PC versus Mac; an On-going Debate

I've been a PC user since I was 10. Being a PC user for over a decade, it has been part of my life, from the days of MS-DOS till the Windows XP. Despite the typical problems and troubleshooting PC has to go through over the years, I've still managed to get through, and made good use of my computer as much as I could. But ever since my mind's throbbing with Mac-fever, I couldn't keep my head straight, thinking, "Oh, when will I get one for myself?" or "I just feel like I wanna get rid of this piece of Dell crap and get myself a Mac!" But is it really a wise decision?

It all started when I first installed iTunes for my PC. iTunes is a Media Player that generally plays my mp3 playlists in my computer. I've grown to love managing my playlists on iTunes, but what I really dig most is the Cover-flow. How cool it is to actually have cover artwork for your music, it's really intuitive. I completely stopped playing my music using Winamp as a result. Back then when I started using the software, I only used my Sony Ericsson as my portable mp3 player, and I didn't really need anything else.

Then the software actually introduced me on how cool and exciting it was to sync everything onto an iPod. So, yep, you guessed right, I bought myself an 80 Gigabyte iPod Video (Black) soon after that. And since then, everything was good. I loved my iPod so much, and again I said to myself that I didn't need another portable player. The iPod is just right for me. That's when until I found that iPod works much better when running on a Mac. Okay, I wanted to ignore that, because I find that my iPod works fine on my PC. But it got me all worried somehow.

iPod; the only gadget you'll ever need. Also, get the Nano, the Shuffle, the Touch and the iPhone. Damnit, get 'em all!

After months of research, I've learned a lot of stuff I need to know about Apple and their range of 'innovative' products. Could it be that the holy grail of the PC is the Mac all along? I've been asking around for others' opinions. Some say that the Mac is better than the PC, others still say that it's the other way round. I've watched how the Mac-users impressed me with their Macbooks and iMacs, how cool their videos looked after hours of editing, how fun and useful the widgets are, and how awesome the bundled iLife softwares are. There's also been a claim that the new OS X leopard is ten times more powerful than Vista.

So here I am, typing this blog with my trusty Dell Inspiron 6000, whining about how much I crave a Macbook. I've had this craving since early this year, and it's killin me. Everywhere I go, the ads says it all, "Why you'll love a Mac", "Get a Mac", "Switch to a Mac" etc. Even some my friends who have just switched to the Mac loathe about how good their powerful toys are and how better Mac's are compared to PCs. For one thing, here's what I gotta say. Macs are damn expensive! All the ranges of Mac computers and accessories are way overpriced. How do I expect to get one so easily when the prices don't seem to go down?

Despite the problems and issues faced, I still love my Dell, and I'm thinking of upgrading the RAM so I could perform my work better and more productive. If I get a Mac soon, will I be able to do the same chore I'm used to do on my PC? True, the Mac has all the coolest softwares, and what Apple claimed "only the best softwares you'll ever need!" I use PhotoShop for my image-editing work, and Mac's got the system software that'll run PhotoShop much more smoothly. I use Pinnacle for my video-editing, and Mac's got the easiest, fastest and convenient tools for that as well. I love organizing my stuff on my PC, and Mac's got all those and they're much more fun and easier to use. But it all comes to one thing; doesn't that feel like Apple is keeping its users from using third-party softwares? Where's the freedom in that? I love freedom!

Finally, Macs claim that their hardware is a powerful beast. They've got those Intel Processors and the OS X is one hell of a monster truck. But couldn't I do that with my PC? Upgrade my RAM and get a new Motherboard, or hey, why not just get a new one? Personally, I'm no beginner in computers. I realized that the intuitiveness of Macs is for those who just want to get things done easier and 'funner'. I'm tired of complaining and whining. I guess I'm just gonna save up and upgrade my Dell instead. I can still do what I want things done on my PC. All I really need now is just to speed my laptop up, and that's it.

Less troubleshooting, powerful performance, invulnerable from viruses, highly useful applications and an over-all sleek design is what makes the Mac an oh-so-perfect computer. But I'm sick, and my head aches from all the Mac-craving. Sick! Sick! Sick! I'm sick of being a sucker for all the tech-hype! Sometimes you can't always get what you want. I should be grateful of what I have now. At least I could still breathe and blog.