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Like our very own Brooke Foster said in the intro to this issue, there are many types of geeks in this world. Sport geeks, book geeks, Halo geeks, band geeks… you get the idea. Some aren't ashamed to show it, while others choose to get their geek on in private. But absolutely everyone is a computer geek, whether you choose to accept it or not.

Over the past couple of years, the computer market has created two breeds of computer geeks, and you're one of them. You're either a Mac or a PC.

A Mac (also called a Macintosh) is a computer made by Apple and features the Mac OS X operating system. The very first Mac was made back in the mid-'80s when then-chairman Steve Jobs was in charge of Apple. A PC is a personal computer that most often runs the Windows operating system, which was invented by Microsoft's current chairman Bill Gates a year after the Macintosh was introduced.

The Mac versus PC debate is a controversy that has picked up steam the past several years, and it is still tearing students in two over which one they think is better. There are many reasons why users are turned on and made tick over the two developers. Both Mac and PC faithfuls endorse that their computer is superior to the other, but why?

Brenden Gibbins is a TV — News student at Fanshawe who has always been — and always will be — a PC user. Gibbins said he loves the fact that Windows computers are adaptable with almost every type of software and hardware, adding that he feels that Macs put a cap on what you can and cannot do.

"I started using Macs and realized more things aren't compatible with it," he said. Indeed, Macs lack an HDMI port, meaning they cannot be directly hooked up to newer televisions or other HDMI-compatible devices, though this problem can be remedied with adapters. It is also very difficult or impossible to upgrade the hardware on a Mac. "The PC, although it gets viruses and whatnot, I feel like the PC is more compatible with things that I would probably use more, like Flash and things like that. The Mac seems pretty limited."

When asked if pricing was an issue, Gibbins made it pretty clear where he stands. "The price is ridiculous ... I would never buy one. If someone gave one to me, I'd probably sell it." The MacBook Air retails as the cheapest version for Apple at about $1,000 for an 11.6", 64-gigabyte capacity of flash storage. The MacBook Pro, the most popular type of Mac, starts at $1,249 for a 13.3" model, and their priciest version runs up to $2,499 for the 17" model. Student discounts are available, but it still isn't exactly the most affordable piece of electronic equipment on the market.

Gibbins said he doesn't see himself ever forking out thousands of dollars for one. "I can't really justify spending that much money on a computer, without the insurance (warranty)," he added. "The big part of my computer purchase was the insurance. Seventy-five per cent of (my decision) was pretty much insurance just in case it broke, and it broke twice … I don't know what insurance is like with Macs, but considering the price is so high, I'm assuming the insurance will just add to that ... That's a lot of money for a computer."

Jake Kislinsky is in the joint broadcast journalism and MIT program with Fanshawe and Western University, and he has made the transition from PC to Mac since joining the program. Kislinsky's hobbies and program requirements are heavily media-based, and he said that when it comes to dealing with media-related software, Apple fits the bill. "I'm somebody that likes using a lot of media applications ... and Macs (are) perfect for that. I was able to use software like Final Cut Pro and iPhoto and different things that I could use to my strengths and Mac offers those types of programs way more than PCs can offer."

Kislinsky said he believes that both types of computers have their place in the market for two separate types of people. "Microsoft and PCs generally cater themselves to business-oriented things. So it's all about spreadsheets, it's all about calculations and numbers," he said. "Whereas Macs really gear their wants and needs towards what people use on an everyday basis. So people like listening to music, they like watching videos they like doing stuff that will make their life easier."

Randy Silverthorne is the computer sales consultant at the Fanshawe Computer Store, and he said that historically, Mac was always the typical option for artistic fields, while those who worked more with words and numbers depended on PCs. "(Macs) were a graphic-based machine. People who were artistically inclined tended to gravitate to the Mac. The IBM PC, when it was created… it was text-based, it was not graphics. So if you were into graphics, you went to Apple, if you were into text, you went to the PC. It's basically that way." That trend continues today as most graphic designers, photographers, fashion designers and other image-based fields turn to Mac.

Although Microsoft has been a staple in the market for decades, over the past several years, it's Apple that has seemed to be running circles around the rest. Silverthorne said that Apple has done a great job at putting down their foot first when it comes to developing new technology. "Apple is an innovator. It definitely is an innovator," he said. "They've grown from 10 to 15 per cent of the market to I would say an estimate of 30 to 40 per cent."

Kislinsky said he thinks that although the two companies will always be around to outdo one another, Windows is just too slow to the draw when it comes to competing with Apple. "You slowly see this emergence that Macs are looking to do just as much as PC, and even more," he noted. "To me it seems like whenever PC does something, then Mac is one step ahead. So Mac will come out with some type of product or some new feature, whether it's a MacBook Air or an iMac or something like that, and then four or five months down the line when Microsoft or other PCs come out with their stuff, it's kind of just a play on what Mac's already done."

Silverthorne said that despite a couple of technical differences between the two platforms, the popularity of Macs has really come down to one main reason: "The coolness. It's cool to have Mac," he said. He added that he has sold Macs to people who trash the Mac operating system and install Windows instead, opting to buy a Mac over a PC because Macs seem to have fewer hardware problems.

Silverthorne did say that unlike PCs, the quality of Apple computers does not tend to be compromised. "One of the beneficial things about Mac is that all the Apple computers are made by one company, where you have in the PC world ... a hundred different companies that are making Windows computers."

In general, when it comes to electronics, you get what you pay for. If you spend more on a machine, chances are it's because it boasts more features and the quality is better than the rest. But is this the case for Mac computers? When asked if Macs are worth the money they are sold for, Silverthorne was blunt in his reply. "No. A flat no," he said.

Silverthorne then compared the average PC computer to the average Mac. "I can sell you a comparable machine from Windows verses Mac, and it will cost you twice as much for the Mac than it would for the Windows. The Mac comes with one-year parts and labour (warranty); a Windows machine comes with three years parts and labour. The Mac machine is $1,750, the Windows machine is $750 — you're paying $1,000 more for less. So no. The premium that you're paying for Mac is not worth it."

So how then can one become so much more popular in the past several years, despite the huge discrepancy in price? Silverthorne could only come back to his belief why. "I have to write it off to coolness. It's cool to be a Mac user."

VERDICT

One isn't necessarily better than the other. Users of both computers love what they use, and for different reasons.

PCs are affordable, versatile computers that are compatible with virtually every type of software and hardware, but some brands are known to have hardware problems.

Macs are computers that stay true to their mantra of "it just works." They are reliable, attractive, and offer the experience of using a different operating system than Windows. Unfortunately, they are very expensive, and whether you're able to own one heavily depends on how deep your pockets are. If you're the average student, chances they aren't that deep.