Welcome to Computer Repair Toronto, a website designed to provide useful and informative computing advice specifically for those living in the Greater Toronto Area. (GTA). It is our intention to help computer novices and intermediates navigate their way through the sometimes confusing technological landscape. Although we will eventually look at a broad range of computer repair topics, today we will begin answering a very simple question: when purchasing a new computer, should I choose a Windows based PC or an Apple Mac. In the coming weeks and months we will take a look at both the similarities and differences between these two types of computers in order to help you, the purchaser, become more knowledgeable with respect to this topic. But before we begin, we urge you to email us here at Computer Repair Toronto if you ever have any questions relating to what we discuss (now or anytime in the future).
So, let us begin. Say your old computer has just died and you are in urgent need of a new one. You are used to the good old fashioned Microsoft Windows PC; however, you have heard great things about the Apple Mac which has been gaining steam throughout the last decade (particularly with the advent of the iPod and now iPad). Should you go with old faithful, or should you try something a little different? Our goal here, as mentioned above, is provide an analysis of each of these types of computers (from a broad range of vantage points). It is our hope that from this information you will be able to make an informed decision. Please remember that it is not our wish to tell you which is better; this is because the term “better” is simply too subjective. It is up to you, the purchaser and the user, to make the final decision.
One final note before we begin. There are a host of alternative operating systems which can be run on a computer (Unix and Linux being the primary examples). We will not be discussing these options though, as they are generally not considered by the average novice computer user when buying a new machine. This does not mean that they do not have their own strengths and weaknesses. They simply are not used by novice users (most often because they are a little more difficult to use initially – although this has been changing over the last few years).
Mac versus PC: Application Support
What do we mean when we say Application Support, you may be asking yourself. Well, in general, application support refers to the variety of computer applications (also known as computer programs) that are available for a given computer. For instance, a system which has access to a wide variety of programs (which can partake in a multitude of tasks) is said to have good application support. On the other hand, a machine which only has access to a few programs is said to have poor application support.
It is quite difficult to measure the concept of application support objectively; therefore, we here at Computer Repair Toronto have decided to create a small list of common user tasks. We would then go through each task and look at the quantity and quality of available products for both the Apple Macintosh as well as the Windows based PC. So, without further ado, here we go:
Email: The gathering and sending of email (electronic mail) is one of the most common tasks an individual engages in while sitting at a computer.
According to a recent survey, the most popular email programs were (in order of usage): Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Apple Mail, Gmail, AOL Mail, Lotus Notes, and Thunderbird.
Internet based email programs (largely comprised of Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and Gmail) are available for both the Mac as well as Windows; in fact, they can be used on any computer which is capable of browsing the internet. Furthermore, nearly all of them are free of charge.
Microsoft Outlook, the most popular client-side email solution, is available for Microsoft Windows; however, it’s poorer cousin, Microsoft Entourage, was formerly the only option for the Mac. Apparently, as of Microsoft Office 2010, Outlook will now be available for the Mac. Unfortunately, at this time, it is uncertain whether or not the two programs will have an identical feature set (we here at Computer Repair Toronto believe that they likely will). It is important to note that Outlook, while popular, is not free; consequently, it will set you back $100 or more.
Thunderbird, designed by the makers of the popular browser Firefox, is another client-side email solution which is definitely available for both Microsoft Windows as well as Mac OSX. Although not as popular as Outlook, it is gaining steam and has nearly all the features one would want with respect to email. Additionally, it is free of charge.
Computer Repair Toronto’s Verdict on Email Support
For the average computer user, the Mac and the PC (the term we sometimes use to shorthand the Microsoft Windows machine) are identical with respect to email support. They both provide access to online email applications (Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and Gmail) as well as client side applications (Outlook for Windows, Apple Mail for Mac). The only advantage for the PC is that it can run Outlook; however, for the average household this is not particularly important.
That is all for toady; however, tune into Computer Repair Toronto during the next couple weeks as we will continue looking at Mac versus PC in terms of Application Support.
