AN ADMITTEDLY BIASED BUT, LARGELY, ACCURATE
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE MAC AND PC

"It's been done a lot," according to my editor, but "I don't think I've read one from a designer/graphics person's point of view." Before all of you designer/graphics people out there send a barrage of letters to Adobe explaining that: "graphics person" is no longer PC, (the correct term is "visually enabled") let's try and think of how we can be a little kinder to our "conceptually-challenged" friends. Hopefully, the day will come when everyone realizes that visual literacy is as important and as attainable as verbal literacy. Perhaps we can help them understand that our ability to use both sides of our brains is not the only reason we choose Macs. It may just be possible, if we concentrate really hard, to show that our preferences are more than just a manifestation of creative wackiness and non-conformity. The difference between the two platforms is not one of hardware nor even software, but one of fundamental philosophy. The issues at hand here are not merely speed and power, but integrity, style, humor, passion and the very evolution of our species.

There is no coincidence, in my mind, that the ratio of Macs to PCs corresponds roughly to the percentage of our brains that we actually use and the part that scientists tell us is virtually dormant. The inexplicable survival of the Mac against overwhelming odds and wholly fabricated propaganda bodes of hope that we may all, whether challenged or enabled, someday rise to a higher level of consciousness and understanding. In pursuit of that arguably noble goal, I'd like to debunk some of the spurious and misleading myths that have led so many people to foolishly accept a lesser product as their only logical choice.

PCs are more powerful or "My computer can beat up your computer."

A wise friend who worked his way up in the world of personal computers from an Atari 400 to a blazing G4 helped defuse the whole speed/power issue when he said, "even a slow computer spends most of its time waiting for you." But, if you really insist on a pissing contest, the test results have been out for a while now. The Mac "toasts" the fastest PC. You can have marketing dig up the fastest-sounding names and claim triple digit speeds, but the "Mega-blaster, Supersonic, Quantum-leap, Firebolt" 80xx processor just doesn't get it any more. Additionally, if you really believe sheer power alone can compete with intelligence and ease of use, maybe you'd like to return to the days when computers took up entire specially air-conditioned rooms with teams of technicians scurrying around in little paper hats.

Myth number 2 :) PCs are cheaper and "just as good" as Macs

"You get what you pay for" didn't get to be on the A list of famous sayings for nothing. If you believe the computer you get free from signing up for a year on the internet compares to the latest thing in the MacMall catalog, you probably also think of "Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys" as exotic pets. At the least, one ought to compare price vs value. Don't overlook The sheer joy and elegance of the original user oriented interface. Granted, PCs do use Mac-like icons (once you've got "config.sys" installed correctly) and that kludged-together-for-a-fourth-time GUI on top of DOS operating system they so cleverly call "Windows" can do nearly anything Mac/OS can do. Even if it is an acknowledged plagiarism and serves the evil empire of Microsoft. On the other hand, my Mac just feels less like a machine and more like a friend. It seems to almost have a mind of it's own. How else would it sense that it was a perfect time to crash just prior to saving the last two hours of work?

Myth number 3: PCs give you a much greater choice of software

OK, so that program to chart and evaluate the relative barometric pressure on Venus may not be out 'til next year, but the rumor that there isn't enough good software for the Mac is not merely a lie, nor even a damned lie, it's a statistic!

In summary, there really isn't that much that separates one computer from another. All those little boxes, whether they be platinum, ice grey or even blueberry, are filled with the same little components from Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Motorola. My G3 has a splendid double-wide, SCSI 2 hard drive manufactured by none other than IBM and those cow-covered boxes full of the latest in obsolescence from Gateway surely use chunks of disgruntled former Apple employees for packing material. No, the real differences lie in a more philosophical vein, in matters of style, elegance, empowerment and self-worth. Perhaps that is why those "graphics people," who tend to "think different" as they regard the future through fashionable little "designer" spectacles, have always known which computer is best.

The opinions expressed here are soley those of the author and do not represent the policies of Adobe Systems, Inc. who, with the release of Illustrator v. 7, told the entire Macintosh community to take a flying leap.