09 Mar A perspective on Mac vs. PC
I’m a Mac… and I’m a PC…
It’s a clever commercial but not very useful when choosing a technology direction or making the correct purchase decision. Marketing hype is great if you want to be the coolest kid on the block, but it’s useless when determining the best technology solution for an individual or organization. Matching the technology to the need requires knowledge of the best solutions and proven integration expertise.
I have been involved with technology since Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were young (and yes, we’re about the same age and I had black hair back then). I have witnessed the Mac vs. PC skirmishes and suffered the pains of pre-OSX Macs, Windows ME and Vista. I have also seen amazing innovation and significant productivity improvements over the years. I greatly value technologies from both companies and enjoy leveraging them to enhance our customers’ experiences.
As technology professionals, we constantly educate ourselves about the best products and newest technologies and integrate them to provide our customers with optimal solutions. No platform provides the best solution for all tasks.
I spend much time traveling between New York and Boston. My laptop is running Windows 7, my email is hosted on an Exchange Server that pushes emails, appointments and contacts to my PC, my mobile phone (running Windows mobile) and my IPod Touch (running over wireless). My work files are stored on a Windows server, connected to my PC through a VPN and my IPod Touch through a file syncing application. I carry my Wi-Fi with me in a 3G/4G mobile broadband device and I expect to integrate the Apple IPad into this configuration in the near future. These devices work together, seamlessly, providing a high degree of reliability, connectivity and ease.
C4 employs technologies from both Microsoft and Apple. When our creative staff needs or prefers Apple implementations, we use Macs; when applications and devices require, or if people prefer Windows, we install PCs. Both platforms share a common network.
The use of well-designed products along with secure, efficient technology implementations, are achievable using either platform, but in most cases a combination of platforms provides the best results of form and function. Matching the product or technology to the clearly defined need is the most important part of the equation.
I have enjoyed the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees since I was a kid. Both teams have enjoyed great successes and have benefited from one of the greatest rivalries in sports. At the annual All Star Game, the best players from each team, when properly managed, work effectively to deliver an exciting event. Watching the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft is fun and we have all benefited from it. Using the best products from each company and managing them to achieve the best results is certainly achievable and what we want.