Mac Vs Pc

[jbird]

I use my pc side on my mac every day for a couple programs and its blazing fast in fact it works better than my pc did. there is no slowing down its a amazing.

[lightningad]

If everyone used a Mac, then who would us Mac users have to feel superior to?

[particle]

This is a pretty old thread, but since it popped back up... I'm about to buy a new computer. I priced out a pretty powerful PC build that I could use to edit videos, and it was considerably cheaper than a MAC with comparable features. That being said, I think MAC software is generally better designed and geared towards creative people. Right now I'm using Sony Vegas to edit my videos. I'd love to buy Adobe Premiere, but the price is just too expensive. With MAC releasing Final Cut Pro X for $299, I think that may have sealed the deal. And that 27" iMac display runs higher resolution than a typical monitor which is great for creative pros that need a lot of screen space for tool bars, palettes, etc. I'm still on the fence, but definitely leaning towards a MAC.

[lightningad]

It all depends on what you want to do with video editing. If like me, you were a professional video editor, then you would be in a strange place right now. Apples introduction of FCP-X was actually a kick in the teeth to many pro editors. They decided that the professional user was no longer that important to Apple so decided to re-invent video editing for the consumer user, and brought out FCP-X at the same time as discontinuing FCP - which many thousands relied upon for their living.

This allowed Avid and Adobe to regain ground they had been consistently loosing for the past decade, and a lot of Editors have dropped FCP altogether. Many have stated they are considering PCs for the first time in years. Personally, I don't like editing FCP-X - feels too gimmicky to me. It does some things very well, but not enough to make me want to relearn everything. When i need to upgrade, there are plenty of other options to consider.

Personally, I love the Mac, although a lot less than i did a year ago. The two major OS (mac and windows) seem to be getting closer and closer to each other, and the various edit applications that are available for both systems are said to run the same regardless of the OS in use.

I can't say whether or not you should go for the mac or the pc. That choice is yours alone.

My own experience is that Macs work a lot more reliably than PC's. They also seem to last longer.

They are not infallible, but then nothing in life ever is.

adam

[particle]

I'm not a FCP user (since I'm on PC), and I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a Premiere user either - I've used it at work a few times to compile animation stills into final presentation videos with basic transitions and title slides, etc. I was happy to see Adobe start offering subscriptions for their programs - great for the occasional user. Would you say FCP-X is any better/worse than Adobe Premiere? It was my understanding (at least from watching the promotional videos on the apple site) that FCP-X was a pro-level video editor. Since I consider myself more of an "enthusiast", I need more than "Windows Movie Maker", but I can do without the top-tier functions (whatever those may be - I'm not a pro, so I don't know what they are).

Have you used the 27" iMac? Or one of their cinema displays? I'm sure I can build a faster PC cheaper and buy a nice 27" HD screen, but it'd still be running lower resolution than the iMac and I'm sure won't have the same picture quality.

[lightningad]

FCP-X is just very different to any other video editing app. My own personal dislike of it is down to having tried it, and not liking it. Premiere is very similar to the older FCP, only it will run in 64bit.

As for Apples claim that its a pro application....they would claim that. But i don't know of anyone using it for professional broadcast work. That may change over time, but i'm sceptical in the short term.

I'm sure you could buy a big screen for a pc and get as large a resolution as the iMac. But don't let the screen resolution be your deciding factor. You need to keep in mind where the finished video is going to be seen. If you are putting them on a dvd or on Youtube, or broadcast tv, in fact, any place other than your own room, then the resolution of the screen you use to edit is completely irrelevant. The quality of the screen will have no bearing on the quality of the video you create. It'll just look nicer while you are working on it.

Great as the iMac is, its upgradeability is limited to what you can plug into its external ports.

I would imagine that for most tasks its perfectly acceptable but if you play a lot of games, then its probably not quite up to that level of graphics.

I know a pro photographer who swears by his 27"iMac.

I use various flavours of mac, including MacPro's and a MacbookPro - which i have edited tv commercials on whilst sitting in an airport lounge! I doubt i could have done that on a pc.

[Sylvia]

Are MACS really imune to virius,malware? Lets hear it!! Thanks, Ross

NOPE they are not immune. Read more here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12537279/ns/technology_and_science-security/t/macs-no-longer-immune-viruses-experts-say/#.T1T0kPWMzxE

Many people buy Macs thinking that they are USA made... that's no longer true either.

PC emulators are available but I can't speak to how well they work.

Buy what you are comfortable with. There is a learning curve for PC users who switch to Mac so be prepared to spend some time getting used to the new machine.

[HellfireJack]

Hah I always love listening to the Mac/PC debate. It ALWAYS turns into a Mac vs Windows debate just like this one pretty much did.

First off. Windows is an operating system. Any discussion of hardware and Windows and you've left the scope of any real comparison. WIndow's doesn't make hardware. Discuss hardware between PC and Mac and you pretty much hit a stalemate. Each architecture has it's ups and downs. There is no real special bonus for owning a Mac. THe PPC chip is done for and the little mouse who could eat more than an elephant can is a goner. It's all elephants now.

Comparing just operating systems side by side and it's pretty quick to see why a Mac "just works". It doesn't do anything. The majority of people who purchase Macs own a 1400 dollar facebook machine as they sit and tell everyone how they "could" use it to edit video professionally while sipping a latte and playing Farmville at Starbucks. I've used pretty much every MS operating system since DOS 3, OS/2 Warp, every redhat distro since Apollo, countless Mandrake, Debian, Suse, FreeBSD, NetBSD and Ubuntu distros, I ran Solaris 8 on my main desktop for 3 months until I got tired of porting over software from Linux when I wanted to use a new piece of software Personally, I'm waiting for Android to finish it's OS. I can't wait to see what they do for PCs. Trust me when I tell you that operating systems are just collections of tools and as far as a Mac OS goes it's truly nothing special. I started using Macs pretty much right after the Lisa failed. It was a monochrome all in one monster that they practically gave away to schools. I've used Macs off and on since then. Windows beats it every time hands down.

You're absolutely crippled hardware wise when it comes to a Mac anyways and I'm not even talking about externals. Ask any sane person if they'd let their realtor tell them what furniture they can have in their house after they buy it and they'll look at you like you're a moron. Ask any car owner if they'll let their dealership tell them what aftermarket engine upgrades they can have in their car and they'll probably tell you to go jump in a lake because you're a nutter. Now ask a Macintosh owner if they're OK with Apple not allowing them to upgrade their computer as they see fit and they'll tell you that it's pretty much OK with them. They don't know anything about that stuff anyways. As long as it just works. That's WHY It just works. It has no ability to have it's core components upgraded or changed to anything other than Apple approved hardware. Every piece of software is written specifically for a known hardware list of miniscule proportions. It's like saying you'd rather have a 1200 dollar hammer over a 500 dollar nail gun because the hammer just works and you "could" use it to build a house professionally.... Yeah. No thanks.

All these people claiming they built PC's for years and then found peace in a Mac are at best wasting their money. You can build a Hackintosh now people. It's why Apple is suing the crap out of anyone that tries to produce one for mass market because once a machine that can run their OS out of the box hits the market any person still willing to pay 600-2000 dollars extra for brand loyalty and is quickly going to disappear because it'll just work on those cheaper machines too.

[Chavez]

I'll add my 2 cents.

I've been using Linux for almost 7 years and I must say that it's user friendliness has improved significantly. 7 years ago you had to be a geek to run any of the *nix but its not the case any more. My mrs migrated to kubuntu 2 years ago and she never shitches windows on unless she absolutely has to. She knows nothing about computers yet she has no problems using linux.

Macs are great...for people who don't want to know anything about their computers and are prepared to pay for this priviledge. I'd compare it to buying a car with a chauffeur, so you don't have to drive yourself. Only the chauffeur will tell you what car to get, where to go and what you should wear while you're being driven. I'm not saying its bad. If you are prepared to pay for this service and this service suits your needs and saves you valuable time - go for it. There's no need to read long manuals (Linux) or live with a crappy OS that doesn't work half of the time (that's windows).

If you have some spare time on your hands, try linux and see what the world is like if you don't use windows.

[lightningad]

for me, i'd rather spend my time learning and running the software i need to do my work, instead of mucking about trying to keep the OS happy.

I have never seen a piece of software yet that has made me wish i could run windows! Everything i need to create broadcast quality video, 3d animation, music and sound mixes are available on the mac and at the same price they are on the pc.

OK the mac costs a bit more, but for me its a work tool, not a hobby. I want to switch it on, work all day without problems, then repeat daily for several years. In the time i keep and run a mac, someone in the office here has usually gone through two or three pc's, and had endless hours of tech support . Initial outlay may be higher, but i reckon over its lifetime it works out cheaper.

Oh yeah, I don't buy a car with the intention of changing its engine - i buy the right one to start with!