MicroWorks Consulting, Inc.

11/20/07 - Article by BJ Levitt

This question has been asked of me over and over again during the last 20 years.  When the Macintosh was first introduced in 1984 it not only made a media splash, it became a major headache for all the IT folks (we were called Managers of Information Systems back then).  Those of us supporting small businesses had to decide if we should stay with the IBM PC (IBM was pretty much the only game in town) or should we move to the Apple Macintosh.  It wasn’t an easy decision.  Most of us “geeks” started out using the Apple II which was the first widely used personal computer (PC). To understand today’s options it’s helpful to take a little stroll back in history.

What made the Apple II so popular was the same thing that made the IBM PC so popular; both computers were built to be open architecture.  All of us “hackers” loved adding/improving our beloved Apple II and when the IBM PC came along we did the same thing.  Want more memory, just pop the top and add it.  Wanted to upgrade the processor, again, just open your PC (Apple II or IBM PC) and you could do the upgrade. For us tech guys it was the equivalent of adding a turbo charger to your Chevy.

At first the Apple Macintosh seemed to be as great as the hype (remember the Super bowl commercial – See below for a link to watch it). But then all of us realized one major flaw in this new PC. Sure it had a great graphical interface and this new thing called a mouse. For the first time we got WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get). This meant that what you created on screen actually represented what it would look like when you printed it out.  As hard as it might be to believe now, this was a huge change in the computer world.  So as great as this technological leap was, why didn’t all of us jump at the chance to buy Macs? The problem; the Mac was a closed architecture. This meant that not only couldn’t we open it up and “tinker”, we had to buy everything from Apple. This meant fewer options for adding hardware and software and the options we did have we’re more expensive. This kept the Mac from growing beyond a few niche markets (education institutions, graphic design and video editing).  Interestingly, IBM made the same mistake in the late 80’s with it’s PS/2 Micro Channel bus which basically closed the once open architecture of the IBM PC.  This decision effectively killed the IBM PC.  IBM no longer sells personal computers. 

So now let’s fast forward 23 years (wow, I can’t believe it’s been almost a quarter century). As a business consultant, most of my computer work has been in the “PC” world not the Mac world. Although I still believe that the Mac is not a serious contender for the office workplace, it is becoming a very interesting decision for the home user. Apple is Head and shoulders above all others when it comes to hardware design.  One look at an iPod makes this point clear.  This summer, Apple introduced a new iMac (their all-in-one integrated CPU/screen computer).  In October, Apple introduced their new operating system, Leopard.  Apple also made the decision to use Intel processors as well as other standard hardware components for all of Apple's computers.  This has the effect of “opening up” their architecture for the first time in over 20 years.  Let’s hope the computer industry has finally learned their lesson; open standards lead to mass adoption and success.  A closed or proprietary standard is a recipe for failure.    

So being the geek that I am, I went ahead and bought my first Apple computer since the 80’s.  I decided on the new 24” iMac.  This is truly a beautifully designed computer.  It has a gorgeous screen which is basically the whole computer.  A single wire to plug in the power, a wireless keyboard and mouse and that’s it.  You now have a very powerful computer on your desk.  From a design point of view, there is no competition in the desktop arena.  For those of us who use laptops as their primary computer, you have many good choices.  Apple’s laptops are nicely designed but not innovative nor are they a good value.

I’ve spent the last few months getting to know my new iMac.  My biggest surprise is how much more alike the iMac is to a Windows PC than it’s different.  To compare the Windows versus Apple operating system I would have to pretend that I could get a Windows based integrated PC as well built as the iMac.  Unfortunately nobody in the hardware business is making an integrated desktop system that is comparable to the iMac.  The only Windows choice would be to load Windows on the iMac.  This is actually relatively easy to do since Apple includes something called Bootcamp that automates the installation of Windows XP or Vista on the iMac.  I went ahead and installed Windows Vista on my iMac. Vista works well on the iMac but truth be told, I don’t really like Vista all that much.  For me, Windows XP is still my first choice but Mac’s OS, Leopard, is very close second.  So which choice is best for you?  Well that depends on how you use your computer.  If you need to work with an office full of Windows computers or you use software that is Windows only, your choice is easy, you need to stay with Microsoft.  If on the other hand you use your computer for personal use; browsing the Internet, fixing up your photos, writing a letter or making a DVD from your home movies, Apple is a great choice.  You’ll have less trouble with Spyware and Viruses because the idiots that create this malware go after the big target which is Windows.  Windows is the Operating system on over 90% of the World’s PCs.  It’s unfair to blame Microsoft for all the Spyware and Virus issues we’re all dealing with but that doesn’t devalue the advantage that Apple has in this area.  For now, choosing a Mac means almost no need to concern yourself about Spyware and Viruses.

For me the choice is clear, I like having both.  For most users that’s not a good choice, they have enough trouble dealing with one operating system, let alone two.  For most of my clients, Microsoft is still going to be the best choice but for some of you it may be time to make the switch.  How we use our computers has changed dramatically over the last five years.  The majority of our computing time is spent surfing the web.  The web experience isn’t defined by your operating system it’s dependent on your browser, your screen and your connection speed.       

If you’re thinking about moving from a Windows PC to a Mac, give me a call.  I’d be glad to answer any questions you might have.