1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,160 Cocoa Pepsi, McDonald's or Burger King, Subway or Starvation? 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:08,000 Classic debates such as these are not just the domain of the food industry as today, 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:14,240 we're going to cover the age-old question right here on TechWiki PC or Mac. 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,800 It can be difficult to get an objective answer to this question given how much passion 5 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:24,240 diehards on each side of the equation have and how quick some of them can be to attack the other 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:30,160 as a clearly inferior platform. So let's look at how these two options actually differ. 7 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:37,440 It turns out that once you get past the differing operating systems, much of the underlying hardware is more or less the same between PCs and Macs. 8 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:43,760 At least for now, most Macs in the wild use x86-based CPUs, just as most PCs do. 9 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,640 And there's typically nothing too special or Mac-specific about other parts like RAM or 10 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:54,160 storage either. Indeed, some enthusiasts have even built their own computers and found a way to run 11 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:59,040 macOS on them. Although Apple discourages people building these hackintoshes, which you can learn 12 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:04,480 more about here, the fact that many folks have gotten macOS to run on off-the-shelf hardware 13 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:08,320 punctuates how similar the platforms are from a hardware perspective. 14 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:14,560 So why all the fighting between PC and Mac in here in Santa? A main point of contention is the 15 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:20,720 significantly different ecosystems that you're buying into. PC fans think of their side as 16 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:27,040 inherently more free and open and American. And to be fair, there is some truth to that 17 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:32,560 from both a hardware and software perspective. A standard PC, especially a home-built one, 18 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,440 is compatible with nearly any piece of expansion hardware out there, provided you have the correct 19 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:43,280 slots, headers, and ports. On the other hand, Macs are notorious for being very restrictive with 20 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:48,240 what you can upgrade. Many attempted hackintosh configurations, for example, simply don't work 21 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:55,040 well because macOS is quite finicky about hardware. As far as software goes, it's more of a mixed bag. 22 00:01:55,040 --> 00:02:00,000 But recent developments have swung the pendulum in favor of PC as well, if we're talking about 23 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,360 being able to install what you want when you want. Although Microsoft does have the Microsoft Store 24 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:10,080 that tries to get you to use vetted apps with Windows 10, it's still a non-issue to simply 25 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,920 download whatever program you want and run it to your heart's content. And of course, 26 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:18,000 there's nothing stopping you from using an alternative operating system like Linux either. 27 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:23,360 Macs have more of an uncertain future on this front. Although they don't have the same restrictions 28 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:28,480 on what you can install as iOS devices, the elf into the room is what's going to happen with the 29 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,520 new Apple Silicon lineup, including the recent M1 chip. We have more details on it up here, 30 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:39,200 but it's a non-x86 ARM-based chip going into the newest model MacBooks and Mac Minis, and Apple 31 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:44,880 appears to have plans to put them into desktop iMacs as well. Because most desktop computer programs 32 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:50,640 are written for x86, many developers may not want to bother trying to write for the M1, 33 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:55,760 except for those that have large install bases on Macs already, and don't even get me started on 34 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:01,920 how hard it is to game on a Mac already. So while Apple may not actively restrict non-app store 35 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:06,720 programs, the company may have shrank a software universe that was already quite a bit smaller 36 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:11,520 than what's available on the PC even further. It looks like you might not even be able to run boot 37 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:16,960 camp on an M1 system, which allows you to dual boot macOS and Windows on a single Mac, for example. 38 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:23,120 But that doesn't mean going with PC is a no-brainer. Apple has a large following for a reason, 39 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,600 and while yes, part of that is because Apple's marketing has successfully positioned it as a 40 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:33,600 lifestyle brand, their ecosystem has a reputation for simplicity and functionality and design. And 41 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:38,320 again, there's some truth to all this as well. Although you can only get a bonafide Mac in a 42 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:43,840 very limited set of hardware configurations, the positive is that macOS is tightly integrated with 43 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,640 the hardware that Apple offers, with the result being that Macs tend to be a little more stable. 44 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:53,840 And if you do run into a problem, it's often easier for the end user or Apple to troubleshoot it, 45 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:58,800 rather than trying to work through the bazillion possible hardware combos in a PC, 46 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:03,440 isolate which component is causing the problem, and then try random solutions that may or may not 47 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:08,400 work. Imagine we didn't have stack overflow. And Apple's tight control over its own ecosystem 48 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:14,400 means Macs also have a reputation for being more secure, although the cynical take is that 49 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:19,600 that's simply because not as many people use Macs and not as much malware is written for them. 50 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:26,000 In reality, both are true. But we want to be clear about something. Macs can and do crash, 51 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:30,880 and they do get malware infections. Your overall odds are just a little lower than they are 52 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,920 on a Windows based PC. But that extra bump in security and stability is enough to convince 53 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:42,000 many people to pay a premium for Apple products. Although part of the added cost is a brand tax, 54 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,720 it still makes the Mac an attractive option for folks that want a machine for simpler tasks and 55 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:51,520 that just plain work, or for creative types like photographers, musicians or video editors, 56 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:56,960 that Apple actively targets by the way, that need the extra processing power in a package they feel 57 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,760 is less likely to crash during the middle of an important project. So our answer for which one 58 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:06,880 you should go for depends completely on what you want to use your machine for, how much you prioritize 59 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:12,880 customizability over a one size fits all ecosystem, and whether you want the supposed sex appeal of 60 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:18,480 an Apple product. Plus if you have enough money to even buy the cheapest Apple product. Though I 61 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:23,520 wouldn't count on your mad final cut skills scoring you any extra dates. So thanks for watching 62 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:28,400 guys, if you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit us up in the comments section 63 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:33,040 with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future. Not sure why it took us so long 64 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:34,480 to do this one. Crazy.