Difference between PC and mac?

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Level 2

446 points

Difference between PC and mac?

With the Intel-based macs, we can install Windows on a mac and run it as if it's running on a PC. That leads me to a question. What exactly is the difference between PC and mac? I know they are different on the OS, but that's just on a software level, which I don't think constitutes the difference. The hard drives are formatted differently on both machines, I know, but we can still use the same hard drive for both a PC or a mac, we just have to format it the right way. So what really is the main thing that constitutes the difference between a PC and a mac? Putting it this way, I can run PC on a mac, can I do it the other way round? Can I install a Mac OS 10.5 on a pure PC made by companies like hp or Dell (or I can easily make one on my own) with an Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad processor, and run the machine like it's a mac?

iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 17" 2GHz (on 10.4.11) + MacBook 2.2Ghz White, Mac OS X (10.5.5), iPod nano 3rd gen, iPhone 2G

Posted on Oct 24, 2008 7:42 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 24, 2008 7:46 AM in response to Leiya Lee

The main logic board. its firmware, and the graphics board firmware are different.

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Answer 2

Oct 24, 2008 8:24 AM in response to Leiya Lee

Hi Leiya Lee;

You asked; "Can I install a Mac OS 10.5 on a pure PC made by companies like hp or Dell (or I can easily make one on my own) with an Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad processor, and run the machine like it's a mac?

You can not do that legally since the license states that the operating system will be installed on Apple hardware.

While some have managed to hack things so that they can install OS X on a PC, the results have been not very reliable. Generally OS X has many part that do not function properly. The system also is not capable of being updated. For these reasons it is considered a less then desirable hack.

Allan

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Answer 3

R C-R

Level 6

17,782 points

Oct 24, 2008 9:01 AM in response to Allan Eckert

Allan Eckert wrote:
While some have managed to hack things so that they can install OS X on a PC, the results have been not very reliable. Generally OS X has many part that do not function properly.

It doesn't work well because the Mac hardware itself is different from what is found in any other Intel-based computer. Even the CPU's & support chips are not off-the-shelf Intel parts but variants optimized for Macs that are not available to other computer makers or to DIY enthusiasts.

This is probably why for a time in 2007 the 'fastest Windows notebook on earth' was a MacBook Pro, as tested by PC World, a fact touted for a while in Apple TV ads. (It lost that title to a more conventional Wintel laptop about a month later, but the new champ cost over $5000, had "almost nonexistent" battery life, & weighs over 11 pounds, which should give you some idea of the advantages an Intel-Apple collaboration has over the competition.)

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Answer 4

nerowolfe

Level 6

13,090 points

Oct 24, 2008 9:03 AM in response to Allan Eckert

Allan
As an aside, Apple does a reasonably good job of supporting Leopard with updates, patches, drivers etc. And the same for most 3rd-party software. This is mainly because the hardware platforms are also under Apple's control.
Imagine the problems that would occur if Apple decided to expand their reach into the other world?
I give MS some credit for building an OS that does run on many different platforms, but Apple has decided to limit the hardware base to a very small and specific set of parameters. It's their business model.
Imagine what these boards would be like if OS-X were running (legally, of course) on all the PCs in the world? I can't imagine that. Apple is unique in that they are both a hardware and software vendor. MS does not make computers. That is the difference. And it is a great one.
I would not want or want to pay for a bloated OS that ran on everything. I like niche products.

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