What kind of Computer to buy

[Village Idiot]

All of that advantage goes away once you figure in all of the extras in Mac OS X that Windows doesn't include at any price, and the stuff that you don't need in Mac that you do in Windows, such as...

- Adobe PDF writer built-in to Mac, which I consider essential. Not essential, but it's extremely useful and the full professional version of Acrobat for windows to let you do the same thing isn't cheap.

- Built-in color calibration utilities. Saves another hundred or two or three right there, and this is essential for photography.

- No antivirus needed, and these things have yearly $80 subscriptions. that adds up over time. Even if you can get it for free through your ISP, it still drags down your system performance and hogs up resources.

- No anti-spam/spy/whatever-ware filtration software needed.

- If you get an iMac, the screen is outstanding for photography and has very good and neutral color. PC screens can be all over the map, and some are so bad that they can't even be calibrated properly for photography.

That's the big stuff, but there's more, and it all adds up. Oh yeah, the free iWork package, and numerous other packages within Mac OS X that have no equivalent in Windows that you'd have to buy additional software for as well.

-Color calibration that's still not as accurate as using a device like the Huey.

-AV software is not needed on a PC if you know what you're doing and if you are running it and it's setup right, it's not a resource hog.

-Same with adware.

-There was an article that said calibrating MB, MBP, and iMac screens were extremely difficult. Plus if you want to upgrade from a 22" monitor to a 24" monitor, it's $500 if you're using a computer that can use an external monitor, it's $1500 if you're using an iMac. Also, you're limited to 24" on an iMac. I can run any 30" monitor with any of my other computers in the house.

I don't know if they've changed something, but OS X comes bundled with iLife. iWork is still extra.

 

[frXnz kafka]

All of that advantage goes away once you figure in all of the extras in Mac OS X that Windows doesn't include at any price, and the stuff that you don't need in Mac that you do in Windows, such as...

- Adobe PDF writer built-in to Mac, which I consider essential. Not essential, but it's extremely useful and the full professional version of Acrobat for windows to let you do the same thing isn't cheap.

- Built-in color calibration utilities. Saves another hundred or two or three right there, and this is essential for photography.

- No antivirus needed, and these things have yearly $80 subscriptions. that adds up over time. Even if you can get it for free through your ISP, it still drags down your system performance and hogs up resources.

- No anti-spam/spy/whatever-ware filtration software needed.

- If you get an iMac, the screen is outstanding for photography and has very good and neutral color. PC screens can be all over the map, and some are so bad that they can't even be calibrated properly for photography.

That's the big stuff, but there's more, and it all adds up. Oh yeah, the free iWork package, and numerous other packages within Mac OS X that have no equivalent in Windows that you'd have to buy additional software for as well.

I really want to let this thread go, but you Mac fanboys keep spreading these horrible lies. Adobe PDF writer? Fine. But honestly, how many people need that? And for what it's worth, MS Word will save your document as a PDF. Built-in color calibration? PCs have that too, it's just not called Color Calibration. Besides, software calibration isn't the way to go for photography. I'm not even going to touch the virus/spam software, because I already have in this thread. I'm sure the iMac screens are fine, but I HATE HATE HATE glossy screens. The only thing they're good for is watching movies in dark rooms. And also, "PC screens" are also used on Macs, so again completely invalid argument.

 

[Mav]

I really want to let this thread go, but you Mac fanboys keep spreading these horrible lies.

OMFG I'm a "Mac fanboy" now? Whatever!

I ran Windows for years. I still run windows and there are still things I like better in Windows. I just prefer Mac for my own personal use at home because of less BS, like plugging and unplugging USB devices causing trouble and crashes all the time. Why the fawk can't MS get that right?

Adobe PDF writer? Fine. But honestly, how many people need that?

I consider it essential and have used it for years. The fact that Apple gives it to you as part of the OS saves me money period.

And for what it's worth, MS Word will save your document as a PDF.

Does Word come bundled with Windows? No. Talk about irrelevant arguments...

Built-in color calibration? PCs have that too, it's just not called Color Calibration.

You're right, it's not called that because it's NOT "calibration". They have some odd color management system but it won't calibrate your screen like Mac will.

Besides, software calibration isn't the way to go for photography.

Really? Seems to work perfectly fine on both my Mac and my old PC screen which I run at the same time. Windows gave me no built-in tools whatsoever to calibrate the screen with. Woulda had to go out and buy a colorvision spyder or something.

I'm not even going to touch the virus/spam software, because I already have in this thread.

Don't need it on Mac, at least not yet. And I think if you're running a Windows PC and are not running AV software you're nuts, especially if you're hooked up on a network. I've had network borne viruses hose up my wife's laptop and she didn't even have to click on anything to get infected.

I'm sure the iMac screens are fine, but I HATE HATE HATE glossy screens. The only thing they're good for is watching movies in dark rooms.

Nonsense. They're great for photography and give you nice rich colors and deep blacks unlike non glossy screens. Yeah they have more glare, but that's easy to deal with.

And also, "PC screens" are also used on Macs, so again completely invalid argument.

DUH, I use one on my iMac too from my old PC, and unlike Windows, Mac actually has the built-in tools to calibrate it so that photos look the way they're supposed to on that one too.

Lastly, since I switched to Mac:

- the amount of swearing at the computer has gone down to virtually zero which is drastic, because I used to swear at my PCs a lot. My wife will back me up on that

- have never had even a single system crash vs lots of BSODs on Windows. Heck, I don't even know what a system crash looks like on Mac!

- when an application hangs in Mac it never takes the whole system down with it. The Windows 9x kernel was horrible with that. NT/2k/XP were better, but the whole system would still go down from time to time.

- when an application hangs in Mac, hitting Quit or Force Quit in the equivalent of the task manager most certainly will get rid of it. NT was pretty good about this, but things go a lot worse from 2k onwards.

- already noted, but I get consistent USB attach/detach operation in Mac vs non-stop attach or detach issues in Windows all the freakin time. Plugging and unplugging a digital camera, external HD, or USB memory key multiple times per day quickly drove me to the edge. I still remember the Comdex video of Bill Gates demonstrating Windows 9x's great new USB support and then the thing BSODed on him right at the convention! :lmao: They still don't have it right.

- due to the fact that Apple builds all the hardware and software, they have much tighter control over what goes into their systems and know exactly what all of their configurations are, and thus can have far better quality control, which gives you a ton less crashing and better system reliability all by itself. The openness of the PC platform has its benefits (custom system building, insanely fast processing and graphics in very cheap packages), but all of the variability makes things more crash prone and less reliable.

- I have yet to have an issue with an Apple going to sleep or coming out of sleep mode, vs issues all the time on Windows. In fact power management in the BIOS is one of the very first things I would always disable because it always caused problems, and never seemed to work correctly on my laptops

- In Apple you never have 3 different applications all trying to control the same thing and all conflicting with each other all at the same time like you can have on Windows. I dare not touch anything in the network configuration on my wife's laptop, because there's the Cisco tools that need to run, the built-in IBM tools that need to control something else, and then the built-in Windows stuff controlling another part. The last time some idiot tried to "improve" something on her laptop, it took me three days worth of spare time to get it working again. Pure nonesense. Admittedly, half of this is poor OEM setup, but then again they needed to add in the extra stuff because the built-in windows tools weren't good enough in the first place.

- a lot more but I'm just too lazy and don't care enough to bother typing anymore. Mac just plain works for me better, requires less upkeep, I get more work done, with less aggravation, and I like it better.


But yup! It's all lies I tell ya! LIES!!! :lmao::hail:


I still use both Mac and Windows DAILY. Windows at work, and Mac and Windows at home. Fanboy for sure.


I'm done.

 

[cdanddvdpublisher]

A lot of Mac/PC debates come down to one thing: personal preference. Of course, that being said, some of what should determine which you buy comes down to what you do.

I have a Mac desktop and a Macbook, but when I started editing more websites, I went out an bought a PC laptop and, even though it has Vista it hasn't given me any problems. When I'm typing out some quick documents, I head to the PC because there are fewer translation issues; when I'm editing pics or working with photos and other art, I go to one of the Macs.

 

[asfixiate]

I assume everyone here has jobs where they can use a computer all day?

 

[Village Idiot]

I assume everyone here has jobs where they can use a computer all day?

Frankly, I don't understand what would give you that crazy idea.

 

[asfixiate]

LOL...I just wonder how much work is not getting done right now with these 8 hour conversations.

 

[Village Idiot]

A lot of Mac/PC debates come down to one thing: personal preference. Of course, that being said, some of what should determine which you buy comes down to what you do.

I have a Mac desktop and a Macbook, but when I started editing more websites, I went out an bought a PC laptop and, even though it has Vista it hasn't given me any problems. When I'm typing out some quick documents, I head to the PC because there are fewer translation issues; when I'm editing pics or working with photos and other art, I go to one of the Macs.

The you'd agree that Adobe has a much nicer interface on OS X?

I do find myself at work hitting the bottom right corner of my screen then feeling like a moron because all my windows don't instantly show themselves.

 

[Dao]

I assume everyone here has jobs where they can use a computer all day?

Yes. Fedora at work, Windows at home. Just wondering, anyone here use Apple II Plus in the past? (Off topics?? Sorry )

 

[Village Idiot]

LOL...I just wonder how much work is not getting done right now with these 8 hour conversations.

Considering my duties for today include renaming about 9000 image files at a time with an automated process that takes about an hour for each set of images, my productivity is remaining fairly high.

 

[asfixiate]

Yeah good old DOS batch files and VB scripts always make me seem like I do a lot more.

 

[nicfargo]

You can run two different versions of windows and 3 different windows distros on a Mac SIMULTANIOUSLY at full speed, while running photoshop in OSX.

Try that on a PC.

Pft, I do that all the time on my PC, it's called VMWARE and it's awesome...and I didn't pay nearly what I'd pay for a Mac.

For photo editing it honestly doesn't matter, a powerful PC will do just as well as a Powerful Mac. I can get a much more powerful PC for much cheaper then a MAC (I've got a Quad Core processor, 8gig or Ram, 10k Raptor HDD, 2 Nvidia cards in SLI) and it cost me a whole lot less then any Mac would have...I know, I researched it. You can't get a Mac with those specs unless you spends thousands of dollars.

The only reason to use a Mac is if you don't want to actually think for yourself. If you want limited options on what type of program you can use for something, Mac is the way to go. I honestly like that I have options on my PC. I can make it look however I want (I can even make it look like a mac, but why would I do that when there are much better things out there). I like that I can use home brewed applications. I like that I can write my own apps for my PC. Mac is so proprietary and locked down, you can't do that stuff. Plus I honestly think they run pretty slow.

 

[asfixiate]

I concur with VMWare...I've had 3 instances on windows running at once with it doing OCR of about 10,000 pages per instance. Was still able to do normal computing as well. This was with less t han 1 gig ram. and around 2.0 gig processor.

 

[Village Idiot]

The only reason to use a Mac is if you don't want to actually think for yourself. If you want limited options on what type of program you can use for something, Mac is the way to go.

And now we hear from the pc fan boys.

The reason I bought a mac was for using Logic Pro. It was definitely an upgrade from cubase. Final cut pro is also another big name, but in the film industry.

Each platform has stregths and weaknesses and people that don't recognize that and blantantly just bash another platform is generally considered a fan boy.

 

[Mav]

The only reason to use a Mac is if you don't want to actually think for yourself.

That's seriously the stupidest thing I've read in this entire thread.