Politics and religion have been on the world’s “do not discuss” list for generations. The wrong words in these topics can send someone into a frenzy of emotion, and a state of remorselessness. Wars are even started over such disputes. Some topics are just so controversial that any sort of discussion leads to a heated debate. Now, in the 21^st century, a new topic has entered the nefarious list: computer preference.

Of course, almost everyone nowadays has seen the Apple commercial in which a young guy, representing the Macintosh computer, is compared to a klutzy, clueless middle-aged PC man. As an avid PC-lover, I take offense to this characterization.

The first thing that comes to my mind that’s wrong with Macs is how expensive they are. For instance, the most inexpensive laptop they sell starts at $999. The laptop I bought last February cost $800. So what’s the difference?

If we were to compare my laptop to this product, the Macbook air,  my laptop has 5.4 more inches of display, more than 200 GB of storage, and 2 GB more RAM, and that’s just a start. My computer has the webcam, excellent speakers, and more. Unlike the Macbook air, my computer even has a full keyboard.

So what accounts for the $200 difference?  The brand name! As Nicole Leonard (’12) puts it, “They’re not worth it. The extra cost is not worth the half-eaten apple.”

One of the most tedious things about Mac-users is how they love to exalt that there preferred computers are immune to viruses. But this isn’t true. Why else would software brands such as Norton provide anti-virus specifically for Macs?

Also, the threat of computer viruses is heavily exaggerated. I, for one, have never had a significant problem with a computer virus, and I have always used a PC.  As Ben Furniss (’12) states,  “The argument that PCs get viruses more often… That isn’t true. If you are smart with your computer, and treat it like you would a car or something, then you won’t see many problems.”

In addition, viruses don’t just victimize PCs without any reason. PCs are a huge majority of the market share and therefore, more corporations use Windows instead of Apple software. The purpose of viruses is usually so that a hacker can gain financial information. Nobody cares about the Mac users. Why? Because they wasted all their money buying the Mac!

So far I have only criticized the Mac. But what makes the PC so superior? Well, for one thing- since PC has come to be a term describing any computer using Windows- they are extremely flexible. There are PCs oriented for everyone. With Windows, people even have the freedom to build their own computer.

There’s nothing a Mac can do that a PC can’t do as well. “PCs are cheaper, easily upgradable, and generally more of an all-rounder. They say Macs are more useful for artistic endeavors, but I don’t see why I can’t have those fancy Adobe products on my PC. And I do have them on my PC,” states Dan Bennett (’12).

More software is available for PCs as well and many times Mac users need specific versions of software in order to use the same thing. Some people argue that as Macs gain popularity this will be less of a problem. But, popularity is a double-edged sword. The more popular Macs become, the more likely they will gain the attention of hackers.

The irony is, I am writing this piece on a Mac. Why? Because someone out there is convinced that the Macintosh is such a necessity and that I can’t do this on a more inexpensive computer.  This computer would cost me about $1199, but I could probably accomplish the same word processing on a $200 net book.