Ford and Chevy. Coke and Pepsi. There's no gray area in these debates, and in the world of computers—when it comes to Mac versus PC—it's a downright duel.

What's been brewing for years among techies is now a full-blown mainstream showdown.

"The Windows-based computers are the standard," notes PC user Alex Hernandez.

"I've gone from the PC to the Mac," said Chris Christensen, an Apple convert.

"It's strange and cult-like," said Doug Boehner WFAA.com's online operations manager and Mac fan. "Once you kind of drink the Kool-Aid of the Apple product you realize: Oh my gosh, this is what a computer should have been doing all along."

The Apple crowd says it's a no-brainer: intuitive software, fewer system crashes and no viruses to wrestle.

Apple is spending millions on TV ads featuring a hip, young Mac user poking gentle fun at a bumbling, buttoned-down Windows lifer.

While Macintosh sales are projected to be up 16 percent this year, Microsoft still has more than a 90 percent market share in the American business world.

"Companies have paid a lot of money to train people for IT and security, so, for the most part, Windows has been the standard," said Alex Hernandez, a Windows backer.

Nevertheless, some companies are making the expensive switch from Windows to Mac. Plano-based J.C. Penney says it has been thrilled with its investment.

Until other businesses follow, Apple will remain be the David in this battle against Goliath—leaning on the Gen X and Gen Y crowds to lead the way.

If you're in the market for a new computer, a Macintosh computer with features and software similar to an equivilent PC will be priced about $100 to $200 more than a Windows machine.

E-mail jfarmer@wfaa.com