

If your ideal computer is the one you already know how to use, chances are Windows 7 is your best bet. Interestingly, Windows 7 has the same issue introducing its new features (and just wait for Windows 8): no matter how simple and fast it is, some folks just won't want to learn to use a new system. But that's because they aren't designed to: Mountain Lion has its awesome Spaces-based full-screen mode in lieu of traditional maximizing and if you want to quit an app instead of just closing the window, you can hit command+Q. And that green "re-size" button doesn't work like Windows' predictable Maximize function. But closing the last open window leaves an application running.

Take OS X's tricolor window-management buttons: Minimize behaves like it's supposed to. OS X's growing adoption rate means that a lot of folks using Macs today grew up trained with PCs, so certain signature elements of the OS X interface might seem counterintuitive to them, no matter how logical they actually are. fixing annoyances in) both operating systems, but customization isn't for everyone. There are lots of tools for improving (i.e.

Interface Learning Curve If you ask us, the out-of-the-box quality of an operating system's UI will be more apparent to someone using it for the first time than to someone whose first move is to tweak it beyond recognizability. (Hell, you can even use Boot Camp to run Windows 7 on a MacBook if that floats your boat.) Most PCs are easier to modify than comparable Macs, so adding RAM or replacing a hard drive yourself is more manageable.
BUY MOUNTAIN LION MAC OS PC
Your PC can look however you want it to, whether that's something budget-level from Toshiba or HP, a top-of-the-line gaming machine from Alienware or Razer, or something as crazy as Recompute's cardboard computers. Expect to pay a couple hundred dollars more than similarly spec'd PCs across the board. Even the "budget" Mac mini starts at $600. If you're looking at a MacBook or an iMac and you think something might go wrong with it, that Apple Care plan might not be a bad idea. Some tinkering is just downright impossible without special tools and training, and iFixit tends to rate their repairability worse every year. But upgrading Mac hardware after the fact is not for the faint of heart. But Apple's line of quad- and 12-core computers, which starts at $2500, is mostly meant for professionals.) These are all first-rate, beautifully designed pieces of hardware, and as long as you know what you want up front you can get them packed with competitive internals. (Spoiler: It depends!) Hardware Options If you're looking to buy a Mac for personal use, there are basically four options: the MacBook Air or Pro, and the Mac mini or iMac. Keep reading to find out which one is better. With that in mind, we've compared the world's leading desktop OS - Windows 7 - against the latest version of Apple's ever-enticing alternative - OS X Mountain Lion. But we make an exception for personal computers: If you're in the market for a full-fledged computer (as opposed to a tablet or gaming system), chances are you want it to do everything - and do it well. We're big fans of single-purpose gadgets here at IGN Tech: we'd frequently rather have five small devices that each do something well than one big device that does all five poorly.
