Apple IMac or windows computer? Your thoughts pls!!

BBR said:
I have always used MS but two of my (grown up) children keep telling me I should switch to Apple. One is in film and one is in design and I get the impression that Apple,in both those fields, is ubiquitous.

However my computing skills are so dire that it would make no difference to me..
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Its like saying, I need a camera, what Canon model do I get ;)

Years ago Mac was what you needed as it did perform better, PCs are now the same so there is no real need. It comes down to the software and I think in movie making the software is better/more affordable on OSX. AS with anything though it takes years and years for beliefs and sayings to change.
 
I have used Mac's for at least six years now and have always been pleased with them, Two and a bit years ago we were having the studio/office refurbed and we had the option to go from windows to all mac OSX with iMacs and macro's (the lady on reception was given a mac mini) Now at first the head of finance wasn't too happy as she said its a lot of cash per unit compared to what the other units were (the other units were all 64bit win 7 with 3.4ghz processors and decent Ram and GPU's) However we did have problems with them doing the occasional blue screen of doom which baffled us as the only software on the PC's was CS4 nothing else) When the macs arrived the transition was smooth and basically trouble free (there were niggles but what computer doesn't have them). Since being installed we have not had one problem at all with the macs and we find that the applications we use such as CS6 and FCPX etc are very fast both to load and to use. If you have the money to buy mac go ahead and do so but if you want to buy windows go ahead and do so. Regardless of what anyone says positive about either system it will then be shot down by someone else.. But in my professional opinion from past experience I would recommend a mac, they have apple stores everywhere nowadays so why not pop into the store and ask for a full on demonstration. Better still if you want to run both Mac OSX and Win 7 OS you can simply use bootcamp on a mac and have the best of both worlds on both computers :)

James
 
Dale_tem said:
Its like saying, I need a camera, what Canon model do I get ;)

Years ago Mac was what you needed as it did perform better, PCs are now the same so there is no real need. It comes down to the software and I think in movie making the software is better/more affordable on OSX. AS with anything though it takes years and years for beliefs and sayings to change.
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indeed, apple in design is a very legacy thing as both platforms run the same underlying hardware and most software is cross platform compatible. nobody dare change because all of the design staff would walk out (too cool for windows), irrespective of whether they'd get a faster machine for the budget or whether it integrated into other (primarily business) systems better.
 
neil_g said:
ZERO!

:banana:
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I am tempted to find a wireless card for my old PowerBook and start tweeting from Starbucks to look ubercool.

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Well you all seem to have blown me away with the topic I started. Lost me completely in places!
Still mac or windows?
I might go play with a mac for a while as since I started this where I work has started to stock macs £1599, ill wait till its set up and have a play. Plus i get 12.5% discount, now that may make it interesting!!
Cheers all.
 
inkiboo said:
Slight tangent but does that mean you believe in homeopathy?
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Me?

Not sure what relevance my personal medical preferences (and history) have to do with a thread on computers on a photography forum.

Unless of course you're trying to appear smart on a forum and somehow discredit my personal experience of using both operating experiences by comparing it to my own personal use of medical science because you think anything that is a bit touchy feely isn't a valid opinion.
 
I had the same decision to make just before Christmas when my pc was slowly coming to a halt.
I asked advice and weighed up pros cons and PRICE and opted for a 27' iMac.
I have never regretted it for a minute. On a purely subjective note, the screen is superb, and it just works (very quietly)
 
For me anyone who blindly preaches for one or the other automatically invalidates their comments IMO honestly fan boys and girls please leave your rosé tinted glasses at the door...if you want a mac because you like the look/design then that's fine, if you want it because of the OS fine, but for god sake don't buy one just because its a mac and macs are for creatives that's moronic

I have a high spec PC trust me when I say this it will beast pretty much any mac ;) it is packed full of processing power and it's built for editing, it's components and design is specified with editing photos in mind...the components in it have an average warranty of 4 years some up to 10 years, it's future proofed beyond belief, there is more for me to add to it as required and in close to 12 months of operation there has not been a single pause/crash/forced restart/virus etc
 
CharlotteM said:
Me?

Not sure what relevance my personal medical preferences (and history) have to do with a thread on computers on a photography forum.

Unless of course you're trying to appear smart on a forum and somehow discredit my personal experience of using both operating experiences by comparing it to my own personal use of medical science because you think anything that is a bit touchy feely isn't a valid opinion.
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I'll take that as a yes then.
 
CharlotteM said:
I wouldn't assume anything mate. But you made the assumption I thought that you smugly would.
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I have no issue with people having subjective opinions but your post about the Mac and "intangibles" screamed of people who equate unproven nonsense (ie homeopathy) with facts.

And please do not call me mate; we aren't on a building site.
 
One thing it may be worth bearing in mind is that whilst there are certainly intangibles in how people feel about their computers, their productivity with them is very far from intangible. Both Apple and Microsoft expend a huge amount of engineering effort in measuring (using SCIENCE!!!!) how effectively users interact with their products.

One output of this is the Microsoft Ribbon. You personally may hate it, but that's irrelevant, because the science is there and is unavoidable; it makes more features more accessible to more users than was possible with the old menu/toolbar system. Microsoft found themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to tell people making feature requests, "Actually, the feature you're requesting already exists, but our user interface is so overloaded and awful that you haven't a hope in hell of ever finding it.", so Something Had To Be Done and It Had To Be Done With SCIENCE!!!!

(I am not aware of any studies that show OSX to enable people to be more productive than Windows does. Happy to be put right on this.)
 
I have both. My windows machine now acts solely as server and storage, it got tired of waiting for PS to load or trying to have two programs open and crashing. post production is much faster on the mac, ( using mac mini as i just need the hard drive). Memory management is easier, also the fact that i can transfer from device to device I.E Mac to I phone to tablet. If i have a client that is looking for something specific Having home share is great I can access my mac and I have what I want. Windows, you have to set up remote desktops, access your network ( assuming your using all the same versions) wait for resources to clean , the connections lag and are unstable. just too many issues. The graphics of windows standard drivers for editing and not the best, usually have to upgrade to a better graphics card, now thats more money, better monitor if it doesn't reconize the monitor. My monitor for my Mac 46 inch RCA running HDMI, if i need to switch to a small portable I don't have to worry if I have the correct drivers or if the monitor is compatiable
 
a lot of what you said shouldnt be a problem or there are easier ways of being done on windows. non-issues most of those. the first sounds like something was seriously wrong with the machine.
 
Geo said:
I have both. My windows machine now acts solely as server and storage, it got tired of waiting for PS to load or trying to have two programs open and crashing. post production is much faster on the mac, ( using mac mini as i just need the hard drive).
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What is this thing you earth people call "waiting for PS to load"? It (PS CC 64-bit) comes up in under 3 seconds on my Windows 8 box. LR is similarly quick. Are you comparing an ancient PC with a new Mac?

Geo said:
Memory management is easier, also the fact that i can transfer from device to device I.E Mac to I phone to tablet. If i have a client that is looking for something specific Having home share is great I can access my mac and I have what I want.
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You can do exactly this, with exactly as much/little fuss, with a Windows or Android phone.

Geo said:
Windows, you have to set up remote desktops, access your network ( assuming your using all the same versions) wait for resources to clean , the connections lag and are unstable.
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No you don't, of course you do (how else are you going to transfer data?), what does this even mean?, no they aren't. Look up "Homegroups" and "Skydrive". RDP is a much better (where "better" means "more secure, uses less bandwidth, has more features") remote access system than Apple Screen Sharing (which is a derivative of VNC).

Geo said:
just too many issues. The graphics of windows standard drivers for editing and not the best, usually have to upgrade to a better graphics card, now thats more money, better monitor if it doesn't reconize the monitor.
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For a given current card, the Windows graphics drivers are better than those for OS X.

Geo said:
My monitor for my Mac 46 inch RCA running HDMI, if i need to switch to a small portable I don't have to worry if I have the correct drivers or if the monitor is compatiable
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That'd be exactly the same as Windows, then.
 
Dinozorr said:
Still mac or windows?
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Quick answer: the hardware is the same these days, with nothing to differentiate. Apple cases are prettier, but not by much over some of the better PC designs. Apple don't seem to offer on-site warranties (you take it to their showroom or have it collected) while most other PC makers will do on-site, which may be an issue since Apple hardware is not always reliable.

Really, it's down to preference on the operating system. For some, OSX is a revelation compared to Windows, but for others not: I bought a Macbook 5 years ago to run my own business and quickly found that some aspects of workflow management to be very frustrating (to the point it nearly went through a window several times, but I couldn't afford to ditch it. More recent versions of OSX are less bad). You really need to try a Mac - take some of the typical file types you handle along with you on a memory stick & see how the machine works with them.

As for running PS, I recently bought Lightroom 5.3. My 5 Y/O Macbook running OSX 10.9 is very laggy using it, while my desktop unit of similar spec running Windows 8.1 is much smoother. You're not looking to buy a 5 Y/O machine so it's not a problem for you now, but worth considering for the future.
 
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pwhysall said:
What is this thing you earth people call "waiting for PS to load"? It (PS CC 64-bit) comes up in under 3 seconds on my Windows 8 box. LR is similarly quick. Are you comparing an ancient PC with a new Mac?


You can do exactly this, with exactly as much/little fuss, with a Windows or Android phone.


No you don't, of course you do (how else are you going to transfer data?), what does this even mean?, no they aren't. Look up "Homegroups" and "Skydrive". RDP is a much better (where "better" means "more secure, uses less bandwidth, has more features") remote access system than Apple Screen Sharing (which is a derivative of VNC).


For a given current card, the Windows graphics drivers are better than those for OS X.


That'd be exactly the same as Windows, then.
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first off i have been working with windows since its release 3.0, home groups is a network nightmare and no it doesn't run right, the fact that windows simply runs on the verge of crashing and relies so heavily on drivers to function if you look at your process screen and the amount of resources it requires omg. Im not bashing windows like your bashing mac but networking on a mac so much easier specially with the added benefit of bluetooth ( net work a windows machine with bluetooth ) oh thats right it doesn't support it, also as far as android and phone that just opens apps and has them run in the background for no reason well thats just an issue, I have had my iPhone for 2 years battery still lasts as long as it did when i got it, never had a single crash , never had to reset it because it froze, don't have to jail break it just to get stuff to work because the manufacture doesn't want you to use stuff on it.
 
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Geo said:
first off i have been working with windows since its release 3.0, home groups is a network nightmare and no it doesn't run right, the fact that windows simply runs on the verge of crashing and relies so heavily on drivers to function if you look at your process screen and the amount of resources it requires omg. Im not bashing windows like your bashing mac but networking on a mac so much easier specially with the added benefit of bluetooth ( net work a windows machine with bluetooth ) oh thats right it doesn't support it, also as far as android and phone that just opens apps and has them run in the background for no reason well thats just an issue, I have had my iPhone for 2 years battery still lasts as long as it did when i got it, never had a single crash , never had to reset it because it froze, don't have to jail break it just to get stuff to work because the manufacture doesn't want you to use stuff on it.
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Wow. So confuse. Much wrongness. Poor Geo.

/doge
 
Currently...
 
One thing I notice about the loud Mac users... they can rarely defend it in a mature way. Just look through the thread. Me? A windows user who just DGAF - would use either. Would be using a Mac right now if they were cheaper. There's so much that I could reply to in this thread, crush myth after myth but years of forum experience tells me it's all a monumental waste of time. No-one ever listens and really why should they? It must hurt to have your utopian image of maxing out your credit card destroyed by someone on a forum, which is, I suspect, why many people vehemently, nay viciously defend their choice.

Tempted to OS X my EEE PC... again. Have OS X on one and Linux on another. Canna be bothered... doubt it :sleep:
 
I would say Mac, I converted in 2012 for a non-photographic reason and to be honest I have never looked back.

Even to this day I find a new surprise the my mac that has me quite impressed with the quality of the product.

Ultimately it will all come down to money but I do feel the user experience quality is much more enjoyable on a Mac.

That isn't to say you will love it immediately, if you have zero Mac experience like I did in 2012 you have a few things to learn again.

I enjoyed the product so much that this year I intend to invest £3,800 on more apple equipment specifically two retina displays, one iMac and Apple TV.

This is what I would consider my Pros:

  • Backlit keyboard
  • Brilliant screen
  • Durable chassis
  • Incredible battery life
  • External battery indicator
  • Magsafe Power Adaptor
  • Clean design
  • Better user interface
  • Better user experience
  • Multiple desktops (if you have used linux desktop os before you will know what I mean)
  • Gesture controllable touchpad
  • Launchpad - (though some people hate it or don't use it)
  • Time Machine! - My recent surprise when I configured it today for the first time and how awesome it is.
  • Less reboots - My mac last rebooted 61 days, 23 hours, 43 mins ago and it still runs fine.
  • A development cycle that hasn't been ruined - Apple make better products because when it ships from the factory only Apple have tinkered with it, when a windows computer ships the laptop manufacturer has installed bloatware on it and then topped it off with free trials and a games market and all this other crap that you are inevitably going to try and uninstall anyway.
  • Fantastic product support
  • Installing printers is a breeze - You know how windows searches for drivers online but seems to never find anything itself regardless of how common the printer is? Well Mac's don't have that issue.
  • There are no vents on the bottom - Seriously, what idiot thinks putting the vent at the bottom of the laptop is a great idea?
  • App store
  • iCloud - got an iPhone? Send, View and Reply to messages from your computer without connecting your phone.

There are a few cons:
  • Cost - It is an investment but providing you take care of it, it will become worth it.
  • Say goodbye to cheap hardware - Sometimes you want to buy something really cheap like a USB hub or crappy chinese mouse more often than not it won't work with Mac.
  • Running anything that is built for windows only requires some technical ability


Few things to note if you do get one:

This charger sucks the design of it means you stress the insulation near the connector which has you reaching for the insulation tape and ones it breaks in one place it starts to come apart everywhere. This one is the one you want.

The screen seems to attract crap so stock up on lens cleaning fluid because you will be using it plenty.

Don't let the lack of a cd drive put you off, it's amazing how little you use it.
 
neil_g said:
Macs are designed for media these days as much as ford make the only saloon car available. The glossy screens have no place in a professional media studio for a start.
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Professional media studio.......

Studio-Lab.jpg
 
I'm not a computer expert by any means I just use them to mess around with my photos and go on here!
I've always had PCs and at the moment am using a 2 year old Dell i7 desktop and a 13 inch MacBook pro which I bought recently for doing editing and backup away from home
they are both great and do the job, I think its a matter of personal preference:)
I really do like the MacBook the screen is fantastic much better than the other laptops I looked at and the battery life is amazing this really matters when I may not always have mains power
the windows laptops I've had before had pretty poor battery life especially when uploading photos from a CF card to plug in external drive but maybe they are better now
 
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Well the only thing that windows as of yet cannot touch with regards to macs is thunderbolt connectivity at 10GBPS.. firewire 800 is nothing which means whole image libraries can be moved accessed and messed about with at silly fast speed.
 
boyfalldown said:
regardless of system used anyone who thinks they are safe from any type of malware by virtue of the system they use is going to get their arse handed to them on a plate in a big way one day
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Exactly.
flashframe said:
Well the only thing that windows as of yet cannot touch with regards to macs is thunderbolt connectivity at 10GBPS.. firewire 800 is nothing which means whole image libraries can be moved accessed and messed about with at silly fast speed.
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It's over priced and under supported. And the speed is pointless for anything other than raid0 ssd arrays.

And it's available on PC onboard several makes of motherboard. Several machine vendors have opted for usb3 over tb because of the lack of peripherals.
 
Wow, this thread got quite heavy with the Mac vs PC debate, didn't see that coming :rolleyes:

I'm a windows kinda guy, and I have previously encountered quite a lot of companies that deal in creative design and only 2 of them used Mac's, it used to be common, but now the likes of Dell's Ultrasharp range are more commonly seen in my opinion. Yes, Mac's are quite well spec'd, but they are not spec'd for the creative side that they once were, unless you go Mac Pro.

i5's, i7's and the Intel-Interated/Geforce GFX processors are more consumer range, if you want a number-crunching design machine then the Xeon's, Quadro's, and FireGL's of the world are your friend, commonly seen in the Dell Precision/HP Workstation Line.

Check this Precision laptop >> http://www.dell.com/uk/business/p/precision-m3800-workstation/pd

As has previously been stated, go for whatever works for you, if you know and like Windows then what benefit is a Mac going to give you. If however you like the feel of OSX then go down the Mac route. But bare in mind that they are fundamentally the same machine these days, you are paying for the difference in support, build and operating system.
 
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