I own both PCs and Macs. I don't build my own systems, even though
I've occasionally upgraded machines for friends (notebooks and
desktops). I noticed that your comparison is
limited to desktop machines used for a narrow range of activities.
After you've played Unreal Tournament, do you still have mental energy
to ponder the implications of quantum mechanics, general relativity,
genome mapping, thermodynamics, and protein folding? (Hint: I'm an
engineer in a family of engineers and scientists, and we don't use
terms like "power user.")
My point is this: For hardware tweakers, creativity means building a
custom PC from carefully chosen parts - just as my neighbour is
lovingly restoring a Datsun 240Z. For other people, a well-built
machine with a tightly-integrated, modern OS offers a superior user
experience because they'd rather focus on writing (prose, poetry, code,
whatever), composing music, creating visual art, editing audio or
video, isolating functions on the human genome, or pursuing other
creative goals - which are largely unrelated to the task of
researching, selecting, and assembling electronic components for a
personal computer. The electrical engineers I know don't build their
own PCs - they're too busy designing circuits or writing
software for stuff like flight control systems and the robotic
manipulator arm of the International Space Station.
It depends what you like to spend time on. If you like to build
custom PCs for gaming and CD burning while you dabble in Photoshop and
play Unreal Tournament, that's one thing. After a long day at work,
when I get home to my wife and son, do I want to think about which CPU
cooler and thermal paste to use on an overclocked Thunderbird? Not
likely. For what I do in my spare time at home, I believe in using
technology that is simple, elegant, and user-friendly.
Dr. Christof Koch, a cognitive neuroscientist who is researching the
biological basis of human consciousness, puts it this
way (and he should know a thing or two about how the human brain
works):
- "From a user point of view, Macintosh has always stood for a
cutting-edge combination of elegant hardware and very easy-to-use and
highly functional GUI."
In other words, it isn't just about SPECmarks, PSBench, game
framerates, or whatever. Of course, nothing I wrote above changes the
economic or technical merits of custom-building PCs vs. Macs, but it
does imply something about the self-aggrandizing notion inherent in the
term "power user."
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
