Mac vs. PC: What Side are You On?

Few things can polarize a room full of technology geeks like the question of computer allegiance.  For decades, Apple was like Danny Bonaduce in that it appealed to a small sliver of the population.  Very small.  Compared to popular PC brands such as HP, Dell, Toshiba and others, Macs appealed to a niche market.  But this May, something remarkable happened – Apple’s stock price completed a nearly 10-fold increase over the past five years and the company overtook Microsoft as the most valuable technology company in the world.  But if you’re like most, that probably hasn’t changed your computer loyalty.

To be clear, while the Mac vs. PC issue is often polarizing, it need not be.  In the lab, it’s not uncommon for instruments to be controlled by one operating system while personal computers are run by the other.  As a result, it’s likely that many scientists have a basic understanding of either system.  While Apple has certainly played up the personality difference between the stereotypical Mac vs. PC user, it’s more likely that users these days are selecting a computer based on cost, features and compatibility with their other handheld devices.

In the first quarter of 2010, Macs accounted for roughly 8% of the personal computers shipped worldwide.  But is the scientific community reflective of the whole?  Surely a group of data-driven decision-makers like us has done our due diligence to find out which computer is truly superior…

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