. It is also defined as an IBM-compatible computer, thereby meaning that its architecture is based on the IBM microprocessor. A number of different operating systems are compatible with PCs; the most popular of which is Microsoft Windows. Some others are the UNIX variants, such as Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris.

On the other hand Macintosh, commonly known as Mac, is a brand name which covers several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The Mac is the only computer in the world that can run all the major operating systems, including Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Vista. With software like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion they can be run side by side.

Macs and PCs both have dedicated followers, and each type of computer has its own strengths and weaknesses.

[edit] History

There have been many inventors who have contributed to inventing the Personal Computer. The timeline of PCs and MACs is as follows:

1936- Konrad Zuse - Z1 Computer First freely programmable computer.
1942 John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry, ABC Computer Who was first in the computing biz is not always as easy as ABC.
1944- Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper, Harvard Mark I Computer The Harvard Mark 1 computer.
1946 John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly, ENIAC 1 Computer 20,000 vacuum tubes
1948 Frederic Williams & Tom Kilburn,Baby Computer & The Williams Tube Baby and the Williams Tube turn on the memories.
1947/48 John Bardeen, Walter Brattain & Wiliam Shockley, The Transistor No, a transistor is not a computer, but this invention greatly affected the history of computers.
1951 John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly, UNIVAC Computer First commercial computer & able to pick presidential winners.
1953 International Business Machines, IBM 701 EDPM Computer IBM enters into 'The History of Computers'.
1954 John Backus & IBM, FORTRAN Computer Programming Language The first successful high level programming language.
1955, (In Use 1959) , Stanford Research Institute, Bank of America, and General Electric, ERMA and MICR The first bank industry computer - also MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) for reading checks.
1958 Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce, The Integrated Circuit Otherwise known as 'The Chip'
1962 Steve Russell & MIT, Spacewar Computer Game The first computer game invented.
1964 Douglas Engelbart, Computer Mouse & Windows Nicknamed the mouse because the tail came out the end.
1969 ARPAnet The original Internet.
1970 Intel 1103 Computer Memory The world's first available dynamic RAM chip.
1971 Faggin, Hoff & Mazor , Intel 4004 Computer Microprocessor The first microprocessor.
1971 Alan Shugart &IBM, The "Floppy" Disk Nicknamed the "Floppy" for its flexibility.
1973 Robert Metcalfe & Xerox , The Ethernet Computer Networking Networking.
1974/75 Scelbi & Mark-8 Altair & IBM 5100 Computers The first consumer computers.
1976/77 Apple I, II & TRS-80 & Commodore Pet Computers More first consumer computers.
1978 Dan Bricklin & Bob Frankston, VisiCalc Spreadsheet Software Any product that pays for itself in two weeks is a surefire winner.
1979 Seymour Rubenstein & Rob Barnaby, WordStar Software Word Processors
1981 IBM, The IBM PC - Home Computer From an "Acorn" grows a personal computer revolution
1981 Microsoft, MS-DOS Computer Operating System From "Quick And Dirty" comes the operating system of the century.
1983 Apple Lisa Computer The first home computer with a GUI, graphical user interface.
1984 Apple Macintosh Computer, the home computer with a GUI.
1985 Microsoft Windows PCs begin the friendly war with Apple.

[edit] Operating System

Mac operating system has traditionally been more stable than Windows. The main reason for this is that since Apple produces both the hardware (Mac computer) and the software (Mac operating system); they have better control over the integration of the entire system. Since the Windows operating system can run on hundreds of different types of computers, variations in hardware configurations within those computers can cause stability problems. Another reason for this is also that since PCs are the more popular choice in the Desktop market so most hackers and virus writers always target PCs making the MAC OS not a common target for virus attacks. Thereby making it more stable.

Macs now ship with the Mac OS X operating system. Since Apple Macs now run on Intel processors, they can be hacked to run Windows. Apple has also released a software kit called Bootcamp for running Windows on the Mac.

[edit] User Interface

The most noticeable difference between Macs and PCs is in the user interfaces. While both have a graphic user interface, the Mac GUI is preferred by most users requiring graphical editing work. Mac was the pioneer of the GUI technology and still continue to be masters of it. While many computer users will proclaim one or the other “superior” or “best,” this is ultimately a matter of personal preference.

[edit] Uses

Mac computers are most widely used in the creative professional market, including in journalism and desktop publishing, video editing and audio editing, but have also made inroads into the educative and scientific research sectors. PCs are also used with some of the video and audio editing and research purposes but are found largely as the Home or Office Computer. PCs are also widely used in gaming due to a wider variety of games available for the Windows platform.

[edit] Market share

Apple's share of the U.S. personal-computer market nearly tripled from 2004 to 2008 but hasn't gone up significantly since then, and stands at around 8.5 percent in August 2009, according to IDC. (Source: Associated Press)

In Q1 2008, worldwide PC shipments were around 70 million (up from 61 million in Q1 2007) whereas worldwide Mac shipments were around 2.3 million (up from 1.5 million in Q1 2007). Historical charts for PC vs. Mac shipments are available at http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/137350.asp

The market share of Mac for the July-Sept 2007 quarter was estimated at 3.2% for worldwide sales. While of PCs ( including major companies like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer and Toshiba) was a total of around 56%.(Refer: http://www.systemshootouts.org/mac_sales.html)

[edit] Interoperability

PCs and Macs can usually share peripherals if they connect via USB, FireWire, or Bluetooth, three industry standards available on every Mac. Most popular applications for Mac and PC use the same file formats, making it simple to exchange documents with friends and coworkers or move existing files from a PC to a Mac.

[edit] Applications

Macs major applications include Ilife and Time Machine while the PCs most widely used application includes MS Office. Some popular games provided on a Mac are Mac Crack Attack, 3D Klondike while on PC are Solitaire and Virtual Pool.

There is a variety of software available for PCs, which are better than a Mac machine for use as gaming machines since most high-end games are created for the general PC. PCs and Macs can usually share peripherals if they connect via USB, FireWire, or Bluetooth, three industry standards available on every Mac. Most popular applications for Mac and PC use the same file formats, making it simple to exchange documents with friends and coworkers or move existing files from a PC to a Mac.

[edit] Gaming

When it comes to speed, then Windows based PCs are the winners and also are preferred by many when it comes to speed based work like Gaming. Though MACs graphically inclined interface is preferred but Windows makes up for it with better processing speed which is a pre requisite for gaming. Some popular games that are available only on PCs are Call of duty 4: Modern warfare and Crysis while some games available exclusively for MAC users are Stuntmania, Age of Empires III and Lego Star wars II. Games that have both versions are Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and starcraft.

[edit] Productivity Software

Microsoft Office is available for both Windows and Mac platforms. Other productivity software like OpenOffice and StarOffice is also available for both platforms.

[edit] Mac PC war

Macs were hugely popular when the Macintosh was introduced in the mid-80s. They pioneered the GUI and the mouse. With Windows 3.1 and the wildly popular Windows 95, Microsoft gained a large market share. In the 1990s, Windows grew by leaps and bounds and Apple went downhill. After Steve Jobs was brought back to Apple, he introduced the iMac and revived Mac sales. Microsoft bought a 5% stake in Apple with a $150mn investment in non-voting shares in 1997.

Apple's Macs have always had a small but passionate fan base. In 2007, Apple released Mac vs PC ads showcasing the “cool” factor of Macs. These have been parodied online, often with a 3rd character (a woman) for Linux.

The Mac vs. PC ads (15)

In September 2008, Microsoft responded to the Apple campaign with a campaign of their own to break the PC stereotype.

[edit] A MAC into a PC

Installing software like Boot Camp, or a virtualization solution, such as Parallels Desktop, The Mac can function like a PC machine. In other words, a MAC can run Windows on it.

[edit] Aesthetics

Attractive colors and curvy looks make the MAC aesthetically more appealing than the PC. PCs have also come a long way in changing their looks from the old white color computers but the look of a PC ultimately depends upon the manufacturer. Some PCs are more visually appealing than others.

[edit] See Also

• iPod vs. Zune
• Plasma TV vs. LCD TV
• Blu-Ray vs. HD DVD
• DVD R vs. DVD RW
• DVD+R vs. DVD-R

[edit] References

• http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm
• http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/126
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_a_Mac
• http://www.apple.com/getamac/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Macintosh
• http://macs.about.com/od/faqsandglossary/a/mac_vs_pc.htm
• http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/technology/tutorials/start/pctomac/differences.html

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