Same old Question PC vs MBP

[touyen]

Hey Brian

I went to Best Buy last night and ask about a new labtop.. cuz i need a new one.. the guy was saying for editing on Photoshop and such Mac is better?? I know Damien said otherwise. I do have a mac currently. The programs seemed to be aesthetic more pleasing on the Mac... I'm torn.. I played a little bit of game and edit. Since Catalina my 16 gig MBP had slowed down. I know this Razer blade computer is a better value because it has the 8 gig graphic card, upgrade-able ram BUT... i just cant seem to get over the normal display... With what I do currently.. is a Mac worth it??

[Brian]

"...is a Mac worth it?" 

That is going to be the title for a yet-to-be-releaed FAQ section, so thank you for asking it.

 

Quote

 

"Is a Mac worth it?" "Are Macs better than PC's for Photo-Editing? "I was told that Macs are better..." 

 

These statements, or variations of them are probably the #2 Macintosh-related question, which is "What Mac do you recommend..." or variations of that statement. First and foremost, always remember this phrase: A Macintosh computer, whether it's a Mac Laptop or Mac Desktop isn't "Better," it's just "Different."  

Well, at least with today's technology and computers. Way-back in the late 1980's, Adobe Photoshop was ONLY available on a Macintosh computer, as well as Adobe's other products, such as Illustrator. Back then Apple was willing and even pursued the Art and Creative World, like Music Development, and Windows primarily went after the Business Market and ultimately video games. So there was this split between the two worlds, and I'm not just talking about Windows and Macintosh, but between a "Closed Environment" and a "Open Environment." You still see this split today and not just with computers, but with Smart Phones as well. People have love-affairs with their Droid phones while others, like myself, love their iPhones. It's very difficult to make the other-side see a different viewpoint as they are dedicated to their devices of choice.

Bill Gates and Microsoft, like today's Android Smart-Phones, encouraged a "Open Environment," which allowed all sorts of companies and developers come up with products to work on a single platform, Apple took the other-side of the coin, and that was a "Closed Environment," in which Apple controlled 100% of the "User Experience." Meaning you either played by Apple's rules or you didn't play at all. Each side of this coin has advantages, as well as disadvantages.

One benefit with Windows-based computer, is there is a lot more development and products, that-being-said, the downside is there is a lot of development and products. This can result in security holes as well as just plain crappy software which didn't always play well with the hardware. Speaking of hardware, just think of all of the different choices you have when it comes to a Windows-based computer. Thousands and thousands of hardware choices and combinations!! Most of the time, things work. Other times things can be a challenge and you just have plain compatibility issues.

Apple on the other hand, took a different approach to the personal computer. Is was Steve Jobs that wanted to have the hardware AND software work together seamlessly, and have a "Controlled Experience" in the process. Everything would "just work" together and that spirit still lies in today's Apple products. Just think how a iMac, iCloud, iPhone, iPad, etc. all just work together without any real user input. Apple software, though not as powerful as their counterparts, like Microsoft, also "just works" on a Mac. Hardware is designed around Apple Software and things are locked down. Only Apple has the secret to the "Sauce" in their products. This in turn, usually infuriates the majority while the minority...actually prefers it. With having limited options allows software developers only have to worry about a few small choices. For example, instead of having to make something like Photoshop work with a 1000 different video cards, Apple I think has like 8-10 choices of video cards across their lineup, from Desktop to Laptop. (But don't quote me on that, I'm just using this as a personal observation/opinion.)

The downside to not having choices and having all options come from a single source is price. The Apple Macintosh has NEVER-EVER-EVER been in-expensive. The original Macintosh from 1984 debuted at $2499, which in today's money translates to $6207.17 (as I type this.) With today's marketing, that would result around $6299 or $6249. So even though a iMac is still expensive compaired to a Windows computer, $2000-$3000 for what you get in terms of power is significantly cheaper. The Macintosh Pro line though, is more in line with the $6000+ price-tag. Bottom Line: Apple's prices have been consistent when it comes to a Macintosh. The one in 1984 was $2499 and the 27" iMac model that I recommend starts at $2399.

OK, I'm really digressing. Remember above how I stated that Windows went after the business market and Apple was more open to the "Creative" market? That's why there is such an entrenchment when it comes to Apple's products and things like Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as software that Musicians and Producers use, it's usually Mac-based. Or is only available on the Mac. Adobe Photoshop was first only available on a Macintosh Computer. Windows 2.0 and later 3.0/3.1 really didn't mature until Windows 95. So you had an entire generation of creatives that only used Photoshop on the Macintosh; it was completely foreign to them if it were on a Windows platform.

I've heard of Art Directors totally dismiss a person's work simply because they had a Windows Laptop under their arm, instead of a MacBook Pro when they walked in the door. I had a friend who worked for Nickelodeon studios in NYC, who designed the Spongebob SquarePants Movie Logo, who was forbidden by Viacom (Owner of Nickelodeon) to create or tweak any work on a Windows-based computer. She had to use a Macintosh computer.  So while the average person would scoff at such a thing, and they are right, there is still a huge prejudice against Windows running Photoshop. Granted a person's work SHOULD be judged for what it is instead of what it was produced on, but this is the real-world and if Photography is paying my bills and putting food on the table, I don't care what a Keyboard-Warrior / Photographer says, I'm walking in the door with a MacBook Pro. They are posting their images on Social Media to get Likes and Swoons, I'm in it to get paid. LOL!!

OK, so let's really answer the question, why are Macs supposed to be "Better" and what makes them so? Remember how I said you have limited choices when it comes to Apple's products? Apple typically does not cheap-out when it comes to their components. Of course, there is a lot of evidence to the contrary, just ask any board-level repairmen and they will tell you that Apple does some pretty stupid stuff, but the original intent from Steve Jobs was to have the components on the inside look as good as the products on the outside. One of the main things that Apple has always done, is to use really good displays. The early models of Macintosh, as well as external monitors that were tube-based (CRT) were Sony Trinitron displays, which at the time were better than the average display. Even today, a Macintosh Computer's display is really good out-of-the-box, though it needs to be calibrated as they tend to run on the cool-side, which usually results in over-warming your photographs during post. It's the display, in combination of the entrenchment of the Art World and Macs that usually dictate a sales-person's point-of-view that Macs are "Better" when it comes to Photoshop. It's almost hyperbole and is a "Safe" answer; just like "Nobody got fired for buying a IBM..." people just recommend Macintosh when it comes to Photoshop. 

These days, there are so many choices when it comes to a Windows-based computer. You can easily get a IPS-based display for a Windows Desktop without much searching. The Dell Ultra-sharp IPS-based monitors come to mind.  They are affordable and usually easy to calibrate. Laptops on the other-hand, are much more difficult to find a IPS Display being used. What's the deal with IPS? Simply put a IPS or an In-Plane Switching Display Panel, ensures that colors, contrast and sharpness are consistent from edge-to-edge. These displays tend to cost more to produce and that's why you won't find many laptop models with them installed. This is one of the main "Gotchas" when it comes to a Windows Laptop for editing photos, but that's an article for another day. Let's get back to Macintosh computers. 

The truth is, Adobe Photoshop will work fine on both a current Apple Macintosh and a Windows 10 Computer. Either is fine. The big difference is the display on which you work on, as well as having the right components under-the-hood. If you are editing photos, you NEED an IPS Display, whether it's a Laptop or Desktop. When it comes to a Mac, all of their Laptops and Desktops are IPS-based, so you don't have to think about it. A Windows computer...you need to make sure. Especially when it comes to a laptop.

Now if you are planning on switching back to a Windows computer, plan on some pain in switching back, as the file-systems are completely different between the two worlds. You can't just simply plug in your Macintosh EHD to a Windows Computer and immediately have access to your images. It doesn't work that way. They will need to be converted and I would actually purchase a fresh EHD to transfer your images to. The reason is, a Macintosh, by default, will READ a Windows Drive but NOT WRITE TO IT. The intent is to make it very easy to switch from a Windows computer to a Mac, but NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!! The other reason is it cuts down on technical support calls as Apple doesn't want to hear complaints when a file that was created on a Mac doesn't open properly on a Windows computer. Not their problem.

Often a Software Translation Package of some sort usually works, but it isn't bullet-proof. That's why I recommend using a fresh external HD, partitioned and formatted on a Windows computer to transfer your images to, and leave the existing Mac EHD alone. It's just safer in the long run just in-case if things go horribly wrong.

So what should you buy? Whatever you feel comfortable with. If that's a Mac, so-be-it. If you want to switch to Windows, that's fine too. Photoshop works the same on both. The downside, as I write this article is we are coming off the trade-war with China (If you live in the US) and now we are dealing with the Coronavirus, which has halted production of A LOT of computer components and equipment. Stocks are running low, it's now a really bad time to be in the market for a computer. So keep that in mind when you go shopping, you might have to wait a little more or be forced to pay more than you would have a few years ago for the same thing.

[Brian]

Here is a big digression...

For me personally, I own a 27" iMac computer. I fix Windows Computers and Servers all day long. When I come home, I do not want to "fix" my own computer. I don't want to hunt down patches and updates, make sure the latest rounds of updates are installed, worry about the latest video driver update screws up Photoshop. I just want my computer to work. Not reboot while in the middle of something, not ask me if I want to update this or that...none of that. Oh, I also do not run any sort of Virus Program and if I do happen to get infected by something, it's pretty easy to remove. I'm not saying that Macs aren't 100% immune, but there are a lot more Windows Computers out there than Macs, so the hackers and the like are more prone to go out and get a bigger and easier fish.

A lot of my Technician friends also own Macs, so that tells you something. LOL!! The internet and FB are the same on both. I now have a Right-Click on my mouse. Firefox, Chrome, YouTube, Netflix, all work the same. Photoshop is the same. Microsoft Office, mostly is the same thought there are some differences. The big difference is the COST. Macs have never been cheap and you will get all sorts of people screaming at you that Macs are over-priced and not worth it, and you can get so much more, don't drink the Kool-Aid and blah-blah-blah.

I say there are more important things to worry about.

That being said, if you have the money to fork out on a Mac, you have no excuse not to have the ability to purchase a calibration device, a round of test-prints and to take Damien's inexpensive classes.

[touyen]

hi Brian

i have the Calibrator and I am a fan of the classes and taken several of them. The biggest pain on my side is how the UI of these programs in windows differ from my MBP. I’ll post a screen shot when I get home. What you said are so informative, thank you so much. 
 

I think the Apple User in me is winning. Now let see if the pocket can back it up. My MBP lasts me for a good 4 years and it will continue to be a household labtop. 
 

thank you 

[Brian]

MBPs...they are a tough pill for me to swallow. I know people have a love-affair with stupid laptops, but spending $3600-ish for a MBP is just...wrong, in my humble opinion. You'd get so much more horsepower and life out of a tricked out 27" iMac or even a Windows Desktop.

Keep in mind that MacOS Catalina is 64-bit only. so if you have an older calibration device, like a ColorMunki, plan on forking out the money for a new one, like a SpyderX Pro. The reason is the calibration software is 32-bit and that device has been orphaned by the company. Even the Spyder5 Series's days are numbered.

[touyen]

I think I have the spyder5. 
 

the price tag is why I’m having this dilemma. I have a 2015 iMac 27 . I love that thing but I haven’t able to turn it on in a year since we moved to California and no space to set it up. 
 

my friend who was an Apple Genius said almost the same thing you said. He loves MacOS but he can’t spend the price of the current MBP. Luckily he doesn’t have to, his work gives him one.. 

 

 

[Brian]

Whatever you do, DO NOT PURCHASE A 21.5” iMac in order to save space. 

[touyen]

Oh yea for sure. Agree 100 %..