This is the question. It's time for me to buy a new system for my home. I'm between embarrassed and proud to have used the same computer for almost six years. Before blogging there was really little reason to spend hours online and having a PC running on Windows XP at home was convenient as I could easily transport files back and forth.
A recent report from Gartner says that worldwide shipments of PCs have increased 12% in the second quarter -- with US sales at about 6%. Dell and HP are in the two top spots in both lists, with HP clearly dominating the international market. Another report from IDC, says that Apple, Acer, and Toshiba lead charge in US PC sales -- with Acer growing at a whopping 164%, Toshiba at 50% and Apple taking the lead to 960,000 units (just below Gateway) with a growth of 26% in quarter to quarter comparison between 2006 and 2007.
Apple seems to have done the nicest jump from 4.8% to 5.6%.
Every time I talk to a Mac user, I'm tempted to go that route. The system seems to be the easiest to work with, and notwithstanding the fact that it's been thirteen years since I worked on a Mac, the ramp up time might not be too bad. Although the expense would be much greater and I would have to purchase Adobe Suite programs for that system, in addition to the overall cost of Apple, which is greater than Windows' based PCs.
I'm a practical person, I tend to lean towards a Windows based system. So looking at those systems, the main question seems to be Quad-core or Dual-core? And here's a new hurdle: Windows Vista. I have now read a few reviews that panned the new operating system for many reasons. A preliminary look in stores these past couple of weeks did not thrill me, either.
What are your thoughts? Keeping in mind that I use my home computer mainly online for blogging and for some light design work, for which I currently use Adobe software .
- Mac or Windows? Why?
- Windows XP or Vista? Why?
- Where do you see the future of personal computers going?