Change to an Apple

merv

merv

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I have used a PC for years for photo processing but I keep getting brainwashed by friends to change to an Apple. Would that be a good move and what about the learning curve? Would the hassle be worth it.
Would prefer a laptop so what model would I need to go for to be comfortable?
Advice please
merv:bang:
 
If I had to do photo work on a laptop then it would be the macbook pro retina as it has an IPS panel which is quite rare for a laptop.

I'd still connect it to an external screen while using it at home or at the office.
 
merv said:
I have used a PC for years for photo processing but I keep getting brainwashed by friends to change to an Apple.
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And this is how Apple do so well.

For the same money, you could get a top spec laptop and a decent external monitor. An Apple laptop uses the same components as a PC, so it doesn't have anything magic over a PC.

Of course if you prefer the Mac UI, or want to own a Mac just because, then go ahead and boliston is probably right that you should look at the retina model.
 
Is there a feeling that the Apple laptop isn't large enough for comfortable photo work? merv:bang:
 
merv said:
Is there a feeling that the Apple laptop isn't large enough for comfortable photo work? merv:bang:
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I have 2 x 24" screens at 1920 x 1200 and that's not enough for photo work...
 
arad85 said:
And this is how Apple do so well.

For the same money, you could get a top spec laptop and a decent external monitor. An Apple laptop uses the same components as a PC, so it doesn't have anything magic over a PC.

Of course if you prefer the Mac UI, or want to own a Mac just because, then go ahead and boliston is probably right that you should look at the retina model.
Click to expand...

I'm loving my new precision m6600. i7-2760QM, 8gb ddr3 ram, twin gpu (intel and nvidia), 750gb 7.2k drive, screen is damn nice for a non ips too, mag chassis. Only downside is it being 17.3" is flipping heavy lol but they class it as a "mobile workstation".

About the same price as a MacBook.
 
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merv said:
Is there a feeling that the Apple laptop isn't large enough for comfortable photo work? merv:bang:
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Well it's 15" so OK for photo work when mobility is required, such as when travelling or visiting clients which is why most serious photographers will connect to en external screen when at home or at the office.

When laptops go over 15" then the whole reason for a laptop - portability - starts to be diminished which is why apple sensibly stop at 15".
 
only recently they stopped selling the 17. i suspect that was more down to profit margins than taking into account user need (the drop seems to have annoyed quite a lot of users).
 
I've just recently got a 13 inch MacBook pro and it is entirely useable for editing. It's my first mac and I'm very impressed. In the process of identifying a 27inch screen to go with it now. I would say if portability is your aim you'll be fine with a 13 as long as you have an external screen for when you are at your office/home to make the most of it.
 
arad85 said:
An Apple laptop uses the same components as a PC, so it doesn't have anything magic over a PC..
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You've forgotten one small thing - the operating system - and that's the magic bit. ;)

Incidentally, I work in IT, have used PCs and Windows for approaching 20 years, and I switched to Mac 3 years ago. Bought a 15" Macbook Pro, I've maxed out the RAM and swapped the HD for a 256SSD.

I'd always buy Macs going forwards because of a) the operating system, b) the quality of the apple products I use, c) the after sales care from apple, and d) the operating system.

Anyone wanting to switch shouldn't worry about having to learn it all from scratch, it's so simple and intuitive.
 
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lets face it the only difference is the layout of the operating system.

windows 7 is on a par with the latest OSX versions for stability and reliability. 7 is certainly better in my experience for compatibility (lion has been a nightmare).

quality should be on a par if youre paying £1000+ for a computer. certainly the latitudes and precisions from Dell are bombproof. personally while the macbook pros look pretty the machined edge on the wrist rest makes me look like i self harm after any period of use.

if you pay for applecare then its worth paying to upgrade dells support to next day on site, it is excellent.

ive been working with both platforms for coming up to 7 years now, its all swings and roundabouts. to the OP - a mac wont magically make the world or your workflow any better, it will crash (its a PC, they all do at some point), it will get malware if the situation arises, its just a personal preference on the layout on the screen.
 
boliston said:
If I had to do photo work on a laptop then it would be the macbook pro retina as it has an IPS panel which is quite rare for a laptop.

I'd still connect it to an external screen while using it at home or at the office.
Click to expand...

If you would always connect it to an external screen why bother with the retina display?

May as well save the extra expense or spend the extra on SSD and / or memory.
 
neil_g said:
a mac wont magically make the world or your workflow any better, it will crash (its a PC, they all do at some point)
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Just speaking from my own experience, my MBP has not crashed once in just under 3 years of ownership. I'll say that again - it's never crashed in 3 years. It runs some very heavy duty music apps without blinking, it's travelled round the world several times without so much as picking up a scratch, and it works as well now as the day it was bought (better in fact, now it has the SSD and RAM upgrade)

On the other hand, my work laptop - Dell Latitude E6410, which cost significantly more than a good spec 15" MBP - crashes on a regular basis. The mouse buttons are broken, the lid's cracked and the furthest it's travelled is 5 miles back to my house. In summary, it's rubbish.

I understand everyone's experiences are different, but these are mine and that's why I never hesitate in recommending Macs whenever the subject comes up. :)
 
mrw_y2k said:
Just speaking from my own experience, my MBP has not crashed once in just under 3 years of ownership. I'll say that again - it's never crashed in 3 years. It runs some very heavy duty music apps without blinking, it's travelled round the world several times without so much as picking up a scratch, and it works as well now as the day it was bought (better in fact, now it has the SSD and RAM upgrade)

On the other hand, my work laptop - Dell Latitude E6410, which cost significantly more than a good spec 15" MBP - crashes on a regular basis. The mouse buttons are broken, the lid's cracked and the furthest it's travelled is 5 miles back to my house. In summary, it's rubbish.

I understand everyone's experiences are different, but these are mine and that's why I never hesitate in recommending Macs whenever the subject comes up. :)
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thats great, my E6500 running 7 never crashed either ;) swings and roundabouts..

seriously we have latitudes that have been in circulation for 5-6 years and are still going strong. the only breakages we've had are drops and spillages.

ive got a macbook in my drawer that i use for testing, its got a smashed screen. we've opted not to repair it at a cost of £600.

weeeeee, on the swings... weeeeeee, on the roundabouts..

:lol:
 
neil_g said:
thats great, my E6500 running 7 never crashed either ;) swings and roundabouts..

seriously we have latitudes that have been in circulation for 5-6 years and are still going strong. the only breakages we've had are drops and spillages.

ive got a macbook in my drawer that i use for testing, its got a smashed screen. we've opted not to repair it at a cost of £600.

weeeeee, on the swings... weeeeeee, on the roundabouts..

:lol:
Click to expand...

Plenty of replacement screens on ebay for £47 - £70, pretty much the same price as other laptop replacement screens.
 
Ploddles said:
Plenty of replacement screens on ebay for £47 - £70, pretty much the same price as other laptop replacement screens.
Click to expand...

That's a glass, screen and case price and fitting from an apple approved reseller for a warranty friendly repair unfortunately.
 
mrw_y2k said:
You've forgotten one small thing - the operating system - and that's the magic bit. ;)
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Yes - FreeBSD. Although it was forked by Apple before they got all the useful bits in like ZFS.

I love FreeBSD - I run it on my home server here. If I didn't want 100% Windows compatibility for stuff like Office, Lightroom etc..., I'd probably run it on my desktop too.

Personally, I don't like the Apple UI. As Neil said, there's little in it - if you want to buy one, then go for it, but don't kid yourself it is any better. It's just different.
 
neil_g said:
lets face it the only difference is the layout of the operating system.

windows 7 is on a par with the latest OSX versions for stability and reliability. 7 is certainly better in my experience for compatibility (lion has been a nightmare).

quality should be on a par if youre paying £1000+ for a computer. certainly the latitudes and precisions from Dell are bombproof. personally while the macbook pros look pretty the machined edge on the wrist rest makes me look like i self harm after any period of use.

if you pay for applecare then its worth paying to upgrade dells support to next day on site, it is excellent.

ive been working with both platforms for coming up to 7 years now, its all swings and roundabouts. to the OP - a mac wont magically make the world or your workflow any better, it will crash (its a PC, they all do at some point), it will get malware if the situation arises, its just a personal preference on the layout on the screen.
Click to expand...

Neil what do you mean by lion being a bit of a nightmare? Is that the Mac OS X Mountain Lion opeating system. merv:bonk:
 
merv said:
Neil what do you mean by lion being a bit of a nightmare? Is that the Mac OS X Mountain Lion opeating system. merv:bonk:
Click to expand...

No it's the previous to mountain lion (but I'd expect it to be the same). Printer compatibility has been a nightmare (we've resorted to generic drivers and lost 90% functionality) and they changed the networking somehow that stopped accessing our afp shares.
 
neil_g said:
No it's the previous to mountain lion (but I'd expect it to be the same). Printer compatibility has been a nightmare (we've resorted to generic drivers and lost 90% functionality) and they changed the networking somehow that stopped accessing our afp shares.
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Not experienced any major problems myself. HP released a Lion compatibility fix for a number of its printers so never had any problems printing or scanning, don't know about other manufacturers though.
 
neil_g said:
ricoh and canon with fierys have been particularly frustrating :bat:
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Ah right. I've never really got on with those print servers and avoid them where possible. Always seemed to need rebooting every week or so to keep them happy.

Ok if just printing but kept loosing network share connections when scanning.

Embedded XP - yuk.
 
I have a dell laptop running windows 7. No crashes

I have a Mac mini running windows 7. No crashes. It also didn't crash when it still had OSX (10.5) on it, but I didn't like the UI and particularly didn't like xcode, so I removed it.

The advantage of the mini is it is small and quiet, so I use it as an iplayer machine connected to my TV and amp.
 
Remote scan, just works through Image Capture now instead.. Works fine with every printer i've used.

Windows 8 Printer drivers are fantastic though...
 
SimonUK said:
Remote scan, just works through Image Capture now instead.. Works fine with every printer i've used.

Windows 8 Printer drivers are fantastic though...
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Must be a different model, ours only prints now and that's a generic driver not a dedicated one for the model of fiery. That's confirmed by efi too :(
 
Lame, i just use the generic drivers and remote scan, and printing works fine. Only thing is you have to set the printer up over RJ45 not Wireless
 
mrw_y2k said:
You've forgotten one small thing - the operating system - and that's the magic bit. ;)

Incidentally, I work in IT, have used PCs and Windows for approaching 20 years, and I switched to Mac 3 years ago. Bought a 15" Macbook Pro, I've maxed out the RAM and swapped the HD for a 256SSD.

I'd always buy Macs going forwards because of a) the operating system, b) the quality of the apple products I use, c) the after sales care from apple, and d) the operating system.

Anyone wanting to switch shouldn't worry about having to learn it all from scratch, it's so simple and intuitive.
Click to expand...

Lol another one brain washed into spending money he doesn't need too.

Unlucky fella Apple hardware and software stopped being good around 3-4 years ago just when you bought into there marketing.
 
neil_g said:
aaaand here comes the chaos.. next stop lockville.
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aye tommy would tell you black was white and yin was yang. He intentionally goes against the grain. Generally its best just to ignore him and hopefully he just goes away lol.

Macs are great as are windows pcs. Each to their own.
 
TonyNI said:
aye tommy would tell you black was white and yin was yang. He intentionally goes against the grain. Generally its best just to ignore him and hopefully he just goes away lol.

Macs are great as are windows pcs. Each to their own.
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As you well know son I had Macs for years and stopped buying them when there O.S became gash and there quality control on hardware fell through the floor in comparison to how good it was previously.
 
Thinking of getting a 15" macbook pro myself soon. I really want an anti-glare screen so the retina is out of the running.

Should I go for the Oct 2011 refurb for £1499

2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7 (2nd Gen)
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
1GB Radeon HD 6770M


or the 2012 entry model for 80 quid more?

2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 (3rd Gen)
4GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M



i.e would the 3rd gen 2.3GHz be much worse than the 2nd gen 2.5GHz. The addition of usb3 is making me lean to the latest model, but I would happily go for the refurb if the performance was way better in the 2.5GHz i7

I am going to be upgrading the ram to 8gb (or maybe 16gb if it will take it) & putting in a 256GB ssd to replace the optical drive.

It's heavy lifting is going to be running lightroom & photoshop to process 5d mark II photos (& a bit of video editing too)


Thanks.
 
Getting back to the OP's original question.

Merv

The model of Mac that's best for you is what you need it for and your budget. Do you need portability. If so it's got to be one of the MacBook Pro's. If not look at an iMac. They are not dissimilar in price .

I can't tell you which is the best mac. I can only say what would suit me.

Best option, take a trip to a Mac Dealer or better still an Apple store and spend some time there. ( Avoid school holidays ). If it's pictures you are interested in , take some with you. either on DVD or flash drive. If you plan to play music, take some of that with you as well.

Don't make a decision in the store. Go for a coffee or similar and think about it. Then if a mac is right for you go ahead.

I currently have 3 Mac's am happy to stay with them . But it's your decision which if any Mac's are suitable for you.

Remember though if you go for the Retina MBP nothing is upgradable on it so choose carefully.

Hope this helps a little
 
rowla said:
Should I go for the Oct 2011 refurb for £1499

...

2.5GHz Quad-core Intel i7 (2nd Gen)
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
750GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
1GB Radeon HD 6770M


or the 2012 entry model for 80 quid more?

2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7 (3rd Gen)
4GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
Click to expand...
Second and third gen i7's are "almost" the same. Do you know which processors they are exactly? I'd be looking at the turbo boost speeds to be making my decision.
 
Thanks for the reply Andy.

The recent one is 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz - link

Can't see the turbo boost specs on the refurb though - Link

Or would it be worth an extra 300 quid for the 2.6GHz (3.6GHz turbo boost) - compare current mac specs

Seems to be an extra 1.0GHz turbo boost for the current range so guessing the 2011 model would be 3.5Ghz
 
rowla said:
Thanks for the reply Andy.

The recent one is 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz - link

Can't see the turbo boost specs on the refurb though - Link
Click to expand...
Looks like it's the 2860QM from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_platform

Turbos to 3.6, but you're more likely to get the 4C turbo when using Lightroom/Photoshop which is 3.3GHz. I'd think I'd take the refurb in your position.

rowla said:
Or would it be worth an extra 300 quid for the 2.6GHz (3.6GHz turbo boost) - compare current mac specs
Click to expand...
Personally, I'd save the £300 and put it towards memory and a decent SSD.
 
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