Summer of Mac Love - Week 6 - Hardware
August 15, 2008 – 4:36 pm
Last week I covered the differences between the user interfaces of OS X and Windows. A computer platform consists of two major components. The operating system (software) and the hardware. In the past 5 weeks we have covered many of the smaller differences between the Windows and Mac platforms. When comparing the hardware of the two platforms the underlying philosophical differences become apparent. Microsoft has traditionally, ignoring the XBOX and the Zune, been a pure software company. Apple on the other hand has always designed and sold their own hardware and software.
The Facts
The Apple II was the first mass produced home computer. It was first offered for sale on June 6, 1977.
Microsoft Windows 3.1 was released on March 18, 1992.
The first IBM compatible PC was released in June 1982.
Windows share of the personal computer was 91.8% on January 1, 2008.
Apple Macintosh computers accounted for 7.3% of the personal computer market.
The Criteria
- Capability: Does the tool perform the job?
- Modern computers all use the same basic components made by the same manufactures. This applies to Macs and Windows PCs. Macs use the same CPU, Hard drive, and RAM as their Windows counterparts. The differentiation in hardware capability comes from features beyond the basics.
- Availability: Is the tool available and working correctly when it is needed?
- Given that both platforms now use the same hardware, availability cannot be compared on failure rate alone. Availability in this case must also consider the repair processes and the length of time required for repair.
- Usability: Is the user able to intuitively work the tool?
- The basic elements of personal computers, in regards to hardware, has remained largely unchanged for the previous 30 years. Both Macs and Windows use the keyboards, mice, video display’s etc in the same manner as for purposes of comparison irrelevant.
- Efficiency: Does the tool perform the job with as little effort as possible?
- The only true measure of hardware efficiency is how the operating system on each platform utilizes the hardware. This can easily be observed by comparing the minimum hardware requirements of the respective platforms.
The Results
- Capability: Does the tool perform the job?
- The Windows platform has an apparent advantage in that there are dozens if not hundred of IBM compatible PC manufacturers. Common wisdom says that more brains attacking a problem leads to better results. However there has been remarkably little real innovation by the PC hardware manufactures. The best example of an innovation that has not been matched by the Mac platform is the hybrid laptop/tablet PC. The ability to flip over the screen of the laptop putting Windows into tablet mode is a invaluable feature for many users. The Mac platform however has seen numerous innovations, primarily in their laptop products. Backlit keyboards with ambient light sensors, the removal of legacy ports, multi-touch Trackpads, and the MagSafe power connector have all been unmatched by the PC manufacturers. The Mac platform has also been the first to implement many features PC users now take for granted. USB, Firewire, laptop hard drives with drop sensors all made their appearance on the Mac platform long before the PC manufacturers followed suit.
- Availability: Is the tool available and working correctly when it is needed?
- The repair process for the two platforms is strikingly different. The sheer number of hardware manufacturers and the separation of hardware and software producers on the Windows platforms leads to a repair process that has a very large amount of variance. Both dismal and pleasant repair experiences are common in the PC world. Unfortunately a lack of consistency is also common. To complicate the process the hardware manufacturers are known to point the finger at Microsoft when problems arise. Naturally the opposite is also true. Microsoft is also quick to point the finger at the hardware manufacturers when problems arise. The result of this finger pointing is a greatly extended repair time. Apple however does not suffer from this scenario. As manufacturer of both hardware and software they alone are ultimately responsible. With the addition of the Apple stores repair times from Apple have consistently been lower than their PC brethren. Customer service approval rates are great indicator of the repair process. Apple has lead this metric for the previous 5 years.
- Efficiency: Does the tool perform the job with as little effort as possible?
- The minimum requirements for the latest version of OS X are a 867 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 9 GB of hard disk space. The minimum requirements for Windows Vista are 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 40 GB hard disk and a video card with 128 MB of RAM. Even taken at face value the hardware requirements of Vista are far beyond that of OS X. The minimum requirements for the latest version of OS X Server are 867 MHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 20 GB of hard disk space. The minimum requirements for Windows Small Business Server 2008 are 2 GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 60 GB hard disk. Again the requirements of OS X Server are half of the requirements for Windows Small Business Server 2008.
The Winner
The Mac platform set the standard of the personal computer when it released the Apple II over 30 years ago, a full 15 years before the release of Windows 3.1. Today the Mac platform has produced innovations that have yet to be matched by the PC manufacturers. It is also the Mac platform that has driven the adoption of new computing standards while retiring the antiquated technologies years ahead of the PCs. The repair process for Mac computers has consistently held a higher customer satisfaction rate and a faster turn around than the Windows platform. Comparing the efficiency of the two platforms also reveals the fact that the OS X platform is capable of performing far more with far less. It should come as now surprise that the company that invented the personal computer is still years ahead of the competition.
