- The first Macs were introduced in 1984 by Apple. Macs were the first commercially successful personal computers and they dominated the computer market in the 1980s. Their popularity began to wane dramatically in the 1990s with the rise of PCs powered by Microsoft's Windows operating system. Macs made a comeback in the late 1990s when Apple introduced the iMac. Successful advertising campaigns along with the introduction of the Apple iPod in 2001 helped to make Apple once again a dominant player, as well as a pop culture phenomenon.
- While Macs do have a loyal and growing following for personal use, one of their most important bases of support lies creative with professionals, such as graphic artists and audio engineers. The stability of the Mac operating system and hardware make it popular with Graphic artists who use programs like Adobe Photoshop. Audio engineers usually prefer Macs when working with programs such as Digidesign's Pro Tools.
- One of the major reasons Macs have superior stability to PCs is because of hardware compatibility. Unlike PCs, all Macs are produced under the strict supervision of Apple themselves. Therefore they are not subject to the same hardware compatibility and quality control issues and variations that plague PCs. Because so many different third party companies manufacture PCs, hardware compatibility and quality can be a major issue. Since Macs generally use the same components, these compatibility issues are kept to a minimum. If there is a problem, it can be fixed quickly because all models will have the same parts. Universal compatibility is much more difficult to achieve on a PC.
- When people talk about Macs, they may be referring to either a desktop or a laptop model. Desktop models tend to run at faster speeds and have more memory and storage space than laptops. However, in recent years Apple has made many strides to close the gap. High-end Mac laptops now rival many desktop computers in terms of power and storage.
- Macs have many performance advantages over PCs, not to mention a very high aesthetic value. Macs are known for their visually stunning exteriors. PCs all have different cosmetic designs, so there is no universal "look" to mention when speaking of PCs. These aesthetic and performance advantages don't come cheap. PCs produced by less-known companies can be purchased at very inexpensive prices. A low-end PC can be many times cheaper than a Mac, saving the consumer hundreds of dollars. You do not have the option to shop around with different manufacturers when buying a Mac, since all Macs are produced by Apple themselves. You will have to take all of these factors into consideration and decide what is most important to you when making your own purchase.
