I don't think I'll ever be able to see the Mac as anything other than a computer without a command shell.

I know that's not true any more but it's hard to replace the old image with the new one.

Besides, I used to own a NeXT and I don't trust Steven Jobs enough to buy into Apple in any way whatsoever.

No iPod, no iTunes, no iPhone, nada.

One of the reasons that PC's have a lower resale value, is that with a variety of different manufacturers, new models evolve much quicker. Mac takes a long time between hardware upgrades. And so newer and faster chips, memory, hard drives, video cards are constantly available and plugged into PC computers.

Which brings us to the other reason so many techie types still buy PC's - they can configure PC's any way they want, with any sick number and type of ill-advised 3rd-party techno-goodness. This is why PC's are "recycled" - it's not because they're inherently inferior as a platform for Mac. It's because PC's are made for tinkerers.

I understood loving Macs - they're good machines. But this article shows a real lack of understanding of even the possible other points of view.

The funniest thing about this stuff is that while PC users always paint Mac users as being zealots and elitists, the first thing that happens when someone starts saying they like a Mac is that the PC users come out of the woodworks with their standard rhetoric:

"I can build a system with 100GB of RAM and 20 terabytes of hard drive space and an XForce 782300000000CJS 1580GB video card with a 40" monitor for only $500 and I can do it in 10 minutes!"

"I never have problems with viruses/spyware/adware/system crashes because I'm not an IDIOT, I know how to use my computer!"

"I can use my computer for 50 YEARS! All I have to do is slap in a new hard drive that I can buy at a gas station! You MORONS have to buy a new computer every three days!"

Not to mention the mistruths being spread around:

"Mac software costs, like, a hojillion dollars and there's only THREE programs out there!"

"Macs only have a one button mouse. Wait, they don't even have that. They have NO buttons."

And of course there are the Linux users, whose arrogance and condescension towards users of another platform is staggering.

I just don't understand why PC users get so riled up about this. Some of the lies I'm seeing here are truly ancient, stuff I haven't heard since before 2000. Just try to see past your enormous e-penis and go research some of this stuff before you fly off the handle about it.

Macs are cheaper since you won't ever spend your money on Mac software...because there isn't any.

YOur average person doesn't get around to reselling their computer for good money. Some people might, but most do not.

Buying a MAC is not cheaper and never has been. It will be soon enough with the switch to INTEL, but your logic was a self serving mess.

Certainly not worthy of the top Salon article. Good god man, do facts mean anything to you?

It's a small sample size and unscientific, of course, but from scanning over all the pages of comments here, it seems like the main distinguishing trait is that the Mac advocates here seem to know a lot more about what's good for everyone else.

Which is what makes any religion a great thing for its adherents, but a bad thing for everyone else.

Another running trend is the myths that seem to still perpetuate about the limitations of both systems. A lot of the arguments being made here, on both sides, are outdated and hearsay. (I say this as a successful graphic designer who's been doing pro work on my PC for years, with the full Adobe suite, Macromedia stuff, you name it.)

I still stand by my earlier point, which seems to me the only one that really can't be argued with: there's no such thing as objective better or worse for these machines. There's only better and worse for specific tasks and specific users. A utilitarian object can never be "perfect" entirely on its own terms. Its reality comes with use, and that is a personal experience.

People who love their PCs, or love their Macs, are perfectly justified in doing so. It's the people who think others are deluded by preferring one or the other for their own use who are the crackpots.

If Macs are really better and cheaper than PCs, then why don't more people own them?

Most people don't buy PCs instead of Macs because they are cheaper. PCs are available at every price point. However, the cheapest PCs are slow and lack storage space. While certainly some buyers choose $500 PCs, most don't. So, I'm guessing that the average PC price is within a few hundred dollars of the average Mac price.

So, why do more people buy PCs? I'd argue that its because they are actually better computers. For one, they connect to every and all peripherals without much fuss. Example: where I work, we have a computer projector. Its only about a year old. Nevertheless, it takes a brain surgeon to connect a Mac laptop to it. However, PC laptops never have any problem with connecting. Plug it in, switch your screen output using your function keys and you are ready to go.

Gripes about the Windows operating system are no longer valid. I will grant you that the early versions of Windows were buggy and clearly inferior to the Mac OS. However, XP is very good. I've had XP running on this computer for 4 years with no OS crashes and no reason to reinstall, etc. Occasionally (perhaps once every 3-4 weeks), an application will crash. However, the OS seems bulletproof. Admittedly, Vista has had some problems. However, its safer and even more stable than XP.

The virus issue is a red herring. True, there are more viruses written for PCs. However, a $30 virus protection program has kept this computer virus free for 4 years.

There is more software available for Windows PCs and much of it is as good or better than the Mac software. I recently went looking for a video editing package and found a variety of possibilities at a range of price points and features. Multiple choices exist for most applications and competition keeps quality high and price low.

There are many other reasons why Windows PCs are better than Macs. The average consumer knows these reasons and makes their choice based on a real comparison of the two platforms. The common Mac-user assumption is that most people don't own a Mac because they are ignorant is just plain wrong.

My experience is that most Mac users have never touched a PC and really have no idea what using one is like. I bet this is case with our writer. I'd like to challenge Farhad to actually use a modern, state-of-the-art PC (no $500 Walmart specials) for a few months and then blog about his experiences.