Macs? Not That Good. Windows Vista? Not So Bad.

With one exceptional criticism, I’ve been uncharacteristically silent about this issue. Macs are not as good as they used to be.

I’ve been using a new HP Windows Vista PC for almost a month. Guess what? Vista isn’t so bad.

Heresy, you say? Maybe not. I don’t think Windows Vista is better than Mac OS X Leopard, or even Tiger. Once a product has been on the market for awhile, a reputation grows, not always reflective of reality.

Vista’s reputation is carried over from Windows XP, the Swiss cheese of desktop operating systems, with more security holes than the Bush Administration.

That reputation is one of a buggy piece of software which isn’t fully backwards compatible, full of glossy eye candy, and requiring some modern, capable hardware to make it run decently.

How does that reputation compare to Mac OS X Leopard, which is loved by the Microsoft-bashing media and described as God’s gift to computer users everywhere (those who can afford it).

To hear the media pundits tell it, OS X Leopard is ultra modern, ultra secure, never crashes, runs only the coolest apps, is easier to set up, easier to learn, easier to maintain.

My view of reality is much different. To be honest, Apple’s recent Intel Macs and OS X Leopard are the two buggiest products the company has unleashed on customers in over a decade.

I’ve gone through five Macs in less than two years, and all of them have caused me constant problems; bad displays, bad keyboards, bad motherboards, bad hard drives, bad OS.

Bad OS? Yes, without question, OS X Leopard is the buggiest OS Apple has disgorged since about Mac OS 8.5, which, remarkably, was an improvement over the old System 7 Crashobot.

All one has to do is be honest with the day-to-day experience, check out Apple’s own support discussion message boards, read sites like Macintouch, and see that Apple is skating on the edge with every new product that goes out the door.

Don’t even get me started on the bug of all bugs, iPhone OS 2.0.

For a few weeks I’ve been using a brand new HP desktop running WIndows Vista, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Creative Suite 3. What’s the early verdict, Kate?

Windows Vista gets a bad rap. In three weeks it’s never crashed, each printer works fine, ditto for the scanner, and no viruses or spyware. Software? The similarities between Windows Office and Mac Office, as well as Adobe’s Mac vs. Windows suites, is scary. They’re virtually the same.

My summary point is basic. The Mac (Macs, OS X) gets a good reputation that probably isn’t fully deserved, while Windows Vista gets a crappy reputation that probably isn’t fully deserved, either.

I don’t have any more problems with nearly a month of using Vista, while my Apple products have driven me nuts with quirky little problems all over the place. Can you say MobiileMe? iPhone OS 2.0?

I love the Apple story. I love the quality craftsmanship of my Mac; OS X is easier to use than Vista.

But I’m tired of all the problems that Apple’s products have foisted on me. I tried a competitor’s product and I can honestly say that Macs are not quite that good, and Windows Vista is not quite that bad.

Should I switch? I’m thinking about it.