In its strictest definition, a Mac is a PC, because PC stands for personal computer. In everyday usage, however, the term PC usually refers to a computer running the Windows operating system, not Apple’s operating system. At Lifewire, we use both for work and play, so we feel uniquely qualified to compare the two.

How is a Mac different from a Windows PC?

The Mac vs. PC showdown began when IBM, not Apple or Microsoft, was the king of the computer. The IBM PC was IBM’s answer to the booming personal computer market that had begun with the Altair 8800 and was led by companies like Apple and Commodore.

IBM was thrown a curveball when IBM-compatible personal computers, commonly known as PC clones, began to appear. When Commodore withdrew from the personal computer market, it became essentially a race between Apple's Macintosh line of computers and the legions of IBM-compatible computers, often (even by Apple) simply called PCs. As Apple put it, you could buy a PC, or you could buy a Mac.