WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.160 Cocoa Pepsi, McDonald's or Burger King, Subway or Starvation? 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:08.000 Classic debates such as these are not just the domain of the food industry as today, 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:14.240 we're going to cover the age-old question right here on TechWiki PC or Mac. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:18.800 It can be difficult to get an objective answer to this question given how much passion 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 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:30.160 as a clearly inferior platform. So let's look at how these two options actually differ. 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. 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. 00:00:43.760 --> 00:00:48.640 And there's typically nothing too special or Mac-specific about other parts like RAM or 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 00:00:54.160 --> 00:00:59.040 macOS on them. Although Apple discourages people building these hackintoshes, which you can learn 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 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:08.320 punctuates how similar the platforms are from a hardware perspective. 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 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:20.720 significantly different ecosystems that you're buying into. PC fans think of their side as 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 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:32.560 from both a hardware and software perspective. A standard PC, especially a home-built one, 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:37.440 is compatible with nearly any piece of expansion hardware out there, provided you have the correct 00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:43.280 slots, headers, and ports. On the other hand, Macs are notorious for being very restrictive with 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:48.240 what you can upgrade. Many attempted hackintosh configurations, for example, simply don't work 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. 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 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 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 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:13.920 download whatever program you want and run it to your heart's content. And of course, 00:02:13.920 --> 00:02:18.000 there's nothing stopping you from using an alternative operating system like Linux either. 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 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 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, 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 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 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, 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 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 00:03:01.920 --> 00:03:06.720 programs, the company may have shrank a software universe that was already quite a bit smaller 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 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. 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, 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 00:03:27.600 --> 00:03:33.600 lifestyle brand, their ecosystem has a reputation for simplicity and functionality and design. And 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 00:03:38.320 --> 00:03:43.840 very limited set of hardware configurations, the positive is that macOS is tightly integrated with 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. 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, 00:03:53.840 --> 00:03:58.800 rather than trying to work through the bazillion possible hardware combos in a PC, 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 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 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:14.400 means Macs also have a reputation for being more secure, although the cynical take is that 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. 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, 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 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 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, 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 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:51.520 that just plain work, or for creative types like photographers, musicians or video editors, 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:34.480 to do this one. Crazy.