Mac vs. PC

[oblivi]

I am close to purchasing a new system dedicated solely to tagging, editing etc. I have read a few things about Mac's and know a great deal about PC's but I am still wondering what the REAL difference is. Can anyone enlighten me on the best way to go for my next system purchase?

[dcclark]

This is a touchy subject. Be prepared for some strong opinions. The general advice I can give is just what I'd give for cameras -- find what you need and what you like, and get that. But since you asked...

I own a PowerBook (the old name for MacBook Pros), and I love mine. Keep that in mind and read the rest knowing that I have a bias. Here's my rundown of why I like it, and what I don't like:

LIKES
- The "it just works" thing really is true -- I can plug in just about anything and it will work, without having to install any drivers or special software. Yes, even my camera or a card reader.
- The ability to run OS X, AND Windows, AND Linux -- all on the same machine.
- The included software rocks.
- The warranty and customer service are great.
- I restart my laptop maybe once per month, and that's only because I update my OS (which requires a restart). No crashing, period.
- Along those lines -- the OS doesn't slow down over time. You don't get viruses / trojans /etc. gumming up the works either. Much less worry there.
- Many (not all!) graphics folks prefer Macs, so you will have a decent community to draw on.

DISLIKES
- The cost, but my machine has lasted much longer (and works much better) than most cheaper PC laptops... so combined with the included software, that probably evens out.
- The lack of service in this area -- if you're near an Apple authorized service center, then cool... if you're not, then getting parts serviced may be a real problem.
- Having to defend myself in Mac-vs-PC debates. :P

MISCONCEPTIONS
- People will tell you that Macs don't have much software available. This is blatantly untrue -- Macs have essentially everything that PCs have (including the full Adobe Creative Suite), plus you can run Windows and Linux and get all of THAT too.
- The one button mouse. Not only do the included mice actually have 2 buttons now (and are programmable to do even more), but you can use any mouse you want anyhow.
- Getting used to the interface -- well, this is something you'll have to figure out for yourself. OS X does work differently than Windows, but it's not hard to get used to.

So, those are my opinions. Obviously I'm biased, but you may still find them useful.

[oblivi]

Clark thank you for the insight. I have asked a bunch of people who are designers, photographers, gamers etc. and they really prefer the mac over the PC for so many reasons. I am not 100% sold on Macs. the one Mac Book I had was lost due to a hard drive failure and cost too much to repair. I fear that may happen to my next Mac purchase as well.

[vsa]

Have you invested heavily on software for either?
Some software is only for Mac.

Having used PC for ages I still find the Mac mouse behavior weird. You probably can modify it but on every Mac I've tried it has behaved in same "weird" manner. The slower you move your mouse, the less the pointer moves. This is annoying to me being used to only move mouse little and slowly to aim small objects in PC environment and trying that in Mac your pointer hardly moves at all. ...........but you can probably modify it or get used to it if you use Mac most of the time.

Ctrl vs. Cmd: You get used to either one so that's a non issue.

PCs crash, so do Macs. If you take care of your computer then it's less prone to do that on both platforms.

You can pretty much fix your PC if some part breaks (of course this doesn't apply to laptops). To my knowledge you need to send your Mac to get fixed.

It really comes down to what you like best. You can do same stuff on both. Haven't heard of touch screen Macs though.
Just don't become a "Mac fanboy". Those people are mighty annoying.
(...yes, Windows fanboys are equally annoying)

[kirbinster]

The lines have blurred and you can do all most all the same things on both platforms. The only reason to buy a MAC is if you have an excess amount of money you know nothing better to do with -- you get more bang for your buck with a PC!

[Chip]

I have a PC for work and Mac (an iMac, dual core Intel from early 2007) at home. I agree with what David said - the main point being that it just works. It rarely freezes and just about never has to be re-booted. It's reliable and hasn't slowed down at all. And it seems to be a faster machine than my new work PC. Macs also have a consistent auto update feature - Apple comes out with many updates, much more regularly than Microsoft.

Other than that (which are important) , though, I think Macs are just different, and not necessarily better, than PCs. For example, MS Word just seems to work better on a PC than my Mac. So, I'm largely on the fence between the 2, which likely puts me in the minority.

My wife is in the same boat as me, as loves the iMac. She won't hear of getting a PC for household use.

One possible way to lower the initial cost of a Mac might be to upgrade the RAM yourself. It's very easy to do, and costs much less than getting the RAM maxed out on a new machine.

Enough rambling. Good luck with your decision.

[oblivi]

thank you everyone for your input. It has been VERY helpful in clearing the haze that is the mac vs. pc debate.

[save_alkaline]

my wife and i both happened to get new machines at about the same time. i built a desktop PC with a quad core processor among other serious components for less than $700. it does photo editing, plays the latest games (which i don't do much of, but i can if i wanted to) does all my school / work stuff, surfs the web, looks nice, etc etc. she got a Macbook Pro, one of the lower models and added a little extra memory. it does all that as well, but it's a laptop, has a slower processor, etc, etc and it cost $2000. i've used both extensively and still prefer PC. then again, i'm a network admin and PCs are much more common in my line of work. Macs look really nice, have terrific displays and the OS is nice but it's not worth that much more in my opinion. You can get comparable and even superior hardware in a PC for substantially less money. (hint: Apple doesn't want you to, but if you were so inclined, it's easy enough to install their operating system on a PC nowadays. You get the OS and the same performance along with a much lower price tag) But in the end it comes down to what you prefer. I would play with both and see which one you're more comfortable with - from both a user and financial standpoint.

[teedlepeep]

I just bought my first Mac a few months ago. (I got a new mac book pro) Yes, it was expensive, and yes, I had to buy some new software for it. For school reasons, I had to partition the hard drive and install a version of windows so that I can use it for programs like Access that have you can't install on the Mac.

The Mac side of my machine is amazing, boots fast, rarely freezes or crashes, just plain runs smoothly. The only time I see a lag in it is when I am downloading pictures and then it can get a little boggy. The PC side of this is typical PC garbage, it's slower then anything, freezes all the time, etc etc etc. I only use the windows side when I have to. Other then that I am on the Mac side.

One of the biggest reasons I went to Mac from PC is that I blowup PC's at the rate of at least one a year. They just don't handle what I have thrown at them. No, I didn't go and revamp everything and add all kinds of whatevers to the PC's. My first one was a custom made machine that I paid an arm and a leg for and it was a horrible machine. Just turned me off to that completely.

I have been converted completely. I hate using PC's and will never ever ever buy one again. My daughters 2 year old laptop is about to die and she is already begging us to please buy her an IMac for her b-day to replace it. Which we will

Just my 2 cents from someone who recently went through the should I or shouldn't I before replacing yet another dead HP that lasted 6 months !!

[save_alkaline]

Originally Posted by teedlepeep

The Mac side of my machine is amazing, boots fast, rarely freezes or crashes, just plain runs smoothly. The only time I see a lag in it is when I am downloading pictures and then it can get a little boggy. The PC side of this is typical PC garbage, it's slower then anything, freezes all the time, etc etc etc. I only use the windows side when I have to. Other then that I am on the Mac side.

something is messed up. it should run just fine. my wife is running the same setup with no issues. she has to have both for work.

Originally Posted by teedlepeep

One of the biggest reasons I went to Mac from PC is that I blowup PC's at the rate of at least one a year. They just don't handle what I have thrown at them. No, I didn't go and revamp everything and add all kinds of whatevers to the PC's. My first one was a custom made machine that I paid an arm and a leg for and it was a horrible machine. Just turned me off to that completely.

someone screwed you and / or didn't know what they were doing which happens far too often with custom built machines. i never recommend a custom built machine to someone who doesn't know how to build it themselves. and i won't build one for someone either.. and i KNOW what i'm doing.

Originally Posted by teedlepeep

Just my 2 cents from someone who recently went through the should I or shouldn't I before replacing yet another dead HP that lasted 6 months !!

6 months is simply insane! there's no way it should last anything less than 4 years or so. maybe you just have bad luck or something, haha. but from someone who works in the industry, i can assure you you've 'thrown nowhere near what i've thrown at a PC'. they are workhorses, if nothing else. i've got numerous HPs and Dells in a manufacturing environment running 24 / 7 / 365 and have been for years.. literally. they never even give a hiccup.

*knocks on wood*