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Why a Mac and not a PC

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I have both and need both. The MAC OS is more intuitive; it's easier to troubleshoot when (on the rare occaision) something goes wrong. Worst case scenario, you can re-install the OS in under an hour. You cannot do that with Windoze.

But the Mac software offerings are slim compared to PC, particularly with regard to some business and technical areas. There are web tools and software that I use at work that just don't runi or function 100% in the Mac environment.

Mac all the way for graphics and creativity. I've tried my hand at podcasting with the Mac....took 10 minutes without the benefit of a manual to make a very good podcast. Very intuitive. My experience is that where there is software for both platforms, the software works nearly identically.

Nikon or Canon. Mac or PC.....Get both!
 
Oh ok.. you mean the way F keys arrange windows in Mac OS. Tiling and cascading and such? I thought you were referring to Photoshop. I suppose that feature is sort of cool, but I figure that is what bridge is for?
Scott A.
 
I have used both. I get things done MUCH faster on the mac. It has everything to do with the user interface for me.

I don't really care for Aperture though. I like to track my files in many many ways.
 
S.A. said:
Randy Khayman said:
As for how it is easier, it would be hard to tell you unless u try
it out yourself. As an example, I can open more than 30 windows in
photoshop and use expose to lay them all on the monitor in 1 second
to make small comaprison ala like a light table. Try doing that on
a pc. This is just a very small convenience that pc users can only
dream of.
Click to expand...
Not sure what you are talking about here?, but I am interested to
know. Are you talking about bridge?
Click to expand...
Oooh, the fact you are even asking this makes me smile. It's called "Expose" and it is an Apple thing, not an Adobe thing. It works really, really well, I use it all the time:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/expose/

I tried and tried and tried...I just can't stand wind-blows.
 
...and too many others to count use Macs. Lets face it PCs are in the cubicles... millions of them.

PCs rule for gaming.
 
I do Web site development and have a PC and Mac on the table in my office, both loaded with PS. Most of the advantages to PS on the Mac are in actuality just Mac OS advantages that I'm happening to mention with respect to PS.
  • You can drag files onto the PS icon on the Dock at any time to open them. There is nothing equivalent on the PC, where PS lives in the Start menu and on the task bar (and you can't drag files onto either). Even if PS is not open you can just drag a file onto the Dock icon and PS fires right up with that file. I know on a PC you can drag images into PS once it is open--but if it's not open yet, or hidden by other windows, or minimized to the task bar, tough luck. On the Mac you just drag to the Dock icon at any time. This also works with groups of files.
  • Once you have a group of files open you can compare them easily by using Expose, which shrinks and rearranges the windows (temporarily) so you can see everything that is open. Yes the bridge can do this with photos, but Expose can do it with any window, regardless of program. Handy if you are working on a graphic to match a look in a scan, movie still, existing Web site, etc. Also very handy for showing clients multiple options on-screen. You can make changes and then Expose them to show the comparison again.
  • Macs have a magic green "right size" button on every window that makes the window the exact size of whatever it's holding. This is very useful for small images, since I often zoom to do detail work. I set the high zoom level, then click the green button, and the window pops open to the max size it can on the screen. When I'm done I re-set the zoom level to 100% and click the same green button--the window resizes to the exact size of the image. No careful clicking and dragging required. And while Windows can maximize, when you re-minimize it just comes back to the size it was before--it does not "know" how small to get. This is useful because...
  • On Macs the windows and palettes sit right on the background, which is amazingly useful for revising Web graphics. I just load the current page in the Web browser, then go back to PS. Now I can see the new graphic sitting right on top of the Web page where it will live. This is great for any situation where you need to fit a graphic into a space in another program. On Windows the PS graphic windows and palettes just sit on a grey background and this sort of comparison is impossible. The Mac floating window treatment also makes it way easier to drag images from one program to another, since you don't need to resize anything to see the background.
  • It also helps that on a Mac, windows do not have side borders at all. There are drop shadows instead, which are better because you can see through them.
  • Mac OS can take screenshots as PDFs files or as clipboard items--and you can either do a full-screen or use a key-combo to get a cursor to draw a box of what should be screen-shot. Great for grabbing graphics or making a quick PDF to send to someone. Again, works with any program not just PS.
  • I have left my Mac turned on, with Photoshop open and big files open, for days at a time with no noticable effects--true on both Macs I've had so far at work. I've had three PCs so far and they all start to get slow if PS if left open over days while I'm doing other things, sleeping and unsleeping, etc. I doubt it's a RAM thing because my current PC has 1.5 GB and my current Mac has only 1 GB.
  • The Mac OS has a central manager for color calibration, which makes it a bit easier work with multiple programs that care about color. Also, almost every Mac app is color-aware, including the Web browsers. For instance Safari looks for and applies color profiles on every image it loads.
 
S.A. said:
Oh ok.. you mean the way F keys arrange windows in Mac OS. Tiling
and cascading and such? I thought you were referring to Photoshop.
I suppose that feature is sort of cool, but I figure that is what
bridge is for?
Scott A.
Click to expand...
Actually the Bridge is a differnet thing. As an example, you have 20 images you need to color correct and one of the is the master that the others will have to be adjusted to match their tones etc. On a MAc, you can open all 20 images at once and slide between images OR lay all 20 images on the monitor in 1 second. It is more than just tiling and cascade. As a PC user, you will never quite understand the EASE of use of photoshop on a mac.

BTW, using photoshop on Mac and PC is NOT the same. Sure, the command may be almost identical, but that is like saying the feeling of firing a revolver and from a M16 is the same just because both squeeze a trgger to fire a round. Trust me, the "feel" is very different and it is much faster doing it on a mac.
 
I rest my case. He has given a more detailed advantage that I can, but at least here is the reason why working PS on a MAC is better.
 
I have 5 of them! Love the touch, but sometimes my cubicle mates glare at me because of the noise. If you need one, check at Goodwill type stores; I usually get them for less than $5.OO.
 
Are you for real?? You can only be creative with a MAC?? giggle oh, boy, maybe this applies to you ... I had a look at your photos and then it suddenly dawned to me: You are having us all on, you actually used a PC to edit the photos (quite frankly I could tell right away ...) ... and for a moment I thought you were serious, but there was so much satirical firepower in your post, read it again and you will come to the same conclusion, you are in fact a distant relative of Bil himself ...

BRW I first looked at your photos on a MAC, buth realised virtually straight away that you can only really appreciate your art on a PC ...

BTW I am using a P4 1GB RAM 1TB HDD ASUS standard of the shelf PC with Capture One (yeah, I know, cr*p ...) Photshop (cr*p ...) Macromedia .. (yeah, yeah, all cr*p ...) ... and guess what?? When I booted the system the Hard Drive didn't ask me any dumb questions either ... giggle

Dream on ... ah, yes, and I DO like your photos!!! Very creative, inspiring and very personal ... (... I mean that, but couldn't resist otherwise... )

Take care and let your LOVE for MACs not drag you down too much, life is too short to be religious about harware ...
ivan petrovsky said:
I'm a MAC guy and whenever my PC friends get to play on my
powerbook they always fall in love with its ease of use and the way
that everything just works. No dumb questions from the hard drive
when importing - it just works. Period.

As for software - sure if you're a cubicle drone, limpet mined to
some nefarious global corporation then I guess a PC is really a
necessity - so buy one. But if you're an artist, a creative
photographer then there really isn't a reason to be burdened with
inferior software and inferiorly- made hardware. You may find that
like millions of other creatives around the world that the MAC just
brings something out of you - rather like a Leica used to with many
of the Magnum photographers. (And still does in some cases!)

Cheers, Ivan

--
http://www.ivandepetrovsky.com/
Click to expand...
--
Deed, Auckland, New Zealand
D200
 
I'm so old that I still have a copy of Windows 1.0 packed away somewhere in the shed out back.

I'm so old that I remember how wonderful those Compaq Portables were. You know the ones, they looked like you hauling around a sewing machine.

I'm so old that I remember calling for Peter Norton's company for technical help and actually speaking to Peter himself. He said that he only had 10 people that worked in his company. Eight were software engineers and two were administrative. All the software engineers (including himself) had to do their time on the help line. He then proceeded to tell me how to fix the FAT on my 10 MB XT hard disk.

I am also so old that I remember how I was dazzled at the results that I could get out of an IBM 360 and key Punch cards.

I am so old that I am only one chewing out away from retirement.

More on topic, we have both Apples and PCs and I see very little difference in the two. I am not a one trick pony so I can easily shift between the two. The Mac OS is a great interface but it will not let me get close to the machine like I can do with a PC, but I find that since I went to an NT based PC environment I do that sort of thing less and less. I really like my sons iBook. It is nice and small with a lot of power. At home we have a 7 computer wireless network with both Mac's and PC's, and the only fight we had to break up was when I tried to make the wireless network secure. The Mac's stopped working. My son told me that the range of the wireless network was so limited that none of the neighbors or anybody parked in front of our house could get on line so why have the security set. So I turned it off and everything works together without a problem.
 
While I am not a "switcher" from PC to MAC, I do have both systems. I am a Graphic Designer and have used MACs for over 15 years. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of the MAC and would not hesitate to encourage people to make the switch if they were in the market for a new computer.

Especially now that the new MACs include an Intel chip that allows them to run EITHER windows or MAC OSX. So, if you already have some software for your PC, it's very likely (I can't guarantee it of course) that you would be able to run it under windows on the MAC.

MACs have been running their own version of MS Office for years. And, reviewers often grudgingly admit that the versions of that software from Microsoft actually perform better on the MAC.

One of the largest and most copied selling points of the MAC has always been its intuitive or "human" approach to working with a computer. Yes it is a little different from a PC, but the differences don't make it quirky and weird. Instead, with a very minor perspective shift, those changes make it fun! The contol over your working desktop and environment is the benchmark against which all other operating systems are measured.

I have my work/office/home setup on a wireless network that easily accommodates the windows machine and printers as well as my MACs. Painless and rock solid. Although of the total time spent setting that network up, at least 75% of it was spent getting the windows machine to work.

Aperture has been given some very good reviews. I can't speak for its ability to handle every RAW file type.

As for speed, it is at least comparable to a windows machine. It will depend on what you're running. The new chip in the Macs that allows it to run both operating systems runs best when software is written to accomodate that ability. Every important software company I can think of has either already done so, or is in the process.

I communicate every day with clients around the country who are using PCs. Emails, Word documents, Excel, Powerpoint, you name it.... no problemo.

The suite of products that come with the MAcs are wonderful. iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, etc. are easy and powerful.

MACs have always been the computer of choice for professional visual artists. In my opinion, MACs are the Leica, Linhof, Hasselblad of the computer world.

Can you tell I'm a fan?
 
Things are changing so fast, a lot of things people will say are no longer true. For example, Macs are as fast or faster now than PCs. Esepcially in laptops where you get the same or in a few cases more with a Mac for the money in terms of features.

You can run Office natively on Macs.

The major difference now is that Mac can run ANY software a PC can, but PCs cannot run Mac software. Macs can run OS/2, Linux, UNIX, eCom Workstation, and even good ol' DOS, in addition to the best OS out - OS X. But PCs cannot run OS X.

That's the bottom line. Why get anything but a Mac? Cost is probably the only issue now. And the difference for a given set of features built into Macs, cost much less than people seem to think according to non other than C~Net.

--
Eric

Ernest Hemingway's writing reminds me of the farting of an old horse. - E.B. White
 
To All that have made a comment and that have said their bit. I am now a lot wiser and have found that Mac's are only supported in our major citties here in SA, so I will have to enjoy my PC's. I have 17 in total in Both the studio's

Deon
 
There is a Mac version of Microsoft Office (which contains Word). There is actually a seperate division of Microsoft which developes software for the Mac. There may not be a version for the Intel Mac yet but the Motorola Macs work very well, especially the G5 duals and quads. Photoshop has always worked very well on the Mac platform. All major software is available for the Mac. Some software may be only available to PC's but you should be able to find software for the Mac that does the same thing. But aren't we talking about programs like Word Perfect which most people would use Office anyway?

I use both Mac & PC and there is not a big difference in performance. The biggest differences these days are in personal preference toward the OS. I personally use my Mac for things like Photoshop & Dreamweaver & use my PC to surf the net and write articles.
 
I have to agree with what you have said. I build my own PCs but us a PowerBook. My latest creation is an AMD DualCore, 4 gigs of RAM, WD Raptors, WD HDD with 16mb cache, all RAID 0, dual SLI cards that I bridge when gaming and not Photoshoping. All my parts are high end stuff, and it screams through my 60 - 200 mb Photoshop files. No problems. And still cheaper than a comparable G5 PowerPC. Yet I go with a PowerBook because I like it! I used it exclusively when I went to Italy for a whole month in June. No problems there either. People are doing well with either, just like those that go with Nikon/Canon. What's there to debate?
--
George Tseng
NAPP
PPA
Pictage.com

Serious Amateur Photographer/Previous Nikon user, now Canon and Epson User, Saint Louis, MO
Equipment on Profile
http://www.pbase.com/GTseng67
 
Oh Come On! This is the biggest pile I've ever seen!
PaulBearer said:
Only the pretentious part I fully agree with.

PC's aren't much cheaper to operate. I operate 10 of them, and
they take constant maintenance, updating, rebooting, reinstalling,
and manhours of work over the years to keep the Windows operating
system free of bugs. The hardware can be built cheaply for
desktops, and be reasonably reliable as long as you are picky about
where the parts come from and spec them out properly, but the
software is as buggy as could be.
Click to expand...
I work in this field and we operate a lot more than 10 on a daily basis! They're not hard to keep up to date and we almost never reinstall them, this isn't Windows 95, we're on XP and it is very stable as well as reliable!
PaulBearer said:
To update Windows, I often have to go through 2 or 3 reboots
because it won't update all the updates at once. It will only do
one thing, then reboot, then require you to update the next one.
What a royal pain.

Try that on 10 machines, and tell me PC's are less expensive that MACs
Click to expand...
Really? How about using the REBOOT=ReallySuppress option? You're probably not doing this for a living so the switch is more than likely not something you would use.

As for 2 - 3 reboots, I almost never have to reboot my PC at work or at home and they're both completely up to date! So you're either not updating your box for 3 years or you're doing something wrong!

--



'The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.' -- Abraham Lincoln
 
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