Windows PC, iPad, or MAC?  Never before has the consumer had so many excellent technology offerings.  But what’s the smart, budget conscious option?  Answer – Unless you live and work with extreme autonomy buy the most common device in your human circle.  And by that I mean the people that you communicate with, share data with, transfer documents to, or share entertainment with on a daily basis?  Compatibility should be your number one priority.  If your parent, boss, work group, and kids all have PCs and you buy a MAC good luck transferring even a simple word document. 

But aren’t there some of these devices that are simply technologically better than the others.  NO!  Really, that’s marketing crap.  They all are so unbelievably sophisticated and intelligent I am still surprised when I wake up every day and they haven’t reproduced and taken over the world. 

But the MAC has less security issues and never breaks down, isn’t it a better choice?  NO!  That’s another marketing myth.  Why would you believe MAC developers are somehow that much more intelligent than PC developers?  Spammers, Hackers and the rest of the evil doers attack where they can affect the most number of people.  The PC still dominates the market share globally so it is targeted by more viruses and malware thus giving the impression that it has weaker security.  As the MAC grows in market share, it will undoubtedly receive more attention from the “dark side”.

The MAC and the iPad are so easy and unencumbered to use.  They never need patches, security installments, and downloads that only computer nerds can understand.  They are expensive to buy initially but then you rarely have to call your dreaded computer guy.  True enough.  They work so well because they only use proprietary software and peripherals.   That’s one of the great things about belonging to the “Apple” world.  If you don’t venture out of your world, your life will be technologically breezy and carefree.  But try sharing an excel document that you made on your iPad over the weekend with your PC friends at work on Monday morning.  OMG!  I would love to have a nickel for every minute spent huddled over two computers trying to get the same document open on both!  Inevitably, there’s some smarty pants in the group that will cite the documentation that ensures full compatibility.

So here’s the truth.  You wouldn’t expect the manufacturers of the Lexus to design their electronic software so that it would work with a GMC Truck right?  So why do we expect software developers to be that generous.  The giants that make hardware and software do so for a profit not to make the world a more shared experience for us all.  I will say it again; compatibility should be your number one consideration.

Mark Spoonauer of Laptop Magazine just released an excellent article on the new Windows 8 possibilities.   Since Microsoft has not released Windows 8 yet, there is still a lot of speculation as to the software features and hardware but you can bet it won’t plug into the AC adapter for your iPad! 

Bottom line, you can’t make a wrong decision technically because they are all superior products.  Sharing your ideas and work should be the focus of your decision process.