Viewpoint by Marley Malenfant/se news editor

Companies competing with each other but not offering their consumers anything new is silly.

Pepsi and Coke taste the same. Can Subway and Quiznos make my sandwich a foot longer?

Google and Bing must be working together because their search engines are similar.

It seems when companies are trying to one-up each other, they end up being mirror images. There is no originality.

Take the debate about which is the better computer: a PC or a Mac.

The commercials with the chubby guy representing the PCs and the younger guy representing the Macs might get a laugh or two, but they give no details for determining which is a better computer.

And people shouldn’t depend on a commercial to make a decision.

People looking to buy a new computer can do a little research and see there isn’t much of a difference between Macs and PCs.

According to Popular Mechanics, most of the hardware PCs and Macs use is the same. Both computers use the same processors, and both buy hard drives and graphics cards from the same small pool of suppliers.

What a computer purchase really comes down to is this: How does the computer perform? Is it user-friendly? How long will the computer last compared to the cost? 

For example, the issues with the 2007 Windows Vista software could cause people to switch to Macs. Microsoft has a new Windows 7 program, but Vista’s slow software left PC users with nightmares.

With PCs, you don’t have to use the Windows software. Buying new software and parts is cheaper for PCs.

Although software can be purchased through other companies, with a Mac, all parts run through Apple. This can leave Mac users frustrated if they’re looking for specific hardware.

Both computers have their ups and downs. Choosing a computer comes down to personal preference.

This is something to think about when looking for a computer. Keep all options open.

Be a trendsetter, not an ad rat.