Mac vs PC, can u help?

[Corny]

^ yeah those are the kind of bland statements that are a bit silly. it all depends on the software that you will be working with.
macs used to be very popular for videoediting and photoshop. but as i said photoshop nowadays runs faster in windows systems. i know that autocad was available for the mac, but as far as i know they stopped support.

as for "uuh i can boot windows on my mac" yep .. and can boot mac os on linux or windows. so what?

 

[Gamby6]

For designing, I would suggest you to get SONY VAIO F series. Cuz, the screen supports 1080p which means, you have expansive area to work with. And it's quad i7 with good graphic card better than macbook.

With that said, just like others point out, ask your school what software they will use for the course. If there's no mac exclusive software in it, go for pc. And don't buy the bull MAC is more durable than pc. They have tendency to break down as much as good brand pc.

 

[Pangelboy]

...and can boot mac os on linux or windows. so what?

I know of the OSx86 project, but is there a legal and relatively easy way (ex. Bootcamp) to install OS X on non-Apple hardware?

If you want the benefits of both platforms in one machine, owning a Mac is the only way to do so - Hackintosh is not a reliable or practical alternative.

I wouldn't use a Hackintosh for anything serious (like school or work), but as a home computer and fun experiment, why not?

 

[AwsomeStuff]

Yeah I'll see if I can contact one of my teachers through Facebook.

 

[Telstra]

I've no intention of participating in a point by point debate with you, other than to say none of my earlier points were supposed to imply anything about Windows or associated hardware, but simple real world facts. The realities are that the arts community prefers Mac, regardless of the potential of Win7. Go to any graphics house, any video post house, any design school, and Mac will be the primary platform of choice. If you want the benefits of both platforms in one machine, owning a Mac is the only way to do so - Hackintosh is not a reliable or practical alternative.

Considering the OPs career path and requirements, I would recommend the MBP as a logical choice.

..................

 

[SilverSurfer]

Seriously, Apple seems to be going out of their way to alienate the design community since the release of OS 10.6:

They eliminated the ability to use postscript fonts in the system. Helvetica and Helevetica Nueue have been a huge problem for our newspaper production departments. We have thousands of ads that have been pre-approved by clients that we have to replace the fonts on. I would love to send them a bill for the lost productivity we have suffered as a result. They couldn't have used a version of the fonts with a different name that didn't conflict in font managers?

They stripped Appletalk out of the OS. We are able to use LDAP with some devices, but had to replace some equipment that was still perfectly functional.

I see that our next convention has roundtable discussions scheduled for switching from Mac to PC production environments. A friend that is an IT professional at a nearby HUGE university says they are looking at the same option.

I have made my living on Macs for over 15 years. I own a Windows 7 PC.

And Corny is absolutely right about Photoshop.

 

[Corny]

Troubleshooting on a Mac is infinitely easier.

not in my experience. I believe I posted about this before ( an out of the blue not working scanner program) - once it goes beyond the "how does X work" level of difficulty even many hardcore mac heads are at the end of their wisdom. hardly anybody knows anything about the inner workings of their machine, and if you google it you get "helpful" answers like call support, go to a genius bar and buy a different application.

They eliminated the ability to use postscript fonts in the system. Helvetica and
I see that our next convention has roundtable discussions scheduled for switching from Mac to PC production environments. A friend that is an IT professional at a nearby HUGE university says they are looking at the same option.

I have a buddy in an advertising company .. not too big, but they have some big clients - and they are considering the same steps. mainly though because of the photoshop disaster.

 

[evanrick]

mac's are hype and expensive. i wish i could suggest a pc/laptop but ive never owned one, but you can get decent prices at http://www.dell.com/outlet

 

[thermodynamics]

I've had to troubleshoot in depth on Mac and WIndows, and I can safely say that they're equally aggravating.

A lot of the "Mac is better for graphics" (which was true) has gone out the window because the processors are the same between Windows and Mac. Back in the G3/G4/G5 days,, Mac was superior. But not anymore.

My advice: See what a lot of students/profs use in your department. That's the single largest factor for you.

 

[Gamby6]

I know of the OSx86 project, but is there a legal and relatively easy way (ex. Bootcamp) to install OS X on non-Apple hardware?

I can't remember which one(Kalyway, IATKOS,IPC,.. but not IDENAB) release boot disc image that allows to use legit OSx copy. All you need to do is, burn it on disc, boot it and insert the original OS disc when ask. That just it.

It's not always pain in the ass to install hackintosh. It depends on how compatible your hardware is. Out of curiosity, I've tried it before and it was so difficult to install on my asus board with sata drive(unless I explicitly prepare HFS+ partition with disk manager, the setup can't create partition on its own) but with sony, it's different story;installing went well without any problem and works like a charm(almost everything works except mic) and boot faster than windows xp.

 

[andysayshi]

To me, the most annoying miss on the Macbook Pro is that there's no connecting to an extenal monitor (VGA) without a converter cable, and no way to hook up to a TV without a converter cable and converter box.

VGA is based on 20 year old technology. It doesn't deal in any way with audio. New monitors that have VGA connections are becoming uncommon.

Current Macs, and most decent laptops, use DVI, HDMI or mini display ports, which all offer uncompressed digital video output. In the Mac case, the MDP output can directly connect to any HDMI monitor with embedded digital audio with just one cable. It's te future, baby!

 

[andysayshi]

$10 adapter, problem solved.

 

[AnalblasT]

MEH!!!

All very complicated

If you dont have much money buy mac ... coz the OS support all design software you need ... (laptop)

If you have money to buy all those software buy windows coz they have lot of choice for the hardware - much better then any mac product ... (laptop) also you can find crack for those pro software not waste your money ............

If you have money and not mobile buy PC this much better (windows PC) LOT CHOICE FOR THE HARDWARE AND MUCH FASTER AND GOOD THEN imac or mac pro

and shit if people still say mac much better then windows for design --- if long time ago windows also running same like mac os (all design software include) i bet no one will say mac much better for design

 

[thevofl]

AwesomeStuff,

Do two things:

1) Find out what your design department of the school you are going to is using and recommend.

2) Try out both systems. Go to a local Apple store and try out their products.

I asked a college of mine in the Graphic Design department of the college I teach at [I'm a professor of math] which system they use, prefer, and recommend. She chose Mac without batting an eye, as it offers the technology without requiring you to be tech. She then followed up with, but each person is different.

Do some homework ahead of time in order to make an educated decision.