Setting up an office is not without its challenges and making the best choice regarding your computer system is probably one of the most important. Do you choose Macs (the Apple product) or do you choose PCs? That’s the big question and it’s not always an easy one to answer but we’ll try and give you some helpful guidance.
In almost every office computers are the most important piece of equipment and the day-to-day running of the business depends heavily on them. Without them, the huge increase in remote working forced on businesses by the COVID-19 pandemic would have been impossible. The result is that our understanding of what ‘the office’ is, has broadened in scope to include flexible and fully remote working. Whichever system you choose must be able to handle remote working if it is part of your office set up.
The Mac vs PC war has filled many column and online chat forms with discussions and indeed arguments about which one is better. The debate has cooled down a bit in recent years as the two tech giants have developed some similarities and, in some cases, can even work side-by-side in an office situation. However, that’s not common and they certainly don’t integrate seamlessly, as they have very different interfaces.
If budget is your main constraint, it’s likely that PCs will end up being your choice as Apple deliberately position Macs at the high end of the market and they are generally more costly. As a rule of thumb, you won’t find many Macs selling at less than €1000 while this would give you a good choice of PCs. Obviously, there are PCs with high specifications which come in at a much higher price, but we are referring average office computers. A much wider choice of PCs is available, made by any number of different manufacturers while Apple make all their own computers. Apple have stated that they could make a computer more cheaply but stick to their policy of using top quality components and avoid any change that would take away from the user experience.
Talking about the user experience, if a stylish design and a slick interface is important to you then the Mac may well be your computer of choice. In the 1980s Macs with bright colours and sleek design exploded onto a very boring scene of putty-coloured computers. They have consistently tried to stay ahead in the design stakes since, despite huge strides being made on the PC side. Apple have always claimed to be leaders in intuitive computer use too, but in truth that gap has narrowed in recent years as PCs have adopted some similar practices.
Macs and PCs use completely different operating systems. PCs use Microsoft Windows while Macs use IOS. Macs will of course integrate perfectly with iPhones and other Apple products. If you use specific technology which you need to integrate with, this may be a deciding factor for you. A vast amount of software is compatible with Windows while the traditionally protective attitude of Apple means that there is much less. Much of this software relates to gaming however, which is unlikely to be a consideration in the office situation. Until 2020 Windows could be installed on a Mac alongside its own operating system but since 2021 Mac have begun using their own processor, the M1 chip, so this is no longer the case.
It's very difficult to do a direct comparison of a Mac and a PC as even if the processor speed and memory are comparable, each comes preloaded with very different software packages and there are many other variables. In the end, the relative value comes down to your specific needs.
When it comes to input and output systems people are generally happier with the PCs basic USB and HDMI ports. Apple received some backlash when they switched to the USB-C connecter on the laptops which meant users had to purchase adaptors for the USB and HDMI connectors.
All in all, it’s not a clear-cut choice and there are many factors to consider. If financing is one of them, talk to us at GRENKE and we’ll outline the financial solutions you need to make your investment.
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