Mmm. Macs. I’m about the biggest fanboy you’ll see, which probably means a totally biased review. This morning, on the way to work, I made the trek to my version of Mecca and walked past ground zero for Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference. I’ve been thinking about how macs make it easier for me to study Japanese, but the announcement of one particular feature on Snow Leopard (the new OS, which will cost a mere $29) has motivated me to finish this article. Here’s Mac versus PC, blow by blow, when it comes to Japanese study. Let the flame wars begin.

Writing Japanese Characters (Kanji). Mac 1 – PC 0 (Mac wins)

Snow Leopard has announced a new feature that lets you write “Chinese Characters” via the trackpad. This negates the need to have a tablet, and it gives you just one more way to practice your kanji. I know it says “Chinese characters,” but if it’s anything like the iPhone, it’s the same thing.

One of the huge disadvantages about learning Japanese on a computer is that you never have the opportunity to write (well, you could get away from your screen, but we both know that’s not going to happen). With this feature, which looks like it even features stroke pressure, you’ll be able to practice your kanji and see how it looks on the screen. If it doesn’t come up correctly, then you’ll know you write like a clown; if it does, well then, good for you.

Built-in Mic and Webcam. Mac 2 – PC 0 (Mac wins)

One of the nice things about Macs (and one of the crappy things, as well), is that hardware is standard, and there’s very little room for customization. This also means that you’ll see features across the board that you won’t see when you get a PC. Now, that’s not to say you can’t get these features on a PC, because you can, but with Macs, it’s actually really hard to get one that doesn’t have a built in Mic or Webcam.

The world is changing, and the way we are able to learn is changing as well. With a mic and webcam, there is plenty of opportunity to take live online Japanese classes, practice speaking with a language partner, and so on, which you can’t do if you don’t have one. Want to learn Japanese, you can now do so from someone who’s in Japan. Now that’s really cool.

Japanese Learning Applications. Mac 3 – PC 1 (tie)

Most learning applications are either browser-based or work on both systems. Things like smart.fm, Lang-8, NihongoUp (which I just reviewed), Anki, Rikaichan, etc., are available across all platforms.

I think that things like this are heading to the Internet and will be browser based. Now, I think I’m being nice here – we wouldn’t want to have to compare Internet Explorer and Safari. At least both have Firefox to use, though PC wins in terms of Chrome. Good job PC-folk, good job.

Language Support. Mac 4 – PC 1 (Mac wins)

Both Mac and PC have good language support for Japanese. On Windows, however, you have to go out of your way to install Japanese compatibility when installing the OS, but on Mac it’s added via the default installation. You’ll have Japanese support out of the box.

Another thing I like a little more on the Mac is the language bar. The Windows language bar kind of gets in the way, and does funny things sometimes. The Mac one is always tucked away in the top menu bar, nice and compact. I also like how the shortcut keys only take one step. On a PC, you have to activate Japanese first, then you have to switch to the correct input. One less step makes me a happy typer.

Japanese Text Rendering. Mac 5 – Windows 2 (tie)

Can’t really complain about either. I personally like the Mac’s version of Japanese default text rendering, but they’re both acceptable. Mac makes things more smooth, and I think more natural, while Windows is a little more choppy.

We’ve got a tie here, folks. It’s just text we’re talking about.

Watching Japanese TV. Mac 5 – PC 3 (PC Wins, for once)

There are a few ways to watch Japanese television via your computer, and PC’s have more options, which are often better. There’s KeyHoleTV and Gya0 for PC only. Then, there’s some other alternatives that work on both like TVU, Livestation, and Freshverse. I suppose there’s also Japanese television on Hulu for both platforms as well.

More (and better) options when you’re running a PC box. That’s all there is to it.

Final Score. Mac 5 – PC 3 (Mac Wins)

Yep, you can accuse me of bias. You can accuse me of being a mactard. Both are probably true, but I still think Macs are better for Japanese study (not to mention almost everything else… I’ll give PC’s gaming though).

So, with that, let the age-old debate begin. Macs versus PCs. Go! …and do your best to pull Japanese related stuff into the convo, if you can.

APPPLLLLEEE FANNNBOYYYY