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The debate over PCs versus Macs has raged for a decade. Often, PCs are vilified as slow, inefficient monstrosities that are havens of virtual viruses and often succumb to computer-killing software bugs. This negative perspective has not significantly slowed PC sales worldwide, however. Additionally, there are several key advantages provided by PCs, and the advantage is not just technical (although a good article on that topic can be found here: http://www.helium.com/tm/80531 0/nearly-computers-regardless- facilitate). Instead, most of the advantages stem from the PC's market share.

PCs (or Personal Computers) are simply defined as computers that use some form of the Microsoft Windows operating system. With the Information Revolution of the late 1990s, computers of all types flooded the market. However, most of these computers were PCs as opposed to Apple's Mac. Today, PCs now account for 92% of market share in the computer industry (http://marketshare.hitslink.c om/report.aspx?qprid=8). Macs account for just 7%. This factor of market share provides four main advantages: increased compatibility, greater customization, competitive pricing, and software availability.

Increased compatibility necessarily results from the huge market share of PCs. Those hundreds of millions of PCs worldwide all have something in commontheir operating system and compatible hardware. Although there are many devices or programs that can interfere with this compatibility, the advantages of shared systems are obvious. Many community colleges offer basic PC courses, maximizing the user's efficiency by developing familiarity with that common system. Learn how to operate one PC, and easily learn how to operate them all, with only minor configuration differences. Large networks of PCs work together well, and businesses operating multiple computers can keep one standard hard drive image to replace any failed computer. Compatibility is obviously a valuable advantage of PCs.

Furthermore, do-it-yourself (DIY) information about PCs is easily accessible, thanks to market share. Parts to accessorize PCs or upgrade hardware are competitively priced online, making customization easy. Assembling a custom PC is a viable price option in the thousand-dollar range, and replacing dead parts or upgrading components from an old PC is also much simpler that with Macs. Additionally, individual programmers that create "freeware" (beneficial utilities distributed at no cost) create millions of programs for PCs, due

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