Mac vs. PC: Top 10 Reasons
Although some of you are probably wishing we would give this Mac vs. PC debate a rest, I am incessantly inundated with inquiries here at the Midwest Test Facility asking me which platform I think would be the best choice for digital video editing, and feel compelled to answer. Since we here at DigitalVideoEditing try to be as fair and even-handed as possible, I decided to create two top ten lists -- one for each platform -- of reasons why you would choose either a Mac or a PC over its counterpart. So here they are, presented in as agnostic a fashion as I could possibly produce while still maintaining my own opinions on the subject.
Top 10 Reasons You'd Choose a Mac Over a PC
1. You like the "user experience" of the Mac better
2. You like the way OS X is finally usable, and it's a multi-threaded, multi-tasking OS. It's nicely designed and easy to use, yet has lots of UNIX power under the hood
3. You might not know how to use any other OS, and all your software is Mac-based
4. You want to use Apple's excellent digital video editing software, Final Cut Pro 3, which is only available on the Mac (the most valid reason for DV editors)
5. You like Apple's proprietary apps like iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto and iDVD
6. You have a fear of the complexity of PCs, have never used one and maybe have a fear of the unknown
7. You like the way Mac cases, monitors, and OSs are designed
8. You like being a member of an exclusive club of Mac users who see themselves as "special," "artistic" and "creative," and see yourself as a rebel, a maverick, superior, and an original, although you may be just a poseur (the "SUV" syndrome). When you heard people saying that PCs are (uncool, difficult, trouble-prone, slow, whatever), you believed them
9. All the parts are the responsibility of one manufacturer, and there's no finger-pointing when something breaks
10. You are afraid of viruses and know Macs aren't as troubled by them as PCs
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Top 10 Reasons You'd Choose a PC over a Mac
1. You realize that the fastest PC is faster than the fastest Mac
2. You've noticed there's about ten times more software available for the PC
3. The PC's huge market share (about 95%) gives you lots of other users to commiserate with when the thing breaks, along with lots of places to get it fixed
4. You can build a powerful PC yourself and choose all your favorite components and case design, expressing your individuality and configuring your machine precisely for your particular task
5. You feel like getting more power for less money -- PCs are less expensive than Macs
6. You like the way Windows XP offers a polished user experience that's extremely stable and versatile, lets you go back to a previous configuration using System Restore, and gives you the ultra-sharp ClearType fonts
7. You want to use one of the cheap, mature and high-quality DV acceleration cards like Matrox RT2500, Canopus DVStorm and Pinnacle Pro-ONE for DV editing, or maybe you want to make one of the midrange choices like Matrox DigiSuite or want to go with one of the high end powerhouses like Media 100's 844/X, none of which are available for Mac
8. You've noticed that right-clicking and scrolling are more well-developed, contextual menus with right-clicks are more extensive -- the system is designed for a mouse with more than just one button and no scroll wheel
9. If you're working in a home editing suite or office, chances are you probably have a PC at work with which your system will be completely compatible and interchangeable
10. You like the fact that there are two competing companies designing chips for the PC, Intel and AMD, ensuring that chip speeds rise on a regular and accelerated basis. This also holds true for the variety of hardware manufacturers in the PC space
So there are my opinionated lists. Certainly some of you will find them slanted one way or another -- or maybe slanted both ways, depending on your point of view -- but hey, this is an opinion column.
If you're trying to decide between the two operating systems, I'd say first consider the applications you're going to run. If you're set on editing with Final Cut Pro, for example, your only choice is the fastest Mac. I think the best approach is to consider what you'll be doing, how quickly you want to do it, and how much money you have to spend. Above all, do your best to tune out all the half-truths and reality distortion that is so prevalent in the marketing of computers, particularly the quasi-religious fervor that constantly accompanies information concerning the Mac platform.
I think the bottom line is, both OSs are great, and in my mind, just about equal, especially since OS X was introduced and is now usable. Anyway, when you're editing or compositing video, a lot of times you lose yourself in the joy of the creative work involved, and don't even notice which operating system is underneath. Since we have both platforms in abundance here at the Midwest Test Facility, I notice that happening all the time here. Ahh, to lose yourself in your work -- that's a joy that we all strive for, no matter what the art form, computer or not, and has nothing to do with operating systems at all.
Charlie White has been writing about new media and digital video since it was the laughingstock of the television industry. A technology journalist and columnist for the past eight years, White is also an Emmy-winning producer, video editor and shot-calling PBS TV director with 27 years broadcast experience. Talk back -- Send Chazz a note at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.[an error occurred while processing this directive]
