Switching to Macbook. Your thoughts please.

[iedei]

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The great thing about intel Macs is that you can install Windows on them too and dual boot. Very handy when you need to use software which is windows only.

 

I use windows and osx and appreciate them both. I find Windows 7 pretty stable and secure, it seems less prone to building up crud and slowing down over time than its predecessors.

 

true....but OSX is so good that there is usually no need for Windows. There are only a few programs which do not have an OSX alternative-----although those are few and far between!

[Bill W]

I switched to a Mac over 10 years ago and have upgraded a couple of times. I have a desktop and two laptops. The learning curve is nothing. At work I must use Windows and its a good thing we have an IT department to keep the network clean and running. I can access the network form home on my Mac.

[dave_d]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that if you already own Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom for Windows then you will have to buy the Mac version of the software. I have heard of Adobe exchanging PC for Mac versions but I am not sure of their policy on this.

[doolittle]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that if you already own Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom for Windows then you will have to buy the Mac version of the software. I have heard of Adobe exchanging PC for Mac versions but I am not sure of their policy on this.

 

If I understand it correctly, Adobe allow you to install Photoshop and Lightroom on two computer for personal use. I have them installed on a Windows PC and a MacBook. Works fine.

[dave_d]

If I understand it correctly, Adobe allow you to install Photoshop and Lightroom on two computer for personal use. I have them installed on a Windows PC and a MacBook. Works fine.

 

Yes Adobe does allow you to install on two machines but I don't think the Windows version will install on a Mac and vice versa. I just purchase Adobe Design Premium CS6 and had to specify which version I wanted Mac or PC.

[stunsworth]

Yes Adobe does allow you to install on two machines but I don't think the Windows version will install on a Mac and vice versa. I just purchase Adobe Design Premium CS6 and had to specify which version I wanted Mac or PC.

 

Lightroom comes with both versions. I have a feeling that Adobe now share the same serial numbers for PS between the Mac and Windows versions, so you can download the 30 day trial and activate it with the serial number you have. I may be wrong on this, so would happily stand corrected if I'm wrong.

[doolittle]

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Have Lightroom 3 on Pc and MacBook, not sure about other programs

[dave_d]

I just purchased Lightroom 4 as well. The Lightroom DVD can be loaded onto either Mac or PC. Photoshop or the Creative Suites are operating system specific. I am not sure which other programs are operating system specific but it would be worth investigating before making a change.

[lm_user]

Mac does not or will not shortly support VBA programming language. This may be useful depending on your course of study.

[stunsworth]

Mac does not or will not shortly support VBA programming language. This may be useful depending on your course of study.

 

You could run it by usingVMWare Fusion or Parallels and a copy of Windows office. A bit of a fiddle, but I could be done.

[pico]

How about a Porsche or a Ford than?

 

A Ford GT40 MkIV would do.

 

OP - Mac and be happy.

[williamgm]

I'm pretty sure that you cannot upgrade the RAM in the 15" Retina MacBook Pro; as I understand it, the RAM modules are soldered to the main board during assembly, so you have to order what you want when buying the computer. I also believe other components are difficult or impossible to upgrade/replace yourself, so it might be worth checking before placing an order. I would not really want a computer where basic components (eg RAM, hard-drives) cannot be easily replaced. (The new iMac is another case in point....)

If you look at the Crucial web site you will see it says they have no memory upgrades for the 15" Retina MacBook Pro. I assume this also applies to the 13" MacBook Pro, but I've not checked.

In spite of the above, we are a 100% Mac household; I'm typing this using my 2003 PowerMac G4 (running Leopard) which is fine for many day to day tasks. I would not return to Windows!

[andyedward]

I think the soldered RAM is the only major downside to macbook pro, but I'll get it specced above what I need, so it'll last me for a few years. I wonder just how high the cost of repairs would be after the warranty has expired, but I guess most issues would have surfaced by that point anyway.

[MichaelRabern]

The macbook pro is my personal machine. Its the retina and loaded, had the smaller one been around I would have got it. This one seams smaller. The quality is superior. The OS is sufficient. I have a hard time with a few things particularly on Mon-Fri when I use the Windows machines at work mostly. I use the Iphone now and I like the Apple ecosystem in general. The retina and build quality sold me.

[dhsimmonds]

Andy

 

I hovered for many years before taking the plunge to go "all Mac" with an iMac about three years ago. As already mentioned it is a fairly steep learning curve but within a couple of months you will wonder why you haven't done it before!

 

I quickly followed it up a year later with a 13" Macbook pro, an iphone and my wife has her iPad. She will almost certainly change her Nokia for an iPhone when her contract is up fpr renewal next month. She likes it that all contacts, bookmarks etc are easily read on any of the devices.

 

So, be warned........Mac's are addictive!

 

The only MS software I use is "Office for Mac" all my photographic software was changed to Mac versions at no cost to myself, other than updates, by advising Adobe of my PS serial number in advance and then downloading the appropriate Mac version. Same with Capture One Pro which is my preferred raw conversion program.

[JeTexas]

I bought a Dell XPS 15 for almost half the price of the entry level Macbook Pro almost two years ago. It still has a faster Core i7 processor than the new Macbook Pros. No, it's not "retina", but it has a very nice 1080p screen.

 

The only problem I've had was the Blu-Ray burner quit (which you can't even get on a Mac). A Dell rep showed up at my house the next day and fixed it under warranty.

 

You're paying extra for looks. I don't feel like OSX is any more stable than Win7, and it's all the same hardware under the skin.

 

But that's just me.

 

And I'm not an Apple hater. I'm on my fourth iPhone. I just think the computers are not worth the extra cost. You can buy a used 50mm Summilux for the price difference.

[stunsworth]

The only problem I've had was the Blu-Ray burner quit (which you can't even get on a Mac)

 

That's incorrect, you can burn Blu-Ray discs on a Mac.

[k-hawinkler]

JeTexas,

 

Every time I have to use Windows on my Mac under VMWare it reminds me what a kludge it is.

I am glad it works for you though.

Apple does need competition or they will inevitably join the dark side.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

i switched to Mac about 18 months ago to a top of the line 17" Macbook Pro. The machine before thaat was a top of the line Sony AW series running Windows 7.

 

I'll see out another year with the Mac and then make a decision. If I had to do it today I'd go back to windows 7. I get more slow downs now on the MBP than I ever did with Win 7. Counter-intuitively printing is easier to set up and run on Win7. Getting a decent screen to print match between my calibrated MacBook Pro and Epson 3800 can be an exercise in frustration. So much so that I still keep my Sony as a print server. And don't get me started on getting my Mac to reconnect to my wireless after coming out of sleep.

 

Everyone goes on about how they just work. Except that they don't do some simple things at all. Try burning discs where you need to disc span. You'll need a separate program for that. Meging nested folders? Careful that your original data isn't replaced by the data from the copy source. It took until Lion until you could resize a window from anywhere but the bottom right corner. You need to remember to manually eject any external USB hard drives and that handy Winkey+D to shrink all windows to a usable desktop has no equivalent on a Mac. Aero snap? Nope. And don't forget to brush up on your Unix. You'll need it if you ever dare to open the console.

 

Window has it's own issues, of course. But don't think that OSX is simply problem free. It isn't. It has issues. Windows has issues. You'll need to decide whether one is better than the other *for you*. And once your in LR or photoshop it doesn't matter a whole lot anyway. If you do a trial at a Mac store just make sure that you can perform the little things you take for granted now. While some are the same and others are possible with a different proceedure, there are others that have no Mac equivalent at all.

 

The Macs do have good hardware it seems. Battery life is stellar if you need to go cable free. You'll have to spend the same money on a windows machine to get hardware as good as the Mac.

 

For me it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

 

Gordon

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[tobey bilek]

I asked the same question here about a year ago and was given some useful advice/tips (search for the threads).

 

Basically, I made the change, and whilst I'm still 'learning' mac, I'm happy I switched.

 

My main issue with windows is that every pc/laptop I've had has slowed down progressively to the point where they become frustrating to use, and suffered from virus problems, and anti virus software, disc clean-ups etc dont stop it happening.

 

You can get Windows programs for mac such as office, or parallels that let's you load the windows OS.

 

I've tried to use the mac software mostly though, but still use windows at work. Some things still seem easier on windows but you can find your way around the mac and it's very user friendly.

 

IMHO buy a windows machine and it's an throwaway purchase after about 3 years. Buy a mac and you should get many more years use from it. I just bought a 2006 model MacBook to use alongside my mini and it's great. There's no way I'd buy a s/h windows laptop!

 

Same experience. Windows seem to last a few years. All my Mac purchased since run without maintenance as it is all built into the OS.

 

But some refuse to learn.

 

I did the same thing with Leica 3 decades ago. A friend loaned me a M3. All of a sudden my prints looked like the sample book prints in the camera store. I must say Nikon has come a long way since, but still have not caught up but they are getting closer all the time. Problem being the camera keeps growing in size and weight.