Is it worth getting a mac?

[Danny]

So im thinking about selling my sou- derrr i mean getting a mac, in my digital media production class im using an imac and im finding it much more user freindly and reliable than any windows pc ive ever used, and im the type to fill his desktop with shortcuts becuase i like everything to be a click away, and with an imac youve got that, see it balances out like this. Dannys hunk 'o crap - 1nly a 40gig hard drive 2:no firewire connection which ,as you can imagine, can cause problems when transferring in video from a camera that can only do it via firewire. 3:no editign programs other than movie maker 4:can be outrun by le pace ala snails 5: needs to be reformatted every so often, hence the hunk o' crap title. The imac danny uses in class - 1:400gig hard drive 2:does have the connctions dv cameras need 3:much simpler to use, least i find it that way. 4:comes with programs like final cut pro as well as various other sound and video suites 5:not a hunk 'o crap See, ive seen this particular computer here: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/sto...&category_oid= theres others sligthyl better but thats an example, thats half the price of pc weve got at home in the kitchen and thats a pile of junk by todays standards and its only 4 years old. So anyone got any experience to say which one, form a film making or just general use point of view is the way to go?

[Mike70]

we have never had anything other than macs. i think pcs are absolute junk. they crash, they are prone to viruses and all manner of chicanery. they are (in my opinion) much easier to work with and deal with than pcs. now if you have a computer mostly to play games on-you probably want to stick with a pc-it seems that a lot of games are not made with mac compatible versions. you also have trouble running things like shockwave. other than that i think there is absolutely no comparison. in my opinion macs are sports cars and pcs are yugos. i will fess up- i am not some IT geek nor do i have a degree in computer science (it's in classics- at least the grad degree is) so i wrote the above with the full understanding that some pc fanboy is going to get on here and spout off an endless string of techno babble to impress us all as to why pcs are the shizz. that won't matter to me. i'll still think they suck based on my own experience.

[Danny]

games?, on pc?!?, aside from the odd game of warcraft i never play games on a pc thats....wrong, its just wrong. nah im after something for internet browsing, script writing, editing vidoe adn sound, stuff like tht,i know a mac does all that too adn in a much easier to use way, plus warcraft does play on them too so...

[3pidemiC]

There are many reasons why I would suggest not getting a Mac. The biggest reason is that they are proprietary. This means that Mac and Mac only makes the parts for the computer. This means, that if a piece of hardware fails or you want to upgrade, you have to go back Mac to get the part and have them repair it. As a result of having no competition, Mac can charge whatever the hell they want for this part and you are forced to pay it because you don't have any other choices. Also, because of them being proprietary you have an extrememly limited choice on what can actually be added onto the computer. There are no third-party manufacturers. Despite what people say about PCs being prone to viruses and spyware, it is false if you have any common sense. Acquire a decent anti-spyware/virus program such as the free SuperAntiSpyware and you are all set. Do not use programs like Limewire, Bearshare, or P2P sharing software as that is almost a garuntee that you will get infected. Don't click on pop-up ads (get a pop-up blocker like the google toolbar) and do not download email attachments. You should be fine if you follow those simple steps. You can not game on Macs. Unless you want to shell out even more money into you already-overpriced machine and put Windows XP onto it, you are going to be extrememly limited on what games can be played on the machine. So the jist is, don't get a Mac.

[Mike70]

games?, on pc?!?, aside from the odd game of warcraft i never play games on a pc thats....wrong, its just wrong. totally agree. first generation video game kid here. playing on a computer seems, well, heretical somehow.

[Danny]

word bitch, NES like a mother****er! There are many reasons why I would suggest not getting a Mac. The biggest reason is that they are proprietary. This means that Mac and Mac only makes the parts for the computer. This means, that if a piece of hardware fails or you want to upgrade, you have to go back Mac to get the part and have them repair it. As a result of having no competition, Mac can charge whatever the hell they want for this part and you are forced to pay it because you don't have any other choices. Also, because of them being proprietary you have an extrememly limited choice on what can actually be added onto the computer. There are no third-party manufacturers. Despite what people say about PCs being prone to viruses and spyware, it is false if you have any common sense. Acquire a decent anti-spyware/virus program such as the free SuperAntiSpyware and you are all set. Do not use programs like Limewire, Bearshare, or P2P sharing software as that is almost a garuntee that you will get infected. Don't click on pop-up ads (get a pop-up blocker like the google toolbar) and do not download email attachments. You should be fine if you follow those simple steps. You can not game on Macs. Unless you want to shell out even more money into you already-overpriced machine and put Windows XP onto it, you are going to be extrememly limited on what games can be played on the machine. So the jist is, don't get a Mac. thats true, but i do own a pc allready, but for working with when it comes to films and whatnot i feel a mac more suited adn wanted more of an opinion on that, this pc may be a hunk of junk but that doesnt mean my cheap ass is gonna throw it away.

[Mike70]

The biggest reason is that they are proprietary. This means that Mac and Mac only makes the parts for the computer. This means, that if a piece of hardware fails or you want to upgrade, you have to go back Mac to get the part and have them repair it. As a result of having no competition, Mac can charge whatever the hell they want for this part and you are forced to pay it because you don't have any other choices. Also, because of them being proprietary you have an extrememly limited choice on what can actually be added onto the computer. There are no third-party manufacturers. yaaaawwwwnnnn. in 10 years of using macs we have never had a problem. in the few times we have had to get something for the computer i have had no gripes about price. one good thing about being proprietary vs. pcs- any yahoo out there can make crap pc parts and sell them. cheap does not necessarily equal good, in fact in very often does not. this is my last word on this. there is NOTHING that will change my mind.

[Mutineer]

The only real thing Mac has going for them is their hype propaganda machine and all of the, er, zombies, that follow it blindly. One machine cannot do something the other cannot. Period. (Sans use proprietory software). I personally find that the PC Pro's outweigh the Mac. I don't dislike Mac, but I have zero need to use one.

[PJoseph]

Yes, get a Mac. pJ

[panic]

Macs seem fine for people who want to use them for something which Macs do well -- things like video, photo, and music. However, bear in mind that: 1. Macs are quite a bit SLOWER; 2. Macs have much more LIMITED GRAPHICS capabilities; 3. Macs are hell of a lot LESS VERSATILE hardware-wise; 4. Only a small fraction of software IS EVER ported to Mac OS. In summary, as the Macs are fine as long as your trying to do something that Macs do well. /p

[Legion2213]

Regarding PC's being prone to viruses...when was the last time any of the PC owners here got one? As 3pidemiC says, decent anti-virus/mallware and generally being sensible should see that you never get any nasties.

[DjfunkmasterG]

A Media/Film editing friendly MAC can run you big bucks. I have seen rigs start at $8,000.00 just for Video production and film editing. I can build an entire PC, faster and with more Hard Drive Space for $3,000.00 and it would run AVID or SONY VEGAS. With so many PC parts companies fighting for your $$$$ it is easy to find good deals.

[Danny]

"SONY VEGAS!", all cap's mind.

[DjfunkmasterG]

SONY VEGAS deserves to be in all CAPS.

[Danny]

it just seems to be a more complicated version of windows movie maker to me, sorry man but i prefer final cut or adobe premier me'self. *djs head explodes like a gooey volcano...or that dude in scanners*