Mac vs. PC: The Mac or PC argument has raged for many years between home computer users! Forget Star Wars – think Computer Wars when it comes to Macs and Windows PCs. Sure, there are other operating systems such Ubuntu, the Debian-based Linux OS, but these are way in the minority. Here, however we are fundamentally discussing Apple Macs with Windows PCs. So let’s enter the fray!!
What Are We Discussing and Comparing?
We are comparing here the Apple Mackintosh Mac OS or OSX system, running on MacBooks or iMac, with Microsoft’s Windows OS running on what are colloquially known as PCs (short for personal computers, although Macs can also be referred to as ‘personal computers’). Such PCs are marketed as Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, HP and many others.
In computing circles, “PC vs. Mac” has long been a topic of debate—advocates on both sides felt so intense that it was better to steer clear of the subject unless you were up for a furious debate. The best browser for Mac in 2019: Safari vs. Firefox A fiercely contested group test that can only have one winner By Alex Blake October 10, 2019 6:00AM PST As a Mac user, you probably. The three major desktop operating systems on the market are Windows 10, MacOS, and Chrome OS. Here's an exhaustive comparison for would-be buyers, including a complete breakdown of which is best.
It is easy to boot up into 32 or 64-bit Windows 10 on a Mac because OS X has the drivers required readily available with its built in ‘Boot Camp.’ Mac OS X can run only on Apple Mackintosh machines. It is more difficult to get OS X to run on a Windows PC. Known as ‘Hackintoshing’ a lot depends on the age of your motherboard and other factors. So right away, the Windows operating system holds an advantage over Mac OS X. However, that’s not the subject of discussion – it is which is the better of the two – an Apple Mac or a PC running Windows. Let’s discuss some other differences between the two.
Apple’s current laptop lineup is the simplest it’s been in a while. It consists of the 13-inch MacBook Air, and two sizes of MacBook Pro, which are almost identical apart from size.
Mac vs. PC: Compatibility with Software and Tools
If we are discussing OS-compatible software and tools, then the Windows PC wins hands down! However, when comparing compatible software, you must also take into consideration that the Mac has access to apps that can do just about anything you want it to do! Sure, Windows software is wide-ranging and there is a lot of it, but do you need it all?
The most up-to-date version of Microsoft Publisher is always available with an Office 365 subscription. Publisher 2019 is the latest classic version of Publisher. It is a one-time purchase that does receive updates. Previous versions include Publisher 2016, Publisher. Mar 31, 2016 Publisher for Mac I understand the boards which say Publisher will never be available for Mac. I don't understand why not since Mac has no comparable software. And I'm not willing to mess with installing Windows Parallels just to get it. However, WHY does it say in the comparison chart when looking to sign up for Office 365. Ms publisher for mac. Feb 05, 2016 Tech support scams are an industry-wide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services. You can help protect yourself from scammers by verifying that the contact is a Microsoft Agent or Microsoft Employee and that the phone number is an official Microsoft global customer service number. Publisher for Mac Solution. Lucidpress offers the power of Microsoft Publisher and more on either a Windows or Apple computer. Enrich text and images with state-of-the-art effects, import photos, and print to nearly any format. Swift Publisher. Swift Publisher is an impressive, user-friendly and slick desktop publishing application for Mac that’s become increasingly popular as a cheaper desktop alternative to MS Publisher. Swift Publisher is made by Belight Software who are also the team behind Printworks (see app number 5) and one of the best home design software for Mac, Live Home 3D (full review here).
Apple Mac users will say that they have access to all the software or apps they need – so why complicate things by offering too many choices? This is a good question, although a lack of competition for software apps can lead to higher prices – which is the case! Not only are Macs more expensive than most PCs, but the software that runs on them also tends to be more expensive than Windows-compatible software and apps.
Apple Macs tend to come second when discussing the compatibility of the hardware with new software releases. PCs are backward compatible – meaning that a new version of Windows can run on an old PC machine. You can load Windows 10 onto a PC you purchased 5 years ago.
Macs are not so versatile. Try running Mavericks on a Mac running Snow Leopard and you will be disappointed. You may not even be able to run it on your Lion (version 10.7.5) machine. Apple seems to have decided to neglect Lion and focus on their new versions. You don’t tend to get this with Windows!
Customizing Macs and PCs
Many home computer buyers check out the specifications of their purchase, and then like to customize their units to meet their own requirements. They might want to expand their RAM or insert a faster processing chip – or make other types of changes. They cannot do this with a Mac! You may be able to add a disk caddy to give more external hard drive storage, but anything else is almost impossible – you get what you buy and that’s it.
You can customize your PC in so many ways that your computer can change completely – run faster, looks better and have more disk storage without adding peripherals that take up UBS slots. You can even update your motherboard. With a Windows computer, you can create a PC that meets all your needs and looks and works just like you want it. With an Apple Mac what you purchase is what you have, with little – if any – opportunity to customize it.
Mac or PC: Price for What you Get
The fact that you can purchase a PC manufactured by many different companies, but that Apple Macs are made only by Apple, significantly affects the price of each type of computer. There is no competition between Apple hardware manufacturers, just Apple, so Macs can charge what they like. Competition between PC manufacturers running the Windows OS tends to drive prices downwards.
Format wd my passport for mac. When you run Super Eraser for Mac to format your WD My Passport portable hard drive for Mac, it will format the hard drive at first. Then it will shred and wipe all the formatted data. And last, it will overwrite the unused disk space with zero bites. Dec 16, 2013 I just got a WD My Passport drive, 1TB. It's formatted for Windows NT. How should I re-format this for Mac 10.7.5? Do I use disc utilities FAT32 or is there some other format? Not sure what 'Extended' format is and if it's suitable. Also is it OK to erase all the present files on the disc? Do I need a partition? I have no obvious use for one. Oct 20, 2019 YouTube Video Showing the Format of WD My Passport for Mac. This video from Acquevara shows you the formatting on a Mac using Mac OS Sierra. You can watch the video along side using my notes above for extra help. WD My Passport External Hard-drive Set Up Guide for Mac. Click the Finder, open the 'Applications' folder, open the 'Utilities' folder and choose 'Disk Utility.' Video of the Day Select the WD Passport drive. Select the drive you wish to reformat. Locate the icon assigned to Western Digital My Passport drive and Right-click the connected drive icon and click ‘Format’ in the pop-up menu. Select the ‘File System’ from the drop-down list, which is available in the format expansion and choose either ‘ex-FAT’ or ‘FAT32’.
There is one advantage that Apple has, and it is that it can create a uniformity of design with their MacBooks, and offer a more stylish machine. This stability in design and uniformity in color and appearance, appeals to many of its users. Everybody can recognize a Mac just as they can recognize a Ferrari – but Windows PCs have so many different designs that there is no distinction, or even prestige, in owning one.
Even Mac users agree that there are few doubts that the cost of a MacBook tends to be high for what you get in comparison to Windows PCs. However, Macs are way ahead of PCs for elegance and stunning looks – and if that matters to you then there is no contest. The Mac wins every time! For many, that is well worth the extra cost!
Innovation and Software Development
Apple is innovative – that is obvious from its approach to its multiple products such the iPhone, iPad, iPod and other devices. Apple has a knack of getting the coolest apps and gadgets to work in sync with its mainstream hardware products – of which the Apple Mac computer is one.
However, and this is a large advantage, Windows PC users have access to a massive selection of apps and software developments including large numbers of free releases. PC users have a massive selection of Open Source software and Freeware that they can choose from to carry out almost any task they require. For Microsoft, innovation comes in its various versions of Windows and dedicated software.
Apple OS X or Windows: Viruses and Security
The Mackintosh OS X operating systems has its origins in Unix. While many may still remember the infamous Morris worm that infected Unix machines back in the 1980s, this OS still remains relatively free of viral attacks compared to Windows. There are reasons for this.
Unix has had its fair share of viral attacks, though these were mainly before the Windows era. Operating systems such as Unix and Linux were certainly infected by viruses and subject to attack, but not to the same extent as Windows machines are today.
Windows systems rapidly became the most popular for home computing, and in very many cases, also for business networks. This naturally led to scammers and virus writers attacking Windows OS machines because there were more of them! As the PC revolution expanded to PCs and laptops using Windows and almost unlimited Microsoft software applications, there was just one main target for scammers and viral attacks: MS Windows!
Apple Macs OS X is ultimately based upon Unix. This inherently offers better anti-viral properties. Although many may disagree, much of the lack of viral attacks on Apple Macs is due to the popularity of Microsoft Windows and the large numbers of vulnerable software scripts and applications written for it. Windows was not written with antiviral features included – on the contrary, unlike OS X, it was very open to vital attacks.
If viruses and other attacks on your laptop or MacBook is an issue for you, then the Mac will the better choice. Sure, there are many antivirus services available online, but the most effective of these can cost you a hefty annual fee. That said, Microsoft’s Windows Defender has been found by most users to be sufficient – but not by all. With Windows you rely on software to protect your – with the Mac you have inherent virus protection, though it may not be perfect.
Mac Vs. Windows: Which is Best?
In the Mac vs. Windows argument it is difficult to give advice on which is best. Ask yourself what you want your computer for. Is it for home use or business? Is it for design and images or for largely text-based content? If you are creating and editing videos, designing and creating graphics and are focusing mostly on visual content, then there are no doubts that the Apple Mac wins hands down.
The Mac vs. PC argument swings towards Microsoft Windows PCs if your main use is for word processing, emailing and web browsing. If you are into web design and website admin and management – then you choose. Each has its own benefits, although there is a tendency for blogs and websites based on Windows to dominate the rankings.
There is no correct answer to the Mac vs. PC question. Whether you choose a Mac or a PC depends on a great deal on what you are using your home computer for, and whether or not you want to sync it with your existing Apple devices. Most people go for a Windows PC machine, although many others think the Apple Mac looks more stylish and does all they want of it. The choice is yours.
Erasing a disk or volume permanently deletes all of its files. Before continuing, make sure that you have a backup of any files that you want to keep.
How to erase a disk
Proceed based on whether you're erasing your startup disk or some other disk. Your startup disk is the disk (volume) that your Mac started up from. By default it's the disk built into your Mac, named Macintosh HD. If you're selling, giving away, or trading in your Mac, you should erase your startup disk.
Erase a startup disk
Start up from macOS Recovery.
Select Disk Utility from the Utilities window in macOS Recovery. Then click Continue.
Make sure that the sidebar in Disk Utility shows the name of your startup disk. The volume representing your startup disk is Macintosh HD, unless you renamed it. Don't see it?
Look for a ”Data” volume with the same name, such as ”Macintosh HD - Data.” If you have such a volume, select it. Then choose Edit > Delete APFS Volume from the menu bar, or click the remove volume button (–) in the Disk Utility toolbar. Do the same to delete any other volumes you might have on your startup disk—except the volume named Macintosh HD.
Now select Macintosh HD.
Click the Erase button or tab, then complete these items:
Name: Enter a name that you want the volume to have after you erase it, such as Macintosh HD.
Format: Choose either APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to format as a Mac volume. Disk Utility shows the recommended Mac format by default.
Click Erase to begin erasing. You might be prompted to enter your Apple ID.
When done, quit Disk Utility to return to the Utilities window.
If you want your Mac to be able to start up from this volume again, choose Reinstall macOS from the Utilities window.
Erase some other disk
The steps above also work when erasing a storage device that you're not using as a startup disk. However, in that case it's not necessary to open Disk Utility from macOS Recovery: you can instead open it from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. And you don't need to delete data volumes first: just select your disk in Disk Utility, then click Erase.
How to change the partition map (scheme) of a disk
In some circumstances, you might need to change the partition map (scheme) while erasing. If you're following instructions that require choosing a scheme, the steps in Disk Utility differ from the steps above.
After opening Disk Utility, choose View > Show All Devices from the menu bar.
The sidebar now shows not just volumes, but also the disks (devices) that contain those volumes. In the following example, APPLE SSD is the disk, Container disk1 is a container on that disk, and Macintosh HD is a volume in that container. (Only APFS-formatted disks have containers.)
Select the disk that you want to erase, such as Apple SSD.
Check the information shown on the right side of the window to find out which partition map is currently in use:
GUID Partition Map is appropriate for Mac disks.
Master Boot Record is appropriate for secondary or external drives used with a PC or Boot Camp.
If the partition map is not appropriate for the disk's intended use, click the Erase button or tab, then complete these items:
Name: Enter a name that you want the disk to have after you erase it, such as Apple SSD.
Format: To format as a Mac disk, choose either APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Disk Utility shows a compatible format by default.
Scheme: Choose the appropriate partition map scheme.
Click Erase to begin erasing. If you're erasing your startup disk, you might be prompted to enter your Apple ID.
Quit Disk Utility when done.
Why erase a disk
You can erase a disk or volume at any time, including in circumstances such as these:
You want to quickly and permanently erase all content from your Mac and restore it to factory settings, such as when you're selling, giving away, or trading in your Mac.
You're changing the format of a disk, such as from a PC format (FAT, ExFAT, or NTFS) to a Mac format (APFS or Mac OS Extended).
You received a message that your disk isn't readable by this computer.
You're trying to resolve a disk issue that Disk Utility can't repair.
The macOS installer doesn't see your disk or can't install on it. For example, the installer might say that your disk isn't formatted correctly, isn't using a GUID partition scheme, contains a newer version of the operating system, or can't be used to start up your computer.
The macOS installer says that you may not install to this volume because it is part of an Apple RAID.
About APFS and Mac OS Extended
Disk Utility in macOS High Sierra or later can erase most disks and volumes for Mac using either the newer APFS (Apple File System) format or the older Mac OS Extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you.
Identify the current format
If you want to know which format is currently in use, use any of these methods:
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Select the volume in the Disk Utility sidebar, then check the information on the right. For more detail, choose File > Get Info from the Disk Utility menu bar.
Open System Information and select Storage in the sidebar. The File System column on the right shows the format of each volume.
Select the volume in the Finder, then choose File > Get Info from the menu bar. The Get Info window shows the Format of that volume.
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Choose between APFS and Mac OS Extended
If you want to change the format, answer these questions:
Are you formatting the disk that came built into your Mac? If the built-in disk came APFS-formatted, don't change it to Mac OS Extended.
Are you about to install macOS High Sierra or later on the disk? If you need to erase your disk before installing High Sierra or later for the first time on that disk, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). During installation, the macOS installer decides whether to automatically convert to APFS—without erasing your files:
macOS Mojave or later: The installer converts from Mac OS Extended to APFS.
macOS High Sierra: The installer converts from Mac OS Extended to APFS only if the volume is on an SSD or other all-flash storage device. Fusion Drives and traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) aren't converted.
Are you preparing a Time Machine backup disk or bootable installer? Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for any disk that you plan to use with Time Machine or as a bootable installer.
Will you be using the disk with another Mac? If the other Mac isn't using High Sierra or later, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Earlier versions of macOS don't mount APFS-formatted volumes.
Disk Utility tries to detect the type of storage and show the appropriate format in the Format menu. If it can't, it chooses Mac OS Extended, which works with all versions of macOS.
If your disk doesn't appear in Disk Utility
If Disk Utility doesn't show a sidebar, choose View > Show Sidebar from the menu bar.
If Disk Utility shows the sidebar, but your disk doesn't appear within it, disconnect all nonessential devices from your Mac. If the disk is external, leave it connected, but make sure that it's turned on and connected directly to your Mac using a good cable. Then restart your Mac and try again. If your disk still doesn't appear, your disk or Mac might need service. Learn how to get your Mac ready for service.
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If you can't start up from macOS Recovery, you can instead use a different startup disk, if you have one.