" There is nothing wrong with Macs, per se. It is usually simpler for the novice to be productive. But by no means does that make the Mac superior. Intel/AMD products are just as capable if not more flexible when it comes to hardware. The thing that really bugs me is that any time I've tried to do something "out-of-the-box" with Apple software is the condescending support I've received. I attribute this to the much smaller community of technical experts than, say, Microsoft or Linux and the fact that I probably have not found the right support forums for cut-to-the-chase and informed egalitarian discussion. "Why would you want to do THAT?" I've heard many a times from Apple support forums. Not to say that all Apple users are like that, it's just a greater proportion of novice users DO have a sense of "being a step ahead of the herd" when they're really just running with a different color pack. All that said, Intel/AMD tend to run cheaper hardware that can do just the same job with a broader support base. That's nothing to look down your nose at. "

" Odd. Anybody can walk into a computer store, pick out a motherboard, case, etc and build a computer that's much faster than any Mac; and build a performance computer for half the cost of a Dell, which makes it even more cheap than a Mac. And one can do it in an afternoon. As far as technology goes, you have almost NO choice with the Mac platform. The aura of success comes from the fact that you've paid twice the money for out of the box and ease of use. This is true for their music and phones. An ipod is technologically inferior to many mp3 players; ask any audiophile; but it's the "cool" name that says "young and successful." Good for you. I'll take my extra $1500 (the money I saved by building a pc)and buy a hundred shares of an up-and comer. You enjoy that coolness. "

" A couple of problems. First, "He’s liberal, he’s progressive and he thinks he’s better than you." I'm a Mac user and a woman. Not a he.
Second, this article is really reaching for something. There are 2 paragraphs about the survey, suggesting it's not very in depth, like this story. If you can't get into it, why even do it? Is there really nothing else to cover in Lincoln besides who uses a Mac and whether they feel superior about it or not? "

" I tried to read this article on my school issued Dell but my computer froze. "

" In case many of us don't know, Mac OS used gear toward non-technical users. Which mean its users are not suppose to be the "smart" ones. "

" I'd love to have a macbook air. then install linux on it to make it better. "

" Macs are cool because they were exclusive (although you can pick one up at any Best Buy now) and they are associated with the creative class (designers, writers, artists) who are always ego maniacs. "

" It's not so much the hardware that makes the Mac superior, it's the software. OSX is far greater than any Windows platform ever built. You can spend less money buying or building a PC, but you will still load it with Microsoft which destroys the value. Please remember, most graphic design, video editing, and music production is done on a Mac; hardly novice. It's true, Macs are superior. "

" i love my powerbook at home; i hate my ibm thinkpad at work. however, the statement that one is better than the other is just silly. they're designed for different purposes. you can get by doing everything with either, but they have different strengths. kind of like the people who use them! "

" Bravo JR - those who roll with the Penguin (Linux) have known this for a long time. Yes, the OS is great but you're paying for trendy design. The "hipsters" have no idea why a Mac is superior, it just looks good and is the "thing" right now. Me and my lighter than the Air Asus eeePC laugh at all of you. :-) "

" to each their own. "

" Bravo to 'N' and her remarks. I like a little more from my local newspaper than such superficiality. And while I like this reporter's writing style – a lot – I'd like to see him do more in-depth work. "

" I've owned four Macs over the last 15 years, and each time I bought a different Mac it was for upgrade purposes. Never have I bought a new Mac because the old one crashed. I don't know a PC/Dell owner who HASN'T been forced to buy new because their old one died on them. Macs are simply better built with better OS that is easy for people with even half a brain to use...unless, of course, they've been using PC's too long. Too much PC use obviously makes people stupid. "

" Maybe he's just a person who works more with graphics than with words. Mac truly is superior for that purpose - just ask any graphic artist. Educators like them, too. It has nothing to do with superiority. Myself? I have a PC at one end of my office desk and a Mac at the other. I don't want to miss out on a thing! "

" I tried to read this article on my school issued Dell, but it was too busy being hacked into. "

" I've never broken a PC-based system running Windows or Linux either. Always upgraded as well, but then I've always had Dells or the pre-HP Compaq. You do pay some for quality components in a Mac, with the exception of a Mac Mini. There's a lot of sub-par hardware in there, that's why they sell so cheap, just like PCs "

" I don't think I am superior, I just feel Mac is superior over a Windows based PC or a PC in general. If anyone wants to run a PC, go for it. it doesn't hurt my feeling any.
I had a Dell for 8 months and it was non-functioning more times than I can remember. I switched to Mac 10 years ago and have not had a single issue. I'm not just surfing the internet either. "

" I switched to Mac due to not wanting to have to fix something on my computer everytime I wanted to check my email or surf the web.
I had very good antivirus software and a great firewall, but still had nothing but problems with my PC.
I wasn't doing anything fancy, but the Mac just works better for what little I do on a computer.
I also hated waiting 10 minutes for my PC to fire up.
"

" I've used both PCs and MACs. MACs are so much better on so many levels. They get the job done faster and easier. I quit a job because I had to use a PC. "

" Mac owner who and a Honda driver. I guess I just like quality. "

" Reading these comments I can tell that some of the people commenting don't really have a clue about

Intel and AMD do not make the computers, manufacturers such as Dell, HP and Apple do. While there are others these are some of the main ones. Intel and AMD make the processors that these companies use. As a side note Apple computers use Intel processors and are capable of running windows if you really wanted too.

As for Macs being more expensive than Dells or other brands, they are not. Just because Apple does not offer a $300 laptop does not automatically mean they are more expensive. If you go to Dell's site and price a laptop with matching components, not just close, to one of Apple's you will have a difference of less than $100.

Macs do tend to be easier to use, that is due to the tremendous amount of engineering put into the OS to make it work well. Not merely the fact that it is aimed at "novices". With OSX being built on Unix it allows for much more customization and "power user" tools than Windows will ever have. "

" n portrays the typical mac user mentality with 'i'm not a he' liberal hoopla. then complains about the lack of depth of a newsprint story. what a mac user expects the ljs to produce is a 50 page thesis page with 45 references. whle the MAC user is a liberal progressively socialist, he just thinks he's better but has proven he isnt or he would be a mac user. "

" "He’s liberal, he’s progressive and he thinks he’s better than you." Can I get that on a t-shirt. I can't even believe they printed this in LJS. It's the truth, though. Too funny! "

" Mac is not a computer, it's a religion. That is why I will never use one. I've had to work with them, and configuring them for anything other than standard work is as nasty as Linux. It's just a box. If it works for you, great. Linux works for me. Windoze works for Bill Gate$ ;) "

" I drive a Prius and use a Mac. I guess I just like smug. "

" Macs are superior. Those who say otherwise most likely have not used a Mac recently. OS X is solid. I have to use Vista at work and it crashes every other minute. Anyone who wants to discuss compatibility problems should look at Vista. How long has Vista been out and things still do not work with it. "

" Gee...I'd hate to think what you would write about us Linux users...:) "

" Gee Mac Users.....Superior? Hardly. As for the Mac VS PC debate, hate to burst anyone's bubble, but I've got a 5 year old Presario with Windows XP that hasn't even glitched in all that time, let alone crashed. Superiority is the ability to NOT load garbage onto your PC and NOT allow malicious sites to embed "take over" programs onto it. As for the OS being better., Mac's never crash because nobody writes virus's for them, Unlike those who were/are jealous of Microsoft, and can't wait to go to prison. So I'll keep the Compaq, you keep the Mac. We'll all be happier "

" Typing this on a Dell d620 that ive had for two years-its never been down once. If you have to fix yours every time you check your email or surf the web YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. Apple doesn't manufacture any more of their components than anyone else does-you are buying an OS and some hardware to run it. Windows can be just as stable. If you bought into VISTA that was your first mistake, and Mac's releases of New OS's, while more stable, are also about every year to year and a half so you get to pay for it ever year to year and a half. Ill take windows and not be an early adopter, thank you very much. "

" All I know is that every single Dell I've owned has given me ridiculous hardware and software problems. Every single Mac I've owned has been trouble free. Maybe its a coincidence and maybe its not. "

" If you made a comment on this blog, You could be a nerd! Oops "

" Maybe they need to do an article about PC users being rude and jerks to people on a public website. Or based off alot of these comments, PC users think they are better than everyone else.
I wasn't doing anything wrong. All I had hooked to my PC was a printer. I never downloaded anything and didn't just go to random sites. Also, it was Windows XP.
Maybe YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. "

" I am currently using a 1998 IMac Bondi Blue, not a slot loading cd drive, but one of the original tray loading ones. I have never had to do a single thing to keep this up and going. I really enjoy using it.
My parents have a 1999 Acer PC that still runs great with no problems. They like it and can use it, so good for them.
If you like Mac, good for you. If you like PC, good for you. "

" Geesh. It is an entertainment article. Relax folks. Preferences I understand, but some seem to really take it personally. "

" I don't think Micah should encourage people to swing cats anywhere. Some people are allergic. "

" First off, Macs are not superior. The people that operate them think that they are superior because they paid a premium price to be superior. That is why you see Mac users with the hats, the bags, and the stickers on their cars. They want to show the world that they think that they are not vulnerable to viruses when in fact they are just as vulnerable. The hackers just don’t target the Mac users as heavily because they only make up >5% of the computer market.
The reason Macs cost more is because they don’t let anyone else sell their product. A simple class in economics will tell you that if there is only one company contributing to the supply and demand is steady then the price will be higher. PC’s allow many manufacturers to make products such as Viewsonic, Logitech, Creative Labs, ASUS, Sony, and of course AMD and Intel just to name a few. Dell just brands most of their products from someone else. Did you know that Samsung makes their monitors? Dell also makes their own cases and keyboards, etc. They make more money this way.
Some of you claim that you had to replace your Dell because it broke. And some claim that their Apple never broke. Well if your Dell actually did break then you would only need to replace a $20 part in most situations. But instead you choose to go out and spend $1000s of dollars on a new computer and give the company you bought your last one from a bad name. If you had a Mac and it broke. You would have to buy the part from Apple and it would cost about $400.
The only reason educators use Macs is because Apples marketing team hits up schools to try to trick them into that Macs are the future. This has been their strategy for years and they still only have a market share of >5%. So what we are really doing is training our next generation to use equipment that they will never use in college or the workplace. And for those that still think Macs are better for multimedia and photos. Well Adobe (as well as others) has been making their software for both platforms for years and the video card industry is a lot more competitive on the PC side due to the availability of video games. With the right software they can both do it with no problem.
And for those of you who stated that you own a Mac and a Honda, you must like paying overinflated prices for an inferior product that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I would never buy either.
"

" I actually paid a premium price for something that works as I expect. "

" Andrew has a very valid point.
mac: half the hardware - half the performance = twice the price. OS is based off of a unix kernel which i will admit that unix is 2x as stable as any windows platform. "

" My brother pointed me out to this little article and comments, so I thought I would add to it.
I currently am running a small business with 69 employees and all of them are working with Macs. We just made the switch last year and I am loving it.
If you read more of the studies regarding the market share, you will see the number of Mac users is rising.
I agree with some of the people on here though, relax a little bit. So what if someone else likes a different computer, I don't think it will make the world explode. "

" "Each person I meet is superior to me in some aspect. From that I learn from her." Ralph Waldo Emerson.


"

" Riddle me this, if Apple is so great why does iTunes for Windows suck so badly, and why does Apple make it so freaking difficult to use whatever software that you want with iPods? Why can't my (free) Shuffle just show up as a USB drive that you can copy music and other files to like every other sensible mp3 player? It's this type of thing that makes me very leery about ever switching to a Mac for my computer. "

" The point, Andrew, is that my Mac didn't break. I have had 3 Dells and 3 macs and I have had nothing but success with my Mac. My latest Dell gave me fits right out of the box. Note I'm not necessarily faulting Dell, as in the most recent case the problem was undoubtedly Windows Vista. However, they come as a package and when people talk about the superiority of the Mac they are referring to the combination of the OS and the hardware. Further, it doesn't really matter why the Macs are exposed to less viruses. The bottom line is they are exposed to LESS viruses. Finally, whether they're more expensive or not they do run better. You're argument is like saying a Ford Escort is better than a BMW because its cheaper. Well, sometimes you get what you pay for. "

" re: Newbie

You answered your own question. You're running iTunes on a PC. ...it's the PC (Windows) that's the problem. Good luck.

I have a g4 laptop at home and a Dual G5/dual core at work, no problems in the last 2 1/2 years. Everything just works, it's great. A great thing about Macs is that they don't have to dedicate huge amounts of system resources to constantly scan for the 3+ million viruses, trojans and worms that constantly attack Windows based PCs.

Macs also have a program called iSync. It seemlessly works with my Motorola phone. I can sync my address book and calendar with my phone with a couple clicks. For PCs you have to buy the software for like $30 from Alltel. I told the Alltel, 'iSync works with my phone' and he's like, 'REALLY?, hmmm'.... "

" A few things. First, as a mac user (primarily), I can say that in 90% of cases, a mac will cost you twice as much, and last you twice as long. My PCs are for the most part outdated within two or three years of purchasing them. Of course one issue is that some software won't work on my mac, so I do need to use the pc in those instances.

second, as a social scientist, this article makes me shudder. I would like to know a few details about the study, however because the specifics aren't addressed I don't trust it period. It would be very difficult to claim that you could measure being "assured at their own superiority." I can tell you that right now that this would be difficult, and i'd like to see how they measured this.

finally, this is news? seriosuly? nothing more important going on in the world that has a significant impact on our lives than what mac users are supposed to be like? "

" Let's face it ladies and gentlemen computers do not work as they are supposed to. I grew up going to Lincoln Public Schools in the nineties through 2005 and we always had Macs. They did their job, but just like any computer they had their fair share of problems. No matter what type of computer you choose to purchase it will have problems. Although, I have heard that Windows Vista is horrible and it's predecessor XP is pretty much a breeding ground for the friendly computer viruses. "

" To Nina: You state: Maybe he's just a person who works more with graphics than with words. Mac truly is superior for that purpose - just ask any graphic artist.

Uh, I am a graphic artist, and so are all of my friends, we all use a PC. It's faster and way cheaper. I have NEVER worked on a Mac that was faster than my last 3 PCs, and I've tried. I used Macs at school, and where I worked, and they never performed as quickly (and back in the late 90s, crashed quite often).

And to the person claiming that there would only be $100 difference between comparative Mac and PC computers, I've priced this out many many times, and never came away with anything less than a $300 difference.

And to those bashing PCs in this comment thread, I noticed nearly all of you mentioned your PC was a DELL. I think the fact that you've owned a Dell proves that you really know nothing about computing. "

" Let's face it, all liberals think they are better than everyone else. "

" Brian, thanks for the helpful and non-superior reply. My issue with iTunes seems to be the odd choices for default behaviors that really kind of annoy me. It tries to make too many decisions for me by default, and I cannot find some critical options that I would like enabled. It is much more difficult for me to copy files to the Shuffle because for some reason it cannot play files that I drag and drop to it. I can see them there, but it won't play them. It seems to be completely dependent on iTunes for music. You would think that the designers would be allow the Shuffle to play any MP3s that are stored on it, just like any other MP3 player, but for some reason they don't. From what I can tell, they have to reformatted through iTunes first. So I can't run my own simple scripts to copy MP3s to that storage device because the Shuffle is doesn't seem to be able to play the MP3s.

I didn't realize malicious scripts could not be run on Macs or that firewalls weren't required. I'll keep that in mind. So how do you know if you don't have a virus unless you test for it?

As far as syncing with your phone goes, Bitpim works great for me on a PC. It sync great with both my Google calendar and my Outlook calendar/contacts. It is free, works over USB and Bluetooth, and is probably even available on Macs. "

" To Josh, try pricing out a Dell XPS laptop with matching components to that of a Mac Book Pro. If you go with the 17 inch version of each you should come up with the Dell costing $10 more than the Mac. That is not much of a difference in price to me when you are looking at $2849 for the Mac and $2859 for the Dell.

If you actually price the same items and not just similar components you will come up with a much more equal price.

Macs are not more expensive, they just don't have $300 models. "