The Macintosh Advantage

Why Macintosh?

"Why does a Macintosh make people more productive than a PC running Windows?" There are a number of reasons, which fall into four general categories: ease of use, power, advanced multimedia, and compatibility.

• Ease of use. Right from the start, the Macintosh was designed with ease of use in mind, and Macintosh computers continue to offer unmatched ease-of-use features for every aspect of computing. The Mac OS provides context-sensitive, step-by-step assistance in the form of Apple Guide--the state of the art in on-line help. In addition, unlike the PC world, Macintosh computers feature a mature plug-and-play technology that makes expanding each computer's capabilities a simple procedure, as well as providing straightforward Internet access and powerful telephony capabilities. Three points sum up the Macintosh advantage in ease of use:
  1. Macintosh hardware and software is better integrated.
  2. DOS, with its inherent drawbacks and difficulties, is still a key part of Windows 95.
  3. Throughout its design, the Mac OS includes features that reflect Apple's focus on the user.
• Power. Power Macintosh computers offer the high-performance advantage of the RISC-based PowerPC processor. Several independent studies have shown that Power Macintosh computers generally run application programs significantly faster than comparable Pentium processor-based PCs running Windows. And this Macintosh performance power advantage is augmented by additional features:
  1. Powerful applications (thousands of 32-bit applications)
  2. Powerful system software features, such as AppleScript and WorldScript
  3. Powerful built-in hardware features
• Advanced multimedia. Multimedia is increasingly important, and Macintosh computers are way ahead of the competition in this area. While PC manufacturers are still struggling to get CD-ROMs to run properly--or at all--Apple is moving Macintosh ahead to such advanced features as three-dimensional graphics, video capture and playback, speech recognition and synthesis, and even virtual reality. Macintosh computers offer the following:
  • Advanced drawing and text features
  • State-of-the-art MIDI sound support
  • MPEG capabilities
  • Easy and advanced videoconferencing, through QuickTime Conferencing software
• Compatibility. Macintosh computer can easily fit into multi-vendor environments, and they coexist particularly well with PCs running MS-DOS and Windows. All current Macintosh computers can read from and write to DOS and Windows disks, using their built-in Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive and Macintosh PC Exchange software, an integral part of the Mac OS. And there are software solutions that let Macintosh computers actually run thousands of applications for MS-DOS and Windows. In addition, either of the PC Compatibility Cards from Apple can turn any Power Macintosh with PCI slots into a versatile system that runs MS-DOS and Windows as well as the Mac OS. There's even a computer from Apple that comes with a PC Compatibility Card installed: the Power Macintosh 7200/120 PC Compatible. Macintosh offers the following compatibility features:
  • Easy cross-platform file sharing
  • Hardware and software solutions for running applications for MS-DOS and Windows--even Windows 95
  • Easy connection to multivendor networks

  What comes with every Macintosh

• System 7.5. The popular Macintosh operating system. Imitated, but never equaled, System 7.5 makes Macintosh incredibly easy to learn and use. It runs on all Apple Macintosh computers, offering capabilities such as multitasking, virtual memory, on-screen help, and file sharing.

• PowerPC processor technology. Every Macintosh computer available today either comes with a PowerPC processor or is upgradable to take advantage of PowerPC processor technology. RISC-based PowerPC processors provide a breakthrough in price/performance value over previous, CISC-based processors. Taking advantage of these processors' power and speed, software developers have already designed more than 1,400 applications that provide new levels of performance.

• Internet connection capability. Because the Mac OS includes MacTCP, which enables Macintosh computers to communicate on TCP/IP networks, it's easy to use your Macintosh to access the Internet through the Internet application programs included with every Macintosh.

• Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI slots). The newest Power Macintosh computers feature PCI expansion slots, rather than the NuBus slots used by previous computers from Apple. PCI offers three main advantages: higher performance (up to three times faster), more solutions (because it's a computer industry standard shared with the PC world, with a number of solutions already available), and lower cost.

• An Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive. The Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive is a high-density floppy disk drive that can read from and write to Macintosh, DOS, Windows, OS/2, and ProDOS disks. You can, for example, use it to open a file that's stored on an MS-DOS disk, modify the file with a Macintosh program, and save your work back to the MS-DOS disk.

• Built-in networking ports. All Macintosh computers come with a LocalTalk port, which lets you easily connect Macintosh computers together in an AppleTalk network, and many come with built-in Ethernet ports or offer an Ethernet option. You can also connect a Macintosh to DECnet, TCP/IP, SNA, APPC, 3270, and X.25 networking environments.

• WYSIWYG. Macintosh offers "what you see is what you get" capabilities--things you create and view on the screen will appear exactly as you expect when you print them.

• Easy connection to printers. It's easy to connect your Macintosh to an Apple printer--all you need is a single cable. And if you are connected to more than one printer over a network, it's easy to select the particular printer you want to use.

• SCSI port. You can connect as many as six SCSI devices to your Macintosh--hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, scanners, and more--with no need for extra cards or connectors.

• Apple Desktop Bus. The Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) port is a built-in peripheral port for input devices--such as mouse controllers, keyboards, and graphics tablets. It lets you easily customize your Macintosh to work the way you do by adding input devices to suit your needs. All Macintosh computers offer an ADB port--and some models have two.

• Sound capabilities. Every Macintosh can play back high-quality sound. And all Macintosh models feature sound-input capabilities, so you can add voice annotation or music to your work.

• Built-in video. Nearly all Macintosh computers come standard with built-in video support. There's no need to purchase, configure, or install video cards. The Macintosh LC 580; Performa 5200CD and 5300CD series; Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC, 5260/100, 5300/100 LC, and 5400/120; PowerBook; and PowerBook Duo computers have displays built in. All other Macintosh computers have built-in support for a variety of Apple displays (on the Power Macintosh 9500/150, video support is supplied by a PCI card).

• Built-in features designed to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. Out of the box, the Macintosh is the most accessible personal computer available, offering features for individuals with difficulties in sight, hearing, and movement.