On Mon, 2 Apr 2007 18:07:42 -0700,
wrote:
I have been working with Photoshop CS for years on windows. I would eventually like to be employed in this field, but have been told that I need to be experienced on the mac. Of course I would like to get the new Mac Book Pro but it’s just not in the buget. I am looking at a used Power Book G4 with Adobe suite already installed. I don’t know much about the diffrenced in the macs, does anyone have any advice for me??
Thanks,
Heather
Well, this is my opinion and only an opinion, so to others reading this, please don’t start a Mac/Wintel war.
When my daughter was in college, she majored in photography and graphic design. She had only used Wintel machines (Windows machines with Intel processors), and she was told the same thing you were…..if you want to work in the graphics industry, you need to learn how to use a Mac, so we spend the overpriced cost to buy a Mac Powerbook.
She used it as well as her Wintel computer. She became
proficient at both. When she got out into the real world, she discovered that no one wanted the Macs, and instead, preferred the Wintel machines.(some smaller companies that can’t afford to upgrade to Wintels might still use the Macs). Why? Two reasons….there was no in house tech support for Macs, and there was no software. Each of these obstacles still exist, and even though the new Macs are finally using the more powerful Intel processors, which enable them to run Bootcamp, the tech support still isn’t there.(If you don’t know, Bootcamp is software that lets you run Windows software on a Mac.) I’m not sure what country you’re in, but in the USA, Apple Computer runs commercials showing you all the pluses of Macs, and the deficiencies of Wintel machines. They never mention that you can’t build your own Mac computer, like you can with a Wintel machine, because Apple wants to have total control over their machines, that way they can charge a premium price for them. (they tried it once, and lost their shirts doing it, so they stopped allowing other companies to build Mac clones).
They also advertise that you can run Windows software on them. Well, why pay a premium price for a Mac to run the same software that you can run on a lower priced Wintel machine?*
I doubt that you’d be interested in building your own Mac, but I thought I’d offer some insight into their practices. Also, the G4 doesn’t have an Intel processor, so you can’t run Bootcamp. That means that you’ll have to use software designed just for the Mac’s PowerPC processor. Any software you now have will not work on it…you have to buy it all over again. Add to that the fact that there is very limited software for that processor, and it’s not such a good deal.
If it was me, I’d go to a friend or school or whatever, that had a Mac machine, and ask if you could use it there, just to see how it works. Wasting your money on a Mac, and then finding that you really didn’t need to, can put an unnecessary dent in your finances. If you feel you must get a Mac, get a new one with an Intel processor, that way, you can at least use your existing software.
Boyd
(Again, to others reading this, I’m not trying to start a Mac/Wintel war again. No one ever wins those things. I’m just offering an opinion based on my experiences, and those of my family and friends.)
