Looking at buying a mac

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Of course it is good...but what are you asking? Is it good for what? In comparison to what? etc....
 
It's not "better" per se, just different. Go down and try it and see if you like the OS more than Windows (if that is what you are now using).
 
I use both, windows (XP) at work, and Mac at home for Music, Photography and Video.

The Mac experience is more expensive but for multimedia just seems so much nicer, smoother and just more goddamn sexier. :D
 
Amp34 said:
It's not "better" per se, just different. Go down and try it and see if you like the OS more than Windows (if that is what you are now using).
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To me this is always a comment I find hard. If you use windows, and try OSX for 5 mins, it will appear strange. But then again, you can't spend hours with it to find the things. E.g. The old chestnut of Mac can't right click.

OSX is good, I find it perfect for me, because with Windows you need to do a little more to keep it running tip top, where as in my case I have less things to worry about on Mac to keep it running tip top.

Both are good, Macs are generally sexier (yes I did refer to a computer as sexy:bonk:) and if you do go for it, I very much doubt you will be disappointed.:thumbs:
 
I switched to a mac after pulling my hair out with several PCs over the years. For graphics work, photoshop etc.. it is fantastic. The stability is far superior to windows. There is a strange sort of 'trust' feeling you get whenever you do anything on a mac. You just feel that when you click it, and start on something else, everything will work out fine. Where on the PC you would click something and start on something else and something would crash somewhere or not work properly. Sounds daft, but it just seems to be that way.

The mac doesn't seem to slow down with age like the PC does. The OS takes a bit of getting used to, as does the mac keyboard layout, but it's well worth it in my opinion. Lack of viruses on a mac was one of the major reasons I made the switch...so far, no viruses, no anti-virus software. My anti virus subscription ran out on one of my PCs and within a week I had to do a system restore.

Consider the re-buying of software and hardware though. Most of my hardware worked plug n play on the mac, but my scanner didn't and you can't get a osx driver for it. I also had to re-buy the adobe cs premium software and a few other bits and bobs.

My conclusion (My opinion):
If I could afford to re-buy all of my music production software for the mac, I would smash all of my PC's up with a hammer and never use them again (although I would have to keep one for browser testing :( ) - I would avoid everything to do with windows!

EDIT: Oh! And Coda (Panic) is just the most amazing coding editor I have used and ain't available on anything else! ;)
 
Problem is as you said you can't take one home for a week for a test drive, and anyway most people test drive a car, which will normally be only half an hour, so why not test drive a computer. :p

As for sexy. Nothing wrong with that. I think my PC case is sexy too. :p
 
It depends what you want the mac for.

Plus if it was a choise be mac osx and windows then get the mac and use boot camp to tun windows then you have the best of both.

Packaged software with mac saves you money, where as windows you would need to buy additional software.

And i dont think you need to test drive a mc, they are so user friendly.
 
flicker said:
I switched to a mac after pulling my hair out with several PCs over the years. For graphics work, photoshop etc.. it is fantastic. The stability is far superior to windows. There is a strange sort of 'trust' feeling you get whenever you do anything on a mac. You just feel that when you click it, and start on something else, everything will work out fine. Where on the PC you would click something and start on something else and something would crash somewhere or not work properly. Sounds daft, but it just seems to be that way.
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TBH I think that is the last thing he should think about (unless he is thinking of switching to aperture). Most/all graphic software (photoshop et al) is exactly the same on both. :) General UI would be where he should be looking.

flicker said:
The mac doesn't seem to slow down with age like the PC does. The OS takes a bit of getting used to, as does the mac keyboard layout, but it's well worth it in my opinion. Lack of viruses on a mac was one of the major reasons I made the switch...so far, no viruses, no anti-virus software. My anti virus subscription ran out on one of my PCs and within a week I had to do a system restore.
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What was the last windows OS you used? XP was nasty at slowing down after a few months use, but the newer OSs (Vista and 7) don't, and as for the AV, well if you had to do a system restore within a week then it's probably more down to user error...:lol:

Either way, each to their own, try it and see.
 
donkeymusic said:
It depends what you want the mac for.

Plus if it was a choise be mac osx and windows then get the mac and use boot camp to tun windows then you have the best of both.

Packaged software with mac saves you money, where as windows you would need to buy additional software.

And i dont think you need to test drive a mc, they are so user friendly.
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Yup, unfortunately the EU love penalising MS on packaged software. :(

Having said that I noticed there seems to be a lack of basic image manipulation software built into Windows 7 Photo viewer, which is really odd, and annoying.:thinking:
 
My Vista PC and My Windows 7 PC both slowed down with age and crash like hell. My AV problem is just another typical case of how easy a PC is to infect. It was a particularly bad virus though - I can normally remove them but this one was a real killer! But yes...user error. The error being that I used windows for my business.

The photoshop performance is much better for me, but that is probably because I moved from a core 2 duo PC with CS4 to an 64-bit, 8 core mac pro with CS5 :)
 
Amp34 said:
It's not "better" per se, just different. Go down and try it and see if you like the OS more than Windows (if that is what you are now using).
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what he said.

we have equally as many OSX issues as we do XP issues at work (based on the calls that come into our IT Helpdesk). better? no. as good? personal preference.
 
flicker said:
My Vista PC and My Windows 7 PC both slowed down with age and crash like hell. My AV problem is just another typical case of how easy a PC is to infect. It was a particularly bad virus though - I can normally remove them but this one was a real killer! But yes...user error. The error being that I used windows for my business.

The photoshop performance is much better for me, but that is probably because I moved from a core 2 duo PC with CS4 to an 64-bit, 8 core mac pro with CS5 :)
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Never had a problem with slowdown with either Vista or win7 so far.:shrug:

Well yeah, there is quite a difference between those specs. :p I think CS5 is the first PS that is fully compatable with OSX.
 
I switched in january after many years on a PC and love it.
So far the biggest things i've noticed are -
Trackpad is much more useful than a PC laptop.
Doesn't seem to slow down after several months use, unlike PC's I've had.
Never had a crash (yet)
Feels better engineered than other machines I've had but it was much more more expensive, so that's to be expected.
 
Lets stop with the mac vs PC quickly and wait for a reply from the OP.

It's good to let the OP know not to believe the mac hype from fanboys and to realise that both are equally good but maybe this thread is for the mac users who can advise the best mac for the OP.

Btw, I'm a PC user and would never switch because I know how to work a windows machine and run it smoothly. Petrol vs Diesel.
 
grey.squirrel said:
Lets stop with the mac vs PC quickly and wait for a reply from the OP.

It's good to let the OP know not to believe the mac hype from fanboys and to realise that both are equally good but maybe this thread is for the mac users who can advise the best mac for the OP.

Btw, I'm a PC user and would never switch because I know how to work a windows machine and run it smoothly. Petrol vs Diesel.
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surely if the OP is being ill advised and could save his cash then dispelling some inaccuracies is a good thing?
 
donkeymusic said:
It can
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Fully aware as I have an IMac and 2 MBP's. Just meaning that so many people when they first play with OSX the first thing say is "the thing don't right click"

What I was saying was in terms of having it for 5 mins to play with, you will be unable to determine how any operating system works, and whether it is suited to you.
 
To answer the OP's question, you would not be disappointed with that system at all.

However, I would recommend spending a little bit more for the 27 inch screen. I have the 24" version which is awesome. I'm not sure i'd like it smaller and I can safely say I'd enjoy the bigger one even more :) The screen is one of the major attractions of the Mac and it would be a shame to skimp in this area.
 
Like you, i keep considering a mac. When a spoke to a young man in pc world, he said it took him a good 6 months to get used to it. The right click thing was an issue for him, but in time he got used to it, at first he hated the change, but now with time he loves it. He would never go back. I thought that was a very good honest answer. So it is a case of will you get used to the change. I love the large screen, no big proccessor box. But like you not commited myself. It boils down to change.
 
I've got the 24" version and I love it. I don't think you would regret it, especially if you are already familiar with a Mac.
 
Not sure if you have an apple store near you, but if you do head down there and have a good play.

I must admit I've always thought they were a bit overpriced and people often compare them to £500 laptops IMHO. However I did go to an apple store and they did seem lovely, looked good, felt good - I still think they are overpriced but I now want one!
 
grey.squirrel said:
Btw, I'm a PC user and would never switch because I know how to work a windows machine and run it smoothly. Petrol vs Diesel.
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Have you tried a Mac recently?
 
Apple did sell 3.05 million Macs in the last three months of 2009. Overpriced or not, that is a staggering number.

The best thing is the fact that the OS is running on it's own hardware. That has to be a good thing.

But ultimately, it's where you put your money that counts and only you can decide that.

Graham
 
akr said:
Not sure if you have an apple store near you, but if you do head down there and have a good play.

I must admit I've always thought they were a bit overpriced and people often compare them to £500 laptops IMHO. However I did go to an apple store and they did seem lovely, looked good, felt good - I still think they are overpriced but I now want one!
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And that is why people don't understand. I used to think macs were over priced but in fact they are not (generally). You can't compare a £500 machine to a £1000 machine as the £500 machine will invariably be rubbish in comparison. What you need to do is compare the £1000 Vaios, Dells etc and see what the difference is, not much... Unfortunately so many people think £300 is enough to buy a laptop, well yes it is, but don't think it will compete with a £1000 machine.

It's a bit like comparing a Mercedes with a kia...:shrug::lol:

blue max said:
Apple did sell 3.05 million Macs in the last three months of 2009. Overpriced or not, that is a staggering number.

The best thing is the fact that the OS is running on it's own hardware. That has to be a good thing.

But ultimately, it's where you put your money that counts and only you can decide that.

Graham
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Meh, not really when you compare them to the "big" boys

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobil...aims-for-30-million-laptop-sales-in-09-642311

Acer for example sell around 8m laptops alone a quarter.:p
 
Not wanting to degenerate this into a Mac vs. PC thread, you have to realise that if you use, say, Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, CaptureNX and say Firefox and Thunderbird and spend little time on fiddling with the OS and suchlike there simply isn't much difference. Think about it, you spend most of your time in the program, not the operating system, as such.

I use both Macs and PCs extensively and neither are bad, frankly. If you want a Mac for whatever reason (and fair enough if you like the look of Macs that's your choice) then they are absolutely fine machines with superb customer service (in my many experiences) if something goes wrong. If you want a desktop I would recommend the Imac, superb machines.

Macs are more expensive than they should be but you have the choice and if you want to spend more then it's up to you. PCs have other costs associated with them, such as anti-virus, but nevertheless a shrewd PC purchase or build will end up cheaper.

If this wasn't a photography forum I would mention that PCs don't mean Windows, you can put Linux on there too (you can do that on a Mac but then what's the point, you're just buying a shiney case).

Good luck either way, just don't believe all the hype of Apple that's all.

Cheers,

L
 
Well a PC will run Windows, Linux, OSX (a mac is just a pc with OSX on) and a myriad of other OS's. :p
 
There's really not a lot of practical difference between OSX and Windows 7, apart from some cosmetics.

If you can afford the extra money to get a Mac, then why not. If you are purely after bang for your buck though, PC is the way to go.

For what it's worth, I'm typing this on my 13" MacBook Pro running Windows 7 :) Can't deny the hardware is lovely....I just don't get on with the OS that comes with it!
 
Amp34 said:
Unfortunately so many people think £300 is enough to buy a laptop, well yes it is, but don't think it will compete with a £1000 machine.

It's a bit like comparing a Mercedes with a kia...:shrug::lol:
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That was my point, which may not have been that clear I'll concede!
 
Amp34 said:
Well a PC will run Windows, Linux, OSX (a mac is just a pc with OSX on) and a myriad of other OS's. :p
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Osx on a pc? Not legitemately you can't! There is a reason they are called hackintosh ;) And it defeats the purpose when the os is stable with the hardware it is designed for.
 
I just have to say, having never sat in front of a mac before. I got my macbook and knew how to work it instantly?
Why? for about 3weeks whilst waiting for me to finally order it and then recieve it, I was watching youtube vids, reading the apple site etc etc. So much that I knew exactly what you needed to do to start you off, and only had a little bit to actually learn once I had it in my posession.

I love my Macbook.
 
remember a mac can run both windows and OSX, but to be honest after switching from windows to OSX many years ago I fail to see why anyone would want to go near a windows system given the choice.

Seriously, Macs are so much better....and I am not a fanboy. I just like my equipment to work, to work easily, and if it also looks good then that is an added bonus.:thumbs:
 
akr said:
That was my point, which may not have been that clear I'll concede!
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Nope, I got what you meant. :)

flicker said:
Osx on a pc? Not legitemately you can't! There is a reason they are called hackintosh ;) And it defeats the purpose when the os is stable with the hardware it is designed for.
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Yes, legitimately.:shrug:

Apple sell PC's with OSX on, i'm sure they are legitimate... ;)
 
Amp34 said:
Nope, I got what you meant. :)



Yes, legitimately.:shrug:

Apple sell PC's with OSX on, i'm sure they are legitimate... ;)
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You're struggling with this one. Apple don't make pcs with osx on them. They call their product a mac. You can't use osx on a pc unless you build one with specific hardware ie a mac, or you hack it ie hackintosh. C'mon man! We all appreciate a good work horse computer but you are sounding like a Microsoft fanboy
 
I wouldn't bother, they are rubbish. I would suggest a nice copy of Windows Vista but make sure you don't burden it with more the 512Mb of Ram ;)

Nurse I need some more crayons...............
 
Groan... So is a Dell a PC?

Mac is just the "brand" name for a PC made by Apple. When did PC mean it has to run windows?:cuckoo:

A PC is a personal computer, whether it runs OSX, windows, linux, UNIX (which OSX is based on) etc...

Apple used to have a slight argument a few years ago when they used IBM chips but now they use exactly the same PC components as all other PC's on the market.

The only one sounding like a "fanboy" here is you, or at least someone taken in by the marketing... Sorry.
 
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