Should you buy an Apple/Mac?

by Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates

Apple PCs have earned their cult following - but is it right for you?

In my many years supporting the technology needs of families, businesses, and municipalities, I have rarely heard a bad thing about the Apple PC.  They look great, they are easy to use, and they are well protected from invaders.

Many years ago, they differentiated themselves by their ease of use and by their special multimedia capabilities.  Their relationship with the image/video editing  software company, Adobe, made them the computer of choice for the photo editor and the film maker.

However, the proliferation of IBM compatible PCs (now called WinTel PCs, combining Windows and Intel) convinced Adobe and other Apple software developers to create identical packages for the PC.  The result greatly benefited the consumer - cheaper equipment, cheaper software.  Hence, Apple lost many of their critical unique offerings.  Cools looks weren't enough.  Until the iPod was born, Apple was on the verge of disappearing.

The biggest reason to avoid Apple is the cost.  Apple controls everything that goes into it.  As such, the offerings for their PC is limited.  The WinTel PC can run anything developed for Microsoft Windows.  You can buy a very fast WinTel PC for less than $500.  An Apple PC costs a lot more.

If you have an active game playing pre-teen, the games you already own may not work on an Apple.  They will work on every new WinTel PC.  Plus, every new more powerful WinTel PC will only enhance the gamer players satisfaction.  WinTel PCs win, Apple loses.

Finally, support for an Apple is limited.  If you have a question, none of your friends, neighbors, and associates can help - they don't own one. 

Buy an Apple if you are looking for a specific feature, are prepared for the investment, and have a support resource lined up.  If you need a generic PC to access the Internet, send an email, write a letter, play a game, buy a Dell or an HP.

This article may be reproduced with permission of Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates. Contact Fred at 201-315-4943 fred@FamilyTechnology.com for details.