It’s definitely possible to get by if you’re all-Apple, but you’ll probably have to do some occasional running around to get things to work. Those lines are blurring, though, since cross-compatibility is growing.
Just like when Windows became much more prevalent in the design world - it used to be you only used Macs if you were graphic design. I think there’s some ‘back-blurring’ the other way with 3D now, but it’s slower due to the proliferation of all the different packages out there.
There are more and more companies with Mac/PC versions of their software:
So to sum up. It is possible to run SOME programs on a mac, which I wouldn’t call “industry standard” programs (ie solidworks, rhino, blah blah blah) but there also may be a string attached because you will have to mess around with your configurations which results in a huge pain in the ass. Or you could use a REAL computer and just install whatever program you want and use it with no fuss. I know this sounds like a tuff decision, but I think you can do it.
Dont buy a mac in hopes to display your white computer and give people a false sense that you are a designer. Show them who you are through your work.
There’s a lot more apps used in ID than just 3D: illustrator, photoshop, business / management apps, and especially being able to safely go on the internet to do research without worrying about who’s sending viruses to cripple your computer. I wouldn’t touch a pc to do any of those. They’re only currently offering those standard 3d programs on pc’s, that doesn’t make the pc is a better tool. If they offered those same programs on the mac, using them on the mac would be a better experience. PC’s are unneccesarily complicated.
The ideal would be to have the pc style customization and availability (stores, programs, etc) with mac os, reliability, stability, and user experience.
(this is a long post, but it seems warranted since people are making pretty uninformed statements that could impact pretty hefty purchases)
I don’t understand why, in a design forum, Macs get bashed for having “designed” cases. Or how OS X is not considered a factor in recommending a computer.
I’m glad that my powermac and powerbook both look nice, but I’m even more glad that they make sense. Upgrading my powermac is as easy as it gets because there isn’t a rat’s nest of cables inside. Things are labeled. My powerbook has all of its ports on the side instead of the back. I can’t imagine using a laptop as a true portable computer and having to rotate the thing to see where to plug all of my stuff back into it every day. The hinge is more solid than anything I’ve seen on any other company’s laptops. It has a backlit keyboard. As a consumer and as a designer, I appreciate these things way more than the fact that my hardware is attractive.
As mentioned, 3D programs are somewhat lacking for OS X, but this situation improves all the time. With systems out there like the Quad Powermac G5, Macs are pretty compelling systems for companies to get there software out for.
I think its pretty ignorant to say that Macs aren’t real computers, or to say that industry standard programs won’t run on a Mac. I use industry standard programs on my Macs all the time, getting real work done with no fuss, no strings attached, no viruses or malware. I also have the opportunity to dabble in things like video using industry standard stuff like Final Cut. The program Aperture will soon enter my photography workflow. The equivalents to some of these programs on Windows are garbage in comparison.
I think that its fortunate that there are several viable OS platforms to pick from right now. It would be bad for everyone that uses a computer if there were no OS X or Linux. I wish that the decision could come down to a person’s preference and the software they needed to do their job was available for whatever they chose. I think that in the current state of computers and operating systems, software availability and security are really the only concrete things that anyone can use in recommending one platform over another. Anything else that might factor into the decision is either comparable on all platforms (cost, performance, etc.), or it is not something that can be determined by someone else (user experience preferences, and other visceral things like that).
I have used both mac and ibms for quite some time now myself. I see advantages to each. My earlier post was basically stating the point that the ibm based computer is more of a well rounded machine. I was looking to actually buy a mac myself but ended up with a pc due to the fact that I cant run all of the programs I would need too. Im saying there is no sense in buying a mac for graphics then a pc for 3d (for me anyways) it just seems like a waste of money to me. If you have the loot to do that, then go for it. Yeah it would be great if apple could do all of the positive things a pc could do. So if you are more into photoshop, illus, and all of that, then go with a mac, you’ll love it. If you need to use all of those apps, as well as solidworks, pro e, or rhino, you should buy a pc. Also, someone mentioned Cobalt earlier for 3-d work. I went back and forth daily from mac to ibm using cobalt. Cobalt on the mac crashed a hell of a lot more than the ibm did. Also the mac computer was about 4 years newer than the ibm. I imagine in the future apple will be able to handle all of this, but for now, the fact is it cant. soon. but not yet. when it does, maybe ill buy one. for now ill just stick with the ipod.
Don’t be suckered into buying a computer that is more expensive because it looks cooler and has bubbly icons. Anything you can do on a mac, you can do on a PC. there are things you can do on a PC that you can’t do on a Mac. PC’s are cheaper.
I had a mac for years, and it was nothing but problems. I couldn’t get through a day without having to hit the reset button a few times. I have a PC that after 3 years, has never crashed or had any problems. you can get a lemon either way, but if you get a lemon PC, you can be glad you didn’t pay double to have a computer that does the same.
The problem is we’re trying to give objective recommendations to something that’s pretty subjective. Ford vs. Chevy. In the end, you can buy just about anything middle-to-high end and it will do you fine. Just don’t dip into the low end and you’ll probably be okay.
But I have to say I don’t believe that Macs are cheaper, if you buy a name-brand PC with the same components. Disregarding student, government, etc. pricing I checked out a few, and even though they don’t all have as good of components:
Consumer Apple iBook: $1k
Consumer PC Notebooks:
Panasonic, $2k (eLite)
Sony, $1k (FS series)
Toshiba, $700 (Satellite A - same as Dell below, as far as crippled)
Dell, $500 (Inspiron - but it’s a pretty crippled computer compared with all above…celeron, 256 ram, XP Home…)
Plus I didn’t include ad/spy/virus whatever-ware protection and whatever cost is involved there for the PC’s.
OS X is pretty stable in 10.3 and up. My PowerBook has crashed maybe once in over three years. My PC (Windows 2K) is pretty steady, too, but has crashed quite a few more times in the year I’ve had it. I’ve never lost anything on either machine (due to the computer’s fault ). Everyone’s miles vary.
In the end, if you have to use Pro/E, Rhino or Solidworks, get the PC. Otherwise, it really doesn’t matter.
I’m not sure about the pricing thing, I go through it all the time, I look at a mac and a comparable PC and the PC always comes in WAY under. I bought a PC laptop, its a compaq and with the lid down looks so ugly. but…
its got a top of the line graphics card with high resolution, and when I matched it up with a mac, to find one of comparable speed, etc. it cost HALF of what a MAC laptop would have cost. so for me it was a no brainer. other than looks there is no difference except that my PC can actually do a lot more. it sounds to me like you want the mac, otherwise you’d just get the PC. Go ahead, get a mac. but i don’t believe it will be even close in terms of pricing and just be aware that as you get into your career and realize that there are no respectable firms using FromZ and that you want to use a 3D program that will actually help you get a head in your field…you might kick yourself years from now. but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. just get one and use it and have fun.
only you can decide what you want out of it and if you want a mac, get a mac.
I don’t know about laptops, but for towers, pc’s come in cheaper, especially if you build one yourself. But what I still prefer the mac for is not having to hunt through layers of stuff to accomplish a symple system task, being completely virus free, not needing tech support for anything, and having a much better os / interface. You’re truly paying extra for a much better user experience through the life of the product. Some mac things are too exclusive though, like the flatscreen that will only run on another mac unless you get a $300 adaptor.
Mac towers are almost always cheaper than pc towers. Just buying processors that are comparable to the g5’s in a dual processor configuration can cost $1500+. Throw in a quality graphics card, os, case, etc., and things are pretty comparable. Yeah, you could build a pc cheaper in most cases, but its not really fair to do price comparisons between Apple and a home-built case and come to the conclusion that Apples cost more than pc’s. When talking home-built, those are cheaper than ANY brand name computer, not just Apple.
My Powerbook was probably a little more than a similar PC, with the display being the most glaring weakness that I can think of, but its also a nicer computer to use. Forget about the way it looks, its just a nice computer. And it has a pretty sweet graphics card considering the fact that the computer isn’t 2" thick.
But as far as price goes, OS X is worth the price of admission to me. I know that isn’t the case for everybody, but it is with me.
And Skinny, they haven’t made the LCD displays that require the adaptor in almost 2 years, and the adaptor for the old ones is like $50 now. The new displays use DVI (check out the 30" if you haven’t looked at Apple’s screens in a while).
Basically, the talk about Macs being more expensive is kind of an archaic concept. The $500 Mac Mini is better in virtually every way than a $500 brand name pc. The $1300 iMac is better in virtually every way than a $1300 pc + display. Granted, no Mac is worth anything to you if it won’t run your software, but that, and whether you like OS X or not, is almost the only thing left to rule out Macs completely.
well, this conversation can go on forever, but I don’t know of a mac that is cheaper than $1300 other than the mini which I wouldn’t waste my time with considering by the time you load it enough to make it worthwile, you can buy a PC laptop for the same price and have the option to work offsite or plug it into a monitor and use it like a tower which is what i do with mine. Mine is 2’" thick and super heavy, but it cost less than an iMac, has an amazing graphics card, is superfast and can run anything I need it to. I had a Mac for 7 years, have been using a PC for the last 3 and recently had to get back on a Mac at work again and I hate OSX. There are things I hate about Windows XP also, neither one is great, I guess there is no answer to which is BETTER, its just a question of which is better for what you need it to be. If you don’t want 3D, have the money, just get the MAC, they are cute and fun to use.
Well, since you guys are arguing over the whole Mac vs Windows, I might as well give you something else to argue about…Linux.
I know that it doesn’t have near the software support of OSX or Windows (I know it has a few Alias products), but it is more stable and faster than both of them. Italsocanbeveryprettyifyoutweakit, and I know you guys like playing with things to make them pretty. It also runs on just about everything (including the upcoming PS3), and most distros are free. So ya. Chew on that.
). Everyone’s miles vary.
