Galo Pesantes
Sports Editor

The war over computer supremacy rages on with more and more debate concerning which computer rules: Macs or PCs?

Since its conception, the Macintosh computer has taken the computer world by storm and along the way has influenced millions to use their highly advertised computers and accompanying accessories such as the iPod or the new iPhone.

Yet, there are still many loyal PC or “personal computer” users, who continue to use various brands of PCs for every day use.

In any case, there is a divide it seems between what seems to be a trendy computer in which Mac takes the honors or the industry standard in which PC has established itself.

To further investigate the perception of Macs versus PCs, a sample of eight students from the University of La Verne proved in a seven-to-one majority that they preferred the PC over the Mac.

Most of the students in the informal survey responded with sentiments that PCs were in fact easier to use than Macs.

Also many of them related to PCs because they had been using them for quite some time or had some experience in the past operating them.

“I like PCs better but it’s because I’m a creature of habit,” said Marilin Rivera, OIT help desk secretary and senior sociology and legal studies major. “I was trained on PCs and I used them for most of my adult life so it’s hard to get used to something new.”

Nevertheless, clever and distinct advertising in TV commercials, radio, and Internet continue to portray Macs as far better machines in performance, features, and usage in which PCs have little or no defense to their name.

Among the major advantages that Macs claim to have are: safer built computers, improved reliability, more features and the ability to operate most of the PCs capabilities such as the Windows operating system.

The answer to a certain degree to all of these claims is true.

The Mac computer has been proven to be less susceptible to viruses, require less re-booting, feature more multimedia programs such as iTunes, and able to operate the Windows operating system.

However, the PC can still contend with the Mac because it often fares better in pricing, offers a wider range of software titles, often includes faster processing chips and are still the most widely used computers in businesses and commerce. It seems that for the time being, the PC is used all the time by all different types of people.

Most people learning about computers for the first time have grown accustomed to the PC, whether it is for personal, business, or academic use.

For now, PCs are still favored but some technology experts already believe the Mac computer is superior to the PC in performance and design.

“For mainstream computer users doing typical tasks, Apple Computer’s Macintosh models have huge advantages over the prevalent Windows computers from companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard,” said Walter Mossberg, a technology writer in the April 2006 issue of the Wall Street Journal.

“The Macs have sleeker hardware designs, a superior operating system, much better built-in software, and virtually no exposure to viruses and spyware,” Mossberg said.

Still, the difference between the two computers may be only a matter of time as PCs have been used and operated far longer than Macs have even existed.

With schools and universities beginning to adapt to the Mac computers, people will slowly begin to make decisions on their own needs.

Whether it be data processing, in which PCs are seem to be preferred or graphical design in which Macs seem to take the gold, only the consumer can decide which one is better for them.

“The PCs have been around a lot longer and I know how to use them,” said Diana Lopez, a sophomore liberal studies major. “The Mac has so many keys to press and I am not used to working with everything it has.”

Although, there may be a signaling of a vast evolution of PCs to the Macs as people begin to compare and experiment with both machines.

As the power and availability of Macs expands, there may be more users that the PC has to contend with.

“I like PCs because they just seem better to me,” Erica Davila, a senior liberal studies major said.

“But I have never had to a chance to use a Mac yet,” she added.

Galo Pesantes can be reached at gpesantes@ulv.edu.