OK. Before Windows 3.0, PC's ran DOS as the operating system. There were audio cards around then for those machines. I tried a couple of systems running on DOS and then NT. I admit I have no idea what Apple products could or couldn't do in those days beyond text and maths and perhaps a bit of midi.
If I remember correctly, the RME Hammerfall cards were designed for Windows 2000 and also came with Mac drivers. That was in 2003-ish, much later, and was a very expensive card. For most practical stereo purposes, the earlier cards were just as good, but obviously things changed between 1995 and 2003.
That was before (1978?) IBM PC's existed and I was using some weird bus system, not being able to afford the then standard s-100 bus.
That was for Windows 95. I have no idea, but presumably he was more into synths than straight recording and may well not have liked Windows 3.1. The then-current Windows was not very artistically attractive.
Hmm, I don't think I ever encountered anyone using Macs for audio recording in the early days. Acer laptops were developed from the Texas Instruments laptops and were generally excellent machines. When their factory burnt down, I understand production moved, and later models no longer had the tiny internal dedicated audio boards. The audio performance of those early machines was quite sufficient for them to be used by me to carry out tests of things like s/n ratio, distortion etc. on pro studio desks.
They perhaps are into synths etc., but I suspect there is a lot of fashion involved.
The people that I know who use Macs do so to get something that will work out of the box. That favours a well controlled hardware and software system, rather than throwing all sorts of new hardware into a box and hoping it will work. Those that I know using PC's are using them to provide basic functions, such as audio recording, plus switching, fader control, logging etc. etc. There must be some people, but I haven't met anyone developing for a Mac in the way I have seen people developing features for onboard and outboard components of a PC-based installation.
OK.
True, but as I get older and less active, I still have a bunch of audio equipment here, and still use it with a couple of laptops as well as older PC's. Full use requires different interfaces for different situations as I need to choose between balanced/unbalanced line recording, mic recording, analogue mixer, digital mixer/control surface, usb and firewire. Things I no longer do, but have installed in the past include fader starting of equipment, light switching, control of moving acoustic elements and so on. Similarly, a friend who maintained medical equipment (CAT scanners etc.) used to spend his time swearing at PC's, but never encountered Macs.
I'm winding down now, but still processing old audio material, and some family members still actively play various music and instruments. I'm no doubt very out of date with most current thinking. Maybe the Raspberry Pi will become the system of choice in future. Certainly Windows 10, with forced program and driver updates, has already been a problem to me.
I really think there's a place for Macs and PC's, and maybe one day Linux will become a contender.