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Longtime Windows/PC User - Looking for REAL reasons why I should go Mac...

I

iNikon

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 18, 2007
85
0
Okay everyone, I'm a longtime PC user and I have no problem with Windows, but I would like to know real reasons why the Mac would be a better platform in terms of productivity, ease of use, and reliability.

I'm a pro photographer, and reliability and speed are extremely important. I do work for many magazines, and I process many hundreds of images every night. I must deliver to my clients on time, every time. Of course, I'm a Photoshop user (CS3), and I process RAW images. I'll use my PC for gaming, but will the Mac be a better platform for my work?

I hear how the Mac platform excels in this, so I'm open to change for the right reasons.

Thanks everyone.
 
If you've got everything set up for your business and it is working no problem, then I wouldn't switch right now. You could try getting a Mac for personal use and if you really like it, eventually switch to Mac for your business.
 
Well, in talking to numerous professional photographers I know (all of which own Macs, 6 people in all), they love Macs for their reliability, ease of use, and simply put, their photography and organizational tools for photographers are far superior to any Windows equivalent.

Also, they don't have to worry at all about viruses, crashing, and constantly keeping their security updated in case their computer crashes or they get a virus and lose any of their work.
 
If you want to get into a fully color-managed workflow spanning from image acquisition, soft proofing, and printing through all your important applications, ColorSync is still light years above and beyond what's available in Windows.

If you're processing and picking hundreds of RAW images every day, Aperture could be really, really helpful. Adobe Lightroom is pretty similar; each program has its strengths and weaknesses.
 
To help answer your questions I'll use a small list

  1. Leopard is pure 64-Bit
  2. CS3 runs better on a Mac Pro.So I've heard
  3. System Stability
  4. Better search with Spotlight
  5. Time Machine..Never lose an original photo again
  6. Lack of Malware and Viruses
  7. Better memory handling ( in Leopard)
  8. Ease of use-Coverflow view will knock your socks off if you do photography
  9. Probably a better built mchine ( I default to the Mac Pro )
  10. Good support
  11. Using a Mac should give you more of a creative base of peers to colaborate with

These are just a few..imho
 
Peace said:
...snip...
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I'd also like to add to your point #1 that Leopard, a 64-bit OS on a 64-bit processor, seamlessly integrates with your existing 32-bit programs. From everything I understand about 64-bit Windows systems is that, right now, the 32-bit applications (if they even run) are unstable, there are driver issues with 64-bit systems.
 
flopticalcube said:
Most people don't upgrade. Anything.
Click to expand...

:eek::confused: uhmmmmm by now just about everyone here knows that I am planing to do a major upgrade on my PMG4, Eventhough I am having NO problems what so ever running Panther I would like to upgrade my system, and APPLE told me that I can upgrade, so no need to buy a brand spanking new :(INTELL:( Mac :D and yes Mac users do upgrade...

Eidorian said:
Tell that to every Power Mac G4, Power Mac G5, PowerBook G4. MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini in my department.
Click to expand...

I highly agree with you on this!!!


:apple:
 
Eidorian said:
Tell that to every Power Mac G4, Power Mac G5, PowerBook G4. MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini in my department.
Click to expand...

MorzillA said:
:eek::confused: uhmmmmm by now just about everyone here knows that I am planing to do a major upgrade on my PMG4, Eventhough I am having NO problems what so ever running Panther I would like to upgrade my system, and APPLE told me that I can upgrade, so no need to buy a brand spanking new :(INTELL:( Mac :D and yes Mac users do upgrade...



I highly agree with you on this!!!


:apple:
Click to expand...

I think he meant the average computer user ;), the majority of every-day users don't ever even open their computer to see what it looks like inside. If it weren't for me, my mom's computer would still be running on 512MB RAM, or she would have just bought a new computer because hers was going too slow.

The average user on here, is not the same as the people you see getting scammed by BestBuy sales-people.

As for the OP's question: If your Windows setup is running fine, I'd recommend you stick with it. But buy a cheap Mac (i.e. the mini, or a used Mac Pro) off eBay and see if you like it. I made the switch in 2005 to a mini and never looked back. I ran my old mini into the ground and it did great! I use my mini to do Photoshop and Lightroom, and it does both fine (though I coud use a little more RAM).

The MacOS is more stable, and secure. And even though you are used to Windows, it may take a little bit to get used to the Mac way of doing things, you'll learn pretty quick, and if not, we're here to help :)

If you end up liking the Mac, you can always make the full switch, which is usually pretty simple (outside of copying all your pics and files over).
 
Nabooyl said:
So i guess "Most People" = You? :rolleyes:

:)
Click to expand...
I get quite a few users that ask for more RAM or a new hard drive. Sure, they don't have the knowledge to install it but they know that they're out of drive space or need more RAM.

There's also a long list of replacement components as well.

I've found that sitting down and explaining basic hardware concepts works very well with most users. You'll still run into the ones that always talk about their fear and general computer illiteracy. I still find these people able to whip me when it comes to getting their work done though.
 
flopticalcube said:
The it is a war of anecdotal evidence! :D In the 20 years I have worked in large offices, I have never seen an upgrade. Ever. The old machine is removed and sold. A new one is brought in. End of story.
Click to expand...
A new one is just bought? If the cost of repairs or upgrades is greater then a new machine I can understand this. I haven't seen outright new purchases if machine is in working shape. In my current jobs we have access to reasonably large IT budgets and we still don't buy new machines.

I've found myself having to open up countless office machines just to add RAM or a new hard drive. This is across cheap Dell and Apple machines.

I have Power Mac G4 Quicksilver 2002 towers being put back into service after being pulled for the third time from other offices. ;)

In fact we just got a lot of 25 Dell Optiplex towers that are 3 years old now. I've been setting them up for new users too. :p
 
Eidorian said:
A new one is just bought? If the cost of repairs or upgrades is greater then a new machine I can understand this. I haven't seen outright new purchases if machine is in working shape. In my current jobs we have access to reasonably large IT budgets and we still don't buy new machines.

I've found myself having to open up countless office machines just to add RAM or a new hard drive. This is across cheap Dell and Apple machines.

I have Power Mac G4 Quicksilver 2002 towers being put back into service after being pulled for the third time from other offices. ;)

In fact we just got a lot of 25 Dell Optiplex towers that are 3 years old now. I've been setting them up for new users too. :p
Click to expand...

Could be an industry thing. I have been mostly in engineering and finance. The technicians only had time to install. Never repair or upgrade. The only things that have ever been salvaged are the hard drives which in the case of engineering companies where erased and in the finance world they were destroyed. I did read somewhere, a while ago, that most people (and I guess it would be PC people) never upgraded their hardware ever and rarely upgraded their software. Maybe RAM could be an exception.
 
flopticalcube said:
Could be an industry thing. I have been mostly in engineering and finance. The technicians only had time to install. Never repair or upgrade. The only things that have ever been salvaged are the hard drives which in the case of engineering companies where erased and in the finance world they were destroyed. I did read somewhere, a while ago, that most people (and I guess it would be PC people) never upgraded their hardware ever and rarely upgraded their software. Maybe RAM could be an exception.
Click to expand...
I've been in medical and academic institutions. We've had our far share or crippling or insane budgets depending on the year. In the past year we've bought 20 Mac minis for the department. I'm still putting the old Power Mac G4s back into other offices though.

At worst I just need a screw driver to take care of my repairs. Imaging a machine in 25 minutes and it's ready. :rolleyes:

Why waste $599 on a Mini when an imaged older machine can be put out again much faster then we can order one from Apple?

We even use a Windows image for the Dell towers. They're old but they run XP well for Office 2003 and mainframe access.

On the machines that are under warranty next business day service takes care of most of the problems.

In what situations do you buy a new machine? It seems like spending recklessly if you can't spend the time to call support or replace a cheap out of warranty part.
 
Eidorian said:
In what situations do you buy a new machine? It seems like spending recklessly if you can't spend the time to call support or replace a cheap out of warranty part.
Click to expand...

I was never privy to the workings of the technicians. They did tell me, however, that they kept a stock of ready, working spare PCs ready to swap at a moments notice. The broken ones were shipped off to be sold as refurbs by someone else. They just couldn't waste time fixing things. When a trader is loosing $10000/minute because his PC won't work, there is just no time to screw around.
 
Come on guys, don't hijack the thread. If you want to discuss the necessity of upgrades, go start your own thread.

Back on topic...

iNikon, I think you would do well with a Mac, but I would definitely wait until Leopard is released in October.

If (or when ;)) you take the plunge and purchase a Mac then I would definitely recommend trying out Aperature. I think you would find it to be a great application.

And for the record, my reason for switching from Windows was simple: OS X.

Aside from not having to worry about viruses or spyware, it's just a clean and stable OS. Once you've used it for a few days and feel comfortable in it, you'll be asking yourself how you ever managed to get anything done in Windows. ;)
 
Ignore the Microsoft-haters.

Realistically, Photoshop CS3 will perform similar on either machines. It's notable that a Mac running Photoshop CS3 is slightly faster than a Windows machine of the exact same specs with a fresh Windows install running Photoshop CS3, and Windows degrades faster generally...but still, the difference isn't huge enough to warrant an entirely new machine, usually.
http://hansv.com/cs3/ <- Benchmarks if you want them

However, the Mac Pro is clearly the most powerful machine in its price range and will VASTLY increase your Photoshop performance, and Apple has a nice array of applications dedicated to photographers, like Aperture. Macs tend to be a more stable environment, as well, as far as reliability is concerned.

You won't have to worry about viruses, and you'll get the advantages of 64-bit applications as they emerge without the incompatabilities of Windows 64-bit Edition.
 
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