PC or Mac?

[jonrayner]

Wasn't sure where to place this, so here should do!

What do you use, a PC or Mac? Does anyone have a preference and/ or experience with both?

Reason I ask is that I am a long term PC user and am about to buy my first mac, the IMac. I am really quite excited about it, the style of it and the suppossed reliability and ease of use etc etc. I will still be using Photoshop Elements 6, which will be the same what ever platform you use, but everything else is going to be different.

[dkippen]

Jon -

I use PC for a couple of reasons. One, it's what I'm used to and familiar with. Two, I have some software that is not MAC compatible. Although, if not for that software, I may have gone with a MAC instead of getting a new PC earlier this year.

[jerryph]

PC for several reasons:

- More/better software out there for it
- Less expensive software
- Less expensive hardware

If only MS would get off the pot and get rid of Vista. XP is 10 times a better OS than Vista ever could or will be.

[LensBaby]

I just bought a MAC after being a PC user for such a long time (my whole life lol) and I LOVE THE MAC. I do not think I will ever buy another pc again. I have both platforms so I can have software on either. I had to get a mac for a mac specific class, and to rent one...well it was only a little bit more to buy one. I love mine! It didn't take me very long to figure it out.

[Benthic]

I made the switch from PC to Mac about 18 months ago. I must say I'll never look back. The Mac is fabulous and, as they say, it just works. It's very intuative to use and the iLife suite of software (included) is great for photo work as well as web publishing, video and music. I don't regret it for a moment and I'll never buy another PC again. In fact the change went so well that my wife gave up on her PC 8 days after my Mac arrived and now we're a 2 Mac household. :D

Brian

[LensBaby]

Brian you sound like our household. After the make we will never go back! I have to say that I am impressed! I love the time machine/time capsule. I also think Photoshop is so much better on the MAC

[jonrayner]

I made the switch from PC to Mac about 18 months ago. I must say I'll never look back. The Mac is fabulous and, as they say, it just works. It's very intuative to use and the iLife suite of software (included) is great for photo work as well as web publishing, video and music. I don't regret it for a moment and I'll never buy another PC again. In fact the change went so well that my wife gave up on her PC 8 days after my Mac arrived and now we're a 2 Mac household. :D

Brian


I keep hearing this - 'It just works'! You don't often hear that about PC's!

[sgstrouble]

I brought my daughter a Mac this past April, due to many problems with her PC. After seeing and using hers for a few times, I went out and brought my son and myself a mac book. So, we are now a 3 mac book family. The ichat is great for chatting with the kids while they are away at college. And I will never ever go back to the PC. I called Adobe, and they actually traded my Photo elements from the windows version to the mac version for only the cost of shipping. Which was great.

The mac is very easy to use, and like everyone else has said "it just works." :cool:

Shirley

[LensBaby]

Jon I just bought the HUGE desktop mac (the computer is built into the monitor) and wow my colors for my photos are dead on! I still calibrated it but I didn't have to. I am going to go out and buy a MacBook Pro now. I have been saving up. =) I want the Mac to go as well.

[laura]

I use a PC simply because that is what I am used to, I always have used them. Thats not to say I wouldn't buy a Mac, with such good reviews you can't not consider it, plus they look really good too. Friends have mine use Macs and they love them.
And like Jerry says Vista is awful. Plus I have never heard mac users complain about problems like PC users!

[LensBaby]

I use a PC simply because that is what I am used to, I always have used them. Thats not to say I wouldn't buy a Mac, with such good reviews you can't not consider it, plus they look really good too. Friends have mine use Macs and they love them.
And like Jerry says Vista is awful. Plus I have never heard mac users complain about problems like PC users!

Your right. So far I have not had one problem with my MAC. I am not saying that I never will because we all know how electronics are. But, I can say that when I bought my new pc that VISTA sent me straight to MAC. I hate VISTA with a passion, and I will not even touch our laptop that had VISTA on it. It is nothing but a headache to me. My computer that has XP is old and outdated. I was not going to buy another PC that I had to reinstall another OS on. I should be able to take it out and play with it. lol The mac for me was also for some mac specific classes. Art schools are big MAC users.

[Benthic]

For those who might be considering the transition from PC to Mac...

Buy or borrow this book (http://www.amazon.com/Switching-Mac-Missing-Manual-Leopard/dp/0596514123/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220620594&sr=8-1) and take a look at it. It's full of good information and will help you decide if switching is for you.

Brian

[reval8r]

I have always owned and used a pc. I got my first personal computer back in '84 when there was no Windows OS. My first computer was strickly a MSDOS system and everything was typed in at the command prompt. I've also had pcs running on OS2 and Linux, both better operating systems than Windows, but very limited software, drivers and support if you're not a programming guru. I do think for photographers, Mac is hands down the way to go. If it were not for having to replace a few thousand dollars worth of software, I would change to Mac. I'm currently working on building a portrait photography business and hopefully in the near future it will bring in enough revenue to make the switch.

[LensBaby]

The University that I attend has some classes that require access to a MAC then reason being they are finding out that MACS are industry standard for Photographers, graphic designers, and also the Movie/Video field.


It is expensive to switch, but I was getting ready to update most of my software anyway, so I figured I better switch before. I had to upgrade to the CS3 from the CS2, so I did not want to buy it for windows, so MAC it was.


I really do love it.

[mosca]

All my PCs "just work" and it takes about an hour to make Vista look and feel and act exactly like XP.

Given the cost difference, I'll spend the hour and take the PC, and use the savings to buy a 70-200 EF f/2.8L IS lens, thank you.

Not that Macs aren't great, but $$ is $$.

[chris.e.fry]

Ok, asking this question is like coming in here and asking "Canon or Nikon?". You are going to get all these biased and sometimes only half educated opinions. So now I'll give you mine! ;)

Let me start by telling you I have worked in the IT field for about 10 years now, so I know at least a little about this. I think the real question you are looking to ask is "Windows or OSX?". I have used all consumer versions (and some server versions) of Windows, and several versions of OSX. After years of seeing first hand how flawed Windows is, and pulling my hair out trying to fix it all the time, I bought a G3 IBook and never looked back. I have since upgraded to an Intel IMac. I love the thing. OSX does not have nearly the amount of security problems and other quirks of Windows. There is nothing that I can do on a PC that I can't do on OSX. Sure, I might not be able to get the EXACT program that I had on PC, but there are plenty of OSX equivalents. I am a PS Elements 6 user and it runs great on OSX. I am thinking of moving to PS CS4 when it is available on Mac. (Adobe always makes their stuff available on OSX, but yes, it does come out a month or two AFTER the Windows version.) Yes, yes, I know "but Chris, what about the games?". Well, I am not much of a PC gamer, so I really don't care that some Windows games are never released on OSX. If for some reason there is something that you think you just MUST use the PC version of, there are several methods for running Windows within or beside OSX.

Ok, there is my 2 cents.

[jerryph]

PC all the way for me. :)
I'm also one of those people that has been in computers since the Timex Sinclair... lol

[LensBaby]

Ok, asking this question is like coming in here and asking "Canon or Nikon?". You are going to get all these biased and sometimes only half educated opinions. So now I'll give you mine! ;)

Let me start by telling you I have worked in the IT field for about 10 years now, so I know at least a little about this. I think the real question you are looking to ask is "Windows or OSX?". I have used all consumer versions (and some server versions) of Windows, and several versions of OSX. After years of seeing first hand how flawed Windows is, and pulling my hair out trying to fix it all the time, I bought a G3 IBook and never looked back. I have since upgraded to an Intel IMac. I love the thing. OSX does not have nearly the amount of security problems and other quirks of Windows. There is nothing that I can do on a PC that I can't do on OSX. Sure, I might not be able to get the EXACT program that I had on PC, but there are plenty of OSX equivalents. I am a PS Elements 6 user and it runs great on OSX. I am thinking of moving to PS CS4 when it is available on Mac. (Adobe always makes their stuff available on OSX, but yes, it does come out a month or two AFTER the Windows version.) Yes, yes, I know "but Chris, what about the games?". Well, I am not much of a PC gamer, so I really don't care that some Windows games are never released on OSX. If for some reason there is something that you think you just MUST use the PC version of, there are several methods for running Windows within or beside OSX.

Ok, there is my 2 cents.

Hey it's out for Mac because I am running the trial version of it RIGHT NOW, and I must say that I love it. For people who like windows, you can run windows on the OSX so hey it's like getting both all in one system. I LLLLLLOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEE My mac.

[chris.e.fry]

Hey it's out for Mac because I am running the trial version of it RIGHT NOW

Holy crap! I didn't realize CS4 was out for Mac already. I'm going to go download that trial right now!

And yea, for folks that want a Mac but still think they need Windows for some reason, you can run Windows on a Mac with software such as Parallels or Bootcamp. I saw a new version of Parallels just came out a few days ago.

[neonmike]

I'm a pc fan. I'm running XP on my desktop and Vista on my Laptop. I have to say, the only problem I've ever had with either system is the slow processing of large files.

My GF is a huge Mac fan. She wants her next purchase to be a Mac but I have to be honest, I just don't see why they cost so much? The Macs I've seen and used are no better than what I've already been using. They have the same slow processing time of the larger files, and as far as the end result goes, I don't see any difference in a Mac from PC. People mention the picture quality of a Mac screen vs. a PC screen but there's no dfference if the screens are calbrated properly.

Macs are just far to pricey for what they offer in my opinion. Maybe someday when I have a few extra grand to blow I'll swap. But until then I'll spend the money I save buying PC and use it towards bigger and better things. My customers don't care what platform I use. All they care about is how well the pictures come out.

[mrdoug]

Ah yes... the infamous PC or MAC question.

Easily answered with the simple question: What works best for you? Remember the
brand wars growing up years ago? Some kids' parents drove a Chevy, and some
drove a Ford? They got to their destination in either car, but they always argued
which car was better, right? Please!

Does the PC work better for you? What's your budget? Will spending more money
for a MAC take food out of your kid's mouth? It's a no-brainer if it will. Adobe
makes products for both platforms so it's not like you can't use CS4, right? LOL
It's a personal choice. One of THEE best photographers in the midwest, IMHO, is
strictly a PC user. He laughs at the thought of converting.

So the saga continues like Burger King or McDonald's, Pizza Hut or Domino's, Coke
or Pepsi, Chevy or Ford, Mercedes of BMW, etc, etc. It's simply personal. No, I'll
never use a PC, but that's my choice. Regardless, it's still clear as mud, right? :D

[redskull13]

My main workhorse is an iMac 3.06 fully decked out.
Also, I have an HP laptop that I use when I'm on the go.

[jonrayner]

Well I finally managed to buy my iMac and I love it!!!!
I use Photoshop Elements which within reason is the same on both the PC & the Mac, so that's not hard.
As some one said earlier, it is really a comparison between Windows and OSX. So far I have no complaints with OSX, it is very user friendly and so easy to get things done. I am a long time PC user and have been in the IT industry for 12 years so know my way around Windows, but even with this knowledge, getting things done with a Mac is so much easier. Looks like I am now done with Microsoft and on the expensive apple train!!!

[mrdoug]

...Looks like I am now done with Microsoft and on the expensive apple train!!!

Welcome aboard!

Life will be good... LOL

Doug

[dkippen]

Still wish I could go with a MAC.

[jonrayner]

I am loving it, only problem is, I'm falling out with the wife as I am always on it!!!

[smphoto]

My MAC boots up in seconds... still waiting for my PC to boot up...

[mvandenburg]

I use both but after my first Mac purchase I am all Mac at home (6 macs) and all PC at my office (2). If I had portfolio mgmt software for Mac I would switch the office as well.

I am surprised that no one even mentioned Aperture for the Mac. Most of the pros I have talked to are either using Adobe CS/Lightroom or Aperture. I use Aperture instead of Photoshop and I love it. It is very user friendly and when I need to learn something, they have video tutorials that show you how to do everything. I am still fairly new at this and am just in this as a hobby but I got the software because I saw so many pros using it and it was easy to learn.

well, there's my .02...

Mike

[jonrayner]

I use both but after my first Mac purchase I am all Mac at home (6 macs) and all PC at my office (2). If I had portfolio mgmt software for Mac I would switch the office as well.

I am surprised that no one even mentioned Aperture for the Mac. Most of the pros I have talked to are either using Adobe CS/Lightroom or Aperture. I use Aperture instead of Photoshop and I love it. It is very user friendly and when I need to learn something, they have video tutorials that show you how to do everything. I am still fairly new at this and am just in this as a hobby but I got the software because I saw so many pros using it and it was easy to learn.

well, there's my .02...

Mike

Hi Mike

I have been struggling to sort out my workflow for the past 6 months. I have been trying iphoto, Bridge CS3 and also manually into folders etc etc. It has becoming increasingly frustrating as my library of images has grown. So I downloaded the trial version of Aperture. Wow, it is amazing. It seamlessly links in with the other applications in the Mac and everything is under one roof. The only thing I use externally is PSE6 (although may upgrade to PSE8!). Even when you use PSE outside of Aperture, it stack the image with the original in Aperture.
It has an extensive range of plug ins to enhance the functionality, for example I have downloaded the facebook exporter plug in so that my wife can upload any images she wishes from the albums created within Aperture. So far I have been using it for only a few days, but it seems to be answering all my problems. The only problem I have now is I now need to import and sort all my older images into Aperture! I cannot recommend it enough. My original plan was to trial Adobe Lightroom2 as well, but Aperture has solved all of my issues that I feel that I do not need to.
Jon

[ambe356]

We are a Mac family and have the Imac G5 and the MacBook Pro. We LOVE them both and are even considering upgrading.
I think the Mac is very user friendly. I use Iphoto and it's very easy along with Iweb to publish my website, a friend's website, and our family website. It's very very easy.
Mac also has an editing software called Aperture 2 for your photos. It's similar to Lightroom but is not fully lightroom. It does get the job done though.
Anyways, that's my 2 cents!

I know you're going to love your Mac!!
Amber

[ambe356]

I love Aperture as well Jon and also love it. The organization in it is amazing.

[DoctorJazz]

I probably should have posted my question here......so I will repeat myself and
ask you Mac users if you have any issues, good or bad, with the newer
Magic Mouse when in Photoshop?

One review said "Artists Beware" but did not go into detail.