The home computer market has long been a two-sided coin, with consumers being divided into two groups - the proud PC camp, and the fiercely loyal Apple camp. Debate between the two sides has raged for years, in person, through the media and online through chat rooms and bulletin boards, the last of which usually degenerates into harsh words and name-calling.

So what is it about one’s choice of home computer that creates such a heated debate? A peek into the average student’s dorm room reveals an uneven mix of a handful of Apple’s iMac computers and an overwhelming number of PCs. It almost seems like an arbitrary decision, and a fairly easy choice - more software and more peripherals are available for PCs. But that doesn’t explain Apple’s tenacity to stay on the shelves for the last 20 years.

When students buy a computer, the important issues always end up what the computers get used for, and the individual strengths and weaknesses of each. This fight doesn’t always go to the most popular side.

The average user

Most students, no matter who they are, use some sort of e-mail client and instant messenger on their computers. Word processing and spreadsheets usually get thrown in the mix as well, more often than not making use of Microsoft Corporation’s ubiquitous Office suite.

Since these are all text-based applications, there’s no real discernible difference between how the PC and the Mac handle things. What it comes down to here is the user interface between the system itself and the programs that get used.

Most e-mail clients are the same in form and function. There’s always a “send” button, there’s always a “to” field, a “subject” field and a place where users type in their messages. The clients’ exact locations might differ from system to system, but it is always easy to find.

Word processors are a little bit different, as the formatting options may be placed under a menu or a toolbar that just may not be located in the same place on the other system’s version. So as users get used to their own particular setup, it becomes more difficult to move to another brand.

A.J. Somsel, a geophysics junior, uses a PC because it’s what he knows.

“I use a PC because of ignorance,” he said. “My old schools used PCs, so I started using them, too.”

Do-it yourself

But what usually lures users to a platform initially is ease of use. These days, parents often buy a student’s first computer, and that usually carries over into later purchases.

University of Michigan student and Apple user Carolyn Berger’s father first bought her an iMac because he was an Apple fan, and felt they were easy to use. His daughter has since stuck with the iMac for the same reasons.

“User-friendliness is probably one of the biggest things,” Berger said. “Apple has a pretty good help center both built-in and online, but all the controls are obvious enough that it’s really only the more complex stuff you need to look up.”

iMacs are known for being ready to work right out of the box, and are never-changing, always-constant machines. Any new additions plug easily into the back of the machine, or in one hidden slot underneath the unit.

But PCs are a hobbyist’s dream. PC enthusiasts can change, add or swap any component in their computers’ cases from the memory down to the motherboard, and some are even known to cut windows in their cases and install cathode ray tube lighting to show off their treasured components. Parts are easy to come by, and it’s cheaper than ever, giving the true computer geek something to work for.

High tech vs. high art

Some users buy their computers to perform complex mathematical computations or to investigate groundbreaking programming techniques using intricate floating point calculations and irrational numbers, and they need a lot of power in their machine to do what they want.

With that in mind, programmers turn to PCs to get their jobs done. While it’s not unheard of to do programming tasks on an iMac, the general consensus throughout most industries is that PCs are better at doing programming tasks than Macs.

Like a right-brained person compared to a left-brained person, Macs often turn up as the superior machine when it comes to working on any kind of graphics application, from Adobe Photoshop to Discreet’s 3D Studio Max. Apple’s graphics display capabilities and its proprietary monitors are usually the top of the line when it comes to graphics work.

“Try getting good colors with Windows - it’s not gonna happen,” Mike Szumlinski, MSU campus representative for Apple and 2002 graduate, said. “Plus the interface is so much more intuitive, and most artists don’t want the computer to get in the way, they just want the computer to get out of the way so they can do their work.”

Szumlinski has been a hard-core Mac user since he was young, but he said he’s made an informed decision.

“I’ve used both (Mac and PC) - just because the old Rage Against the Machine quote, ‘know your enemy,’” he said. “I know Windows really well, and I think that’s why I like Mac even more. That’s all I use for everything I do.”

But, still, some people choose Windows machine for “artistic” endeavors.

“As a music school teacher, I find PCs to have good music composition programs,” New Jersey resident Salvio Fossa said as he played a game - on the PC - in the Union Computer Lab. “I use them to compose musical exercises for my students.”

Some artists proclaim the superiority of the Mac with graphics, but still use PCs.

“I prefer using PCs for practical use,” studio art senior Tony Lindsey said. “The only time you’ll catch me using a Mac is if I’m doing something for graphic design.”