Should You Choose a Mac or PC for Your Small Business?

Macs and PCs are different, not just in the way they look, but in the way they operate. This may sound obvious to you, but choosing the right one for your small business can make things a lot easier and more efficient. It is only when comparing them side-by-side and considering your business needs that you figure out the one that works best for you.

What You’ll Get With a Mac vs. a PC:

Macs are aesthetically pleasing and when it comes to design, the average PC can’t compete.  In addition, Macs are more expensive and for a good reason: they have great quality design and even some Intel-based Macs can run Windows. 

Most small business don’t run graphically intense software. Most likely, you draft documents, store files and data, and create presentations for employees and clients- and this is what makes a difference for small-business owners and compels them to choose PCs over Macs.  

The Benefits of Using a PC for a Small Business 

Unlike Macs, PCs offer more variety. Apple is very selective with regard to distributing their product and they manufacture both the hardware and the software. A PC, on the other hand, can be manufactured by almost any company: Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba, to name only a few. The variety of manufacturers ends up leaving consumers with more choice with PCs than with Macs. It’s a myth that Macs are automatically better and don’t get infected with malware, because small businesses can invest in high-end PCs that run efficiently and offer long-lasting quality.

A PC will integrate the software you use more easily. Even though some Macs can run Windows and Microsoft Office, it doesn’t mean that all of the applications such as PowerPoint, Excel, or Publisher will run exactly the same as on a PC. If your business relies on these applications, then it’s simpler to buy a PC, especially when Microsoft offers packages such as Microsoft Office 365, which comes with cloud service. One last thing to consider is the possibility that many of your clients will also operate with a PC, so sharing the same operating system will likely facilitate your communication or file-sharing.

With a PC, you may get better hardware compatibility. The same companies that manufacture PCs also manufacture hardware like printers and scanners. Although Macs can also use such hardware, it may be easier for a small-business owner to troubleshoot and fix an issue when his or her printer is manufactured by the same company as his or her computer.

 Ultimately, what you are looking for in a computer depends on what kind of business you have. Without doubt, a small-business owner who seeks variety in product and software (and wants to rest assured that he or she can effectively share files with customers or partners) will go with a PC. While the landscape can change in the future, for now it looks like PCs have everything that professional business owners need: a suite of office tools to draft and publish all kinds of documents, better software and hardware compatibility, and just the sheer volume of users in the small-business world.