I write for living, so I suppose I am being part of using Mac "Professionally" group. In short, I chose Mac because I don't have to argue with my editor why my computer died again. I had been using typewriter (yes, IBM typewriter if any of you recall one of those beauties) till 2010, and then I moved on MBP 17 inch, hoping it could give me some room for reliable computers to kick in. Compared to PCs that I desperately tried to work on, it fairly worked fine, except for few issues: height, keys, heats, and noises. Actually, add weight to the list as well.
As a writer, I still prefer to work on papers. I print a lot, no thanks to eco-friendly office or what nots. I mean, obviously I can't have multiple screens hanging over the wall like Batman did in Dark Knight. One of the reasons why I ended up choosing 17inch laptop was that it might give me more space to have more pages showing up on the screen. Well no, it didn't work. I mean, it worked, compared to small tablets my co-workers were carrying around, —we all agreed iPads and other tablets are never to be used in editing but only in writing drafts without proof-reading— but it wasn't working as I expected. For few years I hooked up several external monitors to it, (and thank goodness, although I'm not a photographer I knew for sure photos looked horribly on MB) till I realized I could just have one giant computer with one giant screen on my desk with heck of a printer, nothing more, nothing else. Yes, I ended up buying iMac 27inch and a laser printer.
The reason why I'm giving you all this long story is because, in my belief, when it comes to the professionalism of work, it should be the question of reliability of tools. If my typewriter hadn't been broken from my long vacation to CA, I would've never considered buying a computer to begin with. I work on typewriter, and it worked just fine so far. It was far from portable, and I couldn't watch youtube or listen to musics, but it worked "professionally." What about computers? I need to keep things updated, I need to find right softwares to work on, I need to keep it maintained, I need to keep it connected, I need to have anti-virus running (PC), I need to keep softwares matched to my co-workers, list goes on forever. Seriously, only reasonable excuse I have ever had why I need to work on a computer instead of an archaic typewriter was that it takes lesser time then scanning typed papers and emailing them to editors. Yeah, obviously sending a digital document file directly to the editor will save some time, except I would end up losing more to maintain a machine.
Every time I hear this idea of "professionalism," especially when it comes to engineering or IT related topics, it bothers me that there are people looking for an ultimate answer that will work for everyone, 100%, unchanging. No, there is no ultimate answer. Oh wait, there is an ultimate answer to everything: 42. But do you understand what the question is? I doubt that. At least I have my own set of questions to ask for when it comes to "professional" machines.