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For most of the nineties and all the noughties so far, the world wide debate on whether an Apple Macintosh or a Microsoft Windows run PC is better has continued unabated. In pubs, bars, schools, places of work men and women start what begins as an amiable conversation, but ends in a full scale row. People who claim not to care about the debate will say things like; "I don't care what you think is better I'm just happy with my computer." However come back to this conversation in half an hour and it would have turned into an argument, but what are we actually arguing about when we talk of one being better than the other?

Up until the new generation of Macs, the argument was about not only the different software used in PCs and Macs but also the hardware. Mac used to use AMD chips and different RAM to power their computers, whilst Intel has had a hold on the PC market for quite a while. Indeed claims that the Apple G5 was the most powerful home computer in the world at the time turned out to be untrue and Apple were made to pay on false advertising charges by the Advertising Standards Authority (UK).

Apple's switch to Intel has shifted the debate, the debate is now focussed on who's got the best operating system (OS), Macs are currently running OS X whilst PC has just moved to Vista. This could be interpreted by some as a move by Microsoft to capture the Mac user market by bringing out a system that is similar in looks and feel to OS X. No doubt Bill Gates would claim that the Vista beta version was out way before OS X and that it is they that are copying (within copyright laws) him. However this is a moot point as I believe Microsoft have made a huge mistake backing Vista over XP, I believe that an XP run PC beats an OS X run Mac hands down. However with Vista it's as if Microsoft have listened to the reasons Mac users don't like PCs and put all of the reasons to bed with Vista.

It is a brave and bold move by Microsoft because they're assuming that by making Vista more "user friendly" they can finally capture the Mac market; unfortunately for them they are very wrong. The main reason that people who prefer Mac over PCs give is they "like the way it looks". It is a style over substance issue; tell a Mac user that he/she could purchase a PC with equivalent or greater power for half the price and the answer you'll always get is but my Mac looks nicer than any PC. Things like the magnetic power socket for the charger, the camera embedded in the lid and the way a

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