Since last year, I've been studying graphic design and I've been looking for a good laptop I can easily take with me. But at school we exclusively use Macs, because they are the "standard for design purposes". Now I can't really tell the difference between a good mac and a good pc. It seems to me they just charge you approximetaly double for anything Apple, because of the looks and supposed user friendliness (which, I must admit, I'm falling for as well.) I'm still working with Xp, so I can't really take into account, the issues some people have with Vista. I've been having some trouble with the Macs at school, they're generally just as slow and unlogical as Pc's in certain areas of usage. Thoughts? Pro's & con's? What do you prefer? Do you use your pc or mac for design?
Mac's have great music-oriented software, I've got to give them that. But I'm a Windows guy and always will be. At uni, I have to use Mac's for Pro Tools and the like, so, yeah.
^ this. PC for everything else OR Gaming. !!! Yeah, also get Microsoft Word Or Open office for that Mac too. You'll need it.
See now, I hear people say that, but I can run Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator just as well on my PC. I'll definitely give Mac the audio/video, though, like the_chemist pointed out as well. I've noticed this as well, text isn't really a strong point. I'm starting to think more and more it's a question of taste. And Mac's are for people who can afford to have that taste... I'll just have to see if I am willing to. Thanks for the feedback, though.
I've been using a Mac as my regular desktop for over 5 years and have no problems. I love my Macs and they're worth the extra money. And BTW, both Microsoft Office and Open Office are available for Macs.
I've been using PCs my whole life, and only in the last year have begun to use Mac on a daily basis at school. In all honesty, I can't say either one is really better than the other in terms of interface and the like. They're different, and they work for different people. However, the one thing Mac has on PC is security and reliability. They're very well built machines, and aren't as susceptible to viruses and such. I'd recommend picking the one you feel most comfortable with. As others have said, Mac works well with media, but PCs are much more economical for less intensive purposes. And since Photoshop and other Adobe design programs are the same on both platforms (as far as I know), it makes little difference which one you pick. Nevertheless, I plan to buy a new computer in the next year or so, and I'll probably go with Mac -- especially if they can make the mouse and keyboard work faster.
Adding on to what Omar said, the truth is that your Windows system won't be susceptible to viruses if you're careful. You really just have to avoid going onto suspicious sites, and make sure you have some sort of anti-virus protection. Also, the problem I've found with Windows is that the more you install and the more you have, the slower it runs. It's not quite as significant on Vista as it is on XP, but it happens. I don't know if the same goes for Macs. I've only used PC's.
This is quite true. I survived a month or so without protection on a pc until my friend sent me an image link that turned out to not be an image. Thanks to them my computer is now noticeably slower . Also, with audio, PC does hold it's own against Mac i believe. Sure Mac has protools, though there are plenty of other programs for music that are almost/just as good with some parts better, some parts worse. And for DJing the best program around would be Ableton nowadays, which is available for both Mac and PC.
True, but these days malware and phishing are everywhere. I've even gotten a few of these emails on my school account, from which I only do emailing to professors/school staff. Plus, online banking and other financial matters are becoming even more risky as the American economy takes a downturn. Everyone is looking for easy money. And if you bother to download music illegally (I know none of you would ever do such a thing), then there will always be some risk. That's where Mac triumphs. I also concur with Louis: my PC is much slower than it was when I first got it. That's due in large part to Norton 2009, which eats up a lot of RAM.
Not if you're in the right places. But this discussion isn't about that at all really, though i guess that if you aren't completely sure all the time that what you're downloading is safe then mac would be better.
I love my Mac. I, too, used PC's my entire life up until last year and the occasional usage at school or whatnot. Since I've made the switch, I have never been happier with my laptop. The only negative I can see about Mac is that it is more expensive than almost any "everyday user" PC.
I love my PC. Keep it nice and clean by maintenance is easy. 1) Dont use norton. 2) Get a ad-ware and mal-ware and a anti-virus 3)scan every couple of months ( like 6) 4) Reinstall XP every few years. (I should hop on that >_>; ) Lastly, If your looking to save money, PC is the way to go. Every few years, you add ~200 dollers new graphics card... ~150 every few years for new better ram, and every like 5-6 years, a new cpu/motherboard/ram combo which is like ~300.( mine was 400 but i wanted the extra powerful stuff) MAc on the other hand, it's not alot of options to do so. What you buy is pretty much all you get, maybe a Ram upgrade or more ram but that's as far as I know. so PC is some cash here and there and MAC is a 1shot go essentially, and going PC will save you money in the long run. (if you keep everything up to date by comparison) ================== but Again, it's for laptops, and Mac's have WAY BETTER laptops.
The thing about Macs, that I've recently come to realize, is that they last just as long as a PC, and longer, if you count the fact that you don't really need to upgrade the hardware that much. So, whereas you keep shelling out money on a PC, it's all in one shot for a Mac. That's good for people who don't know if they'll have the money to keep building onto their computers.
Iain, I'm a Gamer man I have saved money by not going Mac. Buying Bits and peices here have only added up a 2,000 doller total cost in buying everything for my rig! that's within a 5 year.