"I'm a Mac." "And I'm a PC."
The endless debate over computers for the journalism classroom
by Gary Clites
Originally published in the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund’s Adviser Update, Fall 2007
We've all seen the ads. John Hodgman as the PC Guy, Justin Long as the Mac Guy, good-naturedly fighting it out over who is the best computer. Anyone who subscribes to the Journalism Education Association's excellent listserv has seen the same argument come up again and again. "My principal is giving me money for a journalism computer lab, but do I buy Mac's or PC's?" Thus ensues a weeklong debate over the merits of each system in the journalism classroom, with partisans fighting for their favorite platform like dogs fighting over a bone, with no real conclusion ever reached. Here, then, the author gets himself in trouble with an analysis of the two systems as things stand at the start of 2008.
The preferred platform
Most of us have heard that professionals in creative pursuits like publishing, web design, video and audio editing prefer the Mac, and there's some truth to that.
That preference began way back in 1984 when the first edition of the Macintosh was introduced. The Mac's graphical interface, introduced years before Windows would copy it, brought with it the ability to work in a WYSIWYG, or What You See Is What You Get, environment. For the first time, newspaper and book creators had the ability to manipulate their product directly, and it was a revelation that has had a lasting effect.
Beyond that, in the days of MS-DOS, and the early days of Windows, PCsdidn't functionally allow you to run two programs actively at the same time (which is why the system of opening and closing windows is different on the Mac and the PC to this day). Anyone who works in page layout and design will recognize how important it is to be able to multi-task, which gave the Mac a huge lead in the developmental days of the personal computer.
Today, these early reasons for preferring the Mac are obviously moot. PCs effectively run every program we use, and multi-task very well.
Still an issue, however, are problems of graphics handling and ease of use. Macs generally come with some of the best, fastest graphics platforms in the business and handle images in programs like In Design, Photoshop and Final Cut Pro exceedingly well, leading to a continuing preference among communicators for the Mac. Further, since 2001, the Mac's operating system has run on a Unix platform, the same system the World Wide Web uses. Therefore, material developed on the Mac tends to move seamlessly between print, the screen and the Internet, making the computer the favorite of many people developing for the 'net. The Mac was built for synergy.
Software
In the early days of the personal computer, Microsoft had a huge advantage where software was concerned. Microsoft Office is as close as we'll probably ever come to a universally-used software package. While there have always been Mac versions of Office, in the old days it was much more difficult to move material from the Mac version to the PC, making the Mac a difficult choice for many users who had to coordinate their work with schools and businesses.
The last impediment to seamlessly coordinating between Macs and PCs fell with the introduction of Intel-based Macs in early 2006. Today, Macs can run their own proprietary software, but can also operate any program built for Windows, a shift which can't be accomplished in the other direction (running Windows programs on a Mac requires software like Apple's free Boot Camp or other similar programs). Any way you cut it, a Mac running a mac-native program like In Design will always be the smoothest of the current options. That said, today any PC or Mac with decent memory can effectively be used to design a web page or layout a newspaper double-truck. If those are your goals, consider what platform your county tech department best supports and go for it.
Mac's do have another software advantage, in that the machines come bundled with the ILife suite of programs. These include powerful photo library, video editing, music editing, DVD burning and web site creation programs that most teachers will find handy. If video editing is one of your goals, Mac's IMovie is a solid program that will save you over $200 when compared to most PC add-on programs.
Technology
Nearly a decade ago, I wrote a comparison between the Macs and PCs of the time, and the big point of comparison then was benchmark testing to determine which machine ran faster. Today, most machines process information faster than any user can input it. In other words, today computers are faster than we are, so speed is really not much of an issue. Moreover, today, Macs and PCs use pretty much the same chipsets, so their differences are not in the size of their brains.
According to the 'net security company Authentium (authentium.com), in 2007 there were over 200,000 viruses out there attacking computers. While it is a myth that Macs are virus free, the truth is that darned few Mac viruses exist, and those that do are handled pretty well by the company. Several factors influence this. First, most virus creators are out to have the largest impact possible, and that can be accomplished much more easily in the larger PC world. Second, Apple offers basic security protection built into its computers that PCs don't. Any Mac owner knows that since the early 2000s, Mac has shipped security updates free to all its users on a regular basis. PC users have to pay for such protection. In the PC world, hundreds of companies turn out computers, while only one company makes the Mac, so it easier for them to handle security issues. On security, Mac wins.
Cost
On the surface, it would seem obvious that PCs are cheaper than Macs. After all, the Sunday newspaper is full of cheap PCs for under $400, and laptops diving below the $500 line, while IMacs continue to hover up above the $1,000 mark.
Like most issues in this debate, the obvious can be wrong. Scot Finnie, writing in Computerworld magazine (June 8, 2007, computerworld.com) recently did a machine-by-machine comparison of specific desk model and laptop Macs and PC's. Generally speaking, he found that when you compare Macs and PCs with similar technical specifications, "...the pricing overall is surprisingly on par." In fact, on some models, he found the Mac cheaper. Further, while peripherals for the Mac (external hard drives, scanners, etc.) used to cost more, today most extras work on both platforms and, so, cost the same.
Put simply, all Macs come well-equipped. Compared to PCs with similar features, Mac prices are about the same. Since most of the applications J-teachers use require a well-equipped machine, the two platforms break even on cost.
The Bottom Line
Due to their ease-of-use, compatibility with demanding graphical applications, and better security, Macs edge out PCs in the scholastic journalism classroom. That said, today any comparably-equipped Mac or PC will do the job for a school newspaper, yearbook or broadcast. I've used both Macs and PCs for all kinds of applications, and while I've always found the Mac superior, in the end, both get the job done.
If your system's tech department is comfortable with PCs and unfriendly to Macs, why fight them. If you, yourself, feel better at the keyboard of a Dell or Compaq, why make your life any harder? On the other hand, if you're just starting out learning the technology, why not buy the system that is generally rated as the best?
Today's technological world should make teachers feel good about choosing the system that will work best for them and their students. If the Mac Guy and the PC Guy can get along that well on television, why can't we.
© Gary Clites, 2007