Mac PC's

[glassdave]

been thinking about getting a Mac and just wondered what peoples thoughts and experiances were. Can you still do all the internet surfing stuff? how are they with virus's/spam? Pros? Cons? What can ya do what cant ya do? are the commercials with the mac and the windows guy accurate?:D

since i do alot of graphics i though a Mac would be good to have. heard they are best for it.

[stecz20]

been thinking about getting a Mac and just wondered what peoples thoughts and experiances were. Can you still do all the internet surfing stuff? how are they with virus's/spam? Pros? Cons? What can ya do what cant ya do? are the commercials with the mac and the windows guy accurate?:D

since i do alot of graphics i though a Mac would be good to have. heard they are best for it.

all my graphic guys have macs here, they are awsome once you get used to them... im surprised you dont have a mac doing what you do....

[Tony]

Why Macs Suck (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6553260189868317794)

:D

-Donzi

[stecz20]

people i know that have them swear by them.. thats guys a kook....

[phragle]

better for graphics, better for viruses etc.. as the script kiddies dont waste their time making bad things directed at macs. internet surfing is cheese, anymore you only limitation on mac or pc is connection speed.

[glassdave]

all my graphic guys have macs here, they are awsome once you get used to them... im surprised you dont have a mac doing what you do....


never really used one so i really have no idea how they are. I have heard its industry standard for any graphics based biz. I just wonder how file sharing is between the two. Wonder if i can use both or do i have to switch everything over. Right now i do some stuff at home and some stuff at the shop on my laptop all winxp. i do pretty good with Corel but i think i need to turn it up a bit.

[Offshoredrillin]

Whats wrong with the crayons you have used for so many years? i even bought you the party pac.:rofl::03:

[BBB725]

been thinking about getting a Mac and just wondered what peoples thoughts and experiances were. Can you still do all the internet surfing stuff? how are they with virus's/spam? Pros? Cons? What can ya do what cant ya do? are the commercials with the mac and the windows guy accurate?:D

since i do alot of graphics i though a Mac would be good to have. heard they are best for it.

I have all Macs at work about 20 running with a file sharer. Pros and cons.

Pros, Because not as many people have them you are almost virus free, they can surf the net just like a PC and I think their faster.

Cons, Some software is not available for Macs, It's sometimes interesting sharing files with a PC.

Over all I prefer the Macs, but it's like politics people have very strong views about each system.

[Sea-Dated]

You can always run a virtual windows machine inside of a Mac if their is software you need that is not available for Mac. I have never done it but have heard it works well.

[Pete B]

I bought a Mac, about 3 months ago, It rocks , still getting used to it though. I use it for pics. When its time to get a new laptop It will be a Mac as well, Although My Sony is working very good.

[cigdaze]

Bottom line, here's what it comes down to:

Internet / Email - Take your pick, they're both good here.
Security - They're both equally vulnerable, however with MACS comprising only a small percent of the marketshare they're not targeted very often. Mac wins.
Graphical arts - Mac
Serious number crunching / engineering - PC
Networking / LAN - PC has the edge

[Tony]

Bottom line, here's what it comes down to:

Internet / Email - Take your pick, they're both good here.
Security - They're both equally vulnerable, however with MACS comprising only a small percent of the marketshare they're not targeted very often. Mac wins.
Graphical arts - Mac
Serious number crunching / engineering - PC
Networking / LAN - PC has the edge

What he said :)
Macs do usually do better with graphics packages

I hear that the Windows emulators are getting better and better. My company's software is designed to run specifically on Windows and uses Microsoft Office to interact with. One stubborn customer refuses to part with his Mac and runs our software through the emulator and hasn't had any trouble with it in recent years.



If you buy one you might have to get an apple sticker to put in the back window of your Subaru though :lurk5:

j/k


-Donzi

[NJgr8ful]

Yo Glassman Dave,

I jumped off bandwagon 2yrs ago. I now have a MacBook Pro laptop and Macintosh desktop ((daughter has 13" MacBook up at Marist College, I chose it for her exactly for 1 reason - because there will be no problems with her being 3+ hrs away from me :D she loves it btw, having used PCs her whole short life, no probs)) all running Apple's latest flavor of OS, Leopard OS, linux based operating systems, that are as near to flawless as you can get. For graphics it is no contest - Apple is the way to go. Surfing internet - identical. Get MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint for Mac $149 for 3 licenses and you're pretty much good to go with file sharing from PCs. Adobe PDFs are fine. DL'ing most proggys to work on Mac is easy as a Google search. I do NOT even run any anti-virus software on my Apples, that's how they are with virus vulnerability :) Systems do not freeze up, programs do not freeze up, mine have been running trouble free for 2 years. Boot up/Shut downs are amazingly fast. From completely powered off, you are fully up and running on the internet surfing in less than 30secs .. when the last time one of your PCs did that?

The transition and conversion over from PC is fairly simple and painless, there are and will be growing pains, but all of them are absolutely well worth all of your time and effort. I would not turn back to PCs. As of today I am 100% satisfied and convinced it was/is the right move. For comparison, I have just purchased my younger 15yr old daughter a brand new Dell 1525 series Vista notebook and finished going thru set-up with it ... having to 'approve' every single thing I wanted to load or touch ... I was jones'n for my MacBook Pro after 20mins on the this thing. She wanted PC .. I tried to get her a MacBook :(

They are a bit more pricey than your bargain line of PC or laptop goes for, but any Vista machine built up as robustly as a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or even Macintosh, is built right out of the box, will be just as expensive and will not run as cleanly as the Mac. It is also proven, and well known fact, that the life span and length someone will own the Mac they've purchased today ... far outlives the PC they purchased the same time. ;)

Go for it Dave :cool: you will not look back and it will pay for itself with your all the new work it gets you! ((and if you need any assistance with them ... call me :hat: ))
Chris

[MacGyver]

I prefer to build my own systems. You can't do that with a MAC.

[glassdave]

Yo Glassman Dave,

I jumped off bandwagon 2yrs ago. I now have a MacBook Pro laptop and Macintosh desktop ((daughter has 13" MacBook up at Marist College, I chose it for her exactly for 1 reason - because there will be no problems with her being 3+ hrs away from me :D she loves it btw, having used PCs her whole short life, no probs)) all running Apple's latest flavor of OS, Leopard OS, linux based operating systems, that are as near to flawless as you can get. For graphics it is no contest - Apple is the way to go. Surfing internet - identical. Get MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint for Mac $149 for 3 licenses and you're pretty much good to go with file sharing from PCs. Adobe PDFs are fine. DL'ing most proggys to work on Mac is easy as a Goggle search. I do NOT even run any anti-virus software on my Apples, that's how they are with virus vulnerability :) Systems do not freeze up, programs do not freeze up, mine have been running trouble free for 2 years. Boot up/Shut downs are amazingly fast. From completely powered off, you are fully up and running on the internet surfing in less than 30secs .. when the last time one of your PCs did that?

The transition and conversion over from PC is fairly simple and painless, there are and will be growing pains, but all of them are absolutely well worth all of your time and effort. I would not turn back to PCs. As of today I am 100% satisfied and convinced it was/is the right move. For comparison, I have just purchased my younger 15yr old daughter a brand new Dell 1525 series Vista notebook and finished going thru set-up with it ... having to 'approve' every single thing I wanted to load or touch ... I was jones'n for my MacBook Pro after 20mins on the this thing. She wanted PC .. I tried to get her a MacBook :(

They are a bit more pricey than your bargain line of PC or laptop goes for, but any Vista machine built up as robustly as a MacBook, MacBook Pro, or even Macintosh, is built right out of the box, will be just as expensive and will not run as cleanly as the Mac. It is also proven, and well known fact, that the life span and length someone will own the Mac they've purchased today ... far outlives the PC they purchased the same time. ;)

Go for it Dave :cool: you will not look back and it will pay for itself with your all the new work it gets you! ((and if you need any assistance with them ... call me :hat: ))
Chris

Thanks Chris

good stuff guys, where is the best place to shop on line for a macbook?

what is it that makes a Mac so much better for graphics? Is it visually better on the screen or is it how the actual programs themselves run on a mac? i use FlexiSign Pro, CorelX3 and Rhino for a lot of stuff now and have fantastic control as it is. i mean does Corel run the same and have the same features on both operating systems?

[stecz20]

you better get the mac cause your s hit is slipping buddy.. i think you are relying too much on technology... maybe you do need to sharpen up your skills...

[glassdave]

i could go back to pencil and paper . . . . ii can still do that as well and not many can. man then it realy would have taken a while to do that rendering of the TS :D

[stecz20]

yeah prob would have taken you 3 -4 months......:03::03:
if you had the mac 1 week most....:seeya:

[macjazzy]

The Mac advertising campaign with Mac guy and the PC guy has got to be one of the best ad campaigns ever. After fighting with my Vista laptop, having to take it back for repair twice and having it wipe out all my pics and songs once for no known reason. They are seriously making me consider switching.

[NJgr8ful]

Thanks Chris

good stuff guys, where is the best place to shop on line for a macbook?

what is it that makes a Mac so much better for graphics? Is it visually better on the screen or is it how the actual programs themselves run on a mac? i use FlexiSign Pro, CorelX3 and Rhino for a lot of stuff now and have fantastic control as it is. i mean does Corel run the same and have the same features on both operating systems?
Anytime Dave. You really can't get much better prices on Apple stuff by shopping around, the prices are what they are ... so may as well stick to APPLE.com or APPLE's brick and mortar stores at your local mall as they actually can offer better 'deals'. EX: My daughter 13" MacBook was offered at retail price, not a biggie, but then take 10% off for student discount (any child attending a school qualifies for this ;) ) and were also offering up to a $399 rebate, at the time, on any iPod/iTouch purchase. So buy a $399 iTouch and keep for free or sell for $399 and save additional. Rebate takes less than 7 business days to get the check in your hand.

You should be looking at the 15" or 17" MacBook Pro series vs. regular 13" MacBooks for the graphics stuff. It isn't necessarily the screen and appearance that's superior, it is the programs available and what they are capable of ... and user friendly aspects of these programs. Not familiar with exactly what programs do what and specifics on ea. .. maybe Steczy's guys can tell ya what programs to get for your needs.

[stecz20]

maybe Steczy's guys can tell ya what programs to get for your needs.

im not helping this guy, i mean what has he done for me... ya know....:03::03:

[t500hps]

I'm with Chris.....We've had PC's but I run a printing company and the guys at work LOVE those MAC's. This spring I bought my first Macbook. I love this thing, but it handles files differently so you'll spend a few weeks getting used t that. I have the microsoft software package that I was able to get from a friend. The only thing I've had problems with (and it could be my lack of knowledge) is viewing some of the videos posted on these sites that were created in some Microsoft software.

[NJgr8ful]

maybe Steczy's guys can tell ya what programs to get for your needs.

im not helping this guy, i mean what has he done for me... ya know....:03::03:
When you actually get a boat he might paint it for ya! :26::26::26::biggrinjester:

[stecz20]

When you actually get a boat he can paint it for ya! :26::26::26::biggrinjester:

thats a low blow, i think my felings are hurt....

[NJgr8ful]

thats a low blow, i think my felings are hurt....

The other thread (40'Baja) was a low 'brow' blow LOL :D :D DISTURBING where Ratickle finds them pics!! :26::03::26:

[stecz20]

i thought it was better that someon was stciking up for me.... i had to enjoy the moment, never know when thats gonna happen again....lol

[NJgr8ful]

Dave IMHO this is the primo setup. 17" or 15" MacBook Pro sharing, with a dual video card, twin 30" Apple Cinema monitors :cool: Kinda like twin Merc 1075s in a 46 Rough Rider .. well maybe a slight exaggeration, but you can appreciate where I'm coming from LOL :D :cheers2:

[Sea-Dated]

thats a low blow, i think my felings are hurt....

You have feelings??????:sifone:

[Member: 541]

Just got a Mac, very pleased with it. Very user friendly. Lots of software, MobileMe is great and a plus with Itunes.
Heard to many horror stories about Vista.

[rbhudelson]

Bottom line, here's what it comes down to:

Internet / Email - Take your pick, they're both good here.
Security - They're both equally vulnerable, however with MACS comprising only a small percent of the marketshare they're not targeted very often. Mac wins.
Graphical arts - Mac
Serious number crunching / engineering - PC
Networking / LAN - PC has the edge

Uh. On the security note. They are not equally vulnerable. Macs today comprise nearly 10% of the marketplace. So if they were equally vulnerable, Macs would comprise 10% of all virus's and spyware. But they comprise 0% of them. Macs are more resistant to viruses and spyware because the underpinning of OS X is Unix. Unix has been fighting virus's for nearly 40 years. Windows architecture is flawed at the kernal level and can't be fixed, or secured until the kernal is re-written.

Before you start. One of my past jobs was running Desktop and Server Engineering for Dell IT. I carry a Mac and have since 2004.

[socalstone]

Uh. On the security note. They are not equally vulnerable. Macs today comprise nearly 10% of the marketplace. So if they were equally vulnerable, Macs would comprise 10% of all virus's and spyware. But they comprise 0% of them. Macs are more resistant to viruses and spyware because the underpinning of OS X is Unix. Unix has been fighting virus's for nearly 40 years. Windows architecture is flawed at the kernal level and can't be fixed, or secured until the kernal is re-written.

Before you start. One of my past jobs was running Desktop and Server Engineering for Dell IT. I carry a Mac and have since 2004.

He's right. I've been mac-based for 20 years. I'm amazed when I see/hear stories of the issues and viruses with pc's. Macs aren't perfect but for anything creative they are the best. The lack of issues is just icing on the cake.

[Audiofn]

Windows 7 next year should be amazing. All touch. Apples are ok but they seem to have a usefull life span of about 2 years.

[rbhudelson]

Windows 7 next year should be amazing. All touch. Apples are ok but they seem to have a usefull life span of about 2 years.

my oldest son uses the powerbook i bought in 2004 for his college computer. it runs better today than it did back when I bought it. Try that with any pc running windows.

why do you think windows 7 will be any different than any OS they have ever produced? it is getting harder for them to patch the thing up instead of easier.

[socalstone]

My last mac (G5 Powermac) lasted me 4+ years 24/7 before the "great crash of September" a few months ago. Motherboard went down. I'm ordering a new Mac Pro soon. Been on my laptop in the meantime. Been working well... it's got enough balls stock to drive my 30" monitor.

My g4 mac - before the g5, lasted me 3+ and sold it to a friend. It lasted him til last year some time.

[NJgr8ful]

Windows 7 next year should be amazing. All touch. Apples are ok but they seem to have a usefull life span of about 2 years.
Exactly what will be so "amazing" about Windows 7??? Your statement that Apples "seem to have a useful life span of about 2 years" is totally off base. Windows PCs, especially laptop variety, have a 6mo-1yr recycle/lifecycle. Look around eBay and see ;) 2,3,4yr old Mac Book Pros are still selling for $1000-$1500 upgraded to Leopard OS X and using all same hardware.

Guess it's a matter of comfortability with some and unwillingness to move over to a new format. Their market share alone convinces me they are doing something right. May only be @10% today, but that was less than 5% not more than 1-2yrs ago ... and market share is steadily climbing.

[VtSteve]

Windows 7 next year should be amazing. All touch. Apples are ok but they seem to have a usefull life span of about 2 years.

I'm ordering a new MacBook Pro this month for my office. It will be running XP Pro for the two remaining Windows apps I run. I have a G5 iMac at home, purchased over 4 years ago. Also an old 2000 iMac, and a 2003 Powerbook. All are running perfectly, and with the exception of the oldest, can use the latest OS from Apple.

With Flip4Mac software, you can run any WMV files via Quicktime. My new book will have both the Mac and Windows version of Office on it. On average, my Macs have lasted about 50 longer than my PC's, although I did have one Gateway running for six years.

In the office, my old Dell server is being replaced by a Mac server, a rack unit probably. Servers serve, and the platform makes little difference. The Mac server is less costly, and for $999, it has unlimited seats, plus all the development software.

[BBB725]

Dave IMHO this is the primo setup. 17" or 15" MacBook Pro sharing, with a dual video card, twin 30" Apple Cinema monitors :cool: Kinda like twin Merc 1075s in a 46 Rough Rider .. well maybe a slight exaggeration, but you can appreciate where I'm coming from LOL :D :cheers2:

Better setup is 4 G5s setup together.:biggrinjester:

[phragle]

windows 7??? hell I dont care what microsoft does.. Charles Manson is still more stable than windows 10 will ever dream of being.

[rbhudelson]

Saw this on CNBC this morning.


Mac Leaves The Also-Rans In The Dust
Posted By:Jim Goldman
Topics:Retail Sales | Information Technology | Internet | Technology
Sectors:Internet | Technology
Companies:Hewlett-Packard Co | Dell Inc | Apple Inc | Microsoft Corp

Talk about timing: When it comes to a customer satisfaction survey comparing Apple's Macs with everyone else, the Forrester Research report out this morning could not have come at a better time.

Forrester polled 4,600 consumers to come up with the Customer Experience Index for 113 firms in 12 different industries, and in PCs, "Apple dominates in customer experience." Overall, "there's no doubt about which company wins the customer experience battle among PC manufacturers: Apple. Apple's rating of 80 percent was 14 points higher than that of the next firm on the list, Gateway." Dell, by the way, brought up the rear with the lowest overall score and one of three firms rated "poor."

Apple also enjoyed double-digit gaps with all its competitors in categories like "easy-to-use," "useful," and "enjoyable."

Anything over 85 on this list is considered "excellent," and overall, Apple scored an 80. Gateway came in second at 66, Hewlett-Packard scored a 64, just missing the "Okay" category by a single point and relegated to "Poor," along with Compaq (63) and Dell (58.) In fact, in the "Enjoyable" category, Dell scored a 47, well below the "Very Poor" threshold of 55. Ouch.

The reason the timing of this report is so important: Microsoft has embarked on a significant ad campaign detailing the differences between Macs and PCs, focusing specifically on price. But it's these kinds of intangibles, above and beyond price, that make Mac a better buy. It's something the Mac faithful have been roaring about since those Microsoft ads began. And now it's something that no less a research authority than Forrester is validating.

Forrester isn't making purchase recommendations here. But it's clear that buying something as important and complex as a computer should be about a lot more than merely price. Couple that with design and overall experience and it isn't even a contest, even with the Apple tax that Steve Ballmer always carps about. There's tax, and taxing, and based on Mac sales these last couple of years, it appears consumers are buying that message. By the millions.

[BlackJack58]

Dave, if you go with a nice Mac setup, you won't be disappointed. It will cost you a little more, you'll have a little less selection in terms of software, and you will probably be less susceptible to some viruses.

Now, as someone who has actually used both professionally for graphic design and advertising for about 20 years, I will tell you flat out that in terms of using anything like Adobe illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign or any other brand/type of graphics, image editing or page layout program - a PC will perform just as well as a Mac. The software runs the same on either one - and frankly, there's nothing you can do on a Mac that can't be done on a PC. Both platforms handle files a little differently, but the difference will seem insignificant.

Macs have a leg up in the graphics field because they were the first systems designed to be used for those applications - like page layout, photo editing and illustration. The first (and best) apps came out for Macs, and every ad agency and design studio dumped their paste-up boards and graphic cameras for shooting halftone photos and bought new Macs. The copywriters and accountants got PCs, since they were using MS Word and Excel, and the first versions of graphics software for PCs weren't very good.

By the late 90's however, PCs and Windows software had improved significantly, Apple lost some of its focus after Steve Jobs left (PowerPC) and lost market share; as a result, companies like Adobe started focusing on building graphics software for PCs first, because they weren't sure about the long-term viability of Apple. As a result, the playing field got levelled.

Of course, since that time, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, they got back on track, and have returned to a high level of excellence like they had originally. But over those years, PCs have caught up in just about every way, and like I said, are every bit as good for the applications you are using. For some applications, a PC may be the only choice. Many people in the graphics field have only used Macs from the very beginning, and they swear by them - understandably. But being in advertising for over 25 years, I know better than to base my purchasing decisions on TV commercials. The Mac commercials are brilliant, but the advantages are vastly overstated, and they are based on the PC world of 1992, not 2009.

As far as the virus issue is concerned, installing and using good virus protection is the most critical factor. Macs aren't immune - in fact, if you keep up on tech news on sites like slashdot.org, you will find that viruses have entered the Mac world, too - and Apple encourages users to install and use anti-virus software: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/240255/apple-recommends-security-software-for-mac-owners.html

Most Windows problems arise when users load their PCs with crapware, too many programs, too many registry entries - it's a recipe for problems. Regular maintenance will keep you from most serious issues - I have not seen a "blue screen of death" on a PC in over 10 years. Conversely, I worked at an ad agency a few years ago that had a horrible network setup (all Macs) and lost more work from "frozen" machines in two years then I had in the previous 10, using both platforms. I use XP now, would not upgrade to Vista, but may look at Win 7 later.

That said, I am typing this on a Linux PC, which is working pretty well, too. All the software is free, there's usually a free alternative available for most every WIN/Mac program you would want, and it pretty much works the same. File systems are a little different, as is the process of loading/installing software, but it has a lot of potential.

Whatever you do, the major hurdle is the learning curve on new software, should you decide to try something different. It's frustrating when you're thinking - "by the time I learn how to use this new stuff, I could have done the job using the OLD stuff ten times over." But sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and devote a weekend to learning new software. Good Luck. Whatever you decide to do, we all know you'll put it to good use. :sifone: