Point of having a Mac.

Hey,

I have a question, something has been bugging me the last few days. I've been thinking about Macbooks and how a lot of professional graphic designers own Macs and Macbooks. I was wondering why? How does photoshop or other programs differ on a Macbook?

Thanks.

 

No, personal preference.

 

The reason why media professionals use Macs (for web design, or for video and sound editing/mixing and for graphic design) is because it has traditionally been Macs that had the best programs that did those things, AND the Mac OS crashes far less than Windows.

 

I can't really see why someone would buy a Mac just because they prefer them over PCs. They are definitely more professional-looking, but surely there are laptops out there that are just as good, if not better, for a much more reasonable price.

A friend of mine recently purchased a Macbook from Apple for a pricey $1700. I personally love the design of it, along with the programs and the majority of the features, but for the price?

I own an IBM Thinkpad T22 and do a lot of graphic designing, so I'm looking for a new laptop. I was thinking of a Macbook, but the price is just short of thievery. I have heard of people saying that they are better for people who do lots of creative stuff, but I have yet to hear why this is. Anyone care to elaborate? I would certainly not buy a Macbook just because of 'personal preference'.

 

And there is also the drawback of not being able to play a majority of games on OSX.

 

Guatam pretty much hit it on the head. Macs and windows machines can pretty much accomplish the same tasks as far as graphic design and using photoshop. Some people PREFER to do it in OS X because some of the benefits of that operating system over a Windows environment. It just so happens that only one manufacturer puts OS X on their hardware which means they can charge whatever they want (within reason).

 

macs have programs like iwork, imovie, and the whole ilife suite. that is why creative professionals prefer macs because of the software. the fact that they have sweet designs is a bonus, but it is the software that attracts people in my opinion. OSX is just easier to use also.

 

Actually most games are available for OS X. You just have to look a little harder than going to Wal-Mart.

As for the choice of Mac over PC, it's about stability. OS X is a much stabler operating system than Windows. Its file archiving system is better suited for those in the graphic design industry, as is the interface.

And the comment about Macs being more expensive is ridiculous. Compare a similarly equipped Thinkpad or Vaio to a Macbook or Macbook Pro.

ThinkPad

Code:

Model
Brand 	ThinkPad
Series 	T Series
Model 	T60p (8744C9U)
Part# 	8744C9U
General
Operating System 	Windows XP Professional
CPU Type 	Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 2.0G
Screen 	15.4" WSXGA+
Memory Size 	2GB DDR2
Hard Disk 	100GB
Optical Drive 	Dual Layer DVD Burner
Graphics Card 	ATI Mobility FireGL V5250
Video Memory 	256MB
Communication 	Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Card slot 	1 x Type I/II PC Card Slot
Dimensions 	14.1" x 10" x 1.34"
Weight 	5.5 lbs.

Macbook Pro

Code:

Operating System 	OS X
CPU Type 	Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2G
Screen 	15" WSXGA+
Memory Size 	2GB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk 	120GB
Optical Drive 	Dual Layer DVD Burner
Graphics Card 	NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
Video Memory 	128MB SDRAM
Communication 	Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN, 802.11n
Card slot 	express card thingy
Dimensions 	dunno, but it's only 1" thick
Weight 	5.6 lbs.

The price? both $1999.99 The mac comes with a $100 rebate for a printer(you actually get the money back too, I got mine after about 4 weeks). and if you're a student you get $200 off an iPod nano. Student discounts on the MBP are about $200 if I remember correctly.

Now, say the MBP isn't a better deal. Remember that you also get awesome customer support by people who actually speak english. You get $300 worth of free stuff, and if your a student or teacher you get huge discounts also.

 

Well I see you're very open minded, not everyone on here lives in a place with a Walmart, and I am not going to buy a game just because I can play it on OSX, I buy the game because I like it, can you play CS:S or BF2 on OSX? No, I don't think so, saying I have to look harder is not a valid comment. Why would I? If I found the game I want?

And by the way, the part where you mentionned that you can get rebates and whatnot from Apple, well guess what, most other manufacturers too offer the same sort of program for students, Dell offers 300$ off the XPS M1710 for example if you are a college student making your last point not valid too. However I can't comment on system stability as I have never used a Mac but I believe it is true.

 

dont know what wal mart has to do with it...dont they sell the same games as places like electronic boutique??

anyways...if you get boot camp set up with windows xp perhaps, you can play any game out there.

 

In case you haven't noticed, most Mac users don't game on them.
OS X is simply a much more user friendly and efficient environment than Windows XP, and is much easier to use, which more professional users tend to prefer.

 

I can play CS:S on my mac. I choose not to because it's not that fun and I'd rather be playing FA:S instead. Running XP in bootcamp is a very viable option, especially now that it's somewhat difficult to find non-vista systems out there.

I've actually benchmarked my MBP against a desktop with very similar components(it actually had an edge) and the results where that the desktop was only very marginally better in the benchmarks. Meaning a PC system spec'd exactly the same would do somewhat worse by my calculations. So Mac hardware actually runs windows quite well, so your game playing experience would be better.

Oh, and just thought I'd through this out there. Most people who buy macs are getting them for a specific purpose, and usually that purpose isn't gaming. I do admit that you can find better gaming machines for the price, but that's like comparing a Pagani to a Rolls Royce. Completely different purposes.

 

I was just stating a factor, and that factor was that you can't play a lot of the games the industry offers on Macs. Just a factor why some people don't buy them. Don't bend my words, I never said people buy Macs for the specific purpose of gaming. And you commented on the fact that Windows may run better on Mac hardware, isn't the hardware mostly the same in both systems?

 

I wasn't trying to bend your words anymore than you twisted mine. It's gonna be hard for you to understand why you should buy a mac if you're so set on Windows.

And yes, the hardware is the basically the same, but apple hand picks all the components that go into the mac. This means that it's been tested, repeatedly. They know how to alter the mobo to get just a little bit more. They can make all kinds of little changes, because they don't have to worry about compatibility like Microsoft does(which is commendable). All those little changes add up to a pretty decent performance boost.

 

I am not so set on Windows, why do you think I am in here trying to understand why Macs seem to be better for professionals and I am sure you will find PC companies that repeatedly test hardware and I am sure that there are companies that tweak the mobo to get just that little bit more. I was just stating the gaming factor as a con. I know Mac OSX has better stability, has nearly no viruses, is easier to operate. Sorry but you are the one that seems to be set on Mac, specially with your student rebate argument.

 

evolution is what made the macintosh what it is today.
Back in the 80's when the computer was first introduced it was primararily for business purposes. Macintosh offered a cheaper alternative for business but never could get their foot in the door.
So their main ad campaign slogan for years became "For the rest of us"
White collared business savy folk flocked to the PC while blue collared chose the mac.
In the late 80's it became the artsy fartsy alternative and stuck
One other factor was mac concentrated of software for RGB and CMYK printing. That alone made them the pro choice for design and anything graphical in nature.
Today a PC can do everything in the graphics industry a mac can do. I just think the PC is more versitile with what else it can do. And each platform has cool software. The PC just has more of it

And yes, the equivalent Mac is more expensive than equivalent pc.
My footwork when i bought the Asus G2.... The MAcPro was $800cdn more than the G2 4mths ago. And Now with the G2S out which can be bought for $2100cdn... the equivalent MacPro 17" is $3,200cdn.

You wont find me paying a gee more just to be lumped in a perceived cool group with less functionality

 

One of the biggest factors for me was the price/quality ratio. When looking at notebooks of similar build quality(Vaio, Thinkpad, HP business, etc...) the macbook pro generally came out to be cheaper than similarly spec'd competitors.

I have recommended plenty of Windows notebooks to friends who don't care as much about quality, and are more worried about price(the DV series from HP being my main suggestion). I needed something that would last for a while, and have a decent resale value when I decided to upgrade. Seeing as how, until a few days ago, I could have sold my mbp for a slight profit(due to rebates and stuff), I think the mbp is doing well in that regard.

My final statement: When you consider that you can run all three major OS's (OS X, Windows(XP/Vista), Linux), and you have a quality product with quality support, the only reason to not consider a mac is money(which I've shown time and time again isn't that big a factor). You get what you pay for though

 

i agree. i think if youre going to invest in something this expensive, you do it right the first time and be done with it without looking back.

 

I thought Macs were more expensive?
And don't you think it's because less people have Macs than PCs that there is less software available for it? This should scare Mac users because if the Mac brand grows as much or near as much as the PC, I fear that it will start having the same problems as windows.

BTW, I didn't know you could play CS:S on a Mac, can you just install it normally just like that? What other mainstream games can be played on a Mac?

 

You can have any software you want via OS X, or boot camping Windows. I have HL 2 installed on my XP partition and it runs great. As for native play in OS X, my number one game is Call of Duty 2. Others are: Rise of Nations, Fallout(hell yeah, I'm old school), Halo, and Unreal Tournament. Those are just what I play.

I'll admit the latest and greatest games on the market aren't available for OS X right now, but then if you wanted to play the most current games you'd be building a Desktop, right?
Check out mac.ign.com for a good list of available games. Also, with the switch to intel, more and more developers are making games available to mac, so expect the numbers to keep rising(especially now with the 8600 GT in the macbook pro).

edit: Macs will never overtake PCs on the global market for one simple reason: money. Apple wont let a crappy product out their doors, and considering the bulk of the computer market now is budget computers that people use to just get on the internet and access iTunes, apple will never take a big chunk of that. They're not trying either. Apple offers excellent products priced lower than their competition(see my post on the first page for a good comparison), but the price is still to high for the average consumer.

 

I have a question for you guys. I plan on transferring to an art college to study character animation and I'll be working with programs like Maya, so which Apple notebook would you guys recommend to me? Will I be able to get by with the Macbook to handle 3-D programing with Intel's GMA 950? Or will I need more power from a dedicated GPU? Thanks

 

if youre going to an art college i would recommend getting the macbook pro with dedicated graphics. you never know when you will need it, especially since you go to a art college.

 

I am also into graphics design, and while traditionally Macs may have had the upper hand, there is very little advantage to them today (unless you only use Final Cut & Shake). Maya, 3ds max, SoftImage XSI, PhotoShop, etc. are all available on multiple operating systems.

When it comes to stability, your work environment is only as stable as the graphics programs that you use. Today's 3D programs are very complex and can have some serious problems that have nothing to do with your machine being a Windows or Mac. I certainly don't choose between Windows or OSX because I love how the interface looks. I use the OS that will run my graphics program. And a more beautiful laptop (yes, the MacBook Pros are beautiful) will not guarantee that I can create better artwork with it.

If you must have a Mac, get the MacBook Pro because it has a dedicated graphics card. However, you can get a MUCH better deal on an Asus or Compal machine that has similar or even better specs than a maxed-out MacBook Pro (which can be over $400 more). Everyone loves to compare Macs to Dell or IBM which have not-so-great prices on their high-end stuff, but the real comparison should be to Asus/Compal lines.

Examples:
Asus A8js 14" w/ nVidia 7700 dedicated graphics < $1599
Asus Z96j 15.4" w/ ATI x1600 < $1200
Compal HEL80 or HGL30 w/ nVidia 7600 < $1300
New Asus/Compal machines are being released with updated nVidia 8600m GT graphics as well.

These all have Core 2 Duo, DVD writers, high resolution displays, and DDR2-667 RAM. My conclusion is that the Mac's operating system costs $400 since the lowest-spec MacBook Pro is $1999.