<p>For a casual user who only uses their computer for school work, facebook, email, and other basic things I’d say get a cheap PC. Macs cost a lot more compared to a PC with similar abilities. You don’t need all those fancy applications you’ll never use and you don’t need to spend $1000 on a Macbook. Afraid of viruses? Penn gives you Norton for free while avast! and AVG are online for free. If you avoid sketchy websites and emails, you probably won’t get a virus. Is it worth a few hundred dollars just so you don’t have to run Spybot/Adaware every few weeks to get rid of spyware? If you have the money, by all means get the Mac for the look so you can be cool. Most people I know with Macs just have them because they know 0 about computers and didn’t care about price. I’m a PC user who would never dream of buying a Mac. </p>
<p>I’ve used Macs a bunch at school in computer labs and my friends’. I hate Mac’s interface and find them tougher to use than PCs. I use my friends’ Macs all the time when doing school work or when I’m hanging out with them and want to check my email. I also bum around in the apple store with friends when I’m at home and have nothing better to do. While they look nice, I just feel more comfortable with a PC. I would suggest spending a few hours in a Mac store playing with the computer before buying it. Make sure you’re comfortable with it, or feel that you could be.</p>