jump from pc to mac?

[ricstew]

I need to upgrade.........just unsure of which way to go.
I would only be playing with photos, surfing, ebaying and of course here!
I am looking at an imac 3.6gh i5, 8 gig ram, 1 tb hdd ( I could use an external one for this as well??), mouse keyboard yadayada.......I occasionally use MS office so a program like that and cs5/lr .....
Does this sound like a reasonable system?
To have a pc made locally I am looking at the same price or thereabouts......
cheers
Jan

[ricktas]

A decent PC or Mac is going to do the job you want. In the end, like camera brands, it is something you have to decide for yourself.

[ameerat42]

I agree with Rick based on the familiarisation with a friend's (v. powerful and costly) Mac laptop. A couple of (minor) points: make sure you have pretty good security suite for the Mac. They are subject to malware just as PCs are. It's just that there are fewer about, so... And also, when you run CS5 the Mac "desktop" is still visible until you open a file and do something. I found that about the quirkiest thing about using Photoshop.
Am.

[TaintedSoul]

It depends on what you want really. Apple is heavily proprietary, whereas a PC gives you a little more freedom. Bang for buck, Apples are generally overpriced as well.

Personally I would suggest either the local option (for local service) or something like Dell which are quite well priced and have excellent after sales service (in my opinion).

------------

This video sums up my personal view on Apple's products, philosophy and average user :p


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA

[ricstew]

Thanks guys..........I realise its just down to personel choice but I was looking at the specs and they didnt seem too much different other then the local product has a noname screen........but I dont know much about it. Is the 3.5 gh i5 enough to run stuff on?
Thanks for the video but this computer has no sound anymore...:( another reason I am not too keen on the local bloke.........he uses the elcheapo china components . My only other choice is Hardly Normal :(
cheers
Jan

[neil70]

Hi ricstew
I went from pc to mac about 2 years ago. The only issue i have with the apple products are the prices they charge for their gear.
I would not go back to a pc now. I Love the way the macs work and do things.:th3:

[captainkirk]

Hi ricstew,
About 18 months ago I purchased my first mac after using PCs since 1987. I still use PCs at work but I now have 3 macs at home and will probably never buy another PC for personal use.
1. imac 3.1Ghz 24" 500Mb HDD 4Gb RAM - sits on my home office desk
2. imac i5 21" 1TB HDD 4Gb RAM - sits on my wifes desk
3. MacBook Pro 15" i7 500Mb 4Gb RAM + 1Tb ext drive - Adobe CS5 Everything + Lightroom 3 + lots of other great sofware - I use it every day.
Mac does cost more money, but if you can afford it, you will most certainly enjoy it.
PC Owner = :)
mac Owner = :D

[Analog6]

To me there is no contest, I'd go Mac every time. I had both up to 18 months or so ago and the mac far outstrips the OC in ease of use, backup, loading programs and transferring programs from desktop to laptop etc. But the reliability is the big thing, I have far fewer problems with the Mac compared to the PC. I use an iMac24", 2.8GHz Intel Core Duo, 4GB RAM (maximum - wish I had more on that front) and OSX10.5.8, and 300Gb HDD and a separate LaCie 1Tb external drive.

My laptop is a 15" MacPower Book with 2.4GHz processor and 4Mb RAM, 320Gb HDD and 10.5.8. It's not quite as good for photo processing but certainly does the job OK. Both have Airport cards for wireless networking - especially handy on the road with the laptop as I can go to a McDonalds and get free (if somewhat slow) Wifi networking, handy for keeping up with AP!).

A word of warning, I bought the LaCie drive to hook up to my Airport Express as a network HDD, but it is not compatible. I was pretty annoyed. If you decide to go the Airport Express route for a personal wireless network (and it is wonderful, I often check the weather from bed on the Power Book) and intend to get a network drive make sure the AE is going to see it.

[Wayne]

I will give you my thoughts on the latest Macbook pro in a few days when it arrives. My old windows based laptop fried a week or so back, and because I move about with work, I decided to get another laptop where I would really prefer a desktop again but it isn't practical.
I could have built my own desktop with only the most cutting edge of everything for about $4500 (no monitor) where as the 17" Macbook pro loaded with the highest specs available from Apple will run you about $3750, and will have nowhere near the same performance. I was looking at the imac 27" with i7-2.93 and 4GB ram(never buy it from Apple, you get the same ram for 1/2 elsewhere and easily fit yourself) with 2TB HDD and it was about $2500 which although expensive for those specs, it is about $500 less than what it was a couple of months back.

I can source Mac's from the USA and even after shipping, the savings are very substantial, I saved about $700 on the Macbook pro I am waiting on and it is brand new with warranty from Apple.

[theking]

I have just converted from PC to MAC in the last couple of months - MAC Book Pro 17", I found it dounting at first with the mac os, but I found easier to navigate around the mac now than a pc. Its your own personal choice which way you should go. :)

[ricstew]

Yikes this has to be one of the most difficult decisions.........:( I gotta do this online ......no apple shops near me. No one I know actually uses one........the only one I have seen close up was 27" in a shop in Sydney. I drooled over it till my daughter dragged me protesting away......:o
I know I want a desktop.......I am leaning towards a 21"......the quad core ones are very xxxy.....do I need quad? or will the i5 processor be fast enough and do the things I need.........and whats with the different style mouses?? Is one really better then another? I am really used to the ordinary type with the scroll thing in the middle lol..........
and we have a wireless modem internet thingy ( see how hi tech I am! )........will it do its thing with that or do I need another type of moden/wireless doohicky?? We wont be networking at all ( unless the future SIL can convince the old boy but I am not holding my breath )

Could I use just an ordinary usb2 printer etc?? with an imac?
any more advice?
cheers
Jan

[Flash Hit]

let us know what you are paying and we may be able to get a better idea.

[neil70]

and whats with the different style mouses?? Is one really better then another? I am really used to the ordinary type with the scroll thing in the middle lol..........The mouse with no button (magic mouse ) is the best way to go
and we have a wireless modem internet thingy ( see how hi tech I am! )........will it do its thing with that or do I need another type of moden/wireless doohicky?? We wont be networking at all ( unless the future SIL can convince the old boy but I am not holding my breath )The mac will connect up to the wireless thingie very easily

Could I use just an ordinary usb2 printer etc?? with an imac?Yes you can. If it's not to old. The most you may have to do is download a driver for it, but all mine just pluged in and went to work
any more advice?Macs just rock:)
cheers
Jan

[peterking]

Yikes this has to be one of the most difficult decisions.........:( I gotta do this online ......no apple shops near me. No one I know actually uses one........the only one I have seen close up was 27" in a shop in Sydney. I drooled over it till my daughter dragged me protesting away......:o
I know I want a desktop.......I am leaning towards a 21"......the quad core ones are very xxxy.....do I need quad? or will the i5 processor be fast enough and do the things I need.........and whats with the different style mouses?? Is one really better then another? I am really used to the ordinary type with the scroll thing in the middle lol..........
and we have a wireless modem internet thingy ( see how hi tech I am! )........will it do its thing with that or do I need another type of moden/wireless doohicky?? We wont be networking at all ( unless the future SIL can convince the old boy but I am not holding my breath )

Could I use just an ordinary usb2 printer etc?? with an imac?
any more advice?
cheers
Jan

First things first. I've been using PC's for over thirty years and two years ago bought my first Mac. A very old iMac that I still have and it still works. I now have that old iMac, a 2008 Macbook 13in and a 2009 iMac 27in as well as my personally custom built PC.
I have worked on PC's for over twenty years in jobs and am now starting to hate them but as stated by others PC's are easily and cheaply customisable whilst the Mac is restricted in it's customisation and can be expensive. My external drives for the PC cost around $100.00 but the one I needed to get for the Mac $400.00, but it is more than an external hard drive. Ram upgrade for the iMac 27 in is $300.00 US ex USA whilst for the PC $199.00 here in Perth.

Pro's
Take them out of the box, connect them up, turn them on and they just work.
Very intuitive and easy to move from PC to Mac.
They are beautiful to work with and look damn great.
Mac OS is based on Linux so there is a lot of VERY VERY GOOD freeware software available.

Con's
They are more expensive to buy and repair.
Software is not sold in the local shops. Some software is not even available for Mac's. Some software looks and or behaves differently to that on a PC. Lightroom for starters.

One personal note is that Mac's were originally developed for Desktop Publishing and they still outperform everything else in that arena.

Your questions.
21in is a good size (27 is so damn big. It took me months to get used to its size).
I5 is a good medium level processor. If your budget can stretch to the Quad then do it as it will handle more active processors than a Dual core. Having said that from what you have said you want it to do a Dual core should do you. Another con at this point is that unlike a PC it is not cheap or easy to upgrade a processor on a Mac.
Different mouses. Yep they got them and I've used most of them. Personally stay away from the Mac Mighty Mouse. It is a pain to clean and has to be cleaned frequently. Magic Mouse is magic and so easy to use. Just touch it. The whole top is a touch screen. I hate the Wheel mouse I use now, mind you the PC has a Trackball so I was halfway used to the Magic Mouse to begin with.
Wireless modem. When you turn the Mac on it will see the modem and ask you if you want to connect to it. You say yes, give it the password and off you go. My Mac book lives in the lounge room and works wirelessly whilst the Mac sits in the office and works cabled.
Most USB printers should work with the mac. Their driver support is really good.

Other advice.
Have a network cable handy when you unpack the Mac as one of the things mine asked was "Do you want to transfer from another system?" When I said yes my best option was to run a network cable between them and the mac just transferred all my files over. It took hours as I have a lot of garbage. Mine was from the Macbook to the iMac but it will transfer from a PC.
When you buy your mac you get 90 days (I think) of telephone support. Don't be afraid to use it. If you buy their extended warranty then that goes out to two years.
If you get to Sydney you can attend the Mac store and get lots of free advice and support. If you want specific stuff then you can pay for one of their "Kids" to give you One on One support. I have learnt lots from making "silly" comments then shutting up an listening.
Look at the Mac Store and look at Refurbished. These are machines that when first sold failed for some reason. They then go back to a dedicated rebuild facility where they are repaired then sold. Cheaper. With full Warranty. You can save yourself from 15 to 27%.
Hardly Normal are classed as Box Movers. They know squat about what they sell and most of the computers they sell are so underspec that I wouldn't touch them.

If you want to then PM me and I will answer your questions honestly based on what I have experienced. If I can't give you an immediate answer then I will do some research then get back to you.

[Analog6]

Whereabouts are you situated. There are resellers (note these are not MAc stores, just shops who deal in them) at Cowra, Bathurst and Katoomba. See page here (http://store.apple.com.au/buy/fmpro?-db=wheretobuy&-format=eduins.html&-op=cn&education=ins&-sortfield=Courier%20State&-max=100&-sortfield=courier%20state&-find) Note they do not seem to be in any logical order but the NSW ones are first on the list.

Peterkings advice is spot on - the ease of take it out and plug it in is wonderful. I have used Macs since the Lisa (late 1970s) and owned one since the MacSE brick with the 12" B&W screen. I would never be without one.

[ricstew]

Thank you so much for all your help guys......Bathurst is my nearest retailer but I cant get there......at least at the moment. I know there are cheaper ways to go about it but I will probably just list my specs at the online store and push the button. I may also ring the accountant and ask about the viabiliy of leasing.......and then the tax man may be taken care of.......and I may be able to go over my original budget.

What completely sold me was........after scratching around on the net once more......I will be able to hook up my HP 1180 printer.....:D.......that has been sitting pretty much idle since the old boy went to vista. There are NO vista drivers for it and it is a great A3 printer. I also have a future SIL who is an IT wiz....( he writes tracking codes for the navy )......and he has volunteered to help...( ya just gotta love daughters! she may have volounteered him.....:cool:)

I was completly undersold by asking for local quotes on a PC. One was chinese charlie and the other didnt even bother getting back to me.......

Thank you so much for your advice!
cheers
Jan

[exwintech]

Peterking - The current Mac System is based on BSD, not Gnu-Linux.

And the "based on" is very much that - it's a heavily modified Proprietary System variant of BSD. Being Proprietary and DRM'd to keep it that way, means that while Apple has created a very versatile and reliable System, Mac Users can't do many modifications to that System without breaching Warranty. They aren't meant to update the Kernel, or run optional Kernels to boot between, so on - though "enthusiast" Users sometimes do "very interesting" things with their Macs... :D

While many Linux Applications, Tools, Utilities, Games, etc - will run on Macs, or will with a little "settling-in" tweaking - not all do. Example - larger apps that rely on a Linux Desktop Enviro to work, sometimes need add-ins. Example - Kdenlive - a free Video-Editor similar in result to Sony Vegas Pro - relies on the KDE Enviro. To run in BSD or Mac - the KDE-base essentials must be installed first.

BSD isn't Gnu-Linux - it's a Unix derivative - 'Berkeley Software Distribution'. It is the name of distributions of source code from the University of California at Berkeley. There are Free-BSD, Open-BSD and other versions, most of which are free to use.

Linux is a Unix-like parallel development, Kernel by Linus Torvalds. The Linux Kernel and System are OpenSource, under the GPL and associated licencings. There are many Distros (distributions) of Linux, most free to use, but some have both Commercial and Free versions - e.g, Red Hat is Commercial - Fedora is its free and development version, Suse and Mandriva have both, and many Commercial Systems use Debian - example; Canonical of South Africa has both Commercial Debian-based Systems, and free to User variants - Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, and more.

The "Bunties" are the best-known home-user versions of Linux - and Canonical makes them, as they claim, the easiest to use Linuxes, intended as being the easiest ones for Windows or Mac Users to start with. What often happens, is that folk start with one of the Bunties - Ubuntu is Gnome Desktop Environment, most like a "workstation" version of Windows, while Kubuntu is KDE - the K Desktop Environment, more like a Home-User Multimedia version of Windows.

After a time, and exploring around both the Bunty Forums and others, many find that other Distros suit their needs more closely, and "Distro-hop" for a time before settling on one. There are plenty amongst even just the "Top-50" Distros to look at and try out.

You can use Virtual-Box to install (as VMs - Virtual Machines) - as many Distros as you like, to boot-up and run while experimenting with them. Or - assuming that you have a legit disk of one of Mr-Bill's Windows Systems that isn't installed on anything else at the time - run Windows in V-Box, too. On this main-uses PC I'm on at present, I have 3 other Linux versions in V-Box, Win2k-SP4, and Win XP-Pro-SP2 - it's the only legit disk I have of it, dating back years - so has to be updated to SP3 after install. Those mostly get used for testing / trying-out Free Windows apps - just did Irfan-View - for Windows-using friends.

The Pic is Win2k-SP4 running in V-Box on PCLOS (PCLinuxOS) - as Mr-Bill says that the XPs shouldn't be run as Virtual Machines... It shows in the Panel - bottom bar - as running on Desktop-4. I adjusted the display size to show the Desktop - it would usually run fullscreen, with all full Win2k functions, drives, Internet, and shared directory with the Host PCLOS System.

Dave.

[Calxoddity]

Hi,
Well first things first - I'm back after a couple of months hiatus, just so that I can help a poor tortured soul make a decision :D

Now that I've got your undying gratitude, here's some stuff that may help you make that decision:

1. Don't get excessively hung up on specs - the real test is how much time you spend getting value from your new computer, versus the time you spend on the computer trying to get it in or keep it in a state that delivers value. In changing from a PC to a Mac, I paid a little more, but gained a lot more time back in actually using the machine for its intended purpose.

2. It will take about a week to get comfortable with the Mac if you change over. Reading the manual is very important - sometimes the little things will catch you out.

3. I've spent enough years playing with PCs to be entirely happy with a machine that you don't need to open up. My 24" 2.8GHz 4GB iMac zips along quite nicely for Office, PSE, Aperture and so forth. I'm always slower than it is, and it hasn't slowed down from day 1 (gotten faster in fact due to OS upgrades).

4. Leave philosophy for pub discussions and BA students. Since 1982 I've used/supported several versions of Unix and Linux and don't really care whether OS X was based on some/all/none of them, or was created by sacrificing goats to Cthulu in an extremely proprietary manner. Ditto for Windows, Ubuntu or AmigaDOS - I just want a result.

5. The single most important thing you can do is plan your migration/conversion strategy before making a decision. Map all your Windows document types to equivalent apps in OS X and identify any that require conversion on the PC before importation into the Mac. I parallel ran my old PC for a week just in case, but everything went over as planned.

6. External hard disks work well on the iMac, especially if you use FW800 interface. A new and cool trick is to buy the Seagate GoFlex Desk optional FW800 adaptor for use with their GoFlex Desk external 3.5" disk range. It turns out you can actually plug a *bare* disk straight into the adaptor and it works properly (the adaptor provides sata and power connection). Really cool - I use it like this at the moment. Price: $69 from Officeworks or JB.

7. Agree the 27" screen is huge, and takes some getting used to. Once you start using it in anger though, it's bliss....

Good luck - let me know if you have any specific questions regarding migration.

Regards,
Calx

[ricstew]

Just ordered it! Intel i5, 8gb ram and 1 tb hdd...21.5 screen ( the 27 wont fit on my desk ) wireless keyboard and magic mouse....and a bamboo pen thingy!:th3:
I wont be transfering anything from this computer except my pics.......he can keep the bl#$@#dy thing and his dodgy printer.........I want the good printer!
Can you hear me doing the happy dance!:efelant::efelant::efelant:
cheers
Jan

[peterking]

Congrats.
I'm sure you will enjoy it.
It is a learning curve but I reckon you're big enough to cope!

[Analog6]

Good work, Jan - you will love it. The screen is beautiful with wonderful clarity and mine was almost colour perfect - I have a Spyder 3 but it hardly ever changes anything when I calibrate. Must go look at the bamboo pen thingy . . . .

Calx - is the Seagate GoFlex Desk and disks compatible with the Airport Express, do you know. I'd like to be able to plug it into that so all the Macs on my network can see it, and the printer can access it that way too. Or does that facility come built into it?

[wolffman]

All the USB hard drives will be compatible with the airport extreme and maybe airport express but you have to give them a Mac format first. They will come out of the box with a pc format which is fine when plugged in via a cable but no good over the network.
I think you have to go in through disk utilities and select one of the options there( can't remember which option). If you are already using the disk you will need to store the files somewhere else while you reformat the disc.
The AppleCare warrenty service is well worthwhile as it covers the equipment and also any questions you have about any apple products. (like having a son in law on call between 8am and 9pm, and they really know their stuff)
My MacBook pro opticaldrive stopped mounting discs so it was replaced gratis and I have used their support lots and Lots. If you haven't gotten it now your can get it anytime in the first three months.
First thing you need to do when you get your new Mac is decide whether you are happy letting apple decide where you should store your files. If you transfer music files iTunes will reorganize your files and potentially duplicAte all your files.
iPhoto will do the same thing which is probably more annoying for a photographer as you will end up with a vast number of doubled up photos. To me iPhoto is the poster child of the things which really annoys me about apple products. It assumes the user is an idiot and is incredibly inefficient in terms of storage. Having said that the slideshow module is far better than anything created by adobe or anyone else. Everytime you edit a picture in iPhoto it creates a duplicate file, but still retains the original file. Even rotating the format causes this so you can use a lot of disc space very quickly. However iPhoto is the only way you can use your photos in other Mac software packages like iMovie or as desktop images.
Check the preferences on the applications to select the option to import files without moving location and it will be ok.
Enjoy the new pooter. The screen is superb