For investing, PCs are hands-down winners vs. Macs
— -- Q: What's a better computer for online investing, a PC or a Mac?
A: Well, you did it. You opened a surefire can of contention.
Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken so long for someone to ask this question. Apple's advertising campaign railing against people who use PCs using Microsoft's Windows has been funny, and relentless. So, it's only natural for investors to wonder whether a PC or an Apple Mac computer is best for them.
And while PCs running Windows outsell Macs 30 to 1, based on an estimate by Microsoft's CEO in a company memo, Apple's recent momentum is hard to deny.
The biggest point to make, for an online investor, is that you'll most likely be fine with either a Windows PC or a Mac.
Both will run Web browser software, allowing you to complete 99% of the investing and money management tasks you'd want to do. Just about every online brokerage website is compatible with all the major browsers, and the operating system you're running means nothing at all. I know of several high-powered stock research firms that use both PCs and Macs.
With that said, at this point I prefer Microsoft's Windows operating system, Windows Vista in particular. Windows has the edge from my perspective for online investors in several aspects, including:
•Cost. When it comes to investing, you want to keep your costs down. As investors we've been trained to reduce the commissions we pay, limit ourselves to low-cost mutual funds and reduce our capital gains taxes. Why then, should you overpay for a computer?
Let's take an example. For less than $500, you can buy a Compaq Presario CQ50Z laptop. It comes with a 1.9 GHz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of memory, an Nvidia GeForce graphics card, 120 gigabyte harddrive and wireless networking. A capable machine by today's standards and more than adequate for an online investor, for less than $500.
Now, let's see what's available from Apple. You'll need to spend at least $1,099 for a MacBook, which comes with the same memory and hard drive. The MacBook has a slightly faster microprocessor, 2.1 GHz, but you won't notice the difference if you're just Web surfing.
In this case, you save $600 that could be invested in stocks instead of sent to Cupertino. And this is just one example.
•Device diversity and freedom of choice. Dozens of companies build computers that run Microsoft's Windows, including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and Sony. But the list doesn't stop there. There's an innovative Asian PC maker, Asus, which is making interesting miniature laptops called the Eee. The Eee weighs just two pounds, is about the size of a tissue box and costs less than $300. These tiny PCs could be great machines for online investors on the run. Then there are even smaller PCs, like the FlipStart, which runs Windows too.
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