OS X or Vista

I have used both over the years. And I used to be a near absolute Microsoft fanboy. I think the problem with Windows became most noticeable during the early launch and adoption of Windows XP. I'll skip the reasons for this to get to the punch line that XP was a can of worms when used by the average office pool secretary. By this I mean the layout of Teletubbie land on the new XP systems prevented her from installing her prefered media player, the email she wanted to use, the chat software she wanted, etc. So one of two things happened. Either she was the "local administrator" who "knew more" about computers than her boss and proceeded to screw up her system unknowingly or the IT guy would simply give up having to constantly allow her account to install some stupid piece of software and simply set the secretary to run as an administrator at all times.

XP really did seem to offer the end user an Apple like desktop, but the XP systems run by idiots unfairly added to the reputation that Windows XP doesn't work. It did work, but people tended to use them without any training or understanding of how much more jacked up both XP's capabilities and settings were over Win98se or even Windows 2000 Pro. You may have had an Apple like startbar and dock area, but it wasn't OSX.

I found that it was increasingly common for systems in offices to start out like they all had Porsche computers and a month later they had Yugos needing a complete rebuild. It really was not Microsoft's fault. The real problem is the user.

As a uber geek, having access to everything to tweak and otherwise customize within the limits set by Microsoft was great. But for an average user it was like giving someone who has never even held a gun a fully automatic M-16 with a grenade launcher and a night vision scope and laser sites. Most people have no idea- or even need to have that level of equivalent power vs responsibility. Most XP users- and for that matter most Windows users currently- who are suffering problems are the result of self inflicted wounds.

The reality is that if you purchase a Windows based system, and you intend to customize software installations or otherwise move beyond simple web browsing, email, and media activities you will find yourself soon having issues. From conflicting drivers, software, inconsistent hardware compatibility, or unintended consequences from installing different hardware and software from different vendors, the average user will find himself having issues. It has gotten progressively batter through the years as Microsoft has strengthened the vendor certification standards for hardware and software. But the fact remains, a windows based system may have a proprietary software operating environment but the hardware and other software is a series of independent products produced with conflicting goals, standards, and ideas.

And that is why unless Microsoft starts building computers, the problem will never go away.

The Apple path is certainly more costly upfront. Fact is Apples cost comparatively more compared to a comparable Windows Vista system. On a Vista system you can get more memory, hard drive space, and a bigger display compared to an Apple iMac for example. And often the cost of this hardware on the Vista system is hundreds of dollars less. Further, if you buy a Vista system, virtually any store with a computer department will have tons of additional hardware you can buy that is pre-certified to be Vista compatible. You don't have to drive an hour to find a store with a single shelf worth of Apple specific hardware. If you need a Windows compatible caple or slot card, odds are you can get it in minutes.

The Apple though has several features which over the long haul make it a better purchase for most people. The first is that Apple is both a proprietary software operating system and a proprietary hardware system. What this means is if it has an Apple logo on it- it will function exactly as advertised. There is no issue as to whether the software you just bought will work or if the new hardware you bought will inadvertently fry your graphics card. To a do it for your self kind of person, that simple feature means that it won't require any technical capacity to use your system in a reliable manner. The other feature which makes Apples generally superior to Windows systems is that natively out of the box an Apple system does both what an average computer users wants to do as well as also do what the most hardcore computer user needs a computer to do.

If you consider that most computer users want something that lets them check their email, surf the web, video conference with family, and write the Great American Novel, then they will find that an Apple does exactly that right out of the box. Further, with the iLife suite that comes pre-installed, just about every common user task is supported without you ever even needing to buy another piece of software. To explain the difference better, an Apple computer is like buying a very high quality razor that never needs a new blade. To a user that simply wants to have a computer unobtrusively contributing to his productiveness instead of being a hinderance to the process of using a computer, the Apple wins hands down.

If you happen to be an uber geek the Apple is something that appeals to you since the Apple comes out of the box in a form factor that is pretty bullet proof. It runs faster and leaner. Gets its kick from Unix, and lets you run virtual Windows Vista, XP and Linux flavors to your heart's content. You want to render graphics or otherwise engage in processor intensive activities- you can without the chug found on comparable Vista systems. In short, the uber geek that hacked you two ways to Sunday last night and wiped out you bank account probably used a mac Pro to do it.

The potential flaw of being proprietary in both hardware and software OS is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Apple has jumped on the open source bandwagon and even released a lot of its code and hardware specifications. Because of this, Apple gets tons of free quality development. See the iPhone for an example of this fact. Who knew someone would create a dyno program that lets you accurately use your phone to time your car's horsepower over a quarter mile? So unlike Microsoft, Apple does get a large degree of stability of hardware and software simply because they base their OS on a public domain Unix.

The real benefit of having an Apple however is how long you go before you have to replace it. People use Apples long after they ceased to be supported by anyone. The numbers of people still using Apple OS9 systems is staggering. And they often are using it on systems that have had nothing done to them since they opened the packaging. To put it in perspective it would be like someone using a Windows 95 system today who can still use the system as though they just bought a new Windows system.

When you look at the cost of entry it is indeed steep. I could have bought four computers for the price of the two Apple computers I bought this year. But I can reasonably expect that I won't be replacing either computer for the next 8 years barring a critical hardware error or Web 2.0 becoming Web 6.0. When you amortize the cost over that time it makes my computers cost about $200 a year- and that also includes my terrabyte Apple Time Machine, a new iPod Shuffle, and two Apple TV.

Couple years back my father in law asked me what I would recommend he buy now that he was retiring and would no longer have a government supplied laptop PC. I told him point blank he should buy an Apple iBook based upon both his utter lack of computer expertise and also what he intended to do with it. He promptly ignored my advice and went out and bought a Toshiba laptop running Vista. A month after he bought it, he had me removing some virus files and undoing several items that I should have charged him $500 for. Last week he told my wife on the phone that the system was unusable and it would cost him $500 to get it wiped, cleaned, and then have the OS reinstalled.

He spent $2,000 on that system.

The particular model he bought now shows up on eBay for around $300. The iBook I recommended still sells for $600.

Windows Vista is an excellent OS if you are equipped with the personal capcity that enables competent computer software and hardware administration. Apples are generally best for most users with the qualification that you have to either be willing to pay a lot upfront or pay a lot of money for a used Apple if you cannot afford the new ones.