Of course macs are better "to normal PCs"
Custom ones rule

@MikeB

Sounds interesting, I remember now seeing some video about certain aspects of the AmigaOS. My impression then was that while it was technically quite impressive (boots fast, has lots of features), it wasn't as impressive with regards to the usability and user experience it offered. However, I haven't really used an Amiga myself though my friend had one, so I can't really say what it is like to actually use.

@heruamon

If you're going to take that route, then I'll just say that Macs are great when you want to get any actual work done. That is, unless your work is hacking your computer. But in reality, there is no need to sink to that low level that you did. Both PCs and Macs have their places and people who like them, and there are things where either one is better than the other. Is that so hard to accept?

Mac is a PC, really

Mac's are stylish but are overpriced for what you get. Operating system is up to personal preference though, not my thing personally (afterall, I enjoy compatibility) but it's up to you.

But yeah price/performance is hands down to the PC. (Also since when did macs stop being personal computers? I don't quite get it).

Mac is a briliant invention that comes with all disadvantages of console and puts them together with every disadvantage of pcs without their strong points :D

@ Plaupius

I have never been as productive on another system as I was on the Amiga. The usability was great, just insert a diskette or CD and boot straight into a game or even an app like you do on consoles (a minimal core OS was placed in a ROM).

The GUI was simple to use for newcomers to computers and AmigaOS was very modular, flexible and thus the functionality could be easily expanded to extremes for "power users".

With AmigaOS you can shut off the system instantly, likewise booting in an instant, even on the oldest 7 Mhz Amigas the system would respond to any mouse click instantly with feedback (not like with other systems when you click a button you hear the harddrive rattling but nothing happens for a while). If a system file is corrupted somehow, you can easily determine the error, you can then boot straight from CD into a preset AmigaOS and unprotect and drag&drop the needed file over the faulthy one. I think I would need to write a book if I wanted to tell you all the good ideas of the system...

I don't know if I should feel sorry for people who haven't grown up in the 80s with Amigas and with MacOS or MSDOS instead or be glad for you. It widdens one's perspective on what can be done, but also when having to deal with other systems you will often think this and that could have been done so much better/easier/productive/fun, etc.

An old video of what could be done on the lowest spec entry model Amigas in 1987:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaRkacQ-YMg

There was a brilliant comparison of the two to answer this very question on the Gadget show a few years back.

Over various criteria the two were tied till the last round.

For the last round they dropped both the mac and the PC from a first storey balcony onto concrete.

Neither faired very well but both came away with the same fault (a broken motherboard)

All other components were tested in an twin machine and proved to be working.

It came down to cost and downtime.

PC - replacement motherboard 80 bucks from local shop and two hours to fit.

MAC - replacement motherboards only available from recognised dealerships.

Machine has to be given in for repair.

Eight day wait or 200 bucks for express two day service (read Q jumping)

Ultimately 200 bucks + 300 bucks replacement motherboard and labour (500 bucks) and two days downtime.

In fairness the repair did come with a 3 month warranty

========================================================

Suffice is to say the Mac failed the last category hard.

@MikeB

Interesting video, thanks for the link! It makes me wonder what Commodore did wrong that caused Amiga to ultimately fail in the market? Was it the same thing that also slowed Macs, namely Microsoft and IBM and the clone PCs that closed system providers couldn't compete against?

One question: what was/is the security model of AmigaOS like? In your opinion, if Amiga had become the biggest platform, how easy it would have been to create viruses that spread over the internet like we saw with Windows 95 through XP?

I've never owned a Mac in my life so I may not be able to answer. I will say this however; I've never ever been tempted to move away from PC, its simply brilliant and I don't have to deal with Apple at all!

Yes. It's a hard pill for PC fans to swallow.