Moving to Mac

[AstroTurf]

I don't think it changed enough to win him over though. The reason I have a Macbook now is because I decided not to do work on my personal stuff any more. It is difficult to change the way you work. The integration with my iOS devices was another plus point for me.

I agree though on the noise, my Macbook Air is the quietest thing I own.

Agg it's just that I can get a more open environment through both linux and windows, and if I want the mac look, linux can emulate anything.

Tried it, did not like it, that is all

 

[phoneJunky]

Agg it's just that I can get a more open environment through both linux and windows, and if I want the mac look, linux can emulate anything.

Tried it, did not like it, that is all

No problem, every one has different tastes and likes.

 

[noxibox]

I disagree completely, unless you are specifically comparing Retina MacBook Pros vs equivalent high-end Windows ultrabooks. My rMBP's fan basically never comes on.

iMacs and non-Retina MacBook Pros are much quieter than their equivalents...

I actually use my computer, so yes the CPU does get used and thus they need better overall cooling, not waiting until they're about to overheat, then kicking the fans to maximum speed. The Retina models are even more prone to getting hot and pushing the fans into overdrive. No non-Retina Macbook Pro I have ever seen is actually quieter once in use. My machines are now overall quieter than out of the box because I've changed the minimum fan speed to be higher, so they far less often actually need to spin up to full. So yes, the claim Macs are quieter is a myth as far as I'm concerned.

 

[lupedelupe]

Graphic design on a 13-inch screen?

I'm impressed ... your eyesight is good.

 

[Mars]

What productivity issues are you having? There are usually ways to get things like Windows if one prefers.



:erm:

Thinks I like love on OSX: iMovie. garageband, the appstore, notifications, ect..
Things I hate on OSX: Office. and I would say CorelDraw, but that doesnt run at all, (not even in parallels). I can get around CorelDraw by doing that stuff on my desktop, but Office for mac is so crap its almost a deal breaker. And there is no chance of moving from office. All the alternatives simply dont have the functionality of Excel.

FN + backspace.

nice, but how would one press ctrl alt delete?

 

[PostmanPot]

nice, but how would one press ctrl alt delete?

ctrl + alt + (FN + backspace).

 

[creeper]

Thinks I like love on OSX: iMovie. garageband, the appstore, notifications, ect..
Things I hate on OSX: Office. and I would say CorelDraw, but that doesnt run at all, (not even in parallels). I can get around CorelDraw by doing that stuff on my desktop, but Office for mac is so crap its almost a deal breaker. And there is no chance of moving from office. All the alternatives simply dont have the functionality

Office for Mac is better than it use to be. Office 2008 was really bad. 2011 was a good upgrade. And then office 365 took a bit of a dip again in performance.

 

[phly]

Graphic design on a 13-inch screen?

I'm impressed ... your eyesight is good.

It was one of my concerns but I'm told that I will manage as Macs are that good. Although they were commenting more on the retina display than anything else. Also, I have seen an dknow of folks that edit and cut clips in FCP on a 13inch. An external screen however is on my list of things to get.

 

[bwana]

I don't think it changed enough to win him over though. The reason I have a Macbook now is because I decided not to do work on my personal stuff any more. It is difficult to change the way you work. The integration with my iOS devices was another plus point for me.

I agree though on the noise, my Macbook Air is the quietest thing I own.

Very little has changed since Lion - there hasn't been a massive change since X replaced OS9. If he didn't like OsX then, he probably wouldn't now… and that's ok. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[shel0319]

Hey Phly,

I think you're reading into Macs being better in the design fields (or in any field) a bit too much... It comes down to specs, software availability, support & resources for the software you're using, OS preference and ultimately affordability. That final one is the deal breaker and you said you're on a budget.

Do some research and you will find when it comes to bang for buck Macs simply cannot compare, without knowing your actual budget i can assume you would be getting a far better machine were you to go for a Windows alternative. I'm not being biased, i own and love a 2014 MBP its my daily driver. Think you might also find if you research the importance of PPI in graphic design the 2012 13 Inch Mac you're interested in which only rocks a res of 1280 x 800 might not be such a good choice (PPI of 113)... A high res external monitor is always better to work on but you cant exactly take that to your clients or use it on the go. Not to mention you would be powering it with an Intel HD 4/5000.

On the subject of GPU: Most of the major design apps these days utilize the GPU for a lot of their processing tasks and depending on your field you may want much more than the HD 4/5000 can muster.

tl;dr Think the 2012 13 Inch Mac would be a bad choice for graphic design. We're in 2016! 4 years in tech is a very long time.

 

[phly]

As it stands I have options. On the one hand there is that mid 2012 Macbook option which I liked because of all the upgrade options available should I opt to keep it and also the fact that i can sell it should it just not be for me. There is also another option though pricier (late 2012 macbook thats a 13" 2.9Ghz Core i7). I think it has a retina display if I'm not mistaken. Other than those I can also go the windows route and get what I had. Tried and tested Dell XPS studio 16, but then I'd be 6yrs behind in tech. There are newer machines however the price is also steep should I opt for something with dedicated graphics card which is the main drawback for me on the Mac.

Decisions... decisions...

 

[Arthur]

Have you worked on a Mac? If not not, give it a try and see if the paradigm makes sense to you and you can do the things you want to, and use the apps you need. If it does, go for it. This is not religion, just a tool, so don't get caught up in partisan arguments. By all means give an ear to fans - if their experience resonates with yours, then you've found a tool that suits you.

 

[dunkyd]

I changed to a Mac a few years back . If I could do it, anyone including a monkey can.
Bloody easy to operate . Everything just works.
Change printers etc it knows !
No press start and wait.
Open the laptop and send an email. Hit a button and read news and FB.

 

[phly]

I have used a Mac before. At work there is an iMac thats meant for design but I hardly used it to design since i was comfortable on my dell. It will become my daily workhorse at work starting tomorrow though as I still dont have a personal system. I have also played with several 13inchs, all retina though, core i7 and core i5's and i was able to fix a few designs on them easily. So moving over to the Mac system is not a aworry to me and I'm positive that I will adjust just fine. My only issue is on the hardware side of things and how that translates through in my workflow. Will it be powerful enough to do what I need or will I need to invest in perhaps a 15inch with dedicated graphics to be satisfied? Is the 13inch screen too small for long uses? Since its my first Mac and I dont have enough budget for the 15inch should I go windows route till I'm financially able to or will the small build be potent enough for my daily tasks. Such Q's are what is keeping me awake at night.

 

[phly]

UPDATE: So I finally got one. A much older one since my budget could only stretch so far. It's still a core i5 but the early 2011 one with a HD 3000. As a start into the Mac world it ain't half bad. It's surprisingly snappy and I have been working on several documents spread across the Adobe suite and the lag is manageable. Compact and strong too. Prone to scratches very easily though. All in all a good investment so far. I have a few queries though. Any alternatives to iTunes and vlc. I was used to Kmplayer on Windows which was very customizable but I don't see such on this side or am I missing something. How customizable is QuickTime player and does it play all formats like vlc?
Many thanks for all the input that helped in getting this 13inch pro. It's not the greatest but it's a decent entry into Mac

 

[greg0205]

UPDATE: So I finally got one. A much older one since my budget could only stretch so far. It's still a core i5 but the early 2011 one with a HD 3000. As a start into the Mac world it ain't half bad. It's surprisingly snappy and I have been working on several documents spread across the Adobe suite and the lag is manageable. Compact and strong too. Prone to scratches very easily though. All in all a good investment so far. I have a few queries though. Any alternatives to iTunes and vlc. I was used to Kmplayer on Windows which was very customizable but I don't see such on this side or am I missing something. How customizable is QuickTime player and does it play all formats like vlc?
Many thanks for all the input that helped in getting this 13inch pro. It's not the greatest but it's a decent entry into Mac

Perian and Flip4Mac should allow you to play most formats in Quicktime. Also look at MPlayerX.

 

[PostmanPot]

UPDATE: So I finally got one. A much older one since my budget could only stretch so far. It's still a core i5 but the early 2011 one with a HD 3000. As a start into the Mac world it ain't half bad. It's surprisingly snappy and I have been working on several documents spread across the Adobe suite and the lag is manageable. Compact and strong too. Prone to scratches very easily though. All in all a good investment so far. I have a few queries though. Any alternatives to iTunes and vlc. I was used to Kmplayer on Windows which was very customizable but I don't see such on this side or am I missing something. How customizable is QuickTime player and does it play all formats like vlc?
Many thanks for all the input that helped in getting this 13inch pro. It's not the greatest but it's a decent entry into Mac

Congrats, still a great machine! Pop in a SSD or SSHD and some more memory and you'll be flying. I think 8GB is the maximum for that model, and it might use the scarcer DDR3-1066?

Can you expand on your prone to scratching comment? I take it you mean because it is full aluminium? Mine has zero scratches, I take it everywhere but always baby it.

 

[bwana]

UPDATE: So I finally got one. A much older one since my budget could only stretch so far. It's still a core i5 but the early 2011 one with a HD 3000. As a start into the Mac world it ain't half bad. It's surprisingly snappy and I have been working on several documents spread across the Adobe suite and the lag is manageable. Compact and strong too. Prone to scratches very easily though. All in all a good investment so far. I have a few queries though. Any alternatives to iTunes and vlc. I was used to Kmplayer on Windows which was very customizable but I don't see such on this side or am I missing something. How customizable is QuickTime player and does it play all formats like vlc?
Many thanks for all the input that helped in getting this 13inch pro. It's not the greatest but it's a decent entry into Mac

Get yourself an incase shell for it if you travel with it.

Apple says 8gb of RAM is the max but you can safely put 2x 8gb sticks in it. You can also remove the SuperDrive and replace it with a SSD or another HDD. Marry a SSD with a HDD and you've got yourself a nippy fusion drive.

 

[phly]

I want to get the mid 2012 one atleast with HD 4000 as that one is also upgradable then it's ssd and maxing out the ram with 16gigs. Then I'll be a happy chappy. Will definitely check out those player recommendations. I also went to the trouble of using boot camp and so I'm running Windows 10 on it as well. That one was easy to set up however getting adobe suite to work was problematic and I spent days trying to find the root of the problem. Finally had to seek out and delete everything adobe manually. Atleast now I know of about root user and library and that there is two different types of library. Have picked up a fair share on my few days with it. A case for it is of utmost importance though and will invest in that as I can't baby it as much as I'd like.