View Full Version : I think I've been Mac'ed......
Went into my local Apple store today while the Mrs was having her hair done, and was playing with the Imac. I don't know if it was just the monitor, but the image quality was damned impressive. Was a 23 inch widescreen; the colour rendition was brilliant, and it was so sharp.
Had a play with Aperture - very similar to Lightroom, and they had CS3 on there as well as MS Office. I was very taken with it, but the hardware and software packages came to around £2k :eek:
I don't think it will take long to get into the OS, and it does seem very fast. However, I think I'll look at some other monitors first to see if that stems my need to spend yet another load of money.
I guess I'm trying to talk myself out of it :thinking:
Steve....
Went into my local Apple store today while the Mrs was having her hair done, and was playing with the Imac. I don't know if it was just the monitor, but the image quality was damned impressive. Was a 23 inch widescreen; the colour rendition was brilliant, and it was so sharp.
I guess I'm trying to talk myself out of it :thinking:
Steve....
I have a 24 inch monitor on my pc and that's impressive too. Size may matter in this case.
Gary Wood
22-06-2008, 08:47
Steve i changed over to mac about two years ago after using that other well know OS for ever , being honest it was the best thing i ever did , Macs just work & the OS is the best , if you have the money do it you wont ever regret it :D
I guess I'm trying to talk myself out of it :thinking:
Steve....
I tried, that, it didnt happen!!
You may be able to get the software cheaper elsewhere if you qualify for student discounts ( parent/guardian of student etc), but dont let the cost put you off.
I got M/S 0ffice 2008 for Mac from here (http://www.software4students.co.uk/Microsoft_Office_2008_for_Mac-details.aspx) for £35 delivered. Genuine product from Microsoft, just tick the box to confirm you are using it for educational purposes ;). Adobe have similar deals too.
Once you have a Mac, you`ll realise what you have been missing. You can also install Windows ( using Bootcamp) if you like fiddling around with anti virus, spyware programs and registry checkers!
Allan
Macs appear to be a religion which 6% of the personal computing world adheres to. Why does 94% not believe, if everything about a mac is better?
Another Mac user here...
I switched a couple of years ago and im really happy with the OSX platform. I know its a Canon Vs Nikon type arguement, but for me, Apple is easily the best software and hardware package, so much so ive now got 4 Mac machines, 2x Macpros, a 24" iMac and a 17" Macbook Pro.
As has been mentioned above, getting Student discount is great, but dont forget if you really have access to a student you can get HUGE savings on the hardware as well. My most recent Macpro would have cost ~£2400 but getting my Brother-In-Law to buy it (Uni-Student) knocked the price down to a more reasonable £1700... :)
As for why Apple only have a 6% market share, they dont really advertise and arent the industry standard for offices and schools... Most folk looking at buying a new computer will go purely on price and what they have heard of/used previously. As Apples tend to be slightly more expensive and much less known they dont get much attention, also the amount of garbage facts people talk about Apple is shocking, i bet 94% of people would still argue that Apples have no right click function.
My only annoyance with Apple was the fact i couldnt find a native OSX application that matched the abilities of Newsleecher, and for that reason ive got Parallels installed and a fully functional Windows XP running within a window, simply to run Newsleecher. :)
I don't know if it was just the monitor, but the image quality was damned impressive. Was a 23 inch widescreen; the colour rendition was brilliant, and it was so sharp.
When I bought my Imac the first thing that blew me away was the image quality :) Looking back over some of my photos I'm seeing detail in them that I simply hadn't seen on my previous monitor (and it wasn't a cheap one either! ;))
fraggle101
22-06-2008, 09:32
while the Mrs was having her hair done, and was playing with the Imac.
Steve....
And i thought you were soo butch!! leave em hairy fairy...:lol:
Macs appear to be a religion which 6% of the personal computing world adheres to. Why does 94% not believe, if everything about a mac is better?
Its a well kept secret then isn`t it
Allan
I spent 5 grand on my MacPro, last year, and haven't regretted it once. It's an awesome machine. I persuaded my Mam to get an 24" iMac just a few months ago, and it is gorgeous! Then I tried persuading my Sister into getting a MacBook. I failed there though, as she wasn't too keen on the price. So there's definitely one good reason why there aren't so many about. She would have loved one, but then when you see a descent high spec Sony for £500, it's difficult to fork out another £300 for a MacBook (with a equivalent spec)
Many computer types will tell you that Mac's are the better system. In the same way that Betamax was better than VHS. But we all know how that one ended. Only thing is though, Mac's are on the up.
My only problem with having a Mac is that it is lacking in some software. I still have to run my PC for Microsoft Money (personal finance), and Mapping software.
One thing on monitors - I had a descent size monitor on my PC and I thought it was great... until I got the Mac! To get similar image quality on a PC, you'd have to spend a lot of money. Mind that's not to say that Apple's displays are cheap. 'Cos they ain't.
Anyway, the PC vs. Mac debate will go on for a long time yet. But that's my tuppence worth. :D
EdinburghGary
22-06-2008, 09:57
I think MAC displays are 10000000x better than any PC display I have used. I have a 24", 26" and 32" PC displays, and everytime I get a shot of a mac one, I am blown away by the depth and quality. I would love a 30" MAC HD display.
Remember you can use the MAC monitors on the superior platform.
:popcorn:
Gary.
RogDen31
22-06-2008, 10:00
I am another convert in March this year, i went for the 24" imac so much easier to set up even to a windows network.
and what a gorgeous screen :)
I forgot to mention Aperture is FANTASTIC!!! It deals with hundreds of RAW's as if they were small JPEGS...
Also, you don't get a constant bombardment of daft messages with a Mac. For example, it doesn't see the need to tell you that you have just plugged a printer in.
Remember you can use the MAC monitors on the superior platform.
:popcorn:
Gary.
Of course you can, they are designed for use with Mac OSX and made by the same people!
Allan
Macs appear to be a religion which 6% of the personal computing world adheres to. Why does 94% not believe, if everything about a mac is better?
Because it isn't...:lol:
I use both, there is nothing I can do on a mac that I can't do on a pc...differently
Seriously though...Apples had an edge in certain applications up to maybe five years ago. Now they are essentially a fashion statement, and a stylish accessory to the "look at me" lifestyle at twice the cost, and they are not very well-built.
No one should need student grant's to be able to afford one comparable system as opposed to another, I think a £2000 PC will do everything plus a whole lot more than a £2000 mac.
I am a fan of the mac ideals but what they give with one hand they take out of the other, use the system that suits you personally, I would never criticize that choice.
It truly is a Nikon/Canon argument, the fact is, apple has a very long way to go before it can say everything about a mac is better.
:popcorn:
digitalmaniac
22-06-2008, 10:49
whenever i have seen a pro setup they always seem to use mac.
[QUOTE=joxby;744252 the fact is, apple has a very long way to go before it can say everything about a mac is better.
:popcorn:[/QUOTE]
My Mac just had to come from Bluewater to Whitstable before it succeeded at that one! :naughty:
Allan
My Mac just had to come from Bluewater to Whitstable before it succeeded at that one! :naughty:
Allan
:lol:
Mine got delivered. :( But they're despatched from Ireland :D
I think MAC displays are 10000000x better than any PC display I have used. I have a 24", 26" and 32" PC displays, and everytime I get a shot of a mac one, I am blown away by the depth and quality. I would love a 30" MAC HD display.
Remember you can use the MAC monitors on the superior platform.
:popcorn:
Gary.
In our studio we replaced a couple of the cinema displays with Dells alternative and never turned back. The designers still think it's blasphemy but seriously the quality is fantastic. Plus the 'on' button is in an obvious place. lol.
whenever i have seen a pro setup they always seem to use mac.
Thats because the pros dont research things properly and instead are happier to buy into the stylish "look at me" crowd...
And they havent realised that Windows does everything that their Mac do, only better and cheaper, also they arent interested in reliability and build quality.
i got a macbook pro a couple of months ago with aperture 2 on i must say im loving it.
i wasn't sure at first because of it being a new operating system and all but i picked up the new operating methods in no time. its just like using a pc with only 1 mouse button :)
its just like using a pc with only 1 mouse button :)
But you do realise you have 2 don't you? Plus the scroll ball button, plus the squeezy side ones...
Mind, I use a Logitech MX Revolution...
Shutterman
22-06-2008, 12:25
I know this is a contentious issue and every one has their arguments regarding which is best.
In the end it comes down to what the user wants. As stated in the title I have been using PC's for an eternity using Dos through to windows 3.0 up to the the latest Vista.
In the end I wandered into an Apple store and thought I would have a play, now bearing in mind I used to delve in to the guts of the machine all the time and used to frequently live for ours in the dos environment and know nothing of Linux or what makes a Mac tick, however I was very impressed with the way the Mac and the OS functioned.
It took me a year after first walking in to the Apple Store for my first looky Loo to the day I put my money on the counter, and during that time I spent hours in the store with the sales staff and the aperture specialist working on my own files I bought into the store. I tried out the Mac Pro with the fantastic 30" display the Mac Book's and Pro's and finally decided I would be happiest with the 24" Imac.
I must admit I was tempted by the Mac Pro but part of my drive for getting the Mac was to reduce the foot print of my system and the Imac does that great.
Since having the Mac with Aperture 2 and CS3 my workflow is seamless and pain free, backing up is a breeze with Digital vault and everything just works. I am amazed at how the Mac and leopard manages the memory and resources I do not get any system crashes, error messages or slow down.
When working on images I normally have itunes or film running, Safari open and mail. That also includes Aperture and CS3.
On the PC I used to run lightroom and CS3 and after importing a 4 gig card of RAW files lightroom would have a fit and not display the thumbnail images everything would be grey and would require a restart of the software. If I edited in CS3 from within Lightroom it would suddenly go into shock and everything would be at half speed you could see images reducing when doing a crop. Very painful indeed. My PC was no slouch it was a Dell Less than 1 year old and cost me 1300, Had 1 TB of disk space and 4gig of ram and 512 graphics card but it did not function as smoothly as the Imac.
I can only say that I will not be going back to a PC and I will never install Windows on the Mac I do not see the need.
Big Thumbs up from me... Plus I love the fact that most of the software I need for mac is very keenly priced apart form the big boys.
Shutterman.
Sorry for the never ending post......
But you do realise you have 2 don't you? Plus the scroll ball button, plus the squeezy side ones...
Mind, I use a Logitech MX Revolution...
Same here. The mighty mouse and that other mouse with one button that looked like a flying saucer are two of the worst designed products IN THE WORLD. What they were thinking when they made them I have no idea. A prime case of æsthetics before functionality.
I have always been a believer in that I could get myself a fairly high spec PC just for my photography work, but the Mac just seems faster. However I am comparing it to my 3.2 Ghz machine with 2Gb Ram (this one),
As my son is at university I'll look into discounts - that'll be handy.
Steve
Yup Mac here aswell, although my Mother has just really upset me by buying an all singing all dancing new 24" i-mac, mine is a lowly 17inch pre dual core i-mac, grrrrrrrr !
DollyBuster
22-06-2008, 20:40
[Imac] Was a 23 inch widescreen
iMacs come in 20" and 24" screens only.
iMacs come in 20" and 24" screens only.
Could it have been running on a 23" Apple Cinema display?
DollyBuster
22-06-2008, 20:47
Macs appear to be a religion which 6% of the personal computing world adheres to. Why does 94% not believe, if everything about a mac is better?
That's bølløcks, mate!
That was 5 years ago.
Today those figures are well over 15% and considerably less than 85%, respectively!
I'd like to stress that is a three hundred percent increase in just 5 years...
The other PC and OS manufacturers have good reason to get very nervous about Apple!
:lol::lol::lol:
iMacs come in 20" and 24" screens only.
I'd spotted this error, but didn't like to mention it :)
Interested to know if the OP has just got the measurements wrong, or he was actually using a Mac Pro??
andrewc, I don't THINK it's possible to run an iMac with a cinema display (could be wrong, but will check on my Mams when I get a chance), but also don't see why a shop would have that set up. :)
they can with the right adapter.
Ah, this old chestnut....
Everyone touting Mac's as better than PC's are clearly comparing old for new. I've used both, and while I have to say there is alot the Apple have got right, there is still a serious lack of software to compare with PC's. As with Linux vs Windows, this will even out over time.
Running my Quad Core system with 4Mb RAM and 768Mb GFX card, I have to say I see no slowdown using either Lightroom or CS3, or a combination of both while listening to music and using 3 or 4 browser windows. The iMac was no quicker, and I saw little difference with the display against my 24" PC monitor. And my system cost me £100's less than the iMac...
I'm sorry, but unless you are using your system exclusively for graphic/technical design, the PC is the more functional choice. Even PC graphic design and video editing are now pretty much on a par with Mac's.
iMacs come in 20" and 24" screens only.
I thought it said 23", but maybe it was bigger.
Hey, what's an inch between friends :shrug:
Steve
That's bølløcks, mate!
Today those figures are well over 15% and considerably less than 85%, respectively!
I'd like to stress that is a three hundred percent increase in just 5 years...
The other PC and OS manufacturers have good reason to get very nervous about Apple!
:lol::lol::lol:
Well if you're right then and the percentage increas continues, there'll be more mac users than pc users in two years time.
Jamougha
23-06-2008, 01:06
I have both a mac and a windows pc on my desk since I need both for work. They do pretty much the same thing. The mac is quieter and the interface is superficially more pleasant but has annoying rough edges. Between the two I mildly prefer windows because it's a pain to get lots of good stuff working on the mac.
One day, both will be long forgotten and Linux will rule the world. :woot:
Adam Rowney
23-06-2008, 01:40
Mac vs. PC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_kGL3M5Cg
Mac vs. PC vs. Linux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-22EpQOm8c
DollyBuster
26-06-2008, 14:10
I have both a mac and a windows pc on my desk since I need both for work.
That PC of yours seems a unnecessary waste, Jamougha, when you consider that you can run XP AND Vista AND MacOSX AND Linux on your Mac! Simultaneously, and side-by-side on-screen if you want!
Here's a new review of the MBP if you're interested (http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/apple_macbook_pro?sr=hotnews).
The mac is quieter and the interface is superficially more pleasant but has annoying rough edges.
Rough edges? where would I find those then?
Allan
Got an iMac a few days ago :D
Best decision ever.
The software range is bigger for mac. I also use it for video streaming.
I am on it right now in fact :D
Scott
FranchiseJuan
26-06-2008, 16:06
I don't think it is worth having a debate over what is better mac or pc, as people are not comparing the same thing (spec a mac and pc with the same price and see which one is faster).
But the thing that all you mac users better hope (and pray to Lord Steve for) is that macs don't get any more popular then they are now. There are more and more viruses and security issues found with OsX all the time, and the speed with which Apple responds to these issues would make a snail seem fast (4 months without response to security issues with Safari). If macs ever do get even up to 30% of market share, all mac users might experience the performance hit of running antivirus, anti spyware, anti adware all the time.
One thing that really has me worked up about OsX at the moment is that Apple DILIBRATELY slows down the USB interface in favour of their Firewire interface. This has been an issue with studio shooters moving from 1DS2 to 1DS3 with teathered shooting. I can notice the difference between tethered speed on my PC and macbook pro (yes I am also a mac user).
Oh and one other thing. WTF is with putting a 6 bit TN pannel in all iMacs?
Jamougha
26-06-2008, 16:17
Rough edges? where would I find those then?
Allan
Lots of stuff can't be done using the keyboard; you need the mouse all the time. To access bluetooth devices you have to notice a tiny grey-on-grey icon at the corner of the screen and work out what it is. Ditto for setting certain network options. Minor annoying stuff like that.
Jamougha
26-06-2008, 16:19
That PC of yours seems a unnecessary waste, Jamougha, when you consider that you can run XP AND Vista AND MacOSX AND Linux on your Mac! Simultaneously, and side-by-side on-screen if you want!
Cheers I think Vista would strangle my mac mini :lol: I'd prefer a new lens to a macbook and the depreciation is lower!
arronbarnes
26-06-2008, 16:20
I am a convert to Mac having last year bought a 24" IMac. Was fed up with windows and the whole pc thing. Pc's run about 33% slower than a comparative Mac when running packages such as CS3. I didnt think I would notice the difference but its night and day.
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