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Why do web desingers/developers all seem to use Macs?

J

JonnoWitts

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 7, 2010
7
0
Hull, England
Hey,
I've been looking into getting a Mac. I just wondered if anyone could clear up the question I've had for a long time - why do web designers/developers etc prefer Macs? Most of them use a Mac but as far as I can tell, apart from better displaying the web, there is no fundamental difference to a PC? If anything, the fact that a Mac keyboard doesn't have a '#' is more of a hinderence for working with CSS etc?

I'm genuinely interested in why people use them over PCs for this job, does it come down to personal preference or an actual reason they are better?

Many thanks

Jonno
 
JonnoWitts said:
Hey,
I've been looking into getting a Mac. I just wondered if anyone could clear up the question I've had for a long time - why do web designers/developers etc prefer Macs? Most of them use a Mac but as far as I can tell, apart from better displaying the web, there is no fundamental difference to a PC? If anything, the fact that a Mac keyboard doesn't have a '#' is more of a hinderence for working with CSS etc?

I'm genuinely interested in why people use them over PCs for this job, does it come down to personal preference or an actual reason they are better?

Many thanks

Jonno
Click to expand...

Alt 3 is the hash symbol >>> ### :) I do graphic design on Macs simply because it just doesn't feel right on a standard PC. Must be Windows thats the problem. Plus, no matter what anyone says, Windows still cannot multitask and run multiple applications successfully.
 
Mainly, because there are less OS related screw ups, OSX is simple to use, simple to fix.
Seems to use resources way better too.

It's easier to just go into the Apple store, and buy a mac, as opposed to the 4 million PCs with 4 million problems that are at Best Buy right now. Macs are good on battery, good displays (for the most part), sturdy, good power, OS is easy, and they have great connectivity.

Getting XP machines to network good together is a pain.

All in all there's just a lot of reasons, mainly so you don't have to worry about said reasons ever again.
 
No real reason in terms of function.

I guess the type of person who is more likely to go into web design is the type of person who is likely to get a mac.

No true multitasking on Windows? Macrumor forum members do live in their own little world.
 
illy123 said:
No true multitasking on Windows? Macrumor forum members do live in their own little world.
Click to expand...

LOL, I was going to say the same thing. I have adobe encore running in a win 7 32 bit in VMWARE on my 64bit windows, while surfing and doing other things.

I do prefer Ubuntu though on memory handling. I have it running on an old desktop with just 512mb ram, and it runs way faster than the xp it has on it(dual boot)
 
thefunkymunky said:
Plus, no matter what anyone says, Windows still cannot multitask and run multiple applications successfully.
Click to expand...

+1 I completely agree here.

The problem with windows is indeed multitasking. If you get too much running at once your begging for trouble. Even my Xeon workstation at work can't keep up with the mbp in my sig.

I love running Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, XCode, Painter XI, iTunes, Socialite, Adium, Aperture, Handbrake, and Mac the Ripper at once, without any issues.

On any win machine I have (and mind you, I'm a windows desktop and server tech) I can't come close to multitasking like that.

I'm not bashing windows but its just not great at multitasking. Its quite common to end up with freeze ups, or "Application not responding" (to which it takes 50 tries to close).

Macs are designed to work with a set limit of hardware choices which even though it seems restrictive to some, its actually better for the stability of the OS.

Anyone who loves to mix and match hardware will have a better time with a win machine.
 
Stability. Ease of use. Doesn't get in my way. Less maintenance required. I should never be thinking about my system or operating environment, just my tasks and data... and OS X lets me do that a lot more effectively than Windows.

But mostly because it can run the Adobe apps (which Linux can't) plus a POSIX environment (which Windows doesn't have) where I can run a web server that works just like those where I'll be hosting my sites. AND now I can virtualize Windows to test stuff out in Internet Explorer. Win-win-win.
 
################################################################################################

^^^^Those were done on a Mac^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
Wow, I'm pretty surprised with these responses. For me, I think the #1 reason designers use the Mac is because of accurate color representation and correction. You absolutely can get correct color on Windows, but it's a lot of work. Designers need the color on their screens to be the same as what the printer outputs, the way web browsers display it, the way fonts render, etc. Color profiling is built-in with Mac OS X, and it is accurate. You can fine-tune it further, but many designers won't have to. On Windows, you need to install software to get good color profiling, and it can take a lot of work to get accurate colors on your monitor or to get printer drivers that don't oversaturate the colors or convert CMYK to RGB, or other silly but frustrating problems.
 
erostratus said:
Wow, I'm pretty surprised with these responses. For me, I think the #1 reason designers use the Mac is because of accurate color representation and correction.
Click to expand...

For print designers, maybe. For web design, even a perfectly calibrated screen is no guarantee of how a site will look on the (uncalibrated) majority of screens... and Mac default gamma is far different from Windows default.
 
JonnoWitts said:
Hey,
I've been looking into getting a Mac. I just wondered if anyone could clear up the question I've had for a long time - why do web designers/developers etc prefer Macs? Most of them use a Mac but as far as I can tell, apart from better displaying the web, there is no fundamental difference to a PC? If anything, the fact that a Mac keyboard doesn't have a '#' is more of a hinderence for working with CSS etc?

I'm genuinely interested in why people use them over PCs for this job, does it come down to personal preference or an actual reason they are better?

Many thanks

Jonno
Click to expand...


Back in the stone age, (1985), when my graphic design trade publications were warning about the computer coming into design studios and advertising agencies within the next 5 years, I did extensive research into what to buy since I never used a computer before. I checked at stores, called printers, etc., and the overwhelming answer I received was get a Mac. With printer it was mainly how files were ripped with less issues than a windows box, post script printing was invented by Adobe and used by all printers back then.

So I went with a Mac, I started out with system 5!!!

Most of my printers still prefer Mac files, but also keep in mind, that printers ask for PDFs now and not ID files, etc. Although I have had to send complex designs as ID files, etc. I do discuss Windows and Mac with my printers quite often and they still prefer Mac, as their production departments still use Macs with some windows machines.

For me a Mac just works for me everyday, and every time I turn it on. No viruses or other stuff to worry about.

As far as comments about gamma color is concerned, I have never had any issues either in print or webpages showing colors that were, (or are) way off to what I saw, (or see), on the screen.
 
I was encouraged to go into graphic design

and at the time, Macs were the machines used.

I do agree with some things other folks have said, browser options, less applications freezing and crashing. And when I hand coded I much prefer Mac's Text Edit to PC's Notepad. Above all, it's the stability and the ease of use for me.
 
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