Mac vs. PC #2

Date: 27 Feb 1996 21:41:38 -0500
From: "Gavin Eadie" 
Subject: PC World says Mac OS is best !

PC WORLD RATES MAC OS BEST OPERATING SYSTEM
 
Though PC World magazine's main focus is the Wintel world (IBM-compatible
computers running Microsoft Windows software), when it does industry-wide
comparisons, it includes Apple and the Mac OS. So it's no faint praise when
the February 1996 issue of PC World (page 145) rated the Mac OS as the best
32-bit operating system--over Windows 95, Windows NT, and IBM OS/2 Warp.
 
PC World conducted tests that asked eight "typical users" to do a variety of
common tasks, then rate the operating system used on a scale of 1 to 5. The
rating categories used were disk and file management, desktop customization,
hardware and driver installation and use, and on-screen help. The composite
scores were:
 
Mac OS 7.5.2                - 3.6
Windows 95                  - 3.4
Windows NT Workstation 3.51 - 2.9
OS/2 Warp 3.0               - 2.8
 
Apple's biggest win was in the on-screen help category, where it bested
Windows 95 by a score of 4.6 to 3.4. According to the article, Apple Guide
"received particularly glowing reviews from most of our testers."
 
In its overall recommendations, PC World said, "Even with the long strides
Windows 95 has made in usability, our testers gave the Mac OS 7.5.2 a slight
edge in overall usability. The Mac also aced our graphics speed tests, one of
many strengths prized by artistic users. These virtues aren't so compelling
that you should scrap your PC, but they're reason enough to consider a Mac (or
Mac clone) when you shop for a computer." (PC World went on to say that the
100 MHz Power Macintosh 7500 completed the assigned graphics tasks "in well
under half the time of any other 32-bit OS.")
 
You can find the article on the Web at:
 
http://www.pcworld.com
 
Click the "Site Search" button, and search on the keywords Mac, OS/2, and
Windows.

Gavin Eadie // Ramsay Consulting // +1 313 665 2819
            // U of Michigan     // +1 313 936 0816

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