OK, this is the article the World has been waiting for – the low-down between Apple’s Macintosh computers (“Mac”), and Microsoft Windows.
First, my bona fides. I am a Windows software developer. I am very lucky that I can target 90%+ of the marketplace with just one technology. If I undertook to make a second version of my product (genealogy graphics), I would have to double my costs, in return for a 5% increase in revenue (if I’m lucky). That’s not a viable business proposition.
I am also a big Apple fan. My family uses an iMac at home, and we are very happy with it.. I bought an Apple G5 for my oldest daughter when she was in university. We own three iPods, a Shuffle and a Nano. I like to joke that I have given Steven Jobs (the Apple honcho) a lot more money than I have given Bill Gates.
Beyond the well-known ease of use and classy design, what is it that fundamentally differentiates the Macintosh? Why do most people buy Windows?
The answer is the same reason most people buy from Wal*Mart: they are more influenced by short-term savings than long-term benefits. To paraphrase an industry adage about Linux[1], Windows is cheaper if your time is not valuable. The Mac is cheaper in the long run because you learn more quickly, spend less time fussing with the machine learning its quirks, and you are more productive.
Of course, there are other considerations. You might want to run a game or application that only runs on Windows. Or a business may need to standardize. But most households need word processing, spreadsheet, Internet browsing, a little video editing, which the Mac does very well.
There are more complex factors at work which never get mentioned in the general press.
Apple manufactures the hardware as well as the software. Microsoft only makes the operating system (Windows), the heart of the computer. Windows is installed on PCs made by other companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo (formerly IBM), and thousands of other little outfits operating out of a garage. The PCs, in turn, are cobbled together from components made by other companies: discs, mother boards, monitors, keyboards, CD drives, etc.
Since each supplier specializes in one area, he is able to sell at the lowest cost. The Windows/PC approach provides the greatest hardware economy.
I used to think that Apple was greedy for monopolizing both hardware and software, and not allowing other companies to manufacture under license.
Then one day I attended the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (HEC). Incidentally, I got within pie-throwing distance of Bill Gates. I have a photo of the back of his head.
WinHEC is a massive yearly gathering of companies that make PC hardware. The purpose is to learn the future direction of Windows, and to test compatibility of components with the latest version of Windows.
It was then I realized what a huge burden it was to coordinate this Babel of technology.
Although not directly responsible for hardware, Microsoft has to take a leadership role in dictating standards, so that everything works together. Even if the shortcomings of a part are not Microsoft’s fault, to the consumer who sees his PC seize up, it’s that dang Windows again!
Coordinating the proper functioning of thousands of parts, made by different companies, is a complex task. Microsoft devotes a huge amount of money and resources to this. I have seen some of the published documents; they are impressive in their complexity, comprehensiveness, and consideration for the challenge faced by the hardware manufacturers.
Every hardware component talks to the operating system through special software called a driver. The driver has an intimate, privileged relationship with Windows. The driver is trusted with access to Windows’ innermost secrets. A miscreant driver can destroy Windows. Like everything else in life, quality costs time and money. Companies that write drivers are tempted to cut corners, and not test as thoroughly as necessary. The result is hardware/software combinations that work most of the time, but will crash under certain circumstances. In my own little universe, I have seen sporadic bugs that have taken two years to fix.
What happens when you buy the cheapest disc drive or LAN card? Its driver may be mediocre. It will crash at the most inconvenient time. And who gets blamed? Windows, of course. Nobody will believe Microsoft if they point an accusing finger at some obscure company and sputter “But, but… it’s not our fault!” That’s why since Windows 2000, you are prompted to allow your computer to send an automatic error report to Microsoft when a program crashes. Microsoft is taking names.
Microsoft has laboratories that test for compliance. But at the end of the day they can only suggest, they can’t dictate.
Apple, on the other hand, controls the whole system from beginning to end. They don’t make the cheapest disc drive or motherboard, but they can always guarantee the quality. Every component that goes into an iMac has been manufactured to Apple’s standards, has been tested, and performs consistently well.
The result is a system that is more reliable, and less given to unexpected hangs and glitches. This also simplifies the testing of the operating system (called Mac OS), providing more quality and reliability for the same price.
You don’t get what you don’t pay for.
My good fortune is that few people understand this. Which means I don’t have to double my development costs. Besides, Mac users are picky fussy bastards. (Just kidding, Geneviève!)
The trend is towards Internet-based Software as a Service (SAS), whereby all you need is a browser, your data is processed on a remote computer, and the results are returned to be displayed on the browser. This will blur the distinction between different platforms.
The solution is simple. Buy two computers: a PC and an iMac. PCs are so cheap today that you can get a generic machine for less than $500. Use the Mac as your principal machine, and turn on the PC when you need to. You can transfer files between the two computers through a LAN cable and an inexpensive router. You will be protected from all the nasty viruses that threaten the PC. The peace of mind is well worth it for me.
[1] “Linux is free if your time is worth nothing”. Another one of my favourites: “Visual Basic” (a programming language) “makes simple things easy, and complex things impossible”.