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Mac vs. PC Info-War By Barry Levine August 17, 2006 9:52AM     In general, a feature-by-feature match-up of the current platforms is a draw. "Anything you can do on one, you can do on the other," said co-owner of the site XvsXP.com, James Scariati. "The key difference between the two OS's is not so much the features themselves, but their implementation."   Related Topics Mac PC Windows Apple Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social Like a modern day Odd Couple, two guys stand against a white backdrop. "I'm a Mac," says the unshaven character played by Justin Long, featured in the TV series "Ed," in the movies "Accepted" and "Jeepers Creepers" and in other roles. "And I'm a PC," says John Hodgman, the buttoned-up, dry comic actor/writer and former literary agent who has patiently provided expert commentary for fake stories on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." In a now-classic series of commercials, nine in all through June of 2006, these two guys anthropomorphize the two most famous personal computer platforms on the planet. Most everyone agrees these ads are funny. But not everyone agrees that they are accurate. Viruses, Clock and Out-of-the-Box In one commercial, appropriately called "Viruses," the PC Guy sneezes and says he caught a virus, one of "114,000 viruses for the PC" in the last year alone. "PCs, not Macs," says Mac Guy. In another, Mac Guy says that iLife - a suite of programs for the Web, photos, music and video - comes bundled with every Mac, working as seamlessly as iTunes. PC Guy replies that he has "apps" bundled with him as well, dropping air quotes around the word. He mentions Calculator and, when pressed for others, comes up with Clock. "Sounds like...hours of fun," Mac Guy says. "WSJ" features PC Guy quoting a Wall Street Journal review of the Mac as "the finest desktop PC on the market, at any price." In the one called "Better," Mac Guy says he does "life stuff" better, like photos and video. After showing the two computer guys holding hands - that is, networking - in another commercial, Mac Guy extends the chain by holding hands with a Japanese woman who is a new digital camera from Japan. He then turns to her and starts talking in Japanese - he speaks her language. PC Guy tries "buon giorno" on her, but to no avail. "Out of the Box" shows the two computer-guys half out of boxes. Mac Guy is ready to get started on Web pages, photos and more, "right out of the box." PC Guy says he first needs to "download new drivers, erase trial software" and has "lots of manuals to read." But he can't get out yet, he says as Mac Guy heads off-screen, because the rest of him is still in other boxes. They briefly talk in "Restarting" about how they both run Microsoft Office and share files, and then PC Guy freezes. When he starts up again, he says that he had to re-start. "You know how it is," PC Guy says. "No, not really," Mac Guy replies. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  Next Page >   Advertisement  Apple/Macintosh 1.   Rumors Say Apple Tablet Delayed 2.   Apple Gets iPhone OK in South Korea 3.   Steep Mac Discounts Seem Unlikely 4.   Would You Pay for iPhone with Ads? 5.   Psystar Loses Mac OS X Challenge Apple Tablet Could Change Publishing Content talks reported under way. Average Rating: Steep Mac Discounts Seem Unlikely Rumors termed 'wishful thinking.' Average Rating: Would You Pay for iPhone with Ads? Apple experiments with built-in ads. Average Rating:

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Network Security Spotlight

House Lawmakers Push Ban on Peer-to-Peer Software Stung by an embarrassing electronic leak revealing ethics investigations into dozens of lawmakers, Congress moved to prohibit federal employees from using the file-sharing software blamed for the disclosure.   GAO: Los Alamos Computer Security Has Weaknesses Security weaknesses uncovered in Los Alamos National Laboratory's computer network increase the risk of a classified-information breach, says the Government Accountability Office.   Computer Security Firm Fortinet Plans IPO This Week Fortinet plans to go public in an initial public offering, giving investors a chance to tap a network security provider with sales that are expected to grow. The IPO could be valued at $137.5 million or more.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

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