Mac vs. PC (I know you aren't tired of this same old thread yet are you???)

[pisces7378]

Ok... Lay it out there in English. Besides the fact that a Mac is all built "in-house" meanign there aren't 50 diffrnet parts from 50 diffrent companies in a Mac like there are in a PC, what is the defining feature(s) that make a Mac so damned desireable? Other then their cute little purple tower caseing, and that darling little bitten apple? 100 words or less.... actually take as many words as you'd like.

Mike

 

[Chucko]

You asked for it...

Here are a few of the reasons I prefer Macs to PCs:

Overall ease of use.

More consistent, and more attractive, user interfaces.

Plug & play, not plug & pray.

No IRQ conflicts.

Multiple monitors just work. (OK, Windows is getting better at this.)

Fewer virii and worms to ruin your day.

QuickTime, with its built-in General MIDI synth.

ColorSync.

MIDI support from the early days of MIDI.

Audio, video, and publishing applications usually work better on the Mac.

Starting tomorrow, an OS that's based on 30+ years of Unix experience.

I won't lie, there are a number of disadvantages too, not the least of which is cost. But overall I think the Mac lets you do more of what you sat down to do, and doesn't force you to spend as much time managing the computer as Windows does.

 

[Diragor]

There are plenty of good points in there, but I must object to at least one:

Audio, video and publishing applications no longer work any better on a Mac than a PC, and if anything there is a much greater variety of those kinds of apps available on the PC these days.

Yes, you'll spend less time "managing the computer" with a Mac. I consider it the cost of flexability and variety you have with the PC. I think that's the biggest advantage of a PC - the sheer number of peripherals and software applications available for the PC is staggering. IRQ conflicts and other such problems can be a nightmare, but if you learn how to deal with them or you know somebody who can help you I think it's well worth it.

And on that Unix OS thing, you can run Linux on your PC and get those same benefits but you'll also end up with the same downfalls as the Mac - hardware and software availability. The only reason I'm not running Linux myself is because I can't get drivers for all my hardware or get the software I need for it.

I'm no Microsoft disciple, but I personally think PC/Windows is the best available option at the moment.

 

[robert jaybird]

hmmm this is a bit lengthy but...
... most audio apps were written for mac and ported to pc, cakewalk and nuendo are exceptions. Id say that you shouldnt understate that macs are all done by one company and 3rd parties are coordinated around that. The fact is that there are far fewer problems coming from the mac world for stability and compatability. All these guys talk about how "flawless" their pc's work, then one week later they try to inbstall a piece of software and are pulling their hair out, or their machine does the "blue screen of death" out of the blue( as a mac user I dont know what a blue screen looks like), or they buy a soundcard that has conflicts with their chipset or graphics card. As Ive said, this is not to be understated if you spend a considerable amount of time on your machine; the overall quality of your experience has to be a factor.

While linux is similar to unix, the mac os 10 is above and beyond either with its new gui and conception. Also, Id state that there is no shortage of mac software unless your into video games. Virtual pc will run app's from the windows world on your mac as well.
In fact the old macs gui is above and beyond windows. How many versions of windows has there been, theyre all on the market at once to do different jobs that one os should do. And none of them do it particularly well. The windows os has so many patches its atrocious. Now with os 10 to compare the mac os to window's is a joke, maybe BE OS perhaps.
Every developer working with mac is supporting os 10, and many unix and linux developers are porting over because its simple to do.

Really what I like about macs is this: I install software by simply clicking the mouse once. I install hardware by plugging it in. My machine doesnt crash. The os is seamless and elegant. For app's that support altivec the mac is a more powerful platform(think photoshop). Its a pleasure to use this machine, it really does affect the way I work in posative ways due to its overall conception.

I think for desktop publishing apps, anybody who says pc is even close isnt really involved in the industry, photoshops performance on a mac stomps all over those peecee's. For video, most people use macs. For audio most professional users run macs, but really a good pc will do you just fine.

The thing is my machine is something I work on every day. Value for me goes beyond price/power to overall quality of my experience. To me a mac is the best thing besides dedicated hardware or dsp's, its just more elegant and stable, with a better conception. The reasons for this I dont know, but I know this is true.
How many mac users say yech this sucks and then get a pc vs how mant dump the pc and get the superior mac machine? The mac os is superior, the hardware is competetive, and its altivec velocity engine gives it an edge for apps like photoshop.

Personally I run a mac and my next machine will be a mac as well.
A pc is great for word processing, and secretarial duties but otherwise get a mac and dont look back. You dont need a mac however, if you get a pc youll be just fine. If you like those 'make the music for me deejay' softs then youll want a pc.

 

[vox]

I worked on macs with logic Audio/Sound designer II/SampleCell (& 16 track analog tape) in the studio where i trained, it was a mostly enjoyable trouble free experience. When I decided to buy my own DAW a couple of years later, I heard a lot of talk about PCs having more software, being just as good as Macs nowadays for Audio, and since a PC was saving me some money I bought one. I got it home, installed software and tried to record, 'click, pop, stutter, dropout....etc, etc'. Only then did I find out, after much research, that a PC can record as well as a Mac .....if you go through a list of about 30 optimization tips which even pros don't all agree on, if you are lucky enough that all your hardware and drivers can get along with each other.

It's not a completely horrible experience and you can do good recordings, but it doesn't live up to all the PC Hype.

 

[cerealchamp2000]

G4 guys-

post how many tracks and plugins you're getting

(anyone using newer 133mgh stuff yet?)

 

[Diragor]

Mac users and PC users are equally biased. The problems associated with using a PC are, I believe, often blown out of proportion. My PC very rarely crashes - in the past year I can remember the game Giants causing some crashes and Cool Edit Pro (I've since switched to using Logic) brought me down a few times. My main PC is also my DAW. I've never done any optimizations or tricks to get everything to work, it just works. I'd have to say that's the rule rather than the exception these days - I've built countless PCs over the past 4-5 years and rarely run into the kinds of horror stories that amuse Mac users.

The strengths of the Mac are properly addressed here. Macs do crash (I've talked at length on this subject with friends in desktop support at Motorola where they use both), but generally it's plug-and-play and ludicrously easy to use and maintain.

It boils down to what's important to you. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, and here's the most important thing: there is NOTHING you can do on the Mac that you can't do on the PC, and AFAIK the reverse is also true (unless you want to play the latest games).

Now personally, my decision is about variety and cost. For everything you can do on the Mac there are probably twice as many applications available to do the same thing on the PC, and I like to have the choices. Maybe some things work better on the Mac, but whether Logic Audio was written first for the Mac or not, it works perfectly for me and does everything I need and more. No crashes, no problems, and I did no voodoo magic to get it to work. Until I can afford a full-blown Pro Tools rig with all the trimmings, I'll stick to the PC.