After a beverage incident with my Laptop, I am now in search of a new one. I have heard that Macs are better for creative stuff. I will use it for surfing the web, but would only really consider a Mac over a PC if it will give me better publishing abilities. I am speaking specificly about creating a Catalog for my customers. Our current Catalog is lacking severly and I really want to update it. Most importantly once I create a template for the catalog, I would want to be able to make changes as needed. Prices, products and images will be changed frequently to reflect new product lines and elimination of old outdated products.
So opinions seem to flow freely here, give me all you have. Thanks
well if the computer is being used strickly for publishing and weeb browseing than a mac is definatley better, for you the publishing software out there is pretty hard to find in the first place and for a mac it’s even harder but the publishing software in my honest mac loving, opponion is far better than the software for PC’s (windows) although I’m probably not the best person to ask about publishing software, I wouldn’t go by my advice alone I’d wait for a more knowledgable meber of the fora comes in here. but that’s my little speech for you.
On the contrary to what Ducttape said, I think that if your primary use is to do desktop publishing, you can get equivalent software for either platform. I don’t know how much you want to invest in your software, but something like Adobe InDesign is one of the top programs for this type of stuff. It’s available for Intel or Mac. I don’t think either a Mac or a PC comes with any software that can do other than the most basic and limited page layout stuff, so you’d have to buy something.
That said, with a Mac laptop you won’t have to buy anti-virus and anti-malware software. Spam and phishing are basically the same, and you’ll still want a firewall (there’s one of those built in with both). A Mac laptop will also have the option of running Windows if you want to install it.
What kind of software did you use for your current catalog?
Having worked in a real estate office doing web design and desktop publishing I can honestly say that I saw no huge advantage on other side. I used both my PC and the company’s Mac which had been used by the previous designer. The premiere application for this kind of stuff is Adobe InDesign like has been stated. Currently this runs better on the Windows platform because universal binaries haven’t been released for it. The Intel Macs emulate PowerPC software causing a loss in performance unless there is a universal binary released for the program. I honestly don’t see where Mac’s have any huge advantage as far as creativity goes. Though the one advantage that I have noticed is that when you are viewing a picture at say 50% zoom in windows it will look a bit blocky and not as smooth as if it were being viewed at its original size which is not the case with mac. OS X Tiger has some functionality built in known as Core Graphics which re-samples images and keeps everything appearing clear to you. I have a laptop running both Windows and Mac OS X and I have really no strong preference for either, except for the fact that I’ve used Windows longer therefore I am more used to it. They are separate experiences and I see neither having a HUGE advantage over the other, as far as software and the operating system I see it as pure personal preference.
The build quality of the hardware however is where I see the difference. Many HP and Dell laptops for instance feel flimsy and it’s quite clear they are constructed from plastic. The keyboards feel whimpy and are prone to missing keys. Mac hardware on the other hand has a very solid quality feel to it, this is where the few extra dollars you pay come from. You get a top notch display and a nice solid keyboard and body. My next computer will be a Mac and that decision is based purely on the hardware aspect not whether I will be running OS X, Windows, or Linux on it, as likely it would be all three.
I hope this helps you and if I can clear anything up or if you have any other questions feel free to PM me!
I think that John is right. The software that you can get for either platform will be equally complex and powerful for each. I don’t think the choice that you make is entirely dependent on the software you get, though. In general, software for a PC is cheaper, more varied, and more widely available because they are third party friendly. However, they are also user vicious. If you’re not somewhat geeky, you may want to pay extra for the Mac and extra for the limited selection of software because, in the long run, you won’t be running into the headaches you might have with a PC as a relatively novice user. That may be less costly for you in terms of time as well as dollars. If you’re comfortable with a PC and its pitfalls that may be the cheaper and more flexible route for you.
Correction: Currently it runs faster. I have the beta release of Photoshop CS3 on my Mac now, and it’s quite a bit peppier on processing batches of pictures, for instance. I don’t think there’s a projected release date for the CS3 version of InDesign, but it’s probably sometime this year.
A fair assessment. Where I see the Mac as stronger for the creative is in two areas: You don’t have to do maintenance on it nearly as much, which keeps you thinking about what you sat down to do in the first place. Also the interface is a little more friendly to drag-&-drop and other little conveniences that keep you from digging into folder hierarchies as much, again keeping your mind on the creative stuff. Also my Macs have been a productivity boost over my PCs, for the same lack of maintenance reason mentioned above.
If you are going to be using vista, I think I’d wait a little while first. I have a few friends using vista and theres quite a bit of software that doesn’t quite work with it yet. If you are comfortable with Windows then stick with it I suppose but mac is a different and enjoyable experience. As I said in my last post, the build quality and polish of the hardware on the Mac is just steps above most PCs.
If you wait too long, on the other hand, you might have trouble finding any new laptops with Windows XP on them. I don’t know when new laptops will stop shipping with it on there, but I’m sure most new stuff already has Vista on it at this point. The downside of Vista is that it’s very new and will likely have to have some bugs cleaned up. The upside is that if you buy a laptop with Vista preinstalled, you should be fairly confident that all the hardware will work with Vista, and you’ll be more future-proof than with XP.
But look at a MacBook or MacBook Pro next to a typical Windows laptop before you make your decision. Those Macs sure are pretty! Mine (from 2003) is only 1" thick! The new ones have nice features like the mag-lock power cord–if you trip over it it just pops off instead of breaking or knocking your laptop to the floor. The camera is built in. Lots of usable software comes with it, but nothing like InDesign.
The new ones have nice features like the mag-lock power cord–if you trip over it it just pops off instead of breaking or knocking your laptop to the floor. The camera is built in. Lots of usable software comes with it, but nothing like InDesign.