Welcome back to Hoot Recommends! In this article, members of The Hoot editorial board will be sharing whether they prefer Mac computers or PCs.

Lucas:

I prefer PCs for several reasons. Probably my favorite thing about a PC is just how much more you can do with it—if you want to play any performance heavy video game or use any performance heavy software, you just need a PC. But there are also other benefits as well. The fact that you can’t really carry a PC around means, in my experience, that you are far less likely to accidentally damage it. You can’t drop something if you never pick it up. Finally, I like how much more free the operating systems common to PCs are (although Microsoft is making modern Windows more and more restrictive). A Mac will stop you if you try to download any “unapproved” software, and has features and parts to it you can’t turn off. A PC, at least if you’re not running Windows 11, will do anything you want it to. Want to turn off the security? Go right ahead! Want to delete system 32? Sure! It’s this freedom that makes a PC truly a personal computer, and truly the best kind of computer.

Rachel:

Does this computer have internet? Can it handle the millions of tabs I have constantly have open? If the answer is yes to both of those questions, then I’m okay with any computer. I’m even willing to negotiate on the second question. I’ve had computers that I need to restart every couple of days because of all of my tabs, and I’m okay with that. Currently, I am in possession of a Chromebook. My dad, who will research every little thing deeply before he makes a purchase, did the research on a new computer for me this past summer and decided that this was the way to go. Why did I need a new computer? Well, I did not treat the old one well and it ended up being slow and would constantly freeze if I tapped it the wrong way. I think my old computer was a Windows computer, but I could certainly be wrong about that. So it is clear, I am not a big computer person. I can’t live without the internet, but I’m okay with any display for that internet. So far, this Chromebook has treated me well. I can use all of my tabs, have a decent speed for the internet and don’t have to restart it nearly as much as my old computer. I think this computer would be considered a PC, so sure, I guess I prefer that. However, I don’t know the Macs well enough to make an informed decision. My mom has a MacBook and she seems to like it. Furthermore, that MacBook has allowed us to have free Apple TV for our household, as long as we mirror what we are watching from my mom’s computer. So having all of these movies and TV shows is a perk. So yeah, don’t hate me, but a computer is a computer. I get all of my work done, I am also able to browse Reddit with ease, play Minesweeper to relax my brain and rewatch “Sex and The City” on Max over and over again on my computer. In my mind, that is what makes a computer great.

Lucy:

I guess I prefer Mac, but that is almost entirely because I was raised on a shared Mac desktop and thus it is what I know. I also am not a gamer in any sense, nor someone who really needs any of the fanciness or capabilities of one computer over another. I like that Macs (apparently) have better security against viruses—but I have also gotten plenty of viruses on my various Mac computers (12-year-olds should not try to pirate movies). The one video game I do play, “The Sims 4,” runs very well on a Mac, but also some games I want to play are not available on Mac, which sucks. I will have Macs for the foreseeable future for the same reason I will have an iPhone for the foreseeable future. I know how it works and I like how it looks.

Cooper:

I literally wrote a whole article about this. Breaking news: most students are using MacBooks. A huge majority of college students, nearly three quarters of them, use or would prefer to use a MacBook, according to TechSpot. At the risk of sounding like massive contrarians, MacBooks suck. For a device that claims to do it all, the functionality of Macs is severely lacking when compared to devices that run on Windows (and many distributions of Linux). MacBooks are just not high quality machines. While their simplistic design is admittedly pretty, similar designs can be found for much cheaper. They also don’t run nearly the amount of apps that Windows machines can run, which can be detrimental to work. They also break easily and are a pain to get repaired (source: me).

Jenny:

Yes I am a Mac person. Period. Not because I love Mac and hate PCs, I just simply think as a humanities student who does not run any programs, softwares, or play any games, a Mac’s function completely satisfies my needs. Its design is neat; its keyboard is thin; it is light so it is very portable. What else do I need? It basically serves all my needs for surfing the Internet and writing some papers, and occasionally editing a few videos and doing some designs. That’s it.

Michael:

I switched over from PC to Mac at the start of freshman year. I was told that it would be better for a computer science student like me. And clearly, my MacBook Pro with M1 chip and 16 gigs of memory dosen’t slack when it comes to processing power. It has an amazing battery life, too, and it’s light and easy for me to lug around from class to class without breaking my back. Plus, I’ve always been a fan of Apple’s streamlined, minimalistic aesthetic before it became mainstream. There is one disadvantage that I will admit, though. GAMING. None of the Steam games that I actually want to buy are available for Mac. Shiro Games, if you’re reading this, please make “Dune: Spice Wars” available on Mac. Please.

Avery:

PC is preferable. When I do need to use a Mac, I find it to be a very startling experience. I’m not a computer person, but some differences to the untrained eye include: keys are set further in, keyboard takes up less space, touchpad is simply mysterious and the screen is bordered strangely. This is my observation as a PC user since I knew what a computer was. If I were to make the choice, I would choose PC all over again, as they seem more computer-like. Macs seem to tiptoe the line between computer and tablet in a way I’m not comfortable with. I like the clacking of keys, and my touchpad isn’t quite so sensitive. My PC has a touchscreen, but brushing it won’t cause a whole system shutdown (again, no hate to Macs, simply my own experience). 

Natalie:

I like Macs. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever touched a PC. That’s really it. Sleigh 🙂

Jenna:

While I use a Mac for school work and the casual YouTube rabbit hole, I can’t help but wonder what my life would be like with a PC. Not many of my friends know this, but I am a bit of an aspiring gamer. Those days when my Mac fan starts roaring like my head is in a washing machine just from playing Solitare I always think that life would be a little easier with a better core processor and higher frame rate. Then again, the touchbar on my MacBook Pro gives me great joy. If you haven’t downloaded “Touchbar Pets” and walked a tiny pixel dog in a fake neighborhood while taking notes in class, you are missing out.

Roshni:

I am a PC user because why wouldn’t I be? I feel like all I need to say is that it has a touch screen, which somehow Apple has not implemented into their computers. I also am a big fan of the Windows Surface model because she bendy. Mac also just makes you buy more products like the iPad when you can get a two-for-one with PC. I am also a science girly and the PC is very helpful for my scientific software. Overall, the PC is just better and there is really no argument. (I would just like to say that I, Natalie, the other news editor, wrote this Hoot Reccy for Roshni … thank you sooooooooo much Roshni). 

Christine:

I like Apple; I’ve been using Apple my whole life. As a humanities girl, I don’t need any fancy technology and weird-folding mechanisms. I like the simple and neat design of MacBooks, and the essentials (keyboard, monitor) are incredibly well-executed. 

Logan:

Okay, so the argument that people will sometimes give for why they prefer Mac over Windows/PC is that the Mac user interface is a lot nicer to look at and easier to understand. This is totally fair, and is intentionally part of the appeal of Mac computers and Apple products in general. The thing is, I actually see it the opposite way. I love the Windows interface—it’s neat, organized and easy to navigate, in my opinion. I find the Mac interface to be a little too smooth-looking and “bubble-y” for my taste. With further updates, the Windows interface has definitely been shifting to a more Mac-like look and feel, but the middle ground that it finds itself in now is actually something I’m a big fan of.