Why a Mac and not a PC

[Nikonsyncro]

Paid a fellow Photographer a visit and he has a new mac pro something laptop.

As a PC user and never worked on a mac I see he is using a program called Apeture to convert raw files and do basic editing to his photos. This seemed easy and good especialy all the archiving and email feutures built in.

Now I wonder am I missing something? and have the following questions

1. Can you network a mac to a pc computer and share files?

2. When one does buy a mac how many other programs come with it like word, outlook ect. or similar.

3. Is a mac of the same value realy faster and better than a pc?

4. If and when comunicating with other people via email or the internet that have pc is it a problem?

5.Does this Apeture program convert most raw files on the market?
6. How user friendly is a mac?
8. Can one customise the mac opperating system like I can with windows?

A reply from someone who has gone from PC to Mac will be apreciated

Thanks

Deon

 

[TrekSF6]

Paid a fellow Photographer a visit and he has a new mac pro
something laptop.

As a PC user and never worked on a mac I see he is using a program
called Apeture to convert raw files and do basic editing to his
photos. This seemed easy and good especialy all the archiving and
email feutures built in.

Now I wonder am I missing something? and have the following questions

1. Can you network a mac to a pc computer and share files?

yes

2. When one does buy a mac how many other programs come with it
like word, outlook ect. or similar.

Go here to answer this question: http://www.apple.com/getamac/

3. Is a mac of the same value realy faster and better than a pc?

no, usually slower

4. If and when comunicating with other people via email or the
internet that have pc is it a problem?

no

5.Does this Apeture program convert most raw files on the market?

Go here: http://www.apple.com/aperture/

6. How user friendly is a mac?

I use both and really see no difference in that regard. Many "macheads" will tell you different. I actually use Mac quite a bit more than PC because of my job. Personally, I have no preference in most cases. The only time I DO kind of prefer Mac is when it comes to font managment.

8. Can one customise the mac opperating system like I can with
windows?

Mac is pretty customizable by default. However, there is so much software out there for a PC that can help you skin and customize your OS, that I would have to say the PC is much more customizable.

A reply from someone who has gone from PC to Mac will be apreciated

I use both. At home I will always use a PC. It just makes more sense. At work, we need both. I work in prepress/desktop publishing.

Thanks

Deon

--
Scott A.

 

[Mark den Hartog]

Paid a fellow Photographer a visit and he has a new mac pro
something laptop.

As a PC user and never worked on a mac I see he is using a program
called Apeture to convert raw files and do basic editing to his
photos. This seemed easy and good especialy all the archiving and
email feutures built in.

Now I wonder am I missing something? and have the following questions

1. Can you network a mac to a pc computer and share files?

YES

2. When one does buy a mac how many other programs come with it
like word, outlook ect. or similar.

a lot! no microsoft word though...
but cd/dvd burning video editing a very good mail program a fax ...and so on
however aperture is 500 Bucks orso

3. Is a mac of the same value realy faster and better than a pc?

depends on the application

4. If and when comunicating with other people via email or the
internet that have pc is it a problem?

email is not a problem...but things like MSN/yahoo don't seem to have audio

I use skype,...which now has video on it on the windows side an not on the mac side.

5.Does this Apeture program convert most raw files on the market?

check apple.com

6. How user friendly is a mac?

very very...

hey where is Q7??

8. Can one customise the mac opperating system like I can with
windows?

I don't know,... but I also dont understand why you would want to??

A reply from someone who has gone from PC to Mac will be apreciated

Thanks

Deon

last but not least photoshop does not run well (not yet!,..next release) on these new machines unless you also install windows and run the windows version

Still, I love my mac...

and I expect a lot of people here that like the opposite,...the mac PC debate is endless

 

[Joe Mondello]

Check this thread in the DPR Mac forum

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1017&thread=19023241

Lots of discussion.

I'm a Mac user since 1984 and the very first Mac, so I am biased.
--
Cheers,
Joe

 

[PaulBearer]

I use both. At work, I need a PC because I have Microsoft specific software I need to run.

At home, I use primarily PC's, and am typing this on one because it's the desktop I use to process photos and watch TV while I do so. And I'm answering e-mail and some other stuff. I have a MacBookPro that is a wonderful machine, and for $3000 it should, and it screams - it has every conceivable option, and bootcamp so on the rare occasion I want to run my business software I can reboot.

Yesterday, however, I spent three hours explaining to my non-techy sister why she should have stayed with PC's rather than buy that cute MacBook, because her brother didn't have three house to do tech support and educate her on how to use a new computer system.

So the conversation went something like this: So I said "And who exactly is going to do your tech support, because it isn't going to be me?" and "Where are you going to get your new software like WinWord and Excel?" and "Don't tell me it was cheaper than a Dell!", and "Your copy of Photoshop won't run on it," and "No, it's not really simple, it's still a computer" and "I don't know why that game won't work under Safari and why you need to figure out how to set it to run under Rosetta because Rosetta is supposed to be automatic" and "Wouldn't it just be cheaper to get a good anti-virus on your PC than learn how to make a MAC work?"

You get the point of my frustration. For people who know how to work PC's, have software, and use them in business, have access to existing software, and friends to help solve their problems, and enough sense to come in out of the rain occasionally, keep your PC. Ditto for gamers.

If your mother or sister is getting into computers and doesn't have to run PC software, a MAC is great, because basically it is safer for them [at least now and for the foreseeable future]. There are no legitimate virus or spyware issues, and they need minimal software. If they need to buy photo editing software, there is decent stuff for both platforms. ]

Aperture is cool at $300. Lightroom, which I put on my sister's computer yesterday does the same thing and so far it's free. IPhoto will do a lot of what most people need. I they want Photoshop, it comes in a MAC version that runs fine on a MAC.

The G5 replacement for desktops should be out any week, and will be a screamer.

The notebooks are using the same chips as the best PC notebooks, and both are very fast.

These are my opinons. I use both. I have Photoshop for both because I figured out cheap ways of getting it for both. It works about the same on each, although on a desktop, I'm sure it would be better than on my MBPro, but at least I can view and tweak things.

I think Apples are really cool products. Nobody makes computers with a better cool factor. Are they better? Does Aperture work better than Capture. I don't think it does are well on RAW images, but it sure looks cool doing what it does, and makes you think it is doing magic.

Buy for looks, or buy for productivity. You pay extra for cool. Overall, I think the Apples are more bullet proof, but I don't think you will be more productive on one than on the other. It all depends.....

Let's see, I think that sums it up.

 

[Teila Day]

Paid a fellow Photographer a visit and he has a new mac pro
something laptop.

As a PC user and never worked on a mac I see he is using a program
called Apeture to convert raw files and do basic editing to his
photos. This seemed easy and good especialy all the archiving and
email feutures built in.

Now I wonder am I missing something? and have the following questions

1. Can you network a mac to a pc computer and share files?

yes

2. When one does buy a mac how many other programs come with it
like word, outlook ect. or similar.

You get "Apple Works" which is in the same league as "Micosoft Works", and has a simple spreadsheet, word processor, database, drawing and painting program, etc., etc..

Using Microsoft Office on a Mac is a wee bit different though.. there are some subtle differences in the program(s).

3. Is a mac of the same value realy faster and better than a pc?

Not really. Actually depends on what you're running, and what you're application and or computing goal is... but I doubt if you'd be able to tell a difference if using "typical" software. We do prefer Apple for graphic applications though, but thats just our preference. I feel that programs like Final Cut are easier to work with and integrate with other hardware as opposed to using AVID (industry standard) on a pc. (AVID is also avail. on Mac by the way.)

Honestly though, unless you're rendering something like "Toy Story" on your computer (a lot of graphic folks do such work), or unless you're a really serious gamer or Power user (having photoshop, illustrator and Indesign jammed packed with graphics and being on the internet at the same time up/downloading graphic files).... a simple iMAC w/2 gigs of RAM will easily suffice for most people. Read reality into a lot of silly magazine ads claiming that Apple or PC runs a particular filter (or whatever) faster than the competition... just how fast are they talking about? nanoseconds? seconds? Most is mere marketing when you put those claims test in realistic computing.

For graphics.. I find APPLE the better buy (price independent). If you're on a budget.. PC all the way!!!!

If you're the kind who likes to download.. umm.. how do I say this.. 'all kinds of w*a*r*e*z', etc., etc., and thats a major part of your computing profile, then I'd recommend PC over Mac in a heartbeat.

4. If and when comunicating with other people via email or the
internet that have pc is it a problem?

No problems. Just remember than there will be a few occasions when Mac / Apple isn't supported. I ran into a few instances when filling out several online applications for school.. the software that they used didn't support Mac. Another instance is some education videos from various colleges do not support Mac without problems... But I'm sure Mac is fairing better in that respect as time goes on.

5.Does this Apeture program convert most raw files on the market?

I don't know... but fiddling with it, I didn't find it as powerful as Photoshop CS2. Looks pretty though!!

6. How user friendly is a mac?

In my opinion, a lot better than PC.... far better.

8. Can one customise the mac opperating system like I can with
windows?

I'm not sure what you mean.. do you mean the desktop, preferences, security options, etc.. or are you talking about digging into or writing actual code, and tailoring the operating system to fit you like a glove?

A reply from someone who has gone from PC to Mac will be apreciated

We use both... side by side on a daily basis. I've pretty much made up my mind to get additional Apples for graphic applications... but I will ALWAYS probably have a ms-dos/Win based system(s) as well.

I think it would be VERY hard for you to be disappointed with a G5 processor Mac.

Teila K. Day

 

[PaulBearer]

If only because it will be old technology very soon.

Intel based MACs are the future of Apple, and the G5, although very powerful, is a dead end. The concensus is that the current MacBookPros are so much faster than the PowerBooks because they were stuck with the old architecture. When the new Intel chips hit desktops in the next couple of months, the new MACs will really scream.

And, a year from now all the new software will be made to run on them, with the old stuff gradually phasing out. Buying a G5 6 months ago may have made sense. Today, I don't think so, because Intel has announce the replacement chips, so they should be in boxes soon.

This is one of those crucial times when it is important to wait, not for laptops, but for desktops, if you are buying a MAC.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

The reality is - there is almost no difference these days between the Mac and the PC.

I have used both. The PC is much cheaper to operate, and the software is far superior.

A Mac, out of the box, comes with iLIFE (Which is their music, video, and basic photo services) and some odds and ends programs. It does not come with any office software, although there is a Mac equivalent of the full MS Office Suite. It will NOT be compatible with the new Office 2007 coming out first quarter next year.

Frankly, these days, there is very little difference in the speed, video and audio quality, or other features. THe speed on top notch PC's is about the same as that on a MAC, even though mac advertise themselves as being faster with G5. That does not prove to be true in real-life tests.

Aperture seems to be quite a nice program. By itself, it is not worth switching to a mac.

My state of the art mac powerbook laptop connected beautifully to any of the open wireless networks I would access all over the country for the year that I had it. Files shared from PC's at work to my apple often were incompatible, even though Mac advertises that they are fully compatible. You can tell that to the Marines.

I liked the instant-on (ala palm pilot) of the powerbook notebook without the minute-two delay while the PC laptops wake up after hibernating.

Other than that, I sold my mac within a year and went back to full time PC use -- especially on the laptops, they just seem faster, there is much more software available, and no matter where I go in the country I can get accessories and other items in case of emergency - not true for a Mac.

Finally - almost everything for the mac costs twice as miuch as similar items and software for a PC. I just dont understand how they can charge 2400 dollars for the current macbook pro that has FEWER features than my 1000 dollar gateway laptop that is already a year old.

They look sleek, they certainly aim to impress with their styling and the "it" factor -- but they are just impracticle in the long run.

That saying of "Once you go Mac you won't go back" is about as far from the truth as you can get - if you ask me. I managed to deal with the mac for a little over a year and I am NOT going back.

 

[Pablo Cocito]

Mac operating system has many advantage over PC, e.g if an app. crashes it wont bring the whole system down with it, you just force quit that application and the rest keeps on going just fine. And the no virus and spyware for Macs is not a small advantage. I been using Mac for 6 years and never had a virus software installed on my Mac.

I have a network at home with 4 Macs and 1 PC and they get along great.

But I wouldn't say Mac is better or worse. Just that one day you buy a Mac; you get used to it and to it's OS and than you just don't look at PCs anymore.

It's more expensive (not so much anymore) but it has better resale value. Specially the portables.

About Aperture, it was $500 but now it dropped to $300. Some love it, many hate it.

 

[PaulBearer]

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.

The basic software packages for MAC suit the needs of most computer users, and come free or cheap.

As for MS Office Suite, it's a bloated POS. I use it every day, and am not looking forward to more updates. I run versions of WinWord including 2000 through XP, and there hasn't been a significant improvement worth paying for since 2000. I use WinWord daily at work and home on all of those computers, and 2000 does virtually everything any later version does. And, my MAC 2003 version reads the files perfectly, as it does with the Excel files from the PC as well.

When my sister came to my house with her laptop, she was connected to my network within 20 seconds, and could read my MAC files in less than a minute. Try that on a PC. When I bought my new MAC, it simply asked if I had an old one, had me string a cable between them, sent me out for a beer, and transferred all my files and programs from the old to the new while I watched TV and contemplated my navel. Try that on a PC.

When I installed a new version of PSCS, my old version was installed on the old notebook under OS9, and I couldn't find the disk. All I had to do was hook up the cable and point to the old computer and it immediately recognized that I had it installed, and there I was, up and running. Try that on a PC.

For some things, the MAC is faster on the same processor, and I think we'll see that when the desktops arrive running the same chips. That's because Windows is bloatware at its worst. It takes millions of lines of code to do simple tasks, and the MAC doesn't. It's just a huge conglomeration of stuff pile on top of old stuff, crammed into boxes of junk, its a wonder it works at all.

There is a ton of basically useless software available for the PC that isn't avialable for the MAC [games excluded, but I can't see the fascination of games, so I'm excluded]. So, the choice is limited.

But who cares if there are 300 word processing programs if everyone uses WinWord? Or 20 photo processing programs if everyone uses Photoshop or Lightroom? Oh, that last one doesn't come for PC's yet. Sorry. Aperture? It's a great program for people who don't want to do really creative things with their photographs, but want them to look really good. And want to feel good doing it. It only works on MAC, and there is nothing comparable.

The open source community has been cranking away trying to make things work on both platforms, and UNIX as well. Firefox works on MAC, GIMP works on MAC, and who knows whether MS Office will ever ship, and if there will be a MAC version. Who knows if Vista will ever ship - wasn't it originally code-named "Long in the Tooth" or something like that?

Sorry you didn't stick. I can go both ways, and be objective about both products as I demonstrated in my prior post, I just don't buy into the idea that PC's are the be all and end all, or that they are so cheap.

I never get a virus, and never think about updating my virus program. I never have to run spyware checkers, and don't have either spinning away eating up resources in the background.

The most annoying thing is that occassionally a little window will pop up and say that one of the Apple programs has an update and ask if I want to update it. I hit the OK button, it does its thing, usually asks me if I want to restart, and I say yes, and it comes right back on.

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

 

[PaulBearer]

the pretentious guy, not the OP...

 

[Anastigmat]

If your mother or sister is getting into computers and doesn't have
to run PC software, a MAC is great, because basically it is safer
for them [at least now and for the foreseeable future]. There are
no legitimate virus or spyware issues,

People who write malicious software want it to spread, and it is tough for those viruses and spyware to spread if very few people have the operating system that is vulnerable to the attack. It is not that Mac OS is virus proof or anything like that, just that those who write malicious software wants to write them for the most popular platforms. If the Mac ever becomes more popular, then it will have its own share of virus problems.

 

[PaulBearer]

But the MAC system is safer, not completely safe, but inherently safer.

Don't you think that the guy who invents the first virus that actually infects the MAC would be an instant "celebrity"? That would be enough reason to do it.

If 16 year old kids are working day and night to decode HDTV encoding, there are wizards in Pakistan and Russia trying to write a virus to MAC that doesn't require you to enter your password to install on a MAC.

Maybe Vista will fix that, but I doubt it. MAC is too popular, and has made too much money claiming to be virus and spyware free to go unnoticed by hackers. It just doesn't have the same vulnerabilities built into Microsoft at the factory.

 

[win39]

Not one message on the ability of a new Mac to run Windows natively just by rebooting. There is no reason to give up software you love or just need on a PC. You will need a copy of Windows to install on it though. Really the best of both worlds and the best customer support several years running.

 

[Pablo Cocito]

Not one message on the ability of a new Mac to run Windows natively
just by rebooting. There is no reason to give up software you love
or just need on a PC. You will need a copy of Windows to install on
it though. Really the best of both worlds and the best customer
support several years running.

Yeah you are right. I installed Windows XP pro as soon as bootcamp became available and I even forgot I have it installed. I haven't booted on Windows in the last two months and it's taking 20 precious Gigs of my HD space.

Oh, every time I boot on Win I spend my time updating all the virus/spyware stuff and getting messages that my computer is under risk...

 

[TrekSF6]

But the MAC system is safer, not completely safe, but inherently
safer.

Don't you think that the guy who invents the first virus that
actually infects the MAC would be an instant "celebrity"? That
would be enough reason to do it.

If 16 year old kids are working day and night to decode HDTV
encoding, there are wizards in Pakistan and Russia trying to write
a virus to MAC that doesn't require you to enter your password to
install on a MAC.

Maybe Vista will fix that, but I doubt it. MAC is too popular, and
has made too much money claiming to be virus and spyware free to go
unnoticed by hackers. It just doesn't have the same
vulnerabilities built into Microsoft at the factory.

Actually, we have had to take steps to keep viruses out of our Macs, because the kiddies are starting to write them for the Mac OS. It's a heck of a lot more fun to write them for PC because there are so many, but apparently they are bored...
--
Scott A.

 

[TrekSF6]

Mac operating system has many advantage over PC, e.g if an app.
crashes it wont bring the whole system down with it, you just force
quit that application and the rest keeps on going just fine. And
the no virus and spyware for Macs is not a small advantage. I been
using Mac for 6 years and never had a virus software installed on
my Mac.

You can also force quit and application on PC by hitting cntrl+alt+del.
I have never had any antivirus software on my PC and haven't had a problem.

But I wouldn't say Mac is better or worse. Just that one day you
buy a Mac; you get used to it and to it's OS and than you just
don't look at PCs anymore.

I work on Macs way more than PC and I can easily say that I would never buy a Mac for home use. You can get a more powerful, compatible machine for MUCH less money. And they are more stable imo.

About Aperture, it was $500 but now it dropped to $300. Some love
it, many hate it.

Adobe Lightroom is coming out soon. From what I have seen, it will be very much the same kind of sortware as Aperture

I guess I am sort of biased toward PC. Only because it makes sense. Plus I really like the options for upgrading and building my own system. Mac people just buy a whole new system when they want to upgrade. PC people, get a new motherboard and cpu. Also, PC people have so much more software and hardware to choose from.

--
Scott A.

 

[Irwin]

I see that there is an Office 2004 for Macs. Would I be able to read Word files from that on a Office 2003 program. Thinking whether I should change my work computer to a MAC. My home computer (PC) is new so I wouldn't want to change it but would like to read my Word and Excel documents on a PC.

 

[TrekSF6]

I see that there is an Office 2004 for Macs. Would I be able to
read Word files from that on a Office 2003 program. Thinking
whether I should change my work computer to a MAC. My home
computer (PC) is new so I wouldn't want to change it but would like
to read my Word and Excel documents on a PC.

Honestly... I spend way too much time on computers. I spend 8 hours a day doing nothing but finding better ways to process files from customers so we can do a better job of printing their publications. There really is no advantage to either platform. If you have a Mac, be happy with it. If you have PC, be happy with it.
--
Scott A.

 

[Pablo Cocito]

Mac operating system has many advantage over PC, e.g if an app.
crashes it wont bring the whole system down with it, you just force
quit that application and the rest keeps on going just fine. And
the no virus and spyware for Macs is not a small advantage. I been
using Mac for 6 years and never had a virus software installed on
my Mac.

You can also force quit and application on PC by hitting
cntrl+alt+del.
I have never had any antivirus software on my PC and haven't had a
problem.

But I wouldn't say Mac is better or worse. Just that one day you
buy a Mac; you get used to it and to it's OS and than you just
don't look at PCs anymore.

I work on Macs way more than PC and I can easily say that I would
never buy a Mac for home use. You can get a more powerful,
compatible machine for MUCH less money. And they are more stable
imo.

About Aperture, it was $500 but now it dropped to $300. Some love
it, many hate it.

Adobe Lightroom is coming out soon. From what I have seen, it will
be very much the same kind of sortware as Aperture

I guess I am sort of biased toward PC. Only because it makes sense.
Plus I really like the options for upgrading and building my own
system. Mac people just buy a whole new system when they want to
upgrade. PC people, get a new motherboard and cpu. Also, PC people
have so much more software and hardware to choose from.

--
Scott A.

Yeah I guess you are almost right I will never go back To PC because I even forgot how to work on it. But my son is a PC guy and he's buying graphic cards and power supplies and who knows what else. He's happy with his PC. Sometimes he has some deep trouble with it and I make fun of him But Macs aint perfect... I have to send mine in with a fan noise...

I only buy the PowerBook line of Mac (now called MacBook Pro) and I might also be biased towards Mac here but there is no portable as powerful and reliable as this Mac in a 1" thick package in this planet (lol). Oh and let's not forget design very stylish.

One other thing in favor of Mac: My wife isn't a computer gal; she was always lost on her PC. I bought her an iMac and I'm amazed at how she has her computer organized. She finds everything. Os X is very user friendly. I guess you PC guys are going to have a taste of it now when Vista comes out.

Best Regards.