It’s Time to Take a Bite
posted in Blogging, Entrepreneurship, Productivity, Project ManagementAfter a few weeks of thought, I’ve decided to turn my PC hat in (not that I ever really wore it, nor was I proud of it 
and in it’s place I will be taking a big bite out of the Apple.
I don’t for one second think that being a Windows or a Mac user determines your abilities as a designer, or your levels of creativity, but things like productivity, reliability and ease of use seem to come into play. All of the Adobe products are the same whether you’re on a PC or Mac, so it is up to the designer to make use of them, and being on a Mac doesn’t make anyone a better designer whatsoever. Switching to a Mac based setup seems to the right choice for me as there are some apps I would like to use that are only available on a Mac, and the general work flow of a Mac will probably sit better with me.
I am currently looking into purchasing a Mac Pro for my main desktop, and a Macbook Pro for when I’m out of the office. Even though I am sure the Mac “genius” at the Apple store will be able to help me with some questions I have, I am more than confident that you, and many of my regular site visitors, will be able to give me much more valuable and insightful advice.
So, if you’ve got a few moments to spare, and have been using Mac’s for at least a year or so, I would be delighted to hear your advice on what apps to use, what works for you , what doesn’t etc…
Also, anything you think would be helpful to know as a Windows user going to Mac would be great also.
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I’ve been using a Macbook (13″) for little over a year now, and I love the thing. Although, if I were to buy another one right now, I’d want a 15″. The size is ok for bringing it to clients and show some work and stuff (that’s why I bought it), but doing actual work on it requires a bigger monitor hooked up.
As for iMacs.. I keep drooling over the 27″, although I’m working on a 22″ monitor right now, and that fine.
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I would question whether you *really* need both a desktop and laptop? You can get fairly powerful laptops these days and I personally have the 15″ MBP with 4Gb RAM, 320Gb Disk and Snow Leopard and I’ve hooked it up to a 24″ External Screen. Works just perfect.
Saying that, I’m a programmer, not designer, so if you’re looking at doing more intensive work, then you could look at one of the higher end either 15″ models (they do one with a 2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo and 4G / 500Gb Disk or then you’ve got the 17″ models with either 2.8Ghz or if you’ve got the money (and will still work out cheaper than two machines) – go for the 3.06Ghz model which is pretty much the best that money can buy.
The benefit (certainly for me) is that wherever I go, I have all of my files with me – no accidentally leaving files on the main computer when I head to a meeting – also, all my active source code is on the machine so I can make tweaks/updates to sites/apps while on the move.
Here’s my two-euros worth anyway.
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I have only been using macs for a little over a year but what I have found is it will change you workflow tremendously.
A few apps I believe are MUST haves are:
Quicksilver
Cinch
Hazzle
Pixus
Fontcase
Espresso
MampJust a few i cant live without.
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I have a G5 tower and I love it! Just make sure you get the Intel Processor because newer version of software like Creative Suite 5 will only run on that processor. Good luck!
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Hi Brian.
I’m glad you’re taking the plunge and taking the Mac route.
I have some advice from 10+ experience in using them.
Once, I bought the top of the range, liquid-cooled G5 tower. It was maxed-up with 8Gig of Ram, and cost the earth. Did it make a massive difference in terms of speed of use in Photoshop? Not much!
Now, I use an iMac 24″. iMacs now are very powerful machines. I do a lot of large-format print work with massive 1TB Photoshop files, and the iMac handles them very well. I’ve found that there’s no need for a Mac Pro + Mac screen, when the new 27″ iMac will suit its purpose.
The only reason why I’d buy a Mac Pro is if I were doing a lot of video processing. Yes, the Mac Pros are powerful, but a little more powerful for 3 times the cost!
Hope my info aids you…
BTW, are you buying an iPad too?
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Brian,
Glad to hear you are considering moving to the Mac world. I have been using Apple computers for quite a long time (20 years). I have also had to use PCs for various tasks in that time, and I am by no means a PC expert. I love the Mac platform, but I know it’s not for everyone.
Currently, I use a Mac G5 tower with dual Cinema Screens (which I would recommend, if you have the budget) 6GB of RAM, and a 400GB HD. I have a pair of 1TB external SATA drives for backups to get my workflow out the door. I do a lot of print and collateral work in addition to some basic web, so I need the horsepower. I wish I had a laptop sometimes, though.
Some might argue that you could get away with purchasing an iMac for design, but that is your decision based on your throughput needs.
Migrating your e-mail and other software is from what I’ve heard, pretty straight forward from PC to Mac. It should go well.
It wasn’t until recently with the Apple move to the Intel chip, that cross-platform development really took a leap forward in software and a shift in availability. In my opinion, you’re making a good move.
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I love love love my 27″ iMac! Screen, amazing. Speed, amazing. Productivity, out the roof.
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Thank you for the comments so far! I knew this would be really helpful, thanks.
I currently have two 22″ samsung monitors that I really like, so that’s why I haven’t considered getting an iMac….but could I use those two monitors and the iMac screen? I guess I’ll have to see if the iMac can have dual dvi ports…
Keep the advice coming!
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Hi Brian,
I find a 15″ MacBook Pro with wireless keyboard and mouse, hooked-up to a monitor for large-scale print work, is more than adequate.
I don’t think you need to buy both a desktop and a MacBook.
Enjoy.
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Im with Carl –
Really no need for both for general ACS work, the mac pro really only comes into its own on video editing and after effects stuff for which im eternally thankful!
But handling ACS – the top end macbook pro is the be and end all. iMacs are ok – but if you work/travel you cant put a price on being mobile.
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Brian, Brian, Brian… I am just ashamed that it’s taken you this long to take a bite and enjoy the fruit.
It’s good. You’ll see.
Tony
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Congrats on the switch! I’ve been using Macs for about 15 years and love them.
I have a 24″ iMac for my desktop and it’s been plenty powerful most all my work. I recently bought a 17″ MacBook Pro. I previously had a 15″ older MacBook Pro and it just wasn’t powerful enough. I love the 17″ when travelling because I feel I have enough monitor space to do web, print layout, etc. The 15″ was just too small for actually working. It was sgreat for checking email, etc. If you get a laptop go with the 17″ you won’t be sorry.I would go with David Airey’s suggestion of getting the MacBook Pro and hook-up to a large monitor. I plan to go with that setup once my iMac bites the dust. One computer is much easier than syncing files across two. Of course Dropbox helps alot with that!
BTW, the iMac cannot be used as a monitor to hookup to a laptop. I treid that already. I think the 27″ iMac is the only one capable of doing the dual monitor hookup.
Good luck with the switch. I don’t think you’ll regret it!
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Shaun says:
Haha.. This I another April fool right? Your one of the last people I had down for making the switch!
Anyway, I’m probably quite qualified as I have 4 of the 5 models of Mac (Mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro & iMac) as well as countless random bits. I started with just the MBP and kept my PC but within a few months I was hooked.
Anyway, I agree with what everybody has said about not needing both, the modern MBPs are so powerful they’re easily good enough (get as much RAM as you can afford tho, at least 4gb if your using CS4)
if you do prefer both why not consider an iMac instead if MacPro? A Pro is stupidly powerful for general use / design stuff.
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Good choice! I switch more than 10 years ago. I would go with a Macbook pro 15″ and then buy a external monitor. That’s how my set up is and I love it! MacBook pros are powerful enough for cs4 and this way you get two displays.
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Haven’t used Macs in awhile, but welcome to a virus-free work environment. I should switch to Apple for that very reason alone.
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Jeremy says:
You don’t need a Mac Pro. Really.
iMac is plenty good. And has a beauty of its own.
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I’ve been working on both for the last few years – I’ve used Macs for 15+ years. I think you’ve made a good decision. I’ve just recently decided to migrate everything over to my Mac and use it as my main computer for the same reasons you mentioned – workflow, productivity, etc.
Get 4GB of RAM – more really isn’t necessary. I use an external drive for most of my storage. Coda is a good code editor, and Fetch is a nice FTP program.
I’m moving toward a model where most of what I need is stored online (delicious for bookmarks, DropBox for storage, etc.) so I can easily jump between computers.
Whatever you decide to get, enjoy it!
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I hate to say it but I think the first time I used a Mac it was 18 years ago and I’m useless, useless, useless with PCs.
At the moment I’ve got an iMac and a MacBook Pro (as well as an iPhone, iPod and Shuffle).
If you use your own email account (instead of Gmail or something like that) create IMAP mail accounts in your Mac Mail to sync your mail between the two machines. And you can pass files between the two easily using Bluetooth – no need to purchase .Mac account.
Other than that I can’t think what clever apps I use just the main ones you’ll already know about. I use TextEdit a lot for code (Mac’s NotePad) Cmd-Shift-T to toggle between rich text and plain.
Cmd-Shift-4 and drag for screenshots now that I’m on to key commands…
Cyberduck for FTP. MAMP for running WordPress locally.
You can daisy chain them with an external drive to sync and backup your work but I haven’t got round to doing that yet.
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Thanks everyone!
I ended up getting a Mac Pro, Quad Core and added some additional RAM to it to get it to 7gb.
Really happy with it. I’ll be getting a Macbook Pro next, but waiting for Apple to sort out the issue of some of them exploding and melting ! lol
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Thanks for the post and the comments everyone. I am really learning and maybe I’ll try one of the macbooks in the future.
