Text adapted from: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/macs/10-differences-between-macs-and-pcs.htm, by Clint Pumphrey
Thursday 9 October 2014
Wednesday 8 October 2014
Mac vs. PC: The real differences
The burning rivalry between Mac and PC is one of the most storied rivalries in
the history of technology — ruining friendships, bringing down
corporations and inspiring some very creative commercials — but do we truly
understand the fundamental difference between a Windows PC and a Macintosh? I’m
sure many of you do, but for those who don’t have a grasp of the finer details, Computerphile has put together a short video primer explaining how
Macs and PCs differ.
Professor Tom Rodden begins by
discussing computer systems in their most basic form. You start with the
physical hardware, then an operating system, then the applications on that
operating system and finally the windowing system which the user directly
interacts with. Of course, the way we interact with our computers has changed
drastically over the years, but the basic interactions remains the
same.
Moving on to the advent of the Macintosh computer, Rodden explains that
historically, Microsoft has been a software company. The Surface tablets are the first hardware built
by Microsoft in quite some time. Apple, on the other hand, controls both the hardware and
the software in its computer business. This means that Apple can “optimize and
protect” its computers in ways that Microsoft can’t.
Apple’s operating system can therefore make presumptions about the
hardware it will be functioning on because Apple can
extensively test its operating system with every piece of hardware it releases.
Microsoft doesn’t have this luxury, as dozens of manufacturers create hardware
for Windows. This is where device drivers come into play, and why certain
accessories or programs might be incompatible from one Windows computer to
another.
The obvious downside to siding with Apple is that you’ll only ever have
one machine to choose from. This leads to inflated prices, which is why an $1,099 iMac is seen as a bargain.
OS X and iOS are both regularly lambasted for bring closed off in
comparison to other mobile and desktop operating systems as well. You have more
freedom on Windows to customize both hardware and software than you ever will
on a Mac.
All of this may sound redundant to those of you who understand the
technical distinctions between Macs and PCs, but everyone else should take a
few minutes to watch the video above.
From http://bgr.com/2014/06/26/differences-between-mac-and-pc/
By Jacob Siegal
Monday 6 October 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)