PCs are more functional than Macs because they have more software?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
What do you think? Is there any basis to this statement?



It sounds ludicrous to me. How does having more software choices make a computer more functional? A Mac can do pretty much everything a PC can do and does many things better, yet Macs have a much smaller software library.



More is not necessarily better when it comes to software. Quality and ease of use are what matters, and this is where the Macintosh shines.

Mac users may have fewer choices when it comes to software, but for the dozens of similar PC programs out there, there is at least one equivalent Mac program. Mac users should find themselves able to do anything a PC user can do.



Why do you think this myth perpetuates? Are people just uninformed? I even know some Mac users who believe this? Am I missing something? How are PCs more functional?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    defiantdefiant Posts: 4,876member
    I begin to thate this debate <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
  • Reply 2 of 16
    If you need a piece of specific business software that isn't available for Mac then that may be the case-I'm not talking about Office or something like that I'm talking about things like stock trading software.inventory control-unfortunately the business world hasn't wakened to the fact that Macintosh is more efficient-in cases like that you may be forced to use a PC in most contexts there is excellent and superior Mac software available.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    stunnedstunned Posts: 1,096member
    Face it. there is much less mac software as compared to PC software.



    Well, in this case, in a software function sense, PCs are indeed more functional than macs.



    Apple makes great computers and OS. But the reality is that most of us need to use a PC for a certain software or internet application that the Mac cannot support.



    Sad, but true
  • Reply 4 of 16
    norfanorfa Posts: 171member
    It hurts so bad.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    More crappy software dosn't make somthing more functional. However, being able to choose from software A, B, and C. Is better than stuck with A.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    mac voyermac voyer Posts: 1,294member
    Why do I allow myself to get sucked into these debates?



    The none sense about there being a Mac equivalent title for every category that is far superior to its PC counterpart is so much rubbish that Mac users tell themselves to feel good about their lack of options. How much arrogance and blind faith does it take to believe such a notion? Have you looked at speech recognition software? What IBM, (the speech recognition leader for the Mac platform) offers for the Mac version is a good two years behind what it offers on the PC. With the exception of a few titles, most of the software I?ve seen for both platforms is moderately, to heavily mismatched in favor of the PC version. Things may be different on the high-end pro level. But on the consumer level, Mac software is in no way ahead of PC software in quality and features. Although there is plenty of junk on the PC side, there is a great deal of good to outstanding software for the PC that will never be translated cross-platform.



    The Mac platform will be better represented by accentuating its true strengths. Not by perpetuating childish myths about its superiority in every conceivable category.
  • Reply 7 of 16
    kecksykecksy Posts: 1,002member
    never said Macs do everything better than PCs.



    I said Macs can do pretty much everything a PC can do (expect play the latest games and use illegal file-sharing programs), and a lot of Mac software is better or at least as good as equivalent Windows software. Anyone who believes the Mac suffers from a lack of software hasn't been to VersionTracker or Apple's own Made4Mac page.



    You'll have a hard time finding anything better than the Office X, iCal, iSync, Stickies, Chimera, Shadow Google, Sherlock, Watson, Graphics Converter, iPhoto, SnapzPro X, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, iDVD, iTunes, Audio Hijack, BLAST, and Apple's free Developer Tools on Windows. There are even more examples I haven't listed, although I'm sure Windows has some superior programs too.



    The point is Macs aren't hurt significantly by a smaller software library. There is a lot of great Mac only software out there, and don't forget all the great cross platform apps that exist on both Windows and OS X.



    Besides, what good is software without a good OS to run it? The Mac's greatest strength it's OS, and tight hardware integration.



    I guess we'll gave to disagree on whether the Macs advantages are worth its disadvantages. OS X, for me, is much more fun to use than Windows.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    kelibkelib Posts: 740member
    PCs are plain DULL IMHO! That's why I have voted for the Mac. I can do everything I like on it with much less hassle than on the PC. It's not about what's better than the other. It's about personal preference. I choose the Mac. PCs are cheaper, offer me better value for money (price/performance vice) and PCs have much more variety of SW. But working on PC doesn't give me the same pleasure the Mac does. I have Mac as well as PC at me home. I take the Mac anytime. No statistic can change that.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    The majority of PC software is crap that is out there. They do have alot more games and apps then we do, but what does it matter? I am not a gamer, but if i was we have decent games. Office X is basically what caught mac users up to windows, what else do people normally do, the internet can be viewed by both computers, and acquisition beats the majority of PC software to download music. Show me a PC equiv of Final Cut Pro, or iTunes...doesn't exist. Show me a PC OS that is as lickable as OS X, its a pleasure to use. Show me an OS that is as advanced and advancing as OS X.



    Normally PC users make that statment, and show you crap stuff that really have no use for wanting, they just for some reason feel good knowing that if for some reason they ever want to play 200diffterent versions of snood, or tetris they can.



    PC's have games on macs...thats about it, cept for business but a mac is just as or more capable, just doesnt have the programmers working for it.



    There are few things a PC can do that a mac can't, but whatever it is, it can do it 100x more slightly differnetly



    If PC software has A--&gt;Z options

    I'll take the Apple equiv of A, truth is, its probably better then the rest (though sometimes might lack features <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> )



    Macs Rule

    PC's drool
  • Reply 10 of 16
    apap Posts: 29member
    Actually if AutoCad and Mapview existed for the mac, I would say there was never the need to buy a pc. Unless you are very dependant on the fastest processors/graphic cards.



    But AutoCad is in the Architectural world sometimes a must. And Its speed is unsurpassed by ANY other Cad program.



    Mapview is also a must because its the standard map-database-accessing tool.



    Other than that theres only 3dsMax I can think of, but you would rather want Maya anyway, wich runs perfectly on X.





    ap
  • Reply 11 of 16
    [quote]Originally posted by stunned:

    <strong>

    Apple makes great computers and OS. But the reality is that most of us need to use a PC for a certain software or internet application that the Mac cannot support.



    Sad, but true </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I disagree. I think it's the exception rather than the rule that someone needs a specific Windows app that can't be found for the Mac.



    In most cases, there will be several software titles for a particular function available for Windows, but only one title for that function available for the Mac. The Mac still has that functionality, but with fewer developers and less competition, the quality may suffer.



    I don't think the main problem with Mac software is that the Mac has less software, or that software is non-existant for important functions on the Mac. Rather, the problem is that many software titles for Macs are shoddy ports of Windows apps. These bad ports are slow because they are optimized for x86 and not the G4, and sometimes important software features are truncated for the Mac version.



    Apps like Photoshop prove that when a developer properly optimizes the code for a G4 CPU, Macs can compete very well with Wintels. The key to getting better code optimizations from developers is to enlarge Apple's market-share. Until there is bigger money to be made in the Mac software market, developers aren't going to invest the money needed to develop top-notch ports.



    It's funny that about half the Mac users I know of own Virtual PC, and out of these, only 1 or 2 actually use VPC on a regular basis. Most are like me, they have VPC but never use it.



    Eh, of course, the above is only true of non-game software. When it comes to games, Windows obviously has more software that is better optimized. But MOST popular games are ported to the Mac, so this isn't a problem for "casual" gamers. And if someone is a hardcore gamer, they aren't going to buy a Mac anyways--at least not until dual PPC 970 Powermacs are available.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    norfanorfa Posts: 171member
    Mapping software for interfacing with my gps, and CUseeme works very poorly in OSX. I have a P4 laptop, but I rarely use it.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    keshkesh Posts: 621member
    Let me put it to you this way:



    In the US, there's a lot more tools available that fit the standard English measurement system (Inches, Feet, etc.). It's easy to find the tool you need, but often you'll find dozens of people making the exact same tool.



    Conversely, metric tools are used less often, since not as many devices use the Metric standard (Centimeters, Meters, etc.). They're still available, but not as many companies make them.



    The question is, whether or not you need English or Metric tools. They're both available, there's just more manufacturers making the same exact tool for one.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    No doubt there is a wealth of special-purpose software the PC has over the Mac. From my experience with PC shareware/freeware though, if the Mac doesn't have a given type of program, the PC might have five, but the catch is that none of them work.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    [quote]Originally posted by stunned:

    <strong>Face it. there is much less mac software as compared to PC software.



    Well, in this case, in a software function sense, PCs are indeed more functional than macs.</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Who let the moron in?
  • Reply 16 of 16
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    You can argue functionality a lot of ways.



    I could bring up, for example, that Macs are more functional because OS X gives you built in support of customizable toolbars with variable spacers, dividers, sizes, with text or without. Also gives you spell checking, the font panel, the color panel, all kinds of nifty line hight stuff and what not that comes with Cocoa and simply must be enabled by a few lines of code.



    I'd also like to mention that the spell checker has a system-wide library, so all of your apps have all of your custom entries, and that the color panel has system-wide colors, etc.



    Cocoa is great.
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