Should I become a Mac-er?

[Scott (formerly Digga)]

I really don't understand the point of spending $2000+ on a Mac Laptop only to install Windows on it as soon as you get it.  Seriously, why didn't you just spend half the price and get the Windows laptop?

[GalFriday]

I will use the laptop primarily for the Mac functions. I will install windows to run the few programs I need. I rarely use my laptop for work anymore so my primary functions are not windows based. However, I have ocassional needs which require windows and, unlike a PC, a Mac allows me to fulfill both needs in one machine. A machine which is smaller, more integrated and easier to use than any PC laptop I have ever owned.

It is more "I see no reason to spend 1300 on a PC laptop when my primary needs are served better by a Mac (which is also 1300)."

[sourc3]

After growing up with Windows (dad was a software developer, had a windows machine in the house when I was born) I made the switch to mac about a year ago, and I will NEVER go back. 'Expose' was immeasurably helpful to me in the last show I was ASMing, since I had about 15 different documents open at the same time, and had to try to keep track of what was where. I would've been hosed on a windoze machine. Also, for reliability and getting back on your feet if it goes down - a mac can't be beat, especially if you're in the vicinity of an Apple store - my battery died on me one night before rehearsal. I ran (frantically) to the Apple store, where they replaced it free of charge in about 15 minutes. Beats shipping it off for 4 weeks and maybe getting it back fixed.

Note with Vista: ~250mb are taken up by security measures that you CAN'T turn off and serve no purpose. Also, it asks you EVERY FREAKIN' TIME you try to open an application. Macs ftw.

[Scott (formerly Digga)]

Note with Vista: ~250mb are taken up by security measures that you CAN'T turn off and serve no purpose. Also, it asks you EVERY FREAKIN' TIME you try to open an application. Macs ftw.

You can turn it off and it will stop asking you.  It's really quite simple actually. 

[Scott (formerly Digga)]

It is more "I see no reason to spend 1300 on a PC laptop when my primary needs are served better by a Mac (which is also 1300)."

The only thing is you wouldn't be spending 1300 on a PC laptop - you'd be spending at most about 900. 

[Beatr79]

Digga -

How do you turn off the Vista security questions?  Please fill me in...

[sourc3]

I stand corrected - you *can* disable the "Are you SURE you want to open _______" but the ~250mb of security measures cannot be deactivated - at least that's what I've been told by several of my friends who know are huge self-admitted geeks and know essentially everything there is to know about windows.

[butch]

It really depends on what else you do. I am a Mac person, and I wouldn't change it for anything. If you are simply using word and excel, don't spend the money on mac. However, my degree is in design, and I run VectorWorks, photoshop, painter, and lightwright. I know that most of these are on the windows platform nowadays, but I will never be convinced that they run well enough (exception being photoshop) to really not be frustrating.

[KMC]

I have run vectorworks on both Mac and PC and haven't noticed a difference.  Though I haven't gotten into any rendering or anything like that, for that I could certainly see a Mac being superior.

[Scott (formerly Digga)]

Digga -

How do you turn off the Vista security questions?  Please fill me in...

• Go to Control Panel and open User Account and Family Settings
• Select Add or Remove User Accounts
• Click on the User Account for which you want to disable UAC
• Click Go to the Main User Accounts Page
• Click Change Security Settings
• Unselect the Use UAC to help protect your computer

There are other methods but this is the simplest to follow.  If you get confused, you can go here and there are images to help guide the way.  Just scroll down to Method 4.

[butch]

I have run vectorworks on both Mac and PC and haven't noticed a difference.  Though I haven't gotten into any rendering or anything like that, for that I could certainly see a Mac being superior.

Oh man, it is far superior... In my runnings in with windows VectorWorks, my mac is just over a minute faster on really complex ones.

[Scott (formerly Digga)]

I have run vectorworks on both Mac and PC and haven't noticed a difference.  Though I haven't gotten into any rendering or anything like that, for that I could certainly see a Mac being superior.

Oh man, it is far superior... In my runnings in with windows VectorWorks, my mac is just over a minute faster on really complex ones.

Just out of curiosity, what are the specs of both computers that you've done this on?

[butch]

My macbook pro is 2.16 Core Duo with 2 gigs of Ram. I don't offhand know the speed of the processor on the HP notebook, but it did have 2 gigs of RAM also.

I'm not rightly sure if the speed discrepancy still exists between Intel Macs and PC's, but I do remember that my 2ghz powerbook's processor was much faster than a 3ghz single core Intel. I don't even know where AMD used to get their numbers... That's right, I get bored and run benchmarks. What?

[Scott (formerly Digga)]

Yeah, Intel has recently started posting more realistic speeds.  They weren't exactly fudging their numbers but their 3ghz processors were matched by AMDs 2ghz in terms of processing ability.  It was a marketing thing where at the time, the common consumer saw higher speeds and would therefore assume it was better.  Macs were closer to AMDs with relative speeds (I think the AMDs needed slightly more speed to match processes with Macs but not nearly as much as Intel). 

[philimbesi]

I'm a PC guy who is debating taking the plunge to a MacBook for a few different reasons... however does anyone know if it's possible to use a broadband modem with a MacBook or MacBook Pro.   Or if not how does a Mac Laptop get to the internet with out an airport?  If I'm asking a dumb question sorry...