"Mac or PC?" is possibly one of the most loaded questions you can ask of a techie. My computing experience has largely been PC-driven...until recently.
I had the very good fortune of winning free tuition, through a sweepstakes that I found out about on Twitter (good things come to those who tweet!), for NJIT's iPhone Application Development course. This victory necessitated the purchase of a Mac. Being a student with limited income, I chose the cheapest Mac model that would get the app-development job done, namely the MacBook (with Mac OS X Snow Leopard pre-installed). I was excited about getting the opportunity to play with/use the Mac OS, since I wanted to see, firsthand, what all the Mac-vs.-PC fuss was about and to make my own informed opinion.
There was definitely a learning curve for the first few days. For example, I had to re-learn how to do basic things like "right click," copy and paste using keyboard shortcuts, take screenshots, and find a window among all those that were open (thank the Lord for the "expose" feature...ok, He probably didn't have much to do with that one, but you know what I mean.). Particularly bothersome to me was the lack of a "maximize window" button at the top of my windows. I thought, "If I can't even maximize a window easily, what hope is there for everything else I have to do on a computer?"
And then it came time to install some programs.
When I ran the installation for the iPhone SDK software, I was shocked at how smoothly the process went. Basically all it asked me was, "Where do you want this?" And after I told it the installation location, *poof!* there it was. Then when I installed other programs (for instance, some basics like Adobe Reader), sometimes all I had to do was click and drag an icon from one location to another. When I got the confirmation that the program was installed, I didn't believe it. I had to open up my Applications folder and see it for myself. The confirmation message didn't lie.
I also noticed that, in general, things were more streamlined on the Mac: virtually no error messages, and no constant software updating required. The two-finger scrolling feature became a favorite of mine (so much so that I would be disappointed to find it missing when shifting my focus back to my Vista-based laptop). Startup and shutdown were quick, and graphics really were richer on a Mac display. And you gotta love the little multicolored, pinwheely thing that replaces the cursor pointer when the computer is in the middle of processing something. I'm also a sucker for bouncing icons at the bottom of my screen.
Seriously, though: it would seem that Mac has defeated the PC in this usability battle.
But, you can lose a battle and still win the war.
Word on street is that Windows 7 gives Mac a run for its money when it comes to usability. I haven't installed it on my Windows laptop yet, since I have lots of stuff due in the coming weeks and don't want to run the risk of having to do a lot of extra, unforeseen downloading and updating when I really need to focus on my work. But I'll make an assessment when the time comes. I have to say that I do like little Kylie and her presentations in the Windows 7 commercials, and her ability to accomplish such artistic feats on a Windows 7-based machine does make a strong case for the OS's usability.
I'll post about this topic again when I get the chance to test out Windows 7. Will I break little Kylie's heart and name Apple the victor in The Usability Wars? Or will I, too, feel the irresistible urge to make slideshows praising the miracle that is Windows 7 (featuring kitties and bunnies, of course)? We'll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, have you tried Windows 7? Are you a Mac or a PC? Share your thoughts by leaving comments.
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