Like most, I have been waiting for the Mac Pro range update. I am professional video editor, After Effects user and soon-to-be 3D animator, so the speed of the machine has very important ramifications at work.
We are looking to move from a PC based environment to a Mac but have been disappointed by the wait for a refresh. The temptation to stick with PC is growing by the day.
Until this week, I was happy to continue waiting but have just been told that the available budget for new gear is no longer ring-fenced and will get used for other things unless I make a purchase. I was also at the Broadcast Video Expo in London - I have some colleagues who have been working in the Apple reseller market for more than a decade and they are not very confident of machine updates as they believe the focus will be kept on the iPad at least until June.
Thus I am left with the unpleasant business of either purchasing a Mac Pro based on last year's technology, an iMac with limited upgrade options and accessory possibilities or sticking with PC systems. Unlike many Mac and PC users, I have no particular bias as I have successfully worked on both systems and have had very few problems in the Windows environment, so OSX holds no power over my decision, though the lack of a registry certainly helps matters and the addition of Final Cut Studio helps make the choice easier, but then the Blu-Ray (which I need at work) output options swing things back the other way. Yes you can use a Mac for Blu-Ray but it isn't particularly good at more complex disc authoring because the software just isn't there yet and Adobe software tends to be more stable in a Windows environment. Sonic Scenarist would be the ideal solution for Blu-Ray design but is PC only and has issues in Windows emulation on a Mac, such as not being able to use reference files for video from FCP.
So, all very difficult when time becomes an issue as well. Any ideas? Back to CS4 and Premiere?
We are looking to move from a PC based environment to a Mac but have been disappointed by the wait for a refresh. The temptation to stick with PC is growing by the day.
Until this week, I was happy to continue waiting but have just been told that the available budget for new gear is no longer ring-fenced and will get used for other things unless I make a purchase. I was also at the Broadcast Video Expo in London - I have some colleagues who have been working in the Apple reseller market for more than a decade and they are not very confident of machine updates as they believe the focus will be kept on the iPad at least until June.
Thus I am left with the unpleasant business of either purchasing a Mac Pro based on last year's technology, an iMac with limited upgrade options and accessory possibilities or sticking with PC systems. Unlike many Mac and PC users, I have no particular bias as I have successfully worked on both systems and have had very few problems in the Windows environment, so OSX holds no power over my decision, though the lack of a registry certainly helps matters and the addition of Final Cut Studio helps make the choice easier, but then the Blu-Ray (which I need at work) output options swing things back the other way. Yes you can use a Mac for Blu-Ray but it isn't particularly good at more complex disc authoring because the software just isn't there yet and Adobe software tends to be more stable in a Windows environment. Sonic Scenarist would be the ideal solution for Blu-Ray design but is PC only and has issues in Windows emulation on a Mac, such as not being able to use reference files for video from FCP.
So, all very difficult when time becomes an issue as well. Any ideas? Back to CS4 and Premiere?
