I’ve been watching these “I’m a Mac. I’m a PC.” commercials. In the beginning I thought they were funny but they’ve reached the point where they’re essentially saying “Hey, you’re cool if you use a Mac” and “You’re not cool because you use a PC”. When exactly did the term PC become synonymous with Microsoft Windows? I’m just saying. Does “PC” automatically equate to a computer running a Microsoft operating system?

From what I recall going over the history of computers as a computer science major (seemed every class included history), there are several types of computer – super computers, mainframes, mini computers, workstations, and microcomputers also known as personal computers. These are not platforms but instead based on scale and usage. A personal computer (PC) is any computer that is meant to have one user at a time. Whether the computer is running Microsoft Windows, Mac OS or Linux it is still a personal computer.

What is commonly referred to as PCs now was once called IBM or IBM-compatible computers. I’ve always heard that IBM and Microsoft made decisions that propelled them to have the majority of the personal computing market share and Apple made decisions that caused them not to, even though they had a graphical user interface long before Microsoft even dreamed of having one. It has been generally accepted that Mac had a better product than IBM. I’m not arguing for or against that. What I am disputing is that Mac could be “versus” PC when it is in fact a PC as well.

Did Microsoft claim “PC” as their own? Or did Apple seek to differentiate itself from the Windows-based computers by calling them PCs? It’s time for some conjecture and unsubstantiated speculation. What I imagine happened was that Microsoft claimed the term PC (IBM once claimed PC to differentiate itself from other microcomputers). Microsoft does, after all, have an overwhelming majority of the personal computer operating system market. Then Apple decided to sell the belief that their product is better than the PC. I’ll agree that the Mac operating system is better than Windows but that doesn’t mean the hardware is as well. Apple has to tell us that though because their machines cost twice as much as a comparable Windows-based machine. And along with this “belief” comes some free advertising from Apple as I notice some people who own Macs are very specific about their computers. They don’t say “I’m using my laptop” but instead “I’m using my Mac Book Pro.” Instead of just saying “computer” they say “Mac mini” or “iMac”.

The thing that bothers me about Apple’s commercials as well as Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” commercials is that neither are about the technology itself. Most consumers (Mac users included) don’t even know anything about the specs of their computers nor what the full capabilities even are. What these companies are selling is lifestyle. It’s not about the technology at all – it’s about marketing. If it were about technology, it would be “Mac OS vs. Windows” or “iMac vs. Dell” and so on. If they made it about technology someone might ask why Apple would allow Windows to run on the machines via Boot Camp. That also begs the question of whether Apple will allow folks to run Mac OS on cheaper non-Apple machines which probably won’t happen soon.

Anjuan Simmons, a fellow Twitterer, says this kind of marketing works because humans are tribal by nature. He’s probably right because the Windows vs. Mac argument tends to go the same way as the Republican vs. Democrat, Redskins vs. Cowboys, Coke vs. Pepsi and any number of other heated arguments. I personally don’t understand how so much emotion gets involved in what boils down to personal preference.

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