Survey: 71 percent of students surveyed said they would either use a Mac or prefer to use a Mac if cost were not a consideration

[corn_fest]

As a web developer I need something that has a sane (read: UNIX) development environment and can also run Photoshop, so pretty locked in.
That said, the recent WSL developments in Windows could make it a serious competitor soon, especially with how little effort Apple devotes to macOS anymore.

 

[C.Mongler]

I liked having a Mac when I did (in college, ironically), and I enjoy the one I have access to at work, but I would never pay the premium for one again as a personal machine. Especially now that we live in a world where the Surface Pro exists. My Surface is probably my favorite laptop I've ever touched. It's just as sleek as a Macbook, converts to a tablet, has similar shit-repairability, and is like 75% of the cost.

 

[turbobrick]

I use both, but prefer PC. Macs are nice, but I don't want one for everyday use.

 

[chandoog]

Use both for work, MUCH prefer a good Windows PC.

 

[JohnPaulv2.0]

I have a MacBook Pro for work and it's a great OS. The UX is consistent, spotlight search is incredible and I like that Bash is the default terminal. My home gaming computer has Windows as a necessity. I used to be happy with Windows 7 but 10 is a absolute mess of inconsistent UX and driver issues. If every game was available on Linux I'd jump in a heartbeat.

 

[M-M]

I prefer MacOS to Windows, but both are proprietary garbage that fall short of what I would consider an "open" platform.

GNU/Linux for life, bitches!

 

[Deleted member 2226]

I would like to point out a Reddit comment for this same survey:

Click to shrink...

Glad someone pointed that out. It really shouldn't be taken as broadly indicative, even if it's certainly true Macs are over represented in higher ed.

 

[konka]

My Mac works seamlessly with my iPhone.
My Mac reboots in under a minute and reopens everything.
My Mac doesn't come with crippling Spring and Fall updates like my work Dell Latitude.

I hate having to use Windows 10 at work.

 

[Ashdroid]

That's because you didn't look at the source.
You just clicked the clickbait headline.

Click to shrink...

Just curious: Where are you even seeing that full headline and source? I see your headline as being the second sentence in the article, and the article's only link just goes to Jamf's main page, on which I can't find any mention of the survey.

 

[Landy828]

Wife loves Apple everything. She's never had anything different since the 2G.

I love tech, video games, etc....so I couldn't care less about Macs. I prefer performance to cost over aesthetics (gaming wise).

My (self built) PC blows her Macbook pro out of the water performance and gaming wise and my earbuds sound far better than her AirPods.

It's all about "appearance" to a lot of people I meet. l stick to my gaming system and better audio equipment.

Her sister is the same way (she's a 22 year old college student), Apple everything. Her sister's boyfriend is just like me though, he's a software developer/gamer, and it's all PC and Android at home (although his company uses Macs for his remote work).

My Mac works seamlessly with my iPhone.
My Mac reboots in under a minute and reopens everything.
My Mac doesn't come with crippling Spring and Fall updates like my work Dell Latitude.

I hate having to use Windows 10 at work.

Click to shrink...

My PC works right along with my phone
My (gaming) PC boots in 6 seconds from completely off....finished and ready to use.
Restart time if it's already on is like 9 seconds, including shutdown. (you can have your PC reopen windows too)
I never update until I know things are safe (<---haha)

Now as for my older laptop and her Macbook Pro, they feel like they take FOREVER to boot compared to my gaming PC.

Having said that, I fully understand WHY Macs are preferred by people that just want things to work the same every time. I built my gaming PC to be insanely fast, despite any problems (that I know I can fix) that may pop up.

 

[Deleted member 721]

unless for people that use apple software for work, i always found apple products to be something to show off, like my cousin has one and the only thing he does is facebook and web, and the latest iphone to use for instagram....

its much more brand recognition than necessity for lots of people

 

[TaySan]

Nothing can beat a good custom built PC. Does everything a Mac can do and more.

 

[Wraith]

I enjoy the DIY aspect of building a gaming PC. If the question were just OS vs. OS, I like Mac just fine, but I have more experience with Windows, even if I kind of hate some of the things MS did around the release of Win10.

But then my Macbook Pro is currently out of commission, following a long call with Apple support trying to get something validated after updating the OS on an encrypted drive, so...

 

[Whompa]

My work machine is a MAC right now but wish I was on PC...I'll never use MAC for personal use though. PC all the way for home

 

[supra]

If I could play all my games on a similarly equipped Mac with no dip in quality I would switch 100%.

My work is done 100% on a Mac, as a linux admin.

Unix >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Windows

 

[Rendering...]

I like iPhones but I can't get into Macs at all. I'm far too comfortable with Windows at this point.

 

[Sykdom]

Yeah well 71% of the people who took that poll are basic af

 

[Phrozenflame500]

I dislike Mac's but they're pretty good at what they're designed to do (be an easy-to-use machine for light everyday usage)

 

[Ashdroid]

I don't think I could ever go back to Windows after using OS X for so long. It's just so user-friendly has so many great and convenient features baked in: Spotlight search, three-finger tap to look up info or to preview a file or weblink, Time Machine, not having to deal with drivers, not having to deal with an update randomly fucking shit, (and yet) being able to delay updates for as long as I want ...

Not a fan of iOS, though.

And up until a few years ago, I would have said that the main reason I loved Macs was for the design and durability of their laptops. (My 2010 MBP is still doing fantastic.) let me give you my money, Apple.

 

[entremet]

My Mac works seamlessly with my iPhone.
My Mac reboots in under a minute and reopens everything.
My Mac doesn't come with crippling Spring and Fall updates like my work Dell Latitude.

I hate having to use Windows 10 at work.

Click to shrink...

I have a colleague that negotiated a Mac laptop when he took his offer. He absolute hated Windows and was just more productive on Macs.

He told the hiring manager that he would not take the job if he couldn't use a Mac.

 

[Possum Armada]

I just use a chromebook and have no reason to use anything other than that.

 

[Lakeside]

Going to get skewed results here due to gamers and enthusiasts. Both will obviously turn toward PC to play games and build your own.

 

[Puggles]

I use a Mac for everything besides gaming. Working on a Mac is calming to me, Windows stresses me out and feels janky as fuck.

 

[entremet]

Going to get skewed results here due to gamers and enthusiasts. Both will obviously turn toward PC to play games and build your own.

Click to shrink...

Yep.

 

[Trickster]

had to use a mac once for work....never again, pure trash

 

[ManixMiner]

I would like to point out a Reddit comment for this same survey:

Click to shrink...

/thread we are done here.

 

[Duane]

I'm an old bastard, but I went back to school last year to get a 1 year certificate at the local college and was shocked at how EVERYONE was using MacBooks. It was nuts. There were pretty much no PCs anywhere.

That said, I've always used PC at work and Mac for home/side hustle stuff and always preferred Mac, even in their dark times. I like Pages and Numbers better than Word and Excel, I like Adobe stuff better on Mac, I like the OS a zillion times more.

(But also, they're not THAT different either.)

 

[Lakeside]

I use a Mac for everything besides gaming. Working on a Mac is calming to me, Windows stresses me out and feels janky as fuck.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much me too. The long delays on Mac Pro and Mini had me almost completely migrated to Windows... but I grabbed a refurb 2018 Mini. My monitor functions as a keyboard/mouse switch so now I have the gaming PC and Mac both going and can easily toggle. I'm migrating back to gaming only on the PC slowly but surely.

I wish Apple had moved more quickly on the Mac Pro front, b/c my 2010 finally started to croak.

 

[signal]

Windows 10 is jank free for me. I'd still rather use macOS (or solus) though. If cost was no consideration or if macOS was a free linux distro I'd probably use that instead of Windows since I like it better as a kind of everyday "just browsing and typing" OS, but the hardware cost premium to use it is 100% not worth it.

 

[HardRojo]

I prefer PCs because I grew up with Windows and never touched a Mac until I was like 18/19, and I was confused as fuck as to how it worked, to this day I still am and all we had at uni were Macs, so I had to force myself to use them, though for some reason they felt weird as fuck to use. I guess I'd have to actually own one and get used to it before I can actually say for sure whether Macs are simply not for me or not, so I'm going with PCs for now, but maybe I'll grab one in the future just to mess around with and learn to use another OS since maybe I'll land a job where MacOS knowledge will be useful and honestly, learning useful stuff is never a waste. I do enjoy using my iPhone over Android though, I'll say that.

 

[Carolina Reaper]

Until the past four years of MBPs and their numerous problems, I preferred Mac.

 

[CreepingFear]

I prefer PC because I love being able to upgrade components. I would go to Linux before I'd ever go to Mac OS.

 

[Thatguy]

I've seen grown men in their 30's defend Macs too. Most have never touched a modern PC. They're attached to the hip to their iTunes account, which they started in college. Glad to see Era knows what's up.

Surface Book 2 15" is the best PC on the market. And the competition from Dell, Razer, Alienware and others is incredibly strong. I feel so sorry for MBP owners missing out on all this tech.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Mac is essentially pointless for casual use if you have an iPhone

 

[shinobi602]

Been using a Mac for a years now after being Windows only before that and I can't wait to jump back to PC. Might just be because I got so used to Windows for two decades but I'm much more comfortable with that. Definitely going back soon, I hate this goddamn thing.

 

[Deleted member 8861]

Never tried Linux but if I could afford to have a second laptop I'd be using *entirely for work* I think I'd like a Mac for the most part, being as polished as it is.

Would never buy with my own money tho it's way too much for that and I mostly game on PC

 

[Douche McBaggins The 4th]

Thinkpad has the superior keyboard. I stick with that

 

[Lil Peanut Brotha]

I built a pretty baller PC rig to chew through Motion Graphics work in December and game! And surely enough I only do said work on it, rarely game on it, and use my 2015 MacBook Pro 90% of the time. MacOS is smooth and well thought out as fuck, even if it feels like it hasn't been making as many big strides as it used to. Actually if a good Mac Pro was a thing, I would consider paying the premium for one since the OS level support for every video and image format you can imagine helps me navigate ny work related media far easier too, but they took too long with it.

I've preferred macOS since the moment I tried it in design school due to being forced to . I was as a "apple is stupid why pay more for less power" person until I actually really used and owned one.

Say what you will about the price, which does matter, but if I spend much of my life in front of a computer I sure as hell want one that offers a way smoother UX and visual experience. And trackpad is still GOAT so many years later.

 

[Deleted member 2625]

I have used Macs for all of my career but for one year, when I switched to a Dell XPS.

Which was a fine laptop, for the most part (except the throttling...ugh) but Windows, while I think it's better than it has ever been, is a real slog for creative work. Even just effectively previewing things is way harder and more arduous than it ought to be. Whereas on the Mac, click the file and hit the spacebar... doesn't matter if its audio, video, crazy codec video, EPS/Postscript file, it'll show you right away.

You can basically do the same work on both environments but the Mac is way less hassle for actually getting creative work done. Still true.

 

[Cation]

Use both. I would use my PC laptop but - I prefer the compactness/solid design of my MBP cause I know I can work it hard and its usually easier to work with more complex software. Plus troubleshooting is less common (tho when it is, its a pain to go around apples system). For desktops, its PC > Mac by far imo.

 

[MazeHaze]

What a sad statistic. Less functional, less customizable, and the purveyor is pulling out every stop possible to keep you from being able to repair it yourself or take it to a second hand shop to repair, so they can charge out the ass for repairs and refurbs themselves. Not to mention worse software support and planned obsolescence. I've got a PC I built myself in 2012 that not only still runs perfectly, but can still run most modern games at medium settings.



Yeah, no kidding. Given that fresh college grads with no experience tend to make, what, 45-50k a year if they're lucky? Have fun spending a sizable amount of that post-tax on a worse product that will be less powerful, less functional, and crap out on you faster than a comparably priced PC, and when it does, fuck you if you want to fix it or pay the local electronics repair shop to fix it.

Click to shrink...

Everybody goes to college now, so most college grads end up in retail and foodservice and make 25-30k a year to be forever crushed by debt they'll never repay if theyre lucky tbh.

 

[THRILLHO]

I use both, have preferred Macs (and MacOS specifically) for the last 20 years, but Windows plays the vidyagames so I gotta have one of those. I carry two 15" laptops with me most days, a Falcon NW TLX and a 2017 MBP provided by work. I have both open in front of me and move back and forth constantly. Windows as software is awful to use outside of launching Steam in my experience but my company is G-Suite based and I do everything in Chrome and Slack so it doesn't matter.

Work-issued Macs are the best option - all the good things about MacOS without the cost!

e: I also don't care what others decide to use as it doesn't effect me, but these threads are always fun.

 

[Harp]

Everybody goes to college now, so most college grads end up in retail and foodservice and make 25-30k a year to be forever crushed by debt they'll never repay if theyre lucky tbh.

Click to shrink...

Definitely. So 1.5k+ on a computer that will be worthless in 3-4 years that costs several hundred to repair is pure opulence.

 

[Doomguy Fieri]

They also prefer $20 avocado toast brunch and eating ass so remember who we are talking about.

 

[amnesties]

gotta smile when reading through this thread. part of owning a mac is the infamy of it all. knowing that people hold this irrational hate towards you is quite nice

 

[vypek]

Its been a long time since I've used a Mac. I've used them so sparingly that I wonder how I'd feel about them at this point. I remember being really annoyed with stuff last time I used it. But that really could just be that I wasn't used to how it worked.

 

[Deleted member 4346]

I primarily game on my home PC so I prefer Windows there. At work, eh Apple doesn't really offer a serious enterprise solution for entire organizations. If I want a non-Windows OS I'll use Linux for real work. All this is not to say that Windows isn't terrible. Windows 10 is just awful. I hate the UI. I hate the update process. There are major privacy concerns. The OS can be unstable. Microsoft as a company is awful (so is Apple, of course).

 

[Kill3r7]

I have a MacBooks at home and love using it but otherwise for work it is a Windows laptop.

 

[KtSlime]

As a person who has to do development and web stuff, I would never consider an computer that doesn't have a usable unix like core. The Linux for Windows stuff MS has is a step in the right direction, but its files are gated off from the rest of the files making it totally inconvenient and uncohesive.

 

[MazeHaze]

Definitely. So 1.5k+ on a computer that will be worthless in 3-4 years that costs several hundred to repair is pure opulence.

Click to shrink...

For real, I have a custom PC build from 2014 with a 980 and i54690k. 1000 dollars. It still crushes all games at 1080p high settings, and I use it for music production. It'll probably be fine for the next 4-5 years too. I plan on upgrading it in a year or so just for 4k 60 honestly.