Daniel S. Nersesian Photography

Like most people, my interaction with computers has constantly changed throughout my life.  In high school, the family computer was merely a device I used to occasionally type out a mediocre paper for class.  When I moved to Camp Pendleton, I bought a computer that was capable of playing DVD’s & music, accessing the internet, storing the image files from my first digital camera and a variety of other things.  Other Marines had their barracks room filled with Televisions, DVD players, stereos, and all kinds of other things, but all I needed was my computer because with that single device I could do it all.

When I moved to Ventura, CA to go to school, I needed a computer that would be capable of cataloging & editing digital images.  Everyone at school recommended that I invest in a Mac, so that’s what I did.  When it first arrived, I kept my desktop PC as my personal computer.  If I needed to use a Mac for my photographic work, then so be it, but I couldn’t think of any good reason to deviate from my PC for more personal tasks such as email & internet access.  I knew my PC fairly well and saw no reason to change things up any more than was absolutely necessary.  Fast forward three weeks, and the Mac had taken over.  The PC was given to a friend.  After three weeks with the Mac, I could only look at the PC with disgust.

Six years after that initial encounter with my first Mac, I depend on my computers more than ever before to not only conduct business, but to go about my daily life.  When my computer is unavailable, I feel stuck and helpless.  Some folks might see this as a weakness, but I see my interaction with computers as a liberating experience.  I used to have a calendar on my wall, an address book on my bookshelf, photo albums piled in the corner, a television and DVD player were the center of my living room, and most business was conducted either in person or through the mail.  Now, not only has my computer replaced all of those things, but it does those jobs more efficiently than ever before.

I need to be clear about something before I go any further.  I am not a computer enthusiast.  I don’t subscribe to computer magazines.  I don’t have computer nerd friends who play World of Warcraft 20 hours per day.  I don’t browse through computer stores on the weekends looking at the latest gadgetry.  Although I appreciate what computers can do for me & my business, I don’t enjoy computers in and of themselves.  In fact, the less I need to know about them in order to get the job done, the better.

I also don’t have any reason to support the Apple Corporation or their products.  I couldn’t care less who makes my computers.  As long as it meets my needs, I’m satisfied.  Like all other large corporations, I’m sure Apple as a corporate entity has done horrendous things, but make a shoddy computer isn’t one of them.

That having been said, I can’t think of a single reason to use anything other than a Mac.  There’s just no contest when comparing them to PC’s.  Many of my family & friends ask me about computers when they need help with a program or they are in the market for a new one.  I always start out by telling them they should be using a Mac instead of a PC, and in no particular order, here’s why I strongly prefer Macs:

• The long-term value of owning a Mac is incredible.  Although the initial investment is higher, long term they are cheaper.  Apple supports their products for the long haul, and the physical construction of the machines is second to none.  I have friends who are still using Macs that are a decade old.  I have yet to encounter a PC manufacturer that builds a physically durable machine that is completely void of quirks.
• All macs come ready to go, right out of the box.  They include everything the average user would need.  What’s more, the most common applications that people need are included & preinstalled on the machine.  Regardless of whether you buy a $7,000 Mac Pro or a $900 MacBook, you get killer applications for your calendar, music, movies, photos, video, web design, and more.  Because these programs work great and are free, most people tend to use them, so if you ever have a question about one of them, chances are there will be a bunch of other Mac users who will know the answer.  Ever use iTunes?  That program is a great example of how easy a Mac is to use.
• Apple’s customer support tends to be a high-quality, one-stop shop.  Because the computer itself and most of the applications are made by Apple, things tend to get resolved quickly.  You don’t hear, “You need to contact the software provider,” when calling about the computer.  You don’t hear, “You need to contact the hardware manufacturer,” when calling about software.  Apple makes it all, so if there’s something wrong, they’ll fix it.
• Macs are intuitive to learn and operate.  ”I don’t want to learn how to use a Mac,” is a horrible excuse.  Most casual computer users probably could learn how to navigate their way around a Mac in a few hours.  The way that the operating system is laid out makes things incredibly easy.
• Although Macs can get viruses, they’re so rare that most Mac users don’t even use an anti-virus program.  No initial purchase of the program, no costly updates, no waiting for email attachments to be checked, no worrying about what web sites you go to.  It’s not an issue.
• Apple is constantly listening to their customers and they strive to continually make their products better.  When a new product comes out, they listen to the people who are using it in order to improve it.  Each update to Mac’s operating system is better than the last.  There are no steps backwards.  There is no playing catch-up with some other company.  This sounds like common sense, but this concept is totally foreign outside the Mac community.
• Last but not least, Macs can run the Windows operating system.  Even better, they can run Windows with most of the advantages & efficiencies of a Mac.

Macs aren’t perfect.  They can crash, they occasionally have problems and they can be as frustrating as any other computer at times.  However, they tend to be a heck of a lot better than PC’s.  Here’s what drives me crazy about PC’s:

• Unfortunately, PC’s are linked to the Windows operating system, which is developed by Microsoft.  To say that Microsoft has failed to be an innovative and honest company is a gross understatement.  Windows has not only failed to provide its users with any new & innovative features, but it has also failed to be an honest company that deliverers on its end of the bargain when a purchase is made.  Everyone knows that Windows Vista was so plagued with problems that people were crashing their computers trying to downgrade back to Windows XP!  What did Microsoft do about it?  Nothing!  They started working on a new operating system (Windows 7) instead of fixing the old one.  What about all the customers who bought a computer with Vista on it?  What about the college kid or small business owner who bought a $500 laptop that never worked properly?  Are they supposed to spend another few hundred bucks to upgrade to Windows 7?  What if Toyota made cars with bad engines, but instead of fixing them for free they just said, “We’re really sorry that millions of our customers received bad engines, but instead of a recall, we’re just going to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”  I can’t for the life of me understand why someone would trust a company like that.  When I pay hundreds of dollars for something, I expect it to work.
• There’s no standardization within the PC community.  Whether you are in need of a simple calendar application or an intricate video editing application, there’s so many poor choices out there that it could take a lifetime to sort through them all.  It’s bad enough that PC’s don’t include even the simplest applications with the purchase price, but when you finally find some applications that meet your needs, good luck finding someone to help you out when you need it.  Talk to ten different PC users and they will all be using their own pet programs that they like best, so when you need help, there’s no large community of people to turn to.
• There are many different PC manufacturers, but they all run Windows as their operating system.  The problem with this is that Windows is made by Microsoft and the actual computer itself is made by a different company.  So, even before you install the applications you want to use, you have two different products that may or may not work well together.  Having a problem with Windows?  Microsoft may very well pass the buck & tell you to call the PC manufacturer.  Having problems with your hardware?  They’ll probably tell you it’s a Windows issue & have you call Microsoft.  That of course is assuming you know enough about computers to know who to call in the first place.
• When you buy a PC, you never know what you’re going to get, and it certainly isn’t ready to plug in and use.  PC’s do not come with high-end, standardized programs pre-installed on them.  You are on your own to find even the simplest programs.  However, regardless of what you spend, you will have pre-installed programs on your new machine that you don’t want.  Some will be “free” trials that will constantly prompt you to buy the full version.  There will be advertisements spilling out of the box when you open it.  Which manufacturer do you choose anyways?  They all run the same operating system, so what’s the difference?  Many PC manufacturers have come and gone in recent years, so if there’s an issue with your new PC, who will help you out with it?
• Viruses are a huge problem.  A PC user in my family told me a while back, “I haven’t been getting your emails, so I called my internet service provider and they said that you send too many attachments in your emails, so the anti-virus program was blocking them from my inbox.”  Huh?!  Virus security has gotten so essential that the security itself causes all kinds of problems.  I shouldn’t have to deal with constant pop-up windows to use my own computer.  I shouldn’t have to worry about the security of my computer at all, let alone enough to cause stress and inefficiency.
• Many people use PC’s because (for one reason or another) they feel they have no choice.  They put up with whatever they need to, because like most folks, they need a computer and they do what they think they have to to have one.  There are most definitely other choices out there that don’t involve putting up with the same problems year after year.

That’s my rant & I’m stick’ to it!