Problem: I need a laptop.

Current situation: Have a Dell Workstation, have had zero problems with it over the past 3 years, still plenty speedy & processing just fine, but....see above.

I have nothing against Macs...I learned computers on a Mac & I currently use them at my university. I have never made the switch b/c #1--I already have so much PC software (but if I can download a mac version of PS using my license #, then that's super!) #2--well....Macs are a little harder on the old pocketbook.

Here's the deal: I've never actually heard any reasons WHY I should switch other than: they are less likely to get a virus or give you some weirdo error message and "they're so cool." Oh, I've heard the often-repeated "it was the best thing I ever did for my business" though no one elaborates on WHY it was the best.

Because of the Vista mess, I told myself that I would go Mac simply to avoid having to get a PC with Vista, but I just can't decide.

Anyone care to tell me why I should make the switch without sounding like the "cool kids" on campus who want me to buy some Air Jordans just because it's the thing to do?

Thanks!

Well, before trying to tell you why it's a better decision, you need to understand that you cannot simply get the Mac version of PS using your PC license #. You would have to get what is called a Cross-Platform Upgrade which, while costing you almost nothing, will require you to destroy your PC version.

So if you are fine with that, then we can get on to why the Mac might be a better choice.

solid reason:

they just work.

actually, both sides of the equation work... Macs, Dells, HPs etc.

Windows currently has the Vista issue --- some folks can get vista to work well, others cannot.

Before doing a switch to Mac, list what software are your MUST Haves (other than PhotoShop)

For example, I use the following Windows aps in my workflow:

Quickbooks -- the credit card processing is only available on the Windows version right now.
LumaPix FotoFusion -- Runs OK under Parallels, but it still has some issues
Qimage for running my Epson 7800 printer -- definitely needs a dedicated windows machine attached to the printer.

So, are there any gotta have programs in Windows for you? If so, list them, and we'll let you know if it is cool for Mac as well?

The simple reason is because most artistic people always used macs, it's practically a fashion statement, Powerbook and iphone, all the top people use them everyone else uses them. That is the biggest reason people think they need to switch. Really good reasons for the switch are yes they work with less hassle than windows, driver etc, they power up better, no virus, they can run windows also but not as easy as it sounds to get the best performance. The operating system is made by the hardware manufacturer whic is nice. A little more efficent maybe but not a big deal. They cost a lot more, a ton more really by comparison, software is much more limited, most of you clients will be using windows and not macs.

Macs won't ask you ten thousand times:

Are you sure you want to go this website?

Do you want me to save your password?

Do you need me to hold your hand?- this website isn't encrypted.

Are you sure you want to start this application?

Agreed. And while that may not seem like the most concrete reason, it really is. Macs are just built the way a computer should be built. I built every PC I owned and know the ins and outs of a PC, but I switched to a Mac and it was like heaven. I didn't have to tweak things to make them perfect, I didn't have to download a million extra programs to replace the windows ones that I hated, I just opened my Mac and... it worked! Flawlessly!

Thanks, everyone, for your input thus far.

Bruce--Well, that's not as good as I'd hoped. Obviously, since I will be keeping my PC workstation, that's not an option. So, I'd have to purchase all the Mac Adobe applications...that's not thrilling.

Becker, Chelo & Sara: I understand what you're saying--you can just get straight to work on a Mac. That's a good thing, but honestly...I've been emerged in PC's for so long that none of the problems you mentioned really bother me. And to be quite honest, I haven't really HAD a lot of those issues with my current workstation (previous computers--yes, this one--no).

Stephen--You are definetely right about my clients using PCs, especially in my corner of the world. Good food for thought.

Troy--I can't think of any Windows software that I just can't live without right now, but I am frustrated that I will have to purchase all my Adobe products again. That's a major bummer.

Anyone else want to jump in?

Megan - like you, I grew up on Apple. I started with the black & white, all-in-one "Macintosh IIse", then some other Apple, then a Performa... We are talking back in OS 6.03 and OS 7.1 days :-D

Anyways, then I started building my own PCs. I started with Windows 98, then 2000, and now XP. I have no plans of using Vista and will switch fully over to Linux should I ever be forced to go Vista (you can still get XP).

I bought a 13" MacBook laptop about 9 months ago and use it everyday. I have tried to keep an open mind about it, saying that it is just a tool for me to use and don't worry about the operating system....

Well, it really isn't a good fit for me. Things I could do in seconds on a PC take minutes. The Apple has crashed more often than my PC. It just isn't a good fit for me. Now, I said "for me" - everyone is different! (thank goodness!)

Good luck on your choice!

Using Mac's turns into a slight love affair. Once you get into it, you'll wonder why you didn't sooner, and you will end up buying more and more Apple products.

A major thing I love is not fearing the internet anymore, as of right now, you don't need to be worried about rampant viruses, or spyware. Plus there are other cool things like "Back to my Mac" where I can easily log into my home machine from the office and actually control the machine like I was there sweeeeeeet

NO.... you don't. Cross-platform upgrades are FREE from adobe. You are simply required to never again use/sell your PC version (obviously) and in turn they ask you to destroy the copy.

Switching isn't as hard as you think.

Sure, some macs are a bit more expensive than their comparable PCs, but take this into consideration: they last longer. They don't get corrupt registries because, ohh... they don't have registries haha. Mac OS X is by far the most efficient and well written OS ever, and the fact that macs are made to run it certainly has a lot to do with performance, which you'll find is better than any "comparable" PC. They run windows better than most PCs, so if you do have a windows only program that you NEEED, setting your mac up to run windows is SUPER easy and does not require additional software... boot camp is built right into Leopard.

There are tons of reasons to switch. There are tons of people who will tell you it isn't a big deal. There are those who have switched and those who will... :-)

I think you'll enjoy your new mac, whichever one you decide on.

Herein lies the problem...I plan on keeping my workhorse workstation, so even if I go the mac upgrade, I'd still have to destroy my PC version and buy new PS for it. My plan is to use my workstation as my primary editing machine & my laptop as a productivity aid b/c I am on the road A LOT.

Yup, I kept my PC desktop to work on too, and bought the Mac version of Photoshop for my new Mac laptop. Since I have a child in school, and I am the yearbook adviser that she is working on, I bought my copy of photoshop from http://www.academicsuperstore.com. All you need is a report card, and it will save you big bucks.

Hey Megan,

I too grew up using Macs. My kindergarten actually had them in the class, so I have been familiar with the brand for a while. In my home, however, we had PCs, we had viruses and I was the "PC repair man". Not Fun. I have spent more of my life than I care to think about speaking to Dell technicians in India. At the end of the day there are a few simple truths that I was forced to encounter.

1. You tend to pay more for a Mac, but they have the best customer service in the industry. The Apple stores are not only a retail location. They are also a repair shop and tutorial center.
2. Mac is about design and user-friendliness. They have alsways built thier machines with the artist in mind. PCs are business machines. simple. Most PC users are used in the business world. In the earlier years, Mac failed to enter this industry and began focusing designing machines for creatives.
3. Benchmarks show that Mac Desktops and Laptops tend to outperform their PC counterparts. I have a lot of friends who are pc geeks...they recommend Macs.
4. Buying a Mac is a business investment, it should reflect the values of your company and personal style. A Mac is a silent way to let your clients know "I only use the best."

Each of these decisions led me to purchasing my first Mac four years ago. I have never regretted it. Hope this was helpful!

Peace,
Parris

Hubby and I just had this test. We both woke up our laptops from sleep at the exact same time and timed how long it would take to open our gmail.

Steps: Open laptop, wake up, wireless connection, open Firefox, type in address, log in to email, access inbox

My Mac: 30 seconds
Hubby's PC: 4 minutes 49 seconds

Granted his PC is really slow, but he had no other applications running at the time. I had Photoshop, Bridge, Illustrator, iTunes, Adium, and Firefox, and I'm just running a G4 Powerbook with 1.5 GB memory, so nothing like the new MacBook Pros

More good food for thought...thanks for making the decision a little harder--lol!

I'll chime in, as I am a lover and user of all things Tech.

I use on a daily basis:

2 PC's, 1 handbuilt with love, the other a dell laptop.

3 Mac's - in my magazine job's offices (2 G4's 1 G5)

XP Pro, Vista, and Mac OS X and Leopard are all represented here, if you count the editor's new MacBookPro.

Personally, I like options... because of this, I've always been a pc guy, and probably always will. Mac's do my thinking for me, and I like to think different. I like finding the gems of freeware software that do what Adobe can't, etc.

I have Mac's Leopard OS on my Intel Core 2 based Laptop. Yeah, I'm currently triple booting into Linux RedHat, Vista, and Leopard. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

I've never had a virus, I've been blessed to not have windows issues. Problems yes, but nothing long term or bad. Call me lucky, but I just don't go places I shouldn't or click on emails I shouldn't.

I'm 28, I've been online since 1995, and I guess I just know how to use my Windows machines to do what I want, fast.

Oh, and I'm a PC gamer and harware tweaker. Call it a hobby.

-tmiller
Tim Miller Photography
http://tmillerphoto.com

they're prettier and sexier.

Okay, so I switched in October from PC to Mac. I've been an avid PC user for over 20 years. I used to use MS-DOS and was super proficient in all of that craziness.

After hearing about 3,000 times from photographers I love and respect that I really should be using a Mac, I finally buckled when Liana Lehman sold me her G4 laptop last October.

It took about a week to get used to the differences between Mac and PC. The second week, i began to have some "Aha!" moments about some of the cool features available. (Leopard, the new operating system for Mac, had just come out) I found myself working much more easily, though some of the differences were subtle. A couple of the more salient points:

1) My Mac doesn't slow down for no reason like my PC used to. It only slows down when I am running heavy processing or have lots of programs open.

2) I don't have to buy and download a bunch of extra programs for stuff. Most software is included in the system and works almost perfectly.

3) It's SO much more intuitive and things like Leopard's Time Machine save soooo much time!

I'd be happy to tell you more, but sufficed to say, I feel like a fool for having used a PC for this long.

I can't tell you how many times i've heard ex-PC users say that.

How many times have I heard only Mac user say that.......?



NEVER. In fact, I don't think i've ever heard of an EX-Mac user.

I don't agree with this logic, as my Mac has fallen over on me and locked up more times than my Dell Latitude ever has.

That said, the reason I finally switched -- and like you, I asked for a good solid reason before I did that went beyond "they just work" -- is because of how the processor in a Mac is designed to use resources. This allows things like Lightroom to run faster, and when I am running an extensive action in Photoshop on an image, it works faster too.

Saving time was my big reason. That and the cool eye candy icons and the fun software that is Mac only... ;-)

I have to say that I think the statement of macs being more expensive is sort of a half-truth. The reality is that you are generally getting better hardware in a mac - stuff that you can't always compare apples to apples on the PC side. Where there is a direct comparison, the cost of a mac vs an identical (or very close) PC is within $100-$200, and it's not always the PC that's cheaper. In addition, when it comes to laptops, the only brand that comes close to the durability and longevity of a Mac is the IBM Thinkpad line, which is now sold under the Lenovo badge. Apple's laptop engineering is second to none, and for that reason, I will never buy a PC laptop.

"as of right now" being the key -- there was a rise in Mac viruses last year, and the techblogs all say that as more people that aren't computer savvy switch, the creeps who develop viruses will start to make them for the Mac.

Don't rely on the "no viruses" myth for too long.

Mac's and PC's share the same hardware now, with the Intel Core 2 Duo's and newer chips from INTEL. It's the Mac OSX+ that is so well tuned to that specific group of hardware that Apple lords over. Very rarely people are handbuilding a mac system (due to wrong bios's) and then installing OSX. It can be done now, but it's not pretty or as fun as opening a Mac and pushing the power button. (I've been there, again with the editor of the mag, got his new MacBookPro).

It's slick stuff, but like you... I've seen Mac's die, smoke, choke, lock up, give me unhappy faces (WTF?!) and everything inbetween.

Pound for pound, I love my pc's more, but I do more than business work on em. The neat idea is doing both Windows and OSX/Leopard with parallals, etc but I still do all my work in Windows.

For the next 20 years probably, until there is a breakthrough in holographic portable display units and eye implant chips that interface not only with the eye, but with the brain (it IS coming, just gotta power the little contacts), Windows will be dominant because of the business world.

Actually I think Linux distrubutions will take over eventually but that's another long story. =o)

-tmiller
Tim Miller Photography
http://tmillerphoto.com

because Mac replaced my Macbook Pro just 3 days before warranty was up!

a brand new 2008 machine!

because they rock!












my site

my blog

If they share the same hardware, try configuring the PC equivalent of a 17inch macbook pro. I wasn't able to do it on Dell's web site. Again, I came close, but couldn't find a 250gb HD option, or an industrial case as thin as the macbook. It's not the same hardware. It's the same architecture for sure, but the engineering and the exact components used are different.

errr and there's a whole lot more to a computer than the CPU and chips. No one builds or designs machines like apple... They rock :-)

Mainly design. I know Asus has built a few Apple laptops for Apple. Apple sent them the designs and specs and Asus built them. Asus also makes PCs.

These days the line is getting very thin between the two - and while Apple's hardware might be a bit better, the main difference these days is all in the OS.

We could debate for days the slight differences in hardware and design, but it is OSX that most users care about.

There's your problem. Dell isn't close to design like Apple always has been. Try IMB thinkpads, or Toshiba's new thin line coming out, etc. Besides, 250gb harddrives are passe', 500gb's are coming out soon.

Under the hood, they are Intel. That's important, and good, but the poster below (now above) said it best. The OS is what matters most to folks. That's Apple's linchpin. That's why they won't release it for PC bios's, only Apple's.

They're both good.

-tmiller
Tim Miller Photography
http://tmillerphoto.com

Ask the Botwell... die hard PC fans recently switch to MAC!

If you keep hearing "it is the best thing I have done for my business" that should be a great hint.

I was a long time PC user that had the same impression that you have: "MAC are cooll but hard in the pocket". But that is only partially true if you: (1) compare apple and oranges (2) you do not take into account the many other benefits of a MAC over a PC.

To start, let me state that the problem with PC is not the hardware but the OS. While windows have many nice things, overall, it is a mediocre OS.

MAC are:

1. Safer than Windows... Do not get Viruses.
2. You don't have to defrag your Hard Drives. In a PC you have to do that almost every other day if you want to keep your oerformace up.
3. OS way more stable and solid than Windows OS. You hardly, if ever, get a "blue screen"
4. To set up a network is easier and gives you less troubles (if any) than PC. We had a Widnows network and had to call tech support every week because of problems.
5. You are more productive on a MAC. mainly because you don't have to worry that much.
6. Better and greater integration with software and .MAC.
7. A MAC can outlast a PC any given day. I still use G4 and G5 on my business.
8. Have you ever seen one inside? It is a breese to do upgrades (MAC PRO, of course). I haven't cut my fingeres since I have a MAC.

I think my greatest gain by switching to a MAC is that I am more productive and, although not perfect, worry less about problems. I truly thought I was fine with my PCs. until I did the switch. Now, I don't care to look back.

Not only they do work... I have five MAC and for sure I have had to take one to the shop... they are, after all, machines... the overwhelming fact is that they just work better.

And, something that makes you more productive is not only cheaper in the long run, but it is better business.

Amen! AMEN!

Can a PC do the work? Of course it can.... but... at what price?.... productivity? problems? continuous maintenance? etc...

The people who defend PCs (like I was) do it because they like to tweak them and on a MAC that is not easily done. MAc is to do work and help you work better. I don't want to "play" with my computer, but I want to work and be productive. If you love to build computers and tweak them all the time, stay on PC World. Otherwise you will screw up your MAC and then blame it on Apple.

Also, people who love "free" software, if you know what I mean... hate MACs and love PCs.

I also think pride keeps people from using MAC (I know, I was one of them) it is sort of being afraid to admit, once they start working on a MAC, that they were wrong all those years that they defended the "virtues" of PC World.

Good luck with your decision.

i've used PC's for ever, and have never experienced these issues -

i do have a 'computer guy' to help me with things. he's upgraded my systems, not because i can't, but because i don't want to learn how. i've never had a virus, i've never had any serious problems, except that i hate a wireless keyboard.

i recently got a MAC - it's a wonderful machine. i just don't really know how to use it, yet. i can get around, but i feel like someone learning a new language, and there are just some 'words' i don't know.

there are programs that are PC only, and while i could rig up my mac to run them, i choose to run both a MAC and a PC.

kind of like being bilingual. why choose one over the other? choose both.

I am a PC user....... this week. but I think it will change.
Check THIS out . great info to help you decide.

http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/14/50-rea...pples-mac-os-x/

Same here. And my PC runs pretty much just as well as my Mac, but it is custom built using top components that I chose myself, and I maintain it very well. And I use WP Pro.

However, if I could have only one, it would be the Mac. It really does just run better without the software annoyances that are just too common on a PC. The data handling characteristics of a Mac are more refined.

Wow. Glad to see some more discussion while I was away. Gosh, too many good points made to comment on all of them but THANK YOU! This thread has been very helpful and interesting and made my decison that much harder! UGH!

Only one reason?

This is my PC after 12 months of use. Athlon X2 DC - 2.8 GHZ - 2 GB Ram - 400GB SATA - Radeon X1600 PCI-16X

The machine was a monster, but now she's being retired.

Why?

Hard drive went out, and Vista sucks.

Now we're going Mac....except it will be a while. I'm the type of person that likes to do things right the first time, so for us.....going Mac is...well...going expensive.

I love these discussions. I'll throw in my 2 cents. To give a background, I am a Computer Engineer by day (although I seem to be on here and thinking photograhy more often) and was a PC technician for a few years in college. I recently went through this entire process myself, so I'll let you know my thoughts and how I ended up.

Operation Systems: Are we talking about a PC running XP or a PC running Vista? If we are talking Vista, then there is no question at all. Vista is that slow and is that buggy. You could easily buy an 4 year old Mac and it would still be faster than a Vista machine. This link should give you a clear idea about how slow Vista really is: Fox News Story on Vista

Leopard is a better OS. Period. It is based on Unix which is much better than any Windows variants. XP is better than Vista, but still not as good as Mac's OS's.

Hardware: The hardware is actually very similar. Intels and NVidia graphics. You are going to find similar stuff there on both PCs and Macs.

Brands: To be fair in brand comparison, you really need to compare Dell's business series laptops to Mac's. The Inspirons are no where near as nice or well made as the Latitudes or Precision Mobile Workstations. Dell business series line has United States help lines unlike the Home and Home Office series from Dell. Also, Dell repairs your stuff Next day on site with Business models. So that is the only PC way to go in my opinion laptop wise. Also, it is tough to find PCs without Vista on them and Dell's business series still offers XP.

And for Mac. Well Mac is awesome. Good quality. Good design. Good customer service. I don't have anything negative to say.

Cost: The fully loaded Dell Precision Mobile Workstation new is almost exactly the same cost as the fully loaded MacBook Pro so it is a wash there. To compare a MacBook Pro to a HP from Wal-mart price wise is just wrong...

Desktops are a different story though. I can build a PC desktop for much less than a Mac. The hardware is just cheaper for PC. But you didn't ask that so I won't go into it further.

Summary: So this is getting long winded, so I will sum it up. I ended up getting a Certified Refurbed Dell M90 Precision Mobile Workstation with the WUXGA 1920x1200 17" widescreen, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33Ghz, 2GB RAM, 512MB NVidia Video Card. The screen is gorgeous and it is super fast. I picked it up for around 1500 after taxes and shipping and I love it. Now I am super techy so I know how to make my machine fast and safe, but that is not the case for most people.

I have lots of software for Windows so I didn't have the money lying around to make the switch (more than just PS for me). But if XP is unavailable in the future, I will be bragging about my Mac...

Hope this helps. Or at least lights a fire for more discussion.

Thanks, Chris, for your detailed response. I really appreciate it!

I switched...and still run windows xp using parallels for my accounting software...windows runs better on my mac than it did on my dell! no joke.

I did a side by side comparison (Vista on dual core 1.6mhz laptop w/ 2gb and OSX on same) and as far as speed goes, photoshop was running faster on VISTA (by about a second on the filter previews, about 10 seconds with the full preview). Nothing else was running, and the vista has never been defragmented, and we've never run a registry cleaner on it. I was surprised that OSX asked for permission to run a downloaded file (someone mentioned that it didn't). We switched away from internet explorer to firefox a long time ago (when IE7 was released) so that may be where most people get that problem.

OSX is a slick interface, they really did it right. Very little distraction, just a clean, fast interface. When you plug something in, it sets it up and uses default settings that are really well thought out. Probably the best thing about going mac is there's no finger-pointing games (it's a software problem - no, it's a hardware problem). If there's a problem, they take care of it, period. Hard to do on a PC when Nivida makes the graphics card, biostar makes a mother board, sony makes the DVD drive, Western Digital makes the drive, microsoft makes the software, and dell assembles it. Unfortunately for MS, they have a much broader range of hardware they are supposed to support!

There's windows specific software that's really good (fotofusion, neat receipts) and there's mac software that's really good (aperture 2.0). I don't really see a reason to be 100% one way or the other. As you may or may not have seen in a different post, I'm actually running Ubuntu (linux) as a little experiment. I can say this - it's come a LONG, LONG way from when I first played with it a few years ago (driver issues are few and far between!). Google is investing $$$ in wine (win32 extensions for linux) to get CS3 100% running on linux, and the more I've been using it, the more fun it has been. I'm a tinkerer by heart, which is probably why I like it (and Windows). I'd say that mac and linux let you worry less about hardware configurations and more about using the software.

I know this post probably doesn't help much - but maybe it will. I'd say don't think of it like "do I use mac or windows", think of it like "which tool is best for this set of needs". You'll probably find you'll end up using both for one reason or another!

Shan

LOL! So true. Also, with a Mac you can use your computer to get work done. With windows, you first have to run antispyware and antivirus, which slows things down, just to turn the thing on...if you don't want to reformat it in a couple of months!
For us, it's that simple...Macs get work done.

I feel Macs are more solid. All computers crash or freeze. The fact is, if you crash with PC, you start again from 0. When a Mac crashes, it remembers everything it had going on before the crash (for me so far). This is invaluable in the creative workflow. I keep a PC laptop for a couple programs not offered on Mac, but I'd never go back to PC for my main system.