I am a professional photographer/videographer and I use Windows computers. I don't LOVE Windows, I just know that Mac OS drives me crazy. I hate all of the "syncing" and hand holding that Macs have. Windows disappears into the background and allows me to use applications in peace. Some days, like today, it's hard to justify this decision.
First of all I would like to admit that I love well designed products. Apple products are the most beautifully designed electronic products I've ever seen. I love (almost) everything about my iPhone and iPad and I wish my Laptop could also be as beautifully made but although I have almost unlimited options when it comes to buying a Windows based laptop, nothing seems to come close to the quality of the Macbooks hardware.
Almost all of my photography buddies own a Mac and I am constantly ridiculed about my ugly, thick, (plastic) laptop, my oversized (plastic) Alienware desktop, and my "unstable" and "virus prone" operating system. I personally don't believe that my computers are any less stable than comparable Macs; I've been filming post production with Elia Locardi for the past month and I've seen his brand new Macbook Pro crash just like my computer occasionally does. I do however admit that Windows is still far more susceptible to viruses and hacks.
I personally haven't had any issues with viruses in many years but I am very careful with my work computers. I stay away from shady looking (and sounding) websites, and I don't download anything unless I know exactly what it is and where it is coming from. That being said, anyone can make a mistake and click on a malicious link via Facebook or their email. In the past just visiting a particular website could install a virus, but Windows has gotten better than that, right... RIGHT?
Well it feels like it's 1998 all over again because yesterday Windows announced that they have found a hole that can "allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted document or visits an untrusted webpage that contains embedded OpenType fonts."
So basically THIS FONT could take down your computer
How can I possibly argue against stuff like this with my Apple wielding opponents? Luckily Windows immediately pushed out an update (which I'm sure will shut down your computer without your permission while you are in the middle of working on something really important). Make sure you're all up to date and safe until the next vulnerability arises... Please Windows 10 and Surface Pro 4, you're my only hope.
Run Linux then. Darktable works pretty well to de-raw pictures.
I've tried using Darktable and even DigiKam but none are as intuitive than something like Lightroom.
Darktable is close, but not close enough for myself. Granted, I probably need to keep working it it to get used to the interface, workflow, but I just seem to like the LR workflow better. Also I found that editing in Darktable wasn't producing similar enough results when using the same values in Lightroom. *shrug*
I would be more than happy to switch to Linux 100% of the time at home if I could just load LR and PS onto it without using something like Wine.
Uh, Apple computers are made with the same hardware a Windows computer is made with, so anyone mocking your hardware is an idiot. Heck, the hardware might even run better on Windows than it does on their overpriced Macbook because of limitations on what software is allowed to use of that hardware.
Let's also not pretend like I couldn't send a text message to your iPhone a month ago and crash the thing.
Internals yes but you must admit the external design of Mac computers is unmatched.
So what? Do you base your camera purchase on what it looks like? I certainly didn't buy my fstoppers flashdisc based on appearance.
Haha touche. All I'm saying is that I appreciate beautiful design as well as function.
i'm actually a fan of the newer alienware design
I've got one, it's gorgeous.
We have 3 of these and while I thought they were pretty ugly at first, the idea of using the design to easily remove and update parts is a really great idea.
Yeah agreed. The look is different, but certainly not beautiful - but the ease of changing out hard drives and components is an absolute winner!
lee, i have to agree with you in this. hardware specs wise, pc cost a lot less than mac with the same specs. But, mbp is so elegantly designed and it's hard to resist... i've been a pc guy since windows 95, but i always recommend indecisive photographers to go with mac. unfortunately, appearance matters, your clients might "prefer" to see a mac, as compare to windows laptops. with that been said, pc makers are catching up, i think dell xps and asus zenbook are also good choices.
Virus writers go after the "low hanging fruit", i.e., Windows computers. I don't know what the market share of Mac computers are, but it's probably not worth much to the criminals.
For the iPhone, there is a ransonware that infects iPhones; but it's a simple fix without paying anybody that involves switching to :Airline" mode, doing some stuff, and then switching back to normal data access.
Macs are a lot more common than they used to be, though Windows based machines are still the volume leader by quite a distance. It's about 8% or so now, but at one time it was less than 1%.
Fortunatly these low hanging fruits also moved along to OSX, since Apple isn't very busy fixing bugs in their software (not only the OS) while MS spent a lot of time in the last ten years making it much harder to hack a Windows machine (just look at the recent PWN2OWN hacking results)
Okay so, looking at 2015...
Windows - 5 bugs
IE 11 - 4 bugs
Adobe Reader - 3 bugs
Adobe Flash - 3 bugs
Firefox - 3 bugs
Safari - 2 bugs
Chrome - 1 bug
Not sure that the numbers are supporting your argument, but I can helpfully supply for the last couple of years if you like... Nope, not helping there either. Oh, in reference to your down vote on my speed comment... Care to prove Microsoft is faster? I'll stake my preference on the open source community, but the out of band patches on Windows haven't been all that frequent and it doesn't take a lot of time on Google to find that out.
So what ... take windows installation and instal Win on macbook...... most of the people who have macbook have win on it ....If you try to search which notebook is the best running with windows ..you will find macbook is the best ;-)
http://www.cnet.com/news/macbook-pro-declared-best-performing-windows-la...
I'm going to be the douche that says "Apple is a brand whereas Windows is an OS. Granted, Apple can also be an OS but just becuase it runs Windows, doesn't make it a Windows computer. I have a custom PC that runs dual OS with Windows and Apple. Still not apple"
And the only thing Apple computers have going for it is the sleek design, even though some all in one with Windows OS look better
Doug Gray - Although hardware is similar, you should note that Apple crafts both their hardware and their software under one roof so that they are both made to work with each other. This is not the case with Microsoft windows running on your dell/lenovo/gateway/HP/Asus/Acer/sony/alienware/toshiba/samsung/compaq/IBM/LG. Hardware doesn't run on software, so that last part of your comment doesnt make sense although I think i get what your were getting at. Also there is really something to be said when a companys hardware (apple hardware) runs their competitors software better than their own computers... http://www.cnet.com/news/macbook-pro-declared-best-performing-windows-la...
Drew - What do you mean by crafts their hardware? Are you talking about just the casing or the actual internal components as well?
I mean that they design everything from the case to the OS to the layout / shape / components of the motherboard in the machine. Ill quote from another source to help explain.
"Apple is the only company in the PC business that writes its own operating system and designs its own hardware. As a result you get a fully integrated system and everything works together seamlessly.
The latest version of Apple's operating system, OS X Mavericks, demonstrates how Apple is able to get the most out of the hardware it uses by building new tools into the operating system. These technologies combine with the hardware for the best possible performance. For example, technologies like Power Nap mean that your Mac can update itself even while the hardware sleeps. Apple is also able to get more battery life out of the portable Macs due to power-saving features that are built into the operating system.
This also means that the Mac you buy is exactly the way Apple intended it to be. In the PC world Microsoft designs the Windows operating system to take advantage of the latest technologies. Then PC manufacturers build their PCs and install Microsoft Windows. Windows may be able to take advantage of certain components in the PC, but it's possible that the PC won't be able to take advantage of all the elements of Windows, and vice versa. A great example of this would be the touchscreen elements added to Windows 8, unavailable if your machine doesn't have a touchscreen.
As we mentioned earlier, every component in every Mac is optimised for performance and to ensure that it requires less power. Where the argument that Macs feature better-quality components has been moot since the switch to Intel processors in 2006, with Apple using many of the same components in Macs as their PC counterparts, the fact that the company can design its operating system to use these components better is significant. It's why Apple can issue firmware updates that improve the way certain components work in Macs, and why a new operating system update can actually result in an old Mac achieving better battery life."
http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/mac-or-pc-ten-reasons-why-macs-are...
Actually as a hardware engineer and a performance optimization and test lab partner for a lot of manufacturers such as Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Corsair, Crucial, Mushkin, etc I can dispute your claim about Apple "designing" its hardware in-house without even trying.
The OsX is also not hardware specific.
There's no different release/code for the iMac with the Core i7 processor and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, nor a different release/code for the MacBook Pro with the Core i5 processor, less RAM, and an AMD Radeon R7 graphics card.
Performance-wise, the drivers for graphics cards, audio processors, serial ata controllers, etc are at a much better state and feature-set than for Mac OsX.
The article's claim of "every component in every Mac is optimised for performance and to ensure that it requires less power" is a decent story suitable for the SyFy channel.
First of all, they can do nothing to the CPU, RAM, VGA, SSD, HDD than you can do on a custom built ( DIY ) or OEM ( pre-built ) PC.
They cannot make any modifications to a CPU, RAM or VGA to make it draw less power.
You can lower its voltage, operating frequency, make use of the enhanced Cx States to optimize power usage during non-full load or idle periods, but that very same thing is available and working on any Windows PC as well ( actually a "Windows" PC allows you more control in tuning them, since the BIOS of a motherboard not "released" by Apple offers way more advanced controls ( options ) on tweaking the CPU/RAM parameters.
Granted the above, Apple does a great job on the MacBooks / Pro.
They are overpriced compared to Windows laptops, but they are decent products, and performance-wise up there with the top ( and usually equally expensive ) Windows laptops.
On the desktop-front, they have no leverage at all.
Way too overpriced. Limited in terms of overclocking & tweaking.
And the OS ( Operating System ) can be installed on a non-Mac PC as well.
For the people loving the design of the Apple cases, there are several nice looking and high quality PC Cases out there from Lian-Li, Corsair, Antec, SilverStone.
I could go on and on, get deeply technical about the abovementioned stuff, but I doubt it would be worth the time :-)
Nothing you said explains why the MacBooks normally get significantly better battery life compared to their Windows counterparts, you don't talk about how Apple chooses the drivers for devices that offer the best trade off of stability vs performance. The OS is tweaked like mad for the specific device via the custom BIOS.
Walled gardens do serve a purpose. Denying that Apple does have a better grip on the hardware landscape and can therefore keep their systems more stable and tweaked better is being intentionally blind.
Apple has made a lot of missteps, especially of late, to be sure. However, most people use their Macs for many years with little issue, not much that slows them down, and very rare crashes. This is indisputable. The user experience is... gentler.... on the users.
I love it how you dug this up to spout some nonsense ( I love the part where you think that Apple makes drivers for Intel, AMD, nVIDIA hardware :D ) and that a VGA driver version can make a huge difference ( if at all ) in terms of power consumption.
I'm not going to waste any keystrokes here because you are totally incapable of comprehending what I said before nor anything I can further explain with more technical details, nor you seem to be unbiased.
Goodmorning.
Well, actually these "holes" are found all the time and more often than not, they affect not only windows rigs but other systems as well.
To make things worse, most of these vulnerabilities are not OS specific but are introduced by software which is available on all platforms. Think Java, Flash and Acrobat (99% of computers have at least one). All of those have unpatched vulnerabilities that allow remote code execution and other pests. Don't be fooled by Mac users' mistaken belief that they are safer than Windows users. That ship sailed long ago.
And yes. A simple website can exploit some of this holes. But when you read "specially crafted" be sure that by the time you eventually come to a trusted-but-compromised website, your antivirus will be long updated and block you from accessing it.
Those specially crafted websites are usually more effective while the exploit is still a 0-day. By the time it goes into the "mainstream web" malware protection is already updated for you
Mac OS had many serious security issues in the past as well. Seriously, every OS has them and depending on the popularity of it they get discovered sooner or later. The good thing is that Microsoft usually fixes them faster.
Fixes them faster? Not in my experience and I have several Windows machines, several Macs, and several Linux boxes. Having said that, Microsoft has gotten better over the years. Finally having competition tends to motivate a bit more.
DIY Hackintosh.
True!! Hahaha i laughted so hard, when i got MacOS X 10.7 running on my 399€ Asus netbook. And i kept showing it like a true d*ck, hell i've even went to a Apple Shop with it to make questions about the OS. You should have seen the look in their eyes..like "my whole life is a lie"! Ohhh man hahahaha
Vote down all you want. I did it, and it ran. It was a Mac without the light apple on the back cover. This only shows that the 1299€ MacBook Air has the same hardware specs as a 399€ Asus computer. Ohhhh did i mention my netbook is also alluminium alloy? Go on, vote down! :)
I refuse to pay a premium on hardware for permission to use an OS.
True!
I hope you purchased that copy of Mac OS X you shimmed onto your Asus because in that case all you did was violate Apple's End User Licence Agreement. Otherwise, don't you think it's ironic someone who creates their own intellectual property (photography) seems to think nothing of stealing someone else's?
Ohh so righteous. I've used a Niresh version of MacOS X, with kext files not supported by Apple inc..
Yes, my windows is original and paid, I work and use Windows for comercial use, i do my work there. So, no, i'm not good with stealing software.
The Niresh version of OSX given to people who want to download it, is and i repeat adultered! The developers of the Hackintosh version are the ones who stole, i've just downloaded free content, installed it, tested it and removed it from the hard drive. And no, i don't give a rats *ss about Apple end user agreement, because unlike in the US, where you can sue someone because you don't know how to walk, here where i live the end user agreement is pointless. No physical proofs, no case.
Sorry haven't been back in a while. I'm not being "so righteous" at all, and you can argue the legal merits (or lack there of) of the Apple's EULA all you want. What can't be argued against is that what you've describe is considered outright theft in most countries.
The "Niresh" version of OSX is illegal as is the distribution of such software because it is stollen property, in this case intellectual property but a theft none-the-less. So what you did when you, "just downloaded free content" was to acquire stollen intellectual property.
It is a "cracked" version of OSX, no different from downloading a cracked version of Adobe Photoshop -- both are illegal by the way. It doesn't matter if you weren't involved in the original theft. In many countries those who knowingly benefitted from stollen goods are culpable under the law.
Wow Paulo, are you ever great at justifying being a thief.
Go the hell. Where did we knew each other for you to call me a thief?
Don't need to know you. The license agreement that the creators of the software made explicitly states that how you are using it is illegal. Because someone stole it first, then you started using it doesn't make you innocent one bit. Justify away all you want. If someone did the same thing with your photos, how would you feel?
I run both Windows and Mac OS on a daily basis.There are pros and cons for both for me. However in the over a decade I've used Mac OS X my MacBook Pro has never crashed which is pretty impressive. If your friend's MBP crashed that doesn't put it on par with Windows. There are many different setups and other misconfigurations that could cause it. I don't understand what syncing and hand holding you're talking about? It is all in the way it is set up. I use minimal iCloud and so I set it up to reflect that choice. My pictures don't sync and I retain total control. The Mac hardware is of better quality and the genius bar is indespensible compared to Windows non offering. Windows however has gotten progressively better. Yes most viruses, adware and malware target Windows. However with an external disk and daily automatic sytem images, data backups and file history it is relatively easy to restore the system when disaster strikes. Most computers are fast enough that a properly configured Windows computer flies. The problem is the persistent attitude of the foolproof out of the box experience. Users don't want to take the time to get an external drive and setup a backup routine, make sure all files are backed up.
Hand holding as in requiring you to sync through itunes. Itunes never works for me and I'm always at risk of deleting all my data to resync to another computer. I love my iphone but I would love it if I could just drag music, photos, and video over to my phone and just have it show up in the correct app or a folder.
Another "hand holding" problem we had recently involves their flagship Apple Airport Extreme router (I made the mistake of thinking this router was the best router on the market when it actually isn't). We had someone log onto our wifi with a Macbook (we don't have any macs here) and for some reason the Apple router gave that Macbook priority over all other computers which completely took down our NAS box, internet, and network. The Mac had blazing fast internet but all our PCs must have had invalid IP addresses. This happened with two different Macbooks and the second they signed off the wifi, everything worked as usual again. If this doesn't constitute as "Apple knows best" I don't know what does.
As to your router problems, it sounds like you had a mix of different wireless clients (e.g. 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n or 802.11ac). Wireless will only transfer as fast as the slowest system on a given frequency (e.g. 2.4GHz, or 5GHz); just a thought. :) But you are right the Airport Extreme routers aren't the absolute best but then again they didn't get hit with that security hole everyone else got hit with back in May (i.e. NetUSB). If you want a good site with router reviews, consider taking a look at Small Net Builder (http://www.smallnetbuilder.com)
I just got an Ipad from my employer. Ten minutes with it, and I can't understand why anyone would use an Apple product. Get any Android, log in, and Google takes care of the rest.
Did you also know that Google develops all of their software on Macs and Linux machines... and that Windows logins are not allowed on campus except for admin and on a must-have basis?
Since 2010: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2469425/cybercrime-hacking/why-goog...
No, but I know that my son is a developer, and hates that he has to use an Apple product to develop anything for iOS, yet he can use either platform when creating something for Android.
Check out the new Visual Studio 2015 for multi-platform development:
https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/products/visual-studio-2015-compatibi...
Down-votes for a related fact with citation? There's more where that citation came from, try Google for even more recent lock-downs.
Edit to add: I didn't say it was right or wrong what Google does, but so many Google fans don't realize that Goggle/Android does not like Microsoft/Windows at all and have a closer relationship to Apple than many casual tech-users are led to believe. That's the fault of the media and fanboy blogs, not someone like me for pointing it out.
Funny you say that... I've had a Nexus 7 for almost 2 years, and recently got an iPad. Now all I want to do is throw the Nexus out the window. And it's not a hardware or configuration issue. It's Android crashing and getting stuck and doing all sorts of nonsense. The usability of it vs the iPad isn't even a comparison. In my experience, and I have a significant amount using both, iOS dominates every time.
I'd say that there was something wrong with your Nexus 7, not Android. For a while, my son and I both had Nexus 5 phones and Nexus 7 tablets, and no problems whatsoever.
Android: "Here, let me take care of that for you. Done!"
iOS: "Sync. Enter AppleID and password. Authorize this machine. Enter AppleID and password. Sync. Enter AppleID and password"
Honestly, everyone is welcome to their own preferences. It just seems like the Apple fanboys are much easier to troll. Because I don't care what anyone else uses, I'll continue to use what works best for me.
So you're really going to say that Apple continually trying to up your security is a problem... in this day and age with hackers gunning for every little security hole they can find?
Actually the "soft security" of Nexus devices is what worries me for using my Nexus 7 more than I do. Other than that, I truly like stock Android better than iOS for many reasons.
It's the Android devices from other (unnamed) manufacturers, skins, and bloat-software that cause the most problems for Android and developers more than anything else, and which is holding Android back from "seriously" overtaking iOS and not just in cheaper-device marketshare graphs.
I'm saying it's ridiculous to have enter my credentials a half dozen times while my new device is tethered to my computer.
Arbitrary code execution holes are constantly found and patched, both on windows and mac. The difference is, because windows is far more used, it's where such hole will have greater chance of being exploited. Just keep your anti virus up to date and you'll be good.
If I never ever ever had to do any maintenance whatsoever on a Mac, then I'd dish out the money and buy one. For the price you pay for a Mac, it better be flawless - or very close to flawless. In the meantime, I know my way around Windows and can keep it maintained. I have very few problems with Windows. This argument only holds water because i'm knowledgeable about the Windows OS and it's a lot less expensive than a Mac.
I can probably get away with Linux too. I know my way around it and the OS is free. But I don't know my way around a Mac so for price, it needs to be flawless.