I've got an older Windows desktop, and a laptop that is just over 2 years old that is throwing a nutty and heading in for repair soon. I bought the service plan and it expires in March. The laptop did not turn out to give me the kind of space and memory I need for what I do. Hence, the reason I'm looking at buying another computer.
I'm very close to getting an iMAC 21.5 inch, with 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB of Disk Space. I like that everything is built into the monitor. It will make it easy for me to move around the house, like from my kitchen table to a desk upstairs.
I use Adobe Lightroom and my License allows it to go on two computers. I have read that others have transitioned their catalogs to a Mac (I'm going to let the Apple Store copy what is on my laptop over to the new Mac). That's a $300 program so I'm glad I'll be able to use it.
I know I can get Parallels to use Windows, but I'm thinking of trying to use it first without that.
Any thoughts, experiences from those who have gone through this?
How about cautions - LOL
Te Deum Laudamus! Home
The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
10 Comments:
I am a Mac person and so I believe in them HIGHLY especially for Photo/Video & Blogging.
There is a learning curve when switching. Just like getting a new cell phone, TV remote, etc... you want to do ONE thing and are used to it one way, and have to unlearn and unthink in that manner and think in a new and foreign manner. (Sounds like going to the TLM for the first time :)
Anyways... it is VERY straightforward and unlike a PC, things are JUST THERE and JUST Work. Flash is a little spotty with a Mac... but Flash is a dinosaur and soon HTML5 will replace it.
I think in the LONG run you will be satisfied! iMacs are pretty solid Machines and will serve you well for a while. My parents who are NOT computer people have had their OLD Swivel iMac for about 6 or 7 years, never upgraded, never had it in for repair, and it is just getting to the point where it is too slow and not enough room.
Plus there is a lot of free stable software out there to do what you want. Sure there are limitations, but there are also limitations with a PROBABLE CAUSE
One of the nicest things about Macs is that it does a lot of things WELL right out of the box. The mac software is nice. Some people complain that the flash limitations and MAC-YNESS make is seem somewhat Cheezey, they really do just work.
One thing: Dont compare a MAC and its specs vs a PC and its specs. What I mean is... just because the PC says X amt of RAM, Y Speed, etc... doesnt mean that it is better just because the numbers are higher than the MACS for a certain price point. Performance in these things is quite different. Plus the major feature on the mac in terms of STABILITY is the operating system.
VERY easy transition--no problems, no regrets. GREAT technical support. Clean, sharp design...
Make the switch¡
-Dennis
Diane, I have been a Mac guy since the beginning of PC's. I have a network in my home of five of them. Some for video editing, others for general work and graphics, and one on which I run my accounting windows software that is not available on the Mac... that boots up in Windows directly. But I got to tell you, if the accounting software was available on the Mac I'd dump the windows component in an instant. Without fail EVERYTHING on windows requires more clicks and keystrokes than the same on a Mac. Generally (depending on who programmed it) the Mac and its applications are more intuitive, although there will be a learning transition. There are keyboard short cuts for just about everything on the Mac, but you have to be willing to learn a new system, although most are similar. You'll also avoid the virus epidemic that is so prevalent on windows. There are some things to be cautious of. My main programs include the Adobe CS3 suite, Final Cut Pro for video, and M.S. Office. We have towers, single screen units, and laptops. They are not perfect, however, and you will want to buy the extended warranty. I have always used those and they have paid for themselves. With the warranty you get great support, things get fixed relatively easily. Yes, things break, sometimes for no reason. (Well, there's always a reason.) The physically larger the unit, the faster they're operate, and the fewer problems because they run cooler. I do 90% of my work on a 17" laptop, 4 Gig ram, 186 gig HD, Superdrive, etc. Buy a external 800 firewire HD (powered through the firewire) for back up through Apple's "Time Machine" (which is part of the Mac's OS.) It backs up everything every hour, and is easy to restore files. I also actively archive on CDs when projects get old and my HD gets filled up.
Great feedback everyone.
Stan those are the kind of details I'm looking for.
Also, I'm aware of the learning curve. I had my first experience with an Apple product in an iPod. It was too easy. That prompted me to consider an iPhone when my contract expired in December and I dove right in.
I learned quickly how I was complicating things in thinking "windows". I adapted quickly.
I am planning to purchase the one year training plan which gives me an hour per week for a year. I'm going to push myself to use it right out of the shoot in the beginning to maximize my effectiveness.
Ditto on service plans. I always buy them on this kind of purchase.
Speaking of "out of the box" - what are the web-site building capabilities of the software that comes with the Mac.
Can simple web sites be built without buying Dreamweaver or other software, and work well on IE and Firefox, as well as it would on Safari?
I haven't ever regretted it.
Macs are easy to use, but under OS X you can still get to the nuts and bolts of things if you need to.
Some people say there's not the same range of software, but it's relatively unfounded. If you need Microsoft compatability, use NeoOffice or Google Documents, or buy Office for the Mac...
don't know about webdesign, because I do it by hand, but the Mac's very sweet at rendering things. :D
Go for it Diane! Once you go Mac, you never go back! Transition will be very short and smooth and you will come to enjoy the simplicity and error free operation that being a mac user brings. I fix computers for a living and spend 99% of my time on the Windows computers with 1% on macs - that should tell you something.
Do It!
"Can simple web sites be built without buying Dreamweaver or other software, and work well on IE and Firefox, as well as it would on Safari?"
I have a recollection of Netscape Navigator having a web creation feature, but this was years ago...
...Now, I would probably just write a plain ol' text document in HTML. Of course, you have to know a little HTML. On the other hand, it's not much harder than what you can pick up through looking at the coding for the features in your emails. (Don't try looking at the code for a blog for your starting learning, though: the multiple parts with separately-input content makes it deceptively complex squared.)
Post a Comment