Mac or PC?

[Ben Rimes]

So far there haven't been many heated discussions on the site, which is a good thing, but I couldn't resist throwing this one out there. Someone on another site I administer asked for help in deciding which would be better in replacing the computers in their small private school; Macs, or PCs. There was more to the question than that, but I thought I'd keep it simple here.

If you had the ability to replace all of the computers in your district this summer, which would you choose, Mac or PC? And for those Linux enthusiasts out there, I'm not specifying what's installed on the PCs, so it's up to you :)

Personally, from an elementary viewpoint, I'd have to go with Macs. The mouse is much more forgiving for young users that haven't developed the dexterity enough for the right-click (think Kindergartners), making the one click mouse much more attractive to me. It would also be nice to have all those free pieces of software in iLife come with my computer, rather than having to pay for similar features on a Windows PC, or find them for a Linux PC.

[Chris Eldred]

I would go Mac all the way. I do understand the logic behind limiting the variety of hardware and software a district has installed. Using one operating system and computer does reduce support and service costs in the long run. Districts consistently choose Microsoft products over Apple because the people running the tech departments have training on PCs from other industries. These people buy PC because they know it, not because it's better! This is despite the fact that Macs are easier to use and have a lower total cost of ownership. To be fair, my tech department knows their stuff most of the time, the network runs well enough, but it seems to me that there is a lot of work that gets do to mitigate problems that wouldn't be there if we had installed Macs, like Internet security.

It use to be true that Macs where more expensive, it use to be true that PCs would do things Macs couldn't. I think that today, there isn't anything you can do on a PC that I can't do on my Mac faster and cheaper. As far as hardware cost is concerned, if you buy a $400 PC, guess what you have? A $400 PC! How long is that going to last you? Will there be parts and support for it in a year? Will you be able to upgrade the OS in two years? What good is a cheap computer if you have to replace twice as often?

I know I'm ranting, something Mac users are famous for, but I don't see what the rest of the world sees in PCs. To the rest of the staff at my school thinks I'm technological maven, but I'm not, I just use my PowerBook to do stuff and surprise, it works!

[Ben Rimes]

Limiting the hardware is definitely a plus for districts that have shrinking budgets (which is most districts in Michigan).

I completely forgot about the Mac Minis. I started my Mac journey with an iBook back in 2004, and since it's still going strong, I haven't had a need to upgrade or purchase a desktop. During that same amount of time I've upgraded my PC twice, the second time being a near system rebuild. It really is sad to see so many districts and individuals looking at the short term costs, and not the long term costs of having to maintain and upgrade lower cost machines. Then again, with the amount of abuse computers in schools take, I don't think any one machine has an advantage in the durability department.

[Kevin J. Galbraith]

Ben, better get those Minis before they're gone...

[Nicole Green]

I have been a PC girl my whole life (my dad worked for IBM for over 25 years). But after a recent visit to the Apple store, I am crossing enemy lines...

What got my attention with the Macs was the user friendly/graphical interface. If I had Macs in my classroom, I would let my students create their own movies. No way would I try to teach my first graders (many of whom start off the year as low/non-readers how to make a movie with Windoze movie maker. Macs come packed with so many great programs that would be perfect to use in the elementary setting.

I know this is a little off topic, but for those who have Macs, how did you get one? Anyone heard of any companies that donate Macs to classrooms? Just wondering...

[Sherry McVay]

I'll go on record...I have an old fashioned dislike for Apple machines. The first computer I ever used was a Mac, but I quickly became frustrated because if it didn't work you had no recourse, it just didn't work! After I got a hold of my first PC and was able to tweak to my hearts content I was much happier.

Now launch into the new versions of everything and truly there isn't much difference anymore. Anything can be done with almost all operating systems, and all can be set up to be as simple or as complex as the user decides. For education we want our students to be productive with computers, not learn by rote the entire machine. Since what they learn on today is totally irrelevant to what will exist in the future with the speed of changes in technology, now more than ever it just really doesn't matter. As long as they are learning to solve problems, organize data and create projects who cares what they are using?

What does matter in platform choice is if the machines run, are kept relatively current and teachers have the flexibility to use them for instruction. So here's where the $$ come into play. It is expensive to train teachers. It is expensive to have more than one set of management tools for a district. It is expensive to spend time on technical support (and more so if you need to do it for more software). It is expensive to have learning materials for more different types of software. It is expensive to maintain staff that are experts in all software packages. So my conjecture is that a district must select one set of tools and support them well. Here's where total cost of ownership really rears it's ugly head. In this scary budgeting environment, pick the option that requires the least amount of staff retraining, for which you have the most expertise in the district, and for which you already have the most invested. I'm not saying never change, but only do so when the training, learning, support and $$ all line up, and make it a systemic change.

And although I admit my inclination away from Apple products I do own several of them (as well as other Linux machines too!), so please don't flame me for admitting that they aren't my first choice of computer!

On a similar note, anybody going to try out the new OLPC? http://www.xogiving.org/

[Kevin J. Galbraith]

I found this article on ExtremeTech both interesting and humorous. What do you think?

[Chris Eldred]

You have a point and I admitted to ranting by the end of my thoughts above because when I read it, without meaning to, it sounded aggressive. (it's easy to do) The fact of the matter is people should do what works for them. If they know how to use a PC and they are happy, rock on! However, every time my brother or a coworker asks me what computer they should buy, because they recognize my expertise in the area... they ignore me advice and buy a Windows PC anyway, and then expect me to be able to help them with it...

AND NOW I'LL ADMIT TO BEING JUST A LITTLE BITTER ABOUT THAT! ;-)

[Kevin J. Galbraith]

Here in Wayne-Westland, we have just over 5300 PCs, of which about 150 are Apples. At my home, I have 6 PCs (I have a large family), of which only 1 isn't an Apple. I also have a T-Shirt that says, I'm not a PC User, but I play one at work ;-)

I think when we get into this argument, we loose the perspective that it's a tool... just a tool. I happen to like DeWalt power tools, but my brother will only buy Makita.

On a side note, we only have the one Vista machine at home because my older children couldn't play the games they wanted on the Macs, because they weren't available.

[Jim Wenzloff]

Kevin,

An good old debate is always good. I voted for Mac's. My vote was based on my wallet. I had to buy a new computer and I just bought a Mac. Why? Because I won't have or need a tech staff to support it.

I have owned Macs for a long time. Never had a virus (No virus protection). Never called tech support to fix it.

Simple but important to me.

JimWez

[John Tanner]

I voted for Mac but I live in a PC World with a whole crew of PC techies who I also supervise from my administrative fortress. By that I mean I trust them to do their job and they need me to navigate the political waters more than anything. Great guys and gals. But if I were building a school or replacing computers definitely Mac. Turn them on and go. Pricey yes in some cases but worth it. The PC schools we service are not interested in standardization for the most part much to our dismay. But what can you do. They won't give up their Window's 97 machines. They say they can't afford new machines. So while the TCO is critical to us it is not critical to building principals necessarily. The Mac TCO can be less expensive in the long run but as I say it is not always a purchasing factor. In my mind here it is in a nutshell, XBox or PlayStation do kids care? Students will be engaged if the learning is compelling and motivational. The hardware issue is an adult bias that is similar to cheering for your favorite sports team. Go MAC!

[Kevin J. Galbraith]

Apparently, it's over... Salon.com says, "Yell it from the rooftops: The Mac has won."

[Chris Eldred]

'bout time!