Interesting responses, everyone, and I appreciate them all! Unfortunately, though, you haven't helped at all because you make great and valid points for both sides My gut tells me go to man up Mac, but I'm very comfortable with Windows and my programs now, so why change, right? Then again, if it's noticeably more better and more efficient to go Mac (like you guys have said and I've read online), then that would obviously be the best choice. I've still got some mulling to do, but I'm learning quite a bit from this discussion. Thanks and please keep the posts and info coming!
Good point! You also brought up a good point earlier, in that a working knowledge of Mac computers could be the difference between getting a job or not getting a job. All things equal, should I be offered an opportunity, experience with Mac and PC (especially Mac given the type of work I do), could be the deciding factor between landing the gig or not.
Cody, I worked on a PC my entire life (except for playing Oregon Trail in 3rd grade) and I made the switch to a Mac in 2010. It's been the best thing I've done in regards to computers. I'll mimic what trevor said but there are no viruses, no crashes, no hacks, upgrading anything is 10% of the cost of windows and you don't have to call Justin and ask him why you're brand new computer won't work. We just bought a Windows 8 HP that Justin recommended because my wife's software isn't Mac compatible. It's already had issues from the get go and doesn't do stuff as quickly with 8GB of RAM that my mac does with 4GB. It did take about 2 weeks to get the hang of it but everything is logical and for $100 Apple will baiscally show you how to do everything you need to know. It's called One-to-One and you can either go to the apple store and do one on one training or watch the videos online. I'll never go back to a Windows computer if I don't have to. One thing that really gets me, is that if Apple can build a secure operating system (no viruses/hacks) why can't Microsoft? The answer is they can but they don't, is that because they have vested interest in certain anti-virus software? You tell me. Go with a Mac and don't look back. Knowing how to use both systems makes your more valuable and rounded. To be honest, I'm extremely surprised that as much photo/video work as you do that you don't use a Mac, it will make your world much more enjoyable.
No offense to the guys on here (because I'm including myself in that group), but Cody, have you asked this question on Fredmiranda or Creative Cow, DpReview, etc.? Guys who do what YOU are planning to do will be able to give you much better opinions than most here (myself included) can give you. Most of these guys on here (again, myself included) are batch processing several hundred photos, running 3-5 shot HDR compositions through Photomatrix, editing 5DMKIII and 7D RAW files, or transferring/rendering hours of LARGE video footage. There is some validity to the "Macs are the video/photo standard," but it might be worthwhile looking into those who are actually in the industry to see their thoughts. This industry is very back and forth (look at Final Cut's domination over Avid and PP, only to essentially fall to the wayside of PP and Vegas). Things are always changing, and as such, the average consumer who purchases a Macbook, iMac, or PC Laptop Desktop every few years to check email, surf BH.com during work, transfer photos, and maybe edit some photos/videos may not have all of the insight you need to truly make a decision. I try to stay as unbiased as possible, so I will leave you with this. Regardless of what platform you get, make sure you head the advice of LOTS of Ram, quality video card, multiple dedicated storage drives,and a color accurate monitor. For what you're doing, you need it.
I'm in the IT field.. I have both a Macs and PCs, along with every other gizmo you could imagine. I'll just say you can't really go wrong with a Mac if you have the coin. You can always run Windows if you have some currently licensed software for PC. However you can't legally run OSX on a PC! So the Apple wins.... The only thing that irritates me is Apple has a tendency to price gouge you on almost everything. When I switched over to a Mac I had Adobe Creative Suite Studio for PC and Adobe gladly provided me a key and the download so I could use the software natively in OSX. If you are heavy into video editing then the Mac is the way to go! I'll also second the solid state drive (SSD) and larger disks for storage. I actually have a NAS / SAN that I connect with via iSCSI for my media storage. It’s an array of 4 disks that offers both a performance boost as well as fault tolerance. Memory (RAM) is your friend. It's inexpensive and will give you the best performance boost aside from the SSD. I run 32 GB in my machine.
Its not that windows CANT build a secure operating system. Its that its been around for so many years and so many people have used it that there are so many hackers and viruses and people who know the system in and out. Macs are having an uptrend of viruses and soon enough, if they take over the world, there will be viruses. "No offense here but I'll put my 2 year old MacBook Pro up against any new PC, my last Mac ran for 8 years without sinking a dime into it, when you break it down, thats less then $200 a year for a great machine! My 2 year old MacBook Pro cost under $1k.....once again, didn't sink a dime into it since I bought it and it hasn't slowed down at all fast as all get out! I have a new work PC takes forever to do a single project! Not a fan at all! " Joe, for the same price PC, I think the PC would run faster because of the higher end components that you can buy along with the customizations. But I do not doubt the Mac brand or quality. It is definitely great, my ipod I bought back in 2008 still works. To me, theres just so much customization you can do with the PC as opposed to a mac including those flashing LED lights that everyone loves. +1 to SSD and ram. You just have to put in the right components. And yea you can double partition your drives to run both, but, I still say PC = ) seems like im outnumbered though.
Once you go Mac you'll never go back. Really no comparison. The fact that you NEVER here anyone taking about switching from a PC to a Mac really says it all. IMO
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/exclu...RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3 Uh, I dont know if that link worked correctly. But macs were hit by hackers and infected with viruses in the recent attacks. This "virus free" thing I mentioned earlier, was only because they werent as widespread as PCs.
I was a PC guy for years. I met my wife and she had a MacBook. I really liked it, but still had a PC laptop for my own. My parents became Mac folks and I was lucky enough to get one of their hand me down MacBooks. I have to say that I have been very pleased with it. I still run into something that takes me a second to figure out, but for the most part the transition wasn't too frustrating. They do have their quirks, but I see no reason to go back to a PC. I can't speak to the editing aspect, but I know a lot of folks that are heavy into multimedia use Macs.
Really? I think you should do a little research on this. The Mac OS is and was formed around BSD and tweaked to make it theirs and "better". If you research the viruses and worms that can effect the Mac OS you will find that they have the ability to do extreme amounts of harm to your computer. Apple has never had a secure OS also, hence the reason you can "jail break" their devices and OS to perform in ways that you desire. There are many articles describing the viruses that are going around for the Mac OS and there are many AV companies building software to protect the Mac OS. If windows or apple had a reason to build an OS without holes that hackers or viruses could infect then neither company would ever release updates or change their bases.
I wouldn't suggest that Mac's CAN'T be hacked, only that they aren't. You read the internet stories about how a bug exists, but I know not one single person who owns a mac that slowed down or crashed. My friend is 24 and got his sophomore year of high school. Idk whether it is convenience to hackers or what, but Macs don't get sluggish from constant internet barrage of bugs while EVERY PC does unless you pay for a good software annually or are tech savvy. I've owned 4 PCs, all got slower than molasses even WITH great antivirus software...
I use both. I'm just aware and don't fall into the false advertisement. I also run an IT company and find my PCs to be my go to computers for work and my Macs to be my go to devices for play time. I've known many macs that have crashed, slowed down, gotten a virus, etc but as I mentioned I'm in the industry. The part that bothers me is when someone says Macs don't get bugs. It just isn't true and will continue to become more prevalent over time and as more Macs become standard user devices. That trend has already proven itself ie: Flashback.
You fit my argument perfectly though. You run an IT department lol. I can't speak for professionals, but for the average user macs are far superior in reliability and longevity. It doesn't require a degree to keep your machine running properly.
