Why most people should buy a Macintosh rather than a Windows PC
Written and compiled April 2000
Updated December 2005

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Broken Links...
It is very hard to guarantee the currency of links on the Internet. If you get an error that a link could not be found (often a 404 error) please go to The Internet Archive
http://www.archive.org/index.html
where you may be able to find it. Please report all broken links.
No news day:
(Bill Gates visit to Sydney June 2004)
"... consumers expect their technology to behave like Apple's iPod: sexy and simple to use. Not many people say that about Microsoft's offerings.Its Windows XP operating system
Its Windows XP operating system is widely regarded as being harder than Apple Mac OS X. And many of the features expected to be included in XP's successor, codenamed Longhorn, are already in OS X, such as advanced search features and 3D graphic effects on the desktop.
Does Microsoft have an image problem? Gates wouldn't provide a straight response when the Herald posed this question. "You're a Mac user, aren't you?" he said ...and as the microphone was pulled away before I could say anything else, no, Bill, I'm not a Mac user."
Dan Kaufman in Icon, Sydney Morning Herald, 3rd July 2004

To see real everyday examples showing how Macs are easier to use go to this popup page

And see here for not so everyday examples of how Macs are easier to use than PCs.

Here's a sample for printing: local and network. See how much easier it is to use a Mac. Please contact if there is an easier way to print in Windows.

Local printing using a USB Printer (HP Deskjet 930c)

Here's how I set it up using MacOSX 10.4.2:

1. File > print. No printer appears.

2. Select add printer from the dialogue box.
3. Select default browser (the other choice is IP Printing)
4. The Desket appears in the box, so select it and click Add.
5. Original print dialogue box appears, under Printer select the printer just added.
6. Select print and a page prints.

Here's how I tried to set it up using Windows XP (SP1):
1. File > print. No USB printer appears.
2. Click on Find printer
3. Dialogue box appears with blank space for printer. Type in HP 930C and click OK. Dialogue box disappears; nothing happens, back to previous dialogue box.
4. Double click on Add printer, which brings up a Wizard, click on next.
5. Select "Local printer attached to this computer" and Next
6. Select LPT1 (Recommended Printer Port) and Next.
7. In next dialogue box, choose the HP930c from a long list and then Next.
8. Answer Yes to "Do you want to keep the existing driver or use the new one?" because Keep Existing driver is the recommended option, then Next.
9. Click Yes to make the HP the default printer, then Next.
10. Select "Do not share this printer"
11. Yes I want to print a test page, then Next and Finish.
12. No test page prints. (the printer is known to be good as it just printed a page from Mac OSX.)
13. Click on Troubleshoot and Support Center, follow a long list of instructions, including using the Command Line.
14. Give up in frustration.

Network printing.

Here's how I set up a network printer using MacOSX 10.4.2:

  1. In the print dialogue box select "Add printer"
  2. The next screen automatically shows all printers available (via Appletalk)
  3. Click on printer I want to use, then click add.
  4. OSX configures the printer (depending on the printer there are manually selectable options)
    Print.

This is the process I followed on XP Pro SP1.

Attempt 1.

1.The print dialogue box does not give a "add printer" option.
2. Go to Start > Control Panels> Printers and faxes
3. Right click > Add printer > Wizard opens
4. Select "local printer attached to this printer" and check the box "Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer" and then Next
(info at bottom of box says " to set up a network printer that is not attached to a print server, use the "Local Printer" option which is the option applying to me)
5. Windows looks for but cannot find a printer (the printer is online and working because it has been set up using a Mac OSX machine, as above, on the same subnet)
6. Click Next to install printer manually
7. Create a new port and select Standard TCP/IP port and choose next and next in the following screen
8. Add an appropriate printer name and click Next
9. Next screen says "The device is not found on the network. Be sure that .......etc"
10. Ignore previous screen and go on to manually select the driver manually.
11. Click through next few screens and try to print a text page.
12. Test page does not print, select Troubleshoot, Help and Support Center (sic)comes up.
13. Give up in frustration when confronted with wide range of questions in help

Attempt 2. using different step 4.

1.The print dialogue box does not give a "add printer" option.
2. Go to Start > Control Panels> Printers and faxes
3. Right click > Add printer > Wizard opens
4. Select network printer and then Browse for a printer, click next
5. Dialogue box says "When the list of printers appears, select the one you want to use" but no printer appears
6. Check that the PC is connecting to the network. It is. Give up in frustration.
This site will soon be moved to a new server. The new URL for this page will be

http://homepage.mac.com/corourke/advocacy/ease.html
and the main page will be http://homepage.mac.com/corourke/advocacy/
Please adjust your bookmarks

Ease of Use

Windows has improved over the years but Macintosh desktop and laptop computers are still much easier for the ordinary person to use.

http://www.xvsxp.com/ has more up to date and detailed information on MacOSX and Windows XP than may be found below. Much of the information below refers to Mac Classic and Windows 9x / 2000.

Getting rid of window clutter - Exposé
 http://www.theideabasket.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=76&page=5
"Exposé is the perfect solution to window clutter. It's so well implemented and so well conceived that it's no wonder that Apple has been touting it as revolutionary. Expect to see the open source desktop world copy it before long, with Microsoft waiting in the wings with some Longhorn variant of the feature — but please don't be surprised if I remain skeptical that anyone could improve much on Apple's version of the idea."

Searching
http://www.theideabasket.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=76&page=2
"Fast Searching in the Finder has gone from good to fantastic. Searching for files in the Finder in Jaguar was already, to put it bluntly, light-years ahead of Windows in terms of both speed and ease — and now it's almost disgusting how well it works. First of all, the iTunes-style Find box in the Finder toolbar really works like iTunes now, in that as soon as you type a word or two in, the search starts up immediately. You can type in another word, or modify the words, and the search will start all over again, immediately. Via a pop-up menu, you can select whether to search in the currently selected folder, in all local disks, in your home folder, or in all possible locations whether local or network. This is, of course, just a name search. If you need to specify further criteria, you can use the more advanced Find window accessible from the File menu. Here you can drag in different folders to search in at once, and specify what to search for via just about every type of file criteria imaginable. Searching in Panther is FAST. Blazingly fast, in fact — even on a lowly notebook with a slow drive. On a fast computer with a fast hard drive, it's almost absurd how fast searching is."

Feedback for the user. Macs were the first to introduce visual feedback for the user. For example in iMovie (introduced in 1999) if you plug in a camera a message comes up telling you this. Usually it will also tell you whether of not there is a tape in the camera. Windows XP will also do this but it came much later.

Mac OSX gives the user direct visual feedback to the user: turn down the volume and an unobtrusive white symbol comes up on the screen. The same happens when you pair a bluetooth mouse or keyboard. You get instant feedback without having to go the system tray. On Windows XP you often have to go to the system tray to get feedback on what your computer is doing.
See "The Status Bar and the Tray" from XvsXP

The global menu bar of the Mac OS (the same menu bar is always at the top of the screen) is easier to find icons on, than the Windows system tray (eg volume controls, wireless connection status) and thus easier to use.

 

MacOS 9 and Windows 9x/2000 Section

Multiple ports and connections. Every older SCSI Macintosh came with enough connectors to hook up at least seven storage devices or scanners, ten input devices, two serial devices, a microphone, speakers, a monitor, and a network connection. A similar level of connectivity on older PCs required the purchase of additional equipment and software. From 1999 most G3/4 Macs shipped with at least two Firewire ports. Some PCs now ship with Firewire. PCs however were first to introduce USB2 ports - Apple only started doing it on their highend machines in 2003.

Automatic startup, operation, and shutdown. Many Macintosh computers can be set up to work remotely turning on at a designated time, performing scripted functions, and then shutting down automatically. This is very useful for running "first aid" programs and cataloguing, because they can be run in the middle of the night. This will however require some experience with Applescript which is not for the beginner. To do this on a PC you need to find third party programs, download, install and configure them.

The consumer i/eMac's more compact design means it takes up much less room on a desk or work area. All in one Macs do not have the clutter of CPU, speakers, monitor and connecting leads that most PC clones have (recently, some PC makers such as Dell and Gateway have adopted this compact Mac-style design).

The iMac has extended the simplicity of set up for which Macs have always been famous. The Guinness Book of Records 2000 (p.166) lists it as the computer with the fewest set up steps: 6 diagrams. This author’s 12 year old son opened a sealed iMac, booted it and connected to the Internet in fourteen minutes! The only help he was given was assistance to lift it from the box and a copy of the ISP details. (Wanted to see if the Apple commercial really was true!) This author has also watched two trained technicians unpack and install a Windows PC and connect it to a network. It took twenty minutes.

Many common functions are easier to do on a Mac. The Macintosh Graphic User Interfaces (GUI), first commercially developed by Apple (from an idea by Xerox), was copied by Microsoft and in this area the Mac has always been superior. Accessing a file from a floppy only means inserting the disk and clicking on it. On Windows you must insert the disk, open "My Computer" or “Windows Explorer”, select the correct drive, then the floppy icon and then open the file.

There are a number of well written freeware and shareware applications and various add-ons for the Mac (eg. FinderPop/Default Folder) that can dramatically increase productivity on the Mac. Apple has copied these innovations and in OSX clicking on an icon in the dock allows the user one-click access to frequently used item (just drag any folder to the Dock or to a Finder window, where an alias/shortcut will automatically be created)

Pop-up and spring-loaded folders as well as Recent Applications and Recent Documents - from the Apple menu - make the Mac desktop easy to navigate (discussed above). However for the ordinary user the Apple menu is much easier to customise than the Start menu in Windows. The floating application palette on the classic Mac is also much more versatile than the Start menu/task bar on Windows.

Application and file linking Macintosh files stay linked to the applications that created them; with Windows, this isn't always the case. Double-clicking a Macintosh document icon automatically opens the application that created it no matter where the application resides on your hard disk (or connected server) and no matter what the file is called. With Windows 95/98/NT, it's not that simple. The association between applications and files is still governed by pathnames and the three-character filename suffix. That means that double-clicking a document sometimes opens the application that created it and sometimes doesn't. For example, clicking on a file's shortcut (when the file is not local or on a floppy disk not in the A drive) will bring up the message " cannot be found". On a Mac clicking on an alias(shortcut) of a file in the same circumstances will bring up a dialogue box telling you the name of the disk that it is on and whether that disk is local (on the user's computer) or remote (on another computer) and it will tell you the name of the computer in the latter case.

The Macintosh has superior folder management compared with Windows. A Macintosh can tell you folder sizes within a window, while a Windows-based PC cannot. A Macintosh will automatically calculate the sum of all the folder and file sizes contained within a folder and display that information in the window containing the folders and files. With Windows, you cannot at first glance determine the folder size, nor can you sort both folders and files by size, by date created or by type, since folders will simply be listed alphabetically. On the Mac you can open/ close all folders and subfolders by option clicking on the appropriate triangle. In Windows explorer you have to open and close each directory individually.

On a Mac you can close all Finder windows with a single keystroke (Cmd. Opt, W) as well as close all windows and return to the Finder (Option click on desktop or on Finder icon on floating palette). On a PC each window must be closed individually. It is possible to minimise all windows on a PC with a single click but it still leaves a crowded task bar. And with Mac OS 8+, a feature called spring loaded folders allows you to easily navigate through many levels of folders by simply dragging over a folder. Mac OS 8 also added pop-up windows, allowing you convenient access to frequently used aliases(shortcuts).

On a Mac (Classic) it is possible to access a file (or application) in a number of different ways:

  1. double click on icons on the desktop
  2. single click and hold on an icon (which opens the desired file/application/window, and then closes the rest) also known as "spring loaded folders"
  3. make aliases (shortcut) of frequently used files/applications and place them in a popup window at the bottom of the screen
  4. make an alias (shortcut) of frequently used files/applications and place it in the Apple Menu (in the system folder)
  5. make an alias (shortcut) of the hard disk - or any folder or application and place it in the Apple Menu (in the system folder)
  6. use the Launcher
  7. or any combination of the above at any time.

On Windows only applications and recently used files can be accessed through the Start Menu. To access other files the user can only use method 1. above (including shortcuts to applications in their own folder) or dig down through Windows Explorer, opening one directory after another. Try accessing a networked computer (server) through Windows Explorer using the dig down method and see how long it takes. On a Mac just go the Apple menu to select the appropriate server/networked computer (or folder within that computer) in a matter of seconds.
The Quick Launch bar (next to "Start") and the system tray next to the time display on the Windows Task Bar are useful improvements but they are not as versatile as the seven access methods above combined with the control strip and they contribute to an even more crowded task bar. XP has been improved through the ability to make a shortcut of any folder and put it in the task bar. But on a Mac all you have to do is drag the icon to the dock.


Using removable media (floppy, Zip, Jaz, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM etc)
Floppy disks are easier to use on a Mac. The Mac OS recognises when a removable disk has been inserted and automatically shows the disk's icon on screen (this also applies to networked disks). When you eject the disk, the Mac OS indicates that it has been removed. But when you insert a disk into a PC running Windows nothing happens. To see the contents of the disk, you have to double-click "My Computer" or refresh“Windows Explorer”, then double-click the correct disk drive icon. And if you eject the disk, Windows leaves its window unchanged on the screen even after you've placed a different disk in the disk drive. Also, a floppy disk left in a Macintosh is ejected automatically on startup, and it will continue to boot. But not so on a PC: a floppy disk left in the PC's A drive usually generates an error message and stops the start-up process. On some early versions of 95 it would cause a complete system crash and even with XP still causes the start up procedure to stop. NT machines will also crash completely (requiring a reboot) if you exchange disks in the A drive and click on the A drive icon in Windows explorer. The Mac prevents accidental ejection of removable media and erasure of files. On a PC you can press the eject button at any time - risking the loss/corruption of data if writing to the disk is not complete, or worse - but the Mac will only let you eject the disk when it is safe to do so (by dragging it to the trash or using the keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Y/E).

Adding peripherals
See the Launch of Windows 98 (1,700k Quicktime movie) at http://alt.venus.co.uk/weed/humour/gates30.mov

Disk scanning prior to copying. On a Mac, when you're copying a file onto a removable disk and the file is too big to fit, a dialogue box pops up immediately explaining that you need more room. If this situation happens when you're working on a PC, copying begins immediately. Windows waits till the destination volume is full before it notices a problem. If you're trying to copy to a large removable disk(eg Zip or peripheral drive), you could be waiting a very long time before it tells you it can't do what it started.

Naming disks. On a Mac, there's no such thing as remembering which drive is A: and which is B: or C: or D or E.... When a disk is inserted, the icon pops onto the Desktop and its window will even be open if it was open at the same place it was the last time it was ejected. You can create an alias of the drive and place it in the Apple menu for quick access or any other convenient way as noted above.

With Windows, you need to tell the computer that a disk is inserted. And tell it where to find it. And open each directory to get back to where you were last time. Or know which letter to type in the Run menu to access the appropriate drive.

Recycle / Trash
The Macintosh trash can is easier to use than the Windows recycle bin. All Macintosh files stay in their correct folders when they're placed in the trash can, making it easy to recover your data if required. If you drag items from a floppy disk to the Windows recycle bin, you'll see them "flying" to the recycle bin. But they are actually being deleted, not moved to the bin. You will not be able to recover these items. The Macintosh, however, stores those files and does not delete them from the floppy disk until you select "Empty Trash."

Printing functions are easier to use on a Mac. As a print job is queued, an icon of the printer appears on the Macintosh desktop with a visual image of the file that's printing, so with one glance a user can see how far along a print job is. If a different printer is needed, one can be selected from an icon on the desktop or in the control strip.

Screen Shots. The Mac OS includes a number of commands built into the OS for taking screen shots. For example: a whole screen shot; a portion of a screen; a picture of a specific window. Windows only has the capabilities to do whole screen shots. The user must use another application to edit the image.

Customisation. Adapting the OS and the software that runs on it it much easier on the Mac. For example, to change preferred email client / web browser on a Mac requires only two clicks in the relevant control panel. On Windows you have to reinstall such software - a lengthy and time consuming process.

Internet access is easier on a Mac. Windows has Internet tools, but they involve a more complicated set up . A 12 year old - even an experienced PC user - could not single-handedly unpack a PC and connect to the Internet in fourteen minutes. (Yes Apple produced a TV commercial like this, but it is true!!). Windows XP introduced a number of wizards for a range of tasks, including Internet and network access which has significantly improved the process of connecting to the Internet.

Apple has developed Sherlock which allows the user to search the Internet using plain English terms, with selected search engines simultaneously. Sherlock can also search the contents of files on your hard disk. You don't even have to remember the name of the file, just a few words that you know will be in it. (Yes if you use Word you can have the file's path added to a footer!)

International Languages
(courtesy of Richard Reid)
The Macintosh version of PowerPoint permits easy input of special characters (German §, Spanish À and Á, French �, diacritical marks (‡, ˆ, þ, �, –, etc.), and international punctuation ( ? . . . ." ); however, the Windows version is significantly more difficult to use for creating international presentations. In PowerPoint for Windows one is forced through the tedium of selecting the insert > symbol menu to access a character chart - a daunting, tiresome, and very slow process. PowerPoint for Windows lacks the keyboard shortcuts for entering characters found on the Mac version. Composition is a large part of international languages, all of which must use special characters and diacritical marks for accuracy in spelling, grammar, and pronunciation. Some students using Windows on home computers completely lack keyboard shortcuts. They are forced to type a four-key ASCII code to create one character in a document. Many students using Windows (and all teachers with PowerPoint for Windows) are at a decided disadvantage and must press significantly more keys to compose than if they were typing English alone. However unlike Windows 98 and earlier, Windows 2000 does have an onscreen keyboard to facilitate locating new keyboard assignments, similar to the Mac keycaps, which may be downloaded from the Microsoft website (http://office.microsoft.com/Assistance/2000/OKeyboard.aspx).


An updated note from Richard Reid (December 2002)

Keyboard reassignment (International Languages)
Both Windows and Macintosh permit changing the keyboard to French, German, or Spanish, facilitating easy character entry with even fewer keystrokes than with the keyboard shortcuts. Unlike Macintosh with its on-screen keycaps which displays the appearance of the newly-changed international keyboard, Windows users have no on-screen display of the reassigned keyboard, and must laboriously test type each key into a Word document to note its new assignment. (There is now available a Windows XP and Windows 2000 on-screen keyboard display utility to improve keyboard reassignment).

For more information on ease of use go to

9 Universal Serial Bus (USB): transmission rates 100x those of standard serial connection; almost limitless number of peripherals can be added; USB port also supplies power to some peripherals; Apple has sited the USB ports on the side of the iMac and on the keyboard for easy access, most PCs have them on the rear of the CPU.

floating application palette: go to the application menu on the far right of the menu bar. click once, hold down the mouse and pull it down and across the screen. The application menu automatically detaches from the menu bar, turns into a pallette which can be positioned anywhere on the screen, vertical or horizontal, large or small icons. On Windows the task bar can only be positioned on the edges of the screen and the user cannot change its size, although it can be made to disappear when not needed. return to text

PEBCAK* Problem exists between chair and keyboard (ie. a user problem)

Why this site....? | Design | Cost | Ease of use | Installation and troubleshooting | Extending your computer | Reliability and Security | Laptops and Working across platforms | What schools should do | Where Windows is better than the Mac | Price watch | References