So you have decided that you're ready to buy that new computer… the problem is, what should you buy, a Mac or a PC? Many people see Macs as computers for graphic designers or video editors and PCs as computers for the office. In reality, both Macs and PCs can do most everything the other can do. In fact, I am using Microsoft Office on my Mac PowerBook to write this article. What are the benefits to each operating system?

The Windows operating system is the dominant operating system in the world and as such, has thousands of programs and peripherals available for computers running it. The weakness of Windows for years has been the lack of proper security. In January of 2007, Norton Antivirus was able to detect over 73,000 known Windows viruses. Windows Vista, Microsoft's next generation operating system, has made great gains in security, but when you are #1 on the block, people will always be gunning for you.

Apple's OS X is by nature a much more secure operating system, requiring you to enter your password each time you install software. This alone protects it from most malicious programs. Add that to the fact that there is only 1 known OS X virus, and it's obvious that Macs are a much more secure platform. The problem with OS X is that there are far fewer programs available for it, especially outside the graphics and video editing markets. Apple computers are also known to be more expensive than the average PC.The one arena that Windows based computers still have quite an edge is gaming. For whatever reason, most likely the install base, the Windows platform has a huge lead in computer video games. If you are looking for a computer and want to play a lot of games on it, then you will want to take a serious look at a Windows based computer.The good news and something that should make choosing easier is that in late 2006 Apple changed all their computers to start using Intel processors… the very same processors that power most PCs. This allowed Apple computers to run Microsoft Windows and gives someone the flexibility to run both operating systems on the same piece of Apple hardware. Answering the question of "Mac or PC" will always be debated, but with Apple's latest move it has become a little easier to answer the question.