I have been a Windows and "traditional" PC user. My computer is old and image processing is very slow. New iMAC where launched last week, and as I have heard wonder fulls about MAC for photographers and image edition I was considering the move for an iMAC. What's the big benefits for a MAC user and tell me what do you think about the characteristics of the model I possible will chose:
Biggest benefits include user-friendliness, stable operating system, If you can get non-glossy screen, that would be a plus but not sure if that 20-inch is available in non-glossy.
We're stocked with Macs and their monitors at home and in the studio, but based on the performance of iMacs owned by friends, we'll probably incorporate them into our array when we next upgrade. We haven't tried it, but friends who recently made the move from PC report that with current hardware and software, they've been able to move all their PC programs and files onto the Mac more or less seamlessly. Don't know much about it, but moving to a Mac no long means leaving behind your familiar PC aps. It's more like adding Mac capabilities to what you're already doing on a PC.
Do it..it will be one of the best decisions you ever made...you will thank yourself...all the specs look good..the 4 GB of Ram is a great idea, you will be happy you have it...500 GB sounds good, but I would look at a getting an external HD for backup...perhaps you already have one...the time machine application on the Mac makes it really easy to back up and restore you stuff...automatic...macs are just super user friendly and you don't have t deal with all the buggy stuff from windows...plus if you have an Apple retail store close to you it makes it really easy to get help with it if you need it. I have found it takes people a couple weeks to get used to the differences between apple and windows, but it is very much worth it. I don't know anyone who has made the switch and regretted it...all the best...nate
Just one note on the main drawback of MACs Pedro, and that's cost. (And note that I am a Windows user, but I have used, and liked, MACs on occasion). In terms of value for the money, you can get a Windows systems built with the exact same hardware for significantly less money. Search on here as there are some other threads about this.
I wouldn't hesitate to get a MAC if I was willing to spend the money. For me it's just not worth it since I know Windows very well - and really like some of the configurability/compatability that I'm familiar with; And I tend to buy somewhat higher end machines anyway (which usually avoids most of the nightmare stories people have with Windows machines).
But I know several people with MACs and they seem really great - just somewhat expensive. One thing that can help there is to buy smaller drives and RAM, and upgrade them yourself. Apple's markup on these items (and video cards) is really large. If it's possible to get less and upgrade it yourself, it would probably save some bucks.
Hate to provide negative info (sort of) but we haven't had the best of experiences with macs. We have 2 studios with 2 24" iMACs and 2 17" Macbook pros in each studio. With the exception of 1 imac and 1 macbook, we have had problems with all of them. (in fact i just got off the phone with apple care about a new problem one has developed.) they were all purchased within a year and are about 1 1/2 years old. 2 imacs had to be completely replaced (twice) and one of the replacements had to have a new motherboard put in. problems have ranged from unstable mouse and keyboard connection/malfunction to random shutdowns to kernal panic to boot up problems to . . . . . We've used PCs for years and yes they do have their problems (lots of them), but they come at a much lesser cost per machine. Each time one of our macs goes down, it usually results in the reinstallation of lots of software (Final Cut can take up to an hour to fully install) and inevitably loss of certain tweaks that you make to personalize programs to your workflow.
Yes, they look cool and I do like the fact that you don't have annoying antivirus and anti spam programs taking over your computer. But quite honestly, I haven't seen that much of a benefit to warrant the higher cost. My advice to you would be if you buy one, make sure you get the apple care extended support. Believe me, that is the only thing that has saved us. most of the problems developed after the 90 day support period for the particular problem had expired. we have apple care on all machines. it too is expensive but otherwise a couple of our machines would have gone in the dumpster had we not had it.
it been a frustrating, disappointing, and educational experience to say the least.
OK, I now have to pack up one of our iMACs and take it to the apple store for repair (again)
I just went to a refurbished 24" and am loving it.
I went with the 24" because I recall reading that the brand of LCD in the current crop of 20" machines was not as high a quality and did not hold its calibration well.
Just one note on the main drawback of MACs Pedro, and that's cost.
David, I'm curious to see a true side by side analysis validating this assumption. I hear it a lot, but that had not been my experience. By purchasing memory and storage from 3rd parties, my Mac costs were very much in line with a comparable PC.
Factor in the cost of your time, dealing with Windows annoyances, incompatibilities, etc. and what that's worth to you, and the numbers begin to shift even more. I can compare my experience trying to call Dell tech support vs. trying to call Apple support (only had to do it once) and there's no comparing the time spent on hold, the need to make repeat calls, and the quality of help. It's not as cut and dry as lining up the manufacturer's list prices.
I've owned and heavily used seven Macs (three laptops, one desktop and three iMacs) over the past eight years, and am currently using a new iMac 27" (glossy screen, but not the "brand new" model), a G4 laptop, and an iMac G5. I use the two iMacs exclusively for photography, graphic design and publishing, and the laptop for everything else. I'm mystified by Don Kates' experiences since I have never had so much as a hiccup with any of my Macs.
I highly recommend the iMac for photography, and your specs sound great. Go for all you can afford - the expense is well worth it, and I predict you will never touch a PC again.
My only suggestion would be to get a larger hard drive. I use a 1 TB drive; photos are disk hogs. Adobe CS3 is a disk hog. The Mac OS likes a _lot_ of disk space for VM swapping. You get the picture. The incremental cost is not that great. Oh, and get an external (USB2) drive for backup, whichever OS you end up with.
I did a cost study for my law firm on Mac v. Windows 2.5 years ago. Over a projected five year life, Macs are 10-15% less expensive than equivalent Windows machines, except at the very, very low end of the price range. They require much less frequent maintenance, don't need anti-malware products, crash less often and are easier to teach/learn. I suspect, but have not confirmed, that Vista has merely increased the savings.
Honestly Guy, I don't think the difference is all that big for the desktops, so I may have overstated it. I have only tried to do a side-by-side with the laptops a few months ago. In that case, getting one spec'd out from Dell, HP, etc with nearly identical hardware (a couple of things were different, but I don't remember what) the MAC latops were anywhere from 500 to 1000 dollars more depending on what was selected. I'm wondering if this is because the laptops already come with so much stuff that Apple puts a high mark-up on?
This wasn't for the lowest end laptop PCs either. I know that the desktops are closer in price, so doing what you suggested (and I suggested actually ) as far as RAM and larger drives probably gets them pretty close.
As far as the other stuff, I've had four PCs in the last 10 or so years, and haven't really had any problems with them. I've never called Dell or Microsoft or IBM. I did get a virus once in the late 90's, but that's about it, and Symantec fixed it with no problem - it was pretty benign. I've swapped processors, changed out drives, added RAM and never had any problems. Maybe I'm just really lucky, but I think some of it has to do with not buying bargain basement stuff in the first place. I don't really think there's too much to consider there, but that's for me.
I've just upgraded from a Mac Book Pro to the 24" iMac, I would recommend that if you can afford it to go for the 24" screen as it is a better quality monitor in comparison to the 20". I'd also look at buying the additional RAM else where as buying from apple is more exspensive. It's also very easy to switch the ram, there is a little panel at the bottom of the iMac that you un-screw and then the RAM can be accessed.
ADVICE: As some of you mentioned, 20-inch glossy widescreen LCD is not good for photo editing as this screen suffers of different saturation in the corners, if you want an iMAC, you have to go for a 24" monitor.
Discussion
16 replies- 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB
- 500GB Serial ATA Drive
- ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory
- 20-inch glossy widescreen LCD
Thank you ver much
Biggest benefits include user-friendliness, stable operating system, If you can get non-glossy screen, that would be a plus but not sure if that 20-inch is available in non-glossy.
Have fun.
Carol
We're stocked with Macs and their monitors at home and in the studio, but based on the performance of iMacs owned by friends, we'll probably incorporate them into our array when we next upgrade. We haven't tried it, but friends who recently made the move from PC report that with current hardware and software, they've been able to move all their PC programs and files onto the Mac more or less seamlessly. Don't know much about it, but moving to a Mac no long means leaving behind your familiar PC aps. It's more like adding Mac capabilities to what you're already doing on a PC.
- 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB
I wouldn't hesitate to get a MAC if I was willing to spend the money. For me it's just not worth it since I know Windows very well - and really like some of the configurability/compatability that I'm familiar with; And I tend to buy somewhat higher end machines anyway (which usually avoids most of the nightmare stories people have with Windows machines).
But I know several people with MACs and they seem really great - just somewhat expensive. One thing that can help there is to buy smaller drives and RAM, and upgrade them yourself. Apple's markup on these items (and video cards) is really large. If it's possible to get less and upgrade it yourself, it would probably save some bucks.
Yes, they look cool and I do like the fact that you don't have annoying antivirus and anti spam programs taking over your computer. But quite honestly, I haven't seen that much of a benefit to warrant the higher cost. My advice to you would be if you buy one, make sure you get the apple care extended support. Believe me, that is the only thing that has saved us. most of the problems developed after the 90 day support period for the particular problem had expired. we have apple care on all machines. it too is expensive but otherwise a couple of our machines would have gone in the dumpster had we not had it.
it been a frustrating, disappointing, and educational experience to say the least.
OK, I now have to pack up one of our iMACs and take it to the apple store for repair (again)
I went with the 24" because I recall reading that the brand of LCD in the current crop of 20" machines was not as high a quality and did not hold its calibration well.
David, I'm curious to see a true side by side analysis validating this assumption. I hear it a lot, but that had not been my experience. By purchasing memory and storage from 3rd parties, my Mac costs were very much in line with a comparable PC.
Factor in the cost of your time, dealing with Windows annoyances, incompatibilities, etc. and what that's worth to you, and the numbers begin to shift even more. I can compare my experience trying to call Dell tech support vs. trying to call Apple support (only had to do it once) and there's no comparing the time spent on hold, the need to make repeat calls, and the quality of help. It's not as cut and dry as lining up the manufacturer's list prices.
Guy
I highly recommend the iMac for photography, and your specs sound great. Go for all you can afford - the expense is well worth it, and I predict you will never touch a PC again.
I did a cost study for my law firm on Mac v. Windows 2.5 years ago. Over a projected five year life, Macs are 10-15% less expensive than equivalent Windows machines, except at the very, very low end of the price range. They require much less frequent maintenance, don't need anti-malware products, crash less often and are easier to teach/learn. I suspect, but have not confirmed, that Vista has merely increased the savings.
This wasn't for the lowest end laptop PCs either. I know that the desktops are closer in price, so doing what you suggested (and I suggested actually
As far as the other stuff, I've had four PCs in the last 10 or so years, and haven't really had any problems with them. I've never called Dell or Microsoft or IBM. I did get a virus once in the late 90's, but that's about it, and Symantec fixed it with no problem - it was pretty benign. I've swapped processors, changed out drives, added RAM and never had any problems. Maybe I'm just really lucky, but I think some of it has to do with not buying bargain basement stuff in the first place. I don't really think there's too much to consider there, but that's for me.
ADVICE: As some of you mentioned, 20-inch glossy widescreen LCD is not good for photo editing as this screen suffers of different saturation in the corners, if you want an iMAC, you have to go for a 24" monitor.