Asking which computer is best is like asking which religion is best, or which political party. Small portions of facts are sprinkled liberally with misconceptions, emotion and myth, making objective conclusions difficult to reach.
I've worked in technology and IT for over 3 decades and have used every version of Windows since the 1.0 Beta, and every version of MacOS since 5.something. In spite of spending 9 years working at a university surrounded by Mac evangelists, I never understood the attraction of the Mac user environment, and still don't. But I am also old and experienced enough to realize that my opinion is prejudiced by my experience with Windows.
I strongly believe that there are some people who just don't have the capabilities (mental, emotional, patience, creativity, what have you) to use a computer. It's not that these people are stupid, or even that they're ignorant about technology, it's just the way their brains are wired. They can be geniuses in other areas but are virtually hopeless when the smallest computer issue arises. Then there's another category of computer owner, by far the majority, who don't care wit about what kind of computer they're using, how much memory or gigahertz is sports, as long as it just does what they want when they want it. Take no offense that these are generally the kind of people who ask "which computer should I buy." To these folks, buying a computer is like buying a new cell phone: they want the current, shiny, popular model with all the bells and whistles, but they also just want it to work. And so when asked, my response is always to buy a Mac.
Is a Mac that much better than a PC? No, not really. There are certainly some advantages to owning a Mac, but I feel they are mostly balanced by the advantages to owning a PC. But one of the major advantages of owning a Mac is support. When you buy a Mac you essentially have to buy AppleCare, otherwise you get very limited warranty and support service. Everyone buys the AppleCare, or at least everyone should, or else you're not truly taking advantage of the best of what Apple offers. And the best of that best is the Apple Store itself. Because no other computer manufacturer has a network of local retail locations with factory-trained support staff on-site. If you have a question or problem with your Mac you just make an appointment, and in less than 24 hours (often less than 3 hours) you're standing in front of a real, live person and getting help. And, most important to me, you are not calling me up and asking me to be your unpaid support lackey.
Many PC manufacturers also offer premium-tier software and hardware support, and in most cases it is every bit as good as Apple's support except for the local retail stores, provided you buy and care for your PC the same way that Apple owners buy and care for their Macs. By this I mean going back to the OEM for all your upgrades and buying/installing reputable software from a reliable marketplace. Or, find yourself a reputable, local computer shop -- not a big box store -- and form a relationship with them. Yes, either of these alternatives will increase the cost of owning a Windows PC, just as that same level of service and support increases the cost of owning a Mac.
But in your case you have owned and used Windows and are comfortable enough to build your own Windows PC. But after using the Mac you immediately felt it was a better computer for you. What do you loose by switching to Mac?
- The initial purchase price of a Mac will be more expensive. Possibly as much as double the cost of the Windows PC you were going to assemble yourself to get the same specifications.
- You will have to buy most of the software you need from scratch, because most manufacturers do not allow cross-grading from one OS to the other.
- There might be some software titles you use now that aren't available on the Mac at all. You might be able to use some of these packages in a virtual machine Windows instance under Parallels, but performance and usability will suffer.
- There aren't many good games for Mac OS/X.
- In spite of how easy you might find a Mac to use, there will be things that are not intuitive. So there will be a learning curve involved.
- You may feel an overwhelming urge to wear skinny jeans, faux Wayfarer or Buddy Holly eyeglasses, and sport the unshaved beard and unstyled hair look. This may be accompanied by a preference for Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and artisanal coffee.
Personally, I don't find any difficulty in setting-up and maintaining my own Windows PC, nor do I put a lot of time or effort into doing so. In fact, I assembled, setup and maintain all the PC's for my immediate family, and most of them dual-boot Windows 7 Pro and Mac OS/X Mavericks. Even back in the XP days, when Microsoft was undoubtedly an insecure platform, my Windows systems were all malware free and reliable. I still run Windows 7 most of the time, only booting up OS/X when my daughter is having trouble with her Mac's.
But if you're willing to pay the price and won't have to give up a critical application, honestly there's not much to loose by going with a Mac.
