I use both machines. I find a lot of problems with Windows. I get critical errors on shutdowns and startups for no reason.Pritners flake out. Mac operting system may not be as flexible yet, but the new one is coming. I have checked out OSX and like it a lot. It is very user friendly.
As for speed. I am one who heavily challenges machines. I can challenge a Mac with a lot better performance. I have read a lot of tests, and overall, I believe the Mac wins most, not all, of the tests. I actually like IBM hardware but typically want a different os. I want to try Linux sometime.
As for the games and software… Games for the Mac are coming out faster. The move in the industry is to make games that are for both Mac and PC.You can also purchase virtual pc and use it on the mac. It is like having two operating systems. You bring up Windows when you want to use Windows applications. It really doesn’t slow down performance on the Windows os. I have used this myself. You can actually drag things from one os screen to the other.
BTW, I found the first Windows/Mac/Linus game about a month ago.
I used to be a die hard pc user, but obviously have switched. My husband, the graphic designer, can be credited with that.Each person will like certain things about each machine. A lot of these posts have been good and straight forward. That is nice to see.
I am seriously considering a Mac for my next computer, even though I am long time PC user. But maybe not, that is still ayear or two away.
But what has always bugged me about Apple is the way they advertise their machines…They look cooler, come in differnt colors, Einstein and Gandhi were radical thinker, ergo buy a Mac. What about the freaking computer??
Wow, this has been the most relaxed, balanced Mac vs. PC discussion I’ve ever seen! I love it!
BTW, re: the argument that hard drive space and other periphirals are more expensive for the Mac… now that Apple has switched over from SCSI to USB, this is changing. A lot of USB devices work for both Mac and Windows now; it’s just a matter of getting the right driver. And USB is much cheaper than SCSI.
I don’t want to drop the civility of this argument, but that is a bunch of hooey. The number of new Mac games being released is a pitance compared to the PC. Many many of the top sellers still aren’t being converted/ported. Some yes, many no. Faster? Well, I guess if someone considers 10 Mph a worthwile jump from 9mph, maybe
Correct me if I am wrong, but if you want to run anything “newish graphic intensive” with Virtual PC you need one hell of a monster of a Mac? Even then they crawl? Am I correct in saying that? I haven’t owned a Mac in years so I can’t say for sure myself…
I’ve been a PC “Uber Hacker” in my past, and still can put together a PC from parts and install NT and networking from scratch, etc, so I know a bit about PC’s.
But when people keep asserting “If you want to do graphic design, get a Mac” - why are they saying this exactly?
Is it because there is no graphical design software worth a damn for a PC? I don’t believe that, but I admit I don’t know.
Is it because Macs have much better monitors and graphics cards? Again, I don’t believe that - in fact, I’m pretty sure all of the top-of-the line 3D cards typically come out on PC long before they come out in a Mac-compatable format. And monitor technology is not different between the two hardware platforms, as far as I know.
And for the really serious graphical design, don’t people use things like Silicon Graphics boxes anyways?
Can someone tell me how this assertion with respect to graphical design can be made?
And on a side note - I have to agree fully with bernse. As a decently hard-core gamer, I know there is a dearth of Mac games, very unfortunately for Mac owners. I can’t honestly see how the situation is becoming better in that respect either, having watched the scene for a while now.
I’m not in the graphic design industry, so this is not from an experts POV. But FWIK, most graphic design work is done on a Mac because the modern computer-based g.d. industry grew up on Macs. In the early days of computer-based g.d., all the killer apps were on Mac. Nowadays, of course, you can get them for both platforms, but most of the industry is Mac-based, because that’s the way they started out. So it’s that lame, fall-back answer: they do it that way 'cause they’ve always done it that way. And thus the recommendation for people getting into the industry to get a Mac.
I’ve messed around on Photoshop on both Macs and Windows, and personally DO find it easier to work with the Mac version. But of course, that could very well be because I like working with Macs better anyway.
As far as the gaming situation goes, you’re right; it is still pretty lame on Mac. As I and other posters mentioned, if you are a hard-core gamer and that’s one of your main reasons for getting a computer, yeah, you probably want Windows.
BUT, as hard as it might be to believe, the situation IS getting better. Slowly. But it is. Diablo II coming out for Mac just a few weeks after the Windows version is just one indication of this. We used to have to wait a year or more (if even then) for our version of things.
TheNerd – yes there was and I can’t figure out how to edit the question? Maybe you could tell me how? However, I am still clueless reading the replies so far … Thanks.
I’ve used both, and prefer PCs. The Macs I’ve used crashed about as often as the Windows machines, and it’s much more difficult to recover from a crash when they do. Windows tends to give you more options, and the Win interface is much more useful than the Mac (when will the Mac add a taskbar?). Also, the right click on the mouse gives you more options. I’ve found working on a Mac slow simply because commands are hidden or require more mouse movement to activate.
As for the clock speed, IRL the Mac goes about the same speed as the PC. It needs the extra speed in order to run the more complicated programs.
But this is all primarily a matter of preference. Neither system is markedly superior to the other and it all boils down to what’s available and how much you want to pay.
Unfortunately, you cannot edit it yourself. You must e-mail a Moderator in whatever forum you posted in, and politely ask that she or he change it for you.
DrDoom, sorry, I didn’t mean to be condescending in my original reply, just witty. Sometimes I have trouble with that line
Only a moderator can edit a post or subject line once it has been posted. And since this error doesn’t detract from the meaning, it’s nothing to get worked up about.
If you are still clueless as to which is superior, that’s because neither really is. They target different, but overlapping, markets. If you are looking for advice on which to buy (I did notice that you didn’t specifically say that), then you should probably try both, and get whichever seems more comfortable to you.
I agree. I crash on the same applications on both platforms, though-- Netscape Communicator, Photoshop, etc.-- so that makes me think it’s not the underlying OS, but the app itself. Especially in the case of Communicator.
Although I disagree that the interface is less useful on the Mac (maybe it’s a matter of familiarity and preference?), I do like the taskbar Windows has. But just 'cause I got a Mac, it doesn’t mean I have to live without. I’ve got a program called GoMac, which duplicates the Start menu/taskbar features. It’s pretty cool. (It’s also highly recommended for anyone making the switch from Windows to Macintosh.)
I’ve heard rumours of a two-button Mac mouse in the works. Check that-- a two-button official Apple mouse. I’ve already got a two-button Mac mouse. It’s just not made by Apple.
As for the hidden/more complicated commands, can I ask which you’re talking about? I’ve heard this a lot, and I was never sure which commands they meant. Nothing’s really hidden, IMO.
I believe the primary reasons Macs are better at digital video editing and graphics design is that the software is more finely tuned than that of a PC and that the G4 processor is a monster when it comes to how many operations per second it can fulfill. Right now I’m pretty sure that PCs can have more powerful graphics cards (All Mac cards are ATI, and many PC cards are more powerful than any card ATI has).
I use a PC myself, and I absolutely love it. Not simply because it is a PC, but because it is a machine I built, and for that reason I consider it better than any Mac someone could buy. I personally hate PCs that people buy as a complete package, because then it has all the manufacturer customized crap that is utterly and totally worthless.
As for platform stability, I’ve used Win98, Win ME, and Win2K. 98 sucks ass compared to the latter two. Although it is basically an upgrade, ME has improved a lot of speed and stability problems found in 98. I forget which Mac OS it was I played around with, but I didn’t like it (It also didn’t like my friend’s cable modem for some reason).
If there comes a time when I need to do heavy duty DV editing, I’ll get a Mac. Right now, a PC fulfills everything I need done, and besides, I can’t afford a new system anyways.
You mean, “A machine that I tried my best to put together, but it never really worked right, and I kicked it and pounded on it and whined and cried until my infinitely wise and kind older brother used his sage intelligence and paid $50 to get someone who knew what he was doing to finish the job,” don’t you?
Being a buyer of Macintosh games, I will say that I’ve noticed a slight increase in the availability of Mac platforms… but only slight. There was a time when you would have to wait 1-2 years after a game came out for the PC that they bothered to compile it for the Mac. And there were very few games written first for the Mac, and their PC counterparts came out quicker than vice-versa (I’m thinking “Marathon”). But, for example, “Diablo II” came out from the get-go as both platforms, and I’m seeing this more and more. Still, there remains a wide gap between the two platforms, game-wise and software-wise.
I always recommend Macintosh to non-computer geeks because they’re not just user-friendly, they’re user-condescending, which computer-phobic people need. Mac still seems to have the lock on plug n’ play, 'natch, and more and more the two operating systems are becoming inter-compatible.
All in all, I’ll stick with my Mac. I saw the G4 cubes, and they’re cute and all, but the towers are still better processors. When I move…
I really try to avoid getting into this discussion, but what the hell.
Macs are not better for Graphical design. Much like Anamophic said, Most of the Graphic design professionals learned on Mac, so they assume they are better. Mac do have a less intimidating user interface, and many of the first people to start using computer for graphics were not technical people, so they prefered the Mac. Now it is just entrenched thinking with little to back it up. For pure processing power for the buck PCs are much cheaper. I can build a dual 800+Mhz, for 1/3 to 1/4 the price of a comparable Mac, simply because you cannot build your own Mac. The graphics hardware available for PCs dwarf the small selection for Mac, graphics cards, editing suites with breakout boxes etc. SGI a couple of years ago moved their main product to dual and quad boxes running IRIX on Intel chips and the high end programs like 3D Studio max, Lightwave, and MAYA are all moving toward NT. One other thing that amazed me was that Apple started marketing some of their IMacs as 3D graphics workstations, but the damn things have no cooling fans. They work by convection, which is like saying you can cool off your house by lighting a big fire in the attic. They pawned off a whole bunch of these things to schools, but everyone I have looked at crashes when made to work very hard.
A lot of people here talk about building their own computers. For them, sure, PC’s rule. But I must ask - aren’t the vast majority of computer users just interested in buying a system and having it work? I’d wager it’s a relatively small minority that doesn’t just want to turn it on and go. For them, Macintosh might be the better choice. I, for one, am a user, not an engineer or programmer.
