3 BAD Reasons to Buy a Mac Instead of a PC
Macs are great, but you might not need one after all.
In years past, I would have told you that in order to do certain things like video production, content creation, and the like, that you really should buy a Mac. But the advice of yesteryear is not quite correct today. And in fact, some of the same reasons I would have given back then for why you should buy a Mac are now bad reasons to buy one today.
It’s not that Macs are bad or that the competition is objectively better. They aren’t. But before you rush out and buy a Mac, make sure it’s not for one of these bad reasons.
You’ll be editing video.
Years ago, Final Cut Pro (and the rest of Final Cut Studio) was one of the de facto standards of the film industry. If you want to edit video, you should learn Final Cut. Today, Final Cut remains one of the best video editors on the market, but it does only run on macOS - and now iPadOS. That means that if you want to use Final Cut, you’re going to need a Mac (or an iPad if you’re okay using a pared down version of the app.)
But now, there are lots of fantastic options for video editors. Personally, I love the Adobe Creative Cloud apps. I use Adobe Premiere, After Effects, and Illustrator. And for some projects, I’ll use Affinity Designer - a graphics editor from a company called Serif. All of these programs work on both macOS and on Windows, so I’m not tied to either OS.
Don’t go buy a Mac just because you’ll be editing video. Yes, if you need Final Cut or Apple Motion, then by all means. That’s a good reason. But if you’re just learning or are happy using tools like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve - two widely used professional editors - then you might be better served by getting something else instead.
You’re a graphic designer.
Back in the day, Windows was solidly okay for designers. It worked, but there were better options on the Mac side. Personally, I found Mac OS X much more comfortable than Windows when I switched back in 2007 - even though the software I needed worked on both Windows and my Mac.
But in the years since, Windows has matured quite a bit. Window management in Windows makes it much more friendly for my multitasking mind, and as much as I do love macOS, it’s hard to make the argument that I need a Mac to work in Illustrator, Photoshop or Affinity Designer.
These apps all work on both major operating systems - and work well at that.
I do want to mention, however, that if you’re a designer or looking to get into graphic design, make sure you choose a laptop that has a display with good color accuracy. Sadly, too many Windows laptops have dim, dull, screens that don’t reproduce colors well at all.
Every modern Mac laptop, however, has a color accurate DCI-P3 color gamut screen - even the cheapest, which is the MacBook Air. In the Windows laptop market, you have to dig a bit to find a laptop with a good quality screen. And I still remark to this day that my 14-inch MacBook Pro from 2021 has the best display I have ever used in a laptop. Ever. And that includes the display of my Dell XPS 17 9720.
But, that said, you don’t need to get a Mac for design work. Unless you need an app that is macOS-dependent (and those apps do exist), you’ll be just fine with a Windows computer.
You think they’ll last longer.
At one time I would have said without blinking or hesitation that a Mac will outlast a PC any day. Today I’m not so sure that’s true. Without question, there are PC laptops that are made of plastic, flimsy and probably wouldn’t outlast a strong breeze. These machines tend to be relatively inexpensive - and so they’re popular - but they’re also junk.
Once you get to the right price point, you find laptops that are made of metal and designed to last for a good long time.
I work in IT, and I’ve seen Windows laptops last a good 7, 8, 9 or even more years. Of course a lot depends on the user and how well he takes care of the machine. If a laptop is tossed around in a bag every day and not treated properly, it’s not going to last as long. Mac or PC. That’s just common sense.
But if it’s treated well, cleaned, and maintained, a Windows laptop can last just as long as a Mac can. I would say gone are the days when I would recommend someone go for the Mac as the best option for a long-lasting machine.
And yes, there are outliers of course. On either “side of the aisle” a Mac or a PC may last for what seems like forever or need to be replaced in just a couple of years.
That said, in many cases, PC laptops tend to have an upper edge here - especially when repairability and upgradability is considered. A MacBook is more or less soldered together. If you want to upgrade your RAM or storage, forget it. In a Windows laptop, it’s fairly common and easy to upgrade one or both, potentially breathing new life into an old machine.
Which you buy is a matter of preference 97% of the time.
The bottom line here is that both Macs and Windows computers are fantastic options for the vast majority of people. Yes, of course, there are use cases that require one over the other. Some applications only work on Windows. Others only work on macOS. But unless you’re someone who requires those specific programs or a feature unique to either OS, I think you’ll be happy with either option.
There are valid reasons for preferring Windows or preferring macOS. They are different operating systems that work differently and offer different advantages and disadvantages. As someone who uses - and likes - both, I think I can say that without coming across too biased hopefully.
But don’t let these bad reasons to buy a Mac make you think you absolutely need one - especially if something else might serve you better in the long run.