ArtBistro

I don't see any difference in the 2, I have used PCs since 10 years ago and started using Macs about a year ago and if your just knowledgeable about computers alone then it doesn't matter which one you get  they both get the job done...

My opinion.

 mac of course!

I can't contribute much more. I've owned both for years. Now I use PC for internet access only. I'm a strong believer that my work computer (Mac) never has access to the internet. So much safer. I have a UPS system on it and it has NEVER crashed in the 3yrs that I have owned it. The price if you really look into it is pretty much the same. I run alot of PC programs on my Mac with no problems. I even run some very high end 3-D animation programs on my Mac. Before I could only run them on a PC which is why I purchased PCs in the first place. My choice Mac.

 As I've heard it said, 'Once you go Mac, you never go back.' SO true. I love my Macbook so much more than any PC i've ever had. 

 I used to have a Micron PC. Now I am a MacBook Pro convert and will never go back to a PC. Less trouble and more creative potential with the Mac.

 i will say mac, i used both and i have my pc from work but is much better and easier to use my mac the graphics the programs  and simple way of using all the commands  mac a lot of pros  ....

Mac, Mac, MAc, MAc, MAC, MAC, MACMACMACMACMAC.  ehem. excuse me.

As far as Mac goes it is not whether or not your do graphic work, audio, or whatever. The Mac is better because it can do everything a PC can and whats better is since you don't spend most of your computing time troubleshooting the Mac lets you do what you do, no BS. Macs are for people who are tech-frustrated, don't care how it works, techno-dummies, and artists, because you can't deny that the Mac is the best designed computer on the market. Period. Except with the latest update to the MacBook Pros. Fucking Glass! WTF was Jobs thinking. No chance of ever getting accurate color out of those machines now. Oh well I guess it's just you and me Mac Pro.

PC

I have used both, prefer my Mac over PC hands down!

After all these years, the whole Mac vs. PC argument is getting tedious.

Like several others here, I'm a veteran designer... in fact, I predate both Mac and PC. I was doing conventional illustration and doing my first digital page layout on a Quadex system from Compugraphic - back in the days of 7-inch floppy disks.

Anyway, I got my first Mac in 1985 and used all the applications (Illustrator, Photoshop, Freehand, QuarkXPress, and dozens more). In the fall of 1993, Quark released their first Windows version and I went dual-platform. To this day, I still work on both Mac and PC but I must admit I am using my PC more and more.

Most of the replies, so far, have been leaning in favor of the Mac. I respect the fact that, for a lot of people, this is a matter of passion and fervor that borders on religion. A few years ago, I needed a laptop so I got a 17" HP with the full keyboard (including numberpad) that only cost $1000. I could get 3 fully-loaded howling Windows laptops for the price of 1 Mac with the necessary features... the price ratio is even more dramatic with desktop systems.

My PC laptop (with only 2 GB of RAM) has the full version of Adobe CS4 Master Collection, plus 2 full versions of MS Office (2003 and 2007), plus a whole library of other applications such as Corel, Canvas, and more utilities than you can shake a mouse at. I often have a dozen applications open at the same time and I have to remember to reboot occasionally because it never crashes. My Mac starts to freak out whenever I have more than 5 applications running at the same time... it's still wonky with memory allocation although the Mac has gotten much better than it used to be (pre-OS 9).

In the office, my team is split between the two platforms. All of my Windows XP computers and all of my G5 Macs (running Leopard) have Adobe CS3 installed. My G4 Macs, however, are running Adobe CS (on Mac OS 10.3) because they cannot support Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) necessary to run CS3 nor Quark 7.

It's sad that any out-of-the-box-from-Walmart WinXP machine can run Adobe CS3 without any special tweaks. Now I have to replace my G4 Macs because they won't support the applications I need... guess which platform the G4's will be changed to? Frankly, the platform doesn't matter like it did a decade ago. Now I'm more concerned with a graphic designer's skill with the applications - not their operating system.

The cross-platform font problem is annoying, but I'm lucky to have all the necessary fonts for each OS. I have a bigger problem with files submitted by non-graphic users from Corporate America. In addition to MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel charts - they sending me files created with MS Publisher, MS Visio, MS Access and other applications that aren't even available on a Mac. Since these are my clients, it's a lot easier to work with their files when I'm working on the same platform with access to the same applications.

In the end, you have to make your own decision based on your own needs. Since 95%-plus of my client base uses Windows to exchange all sorts of data, the Windows solution works best for me. If I only worked in a closed circle of the graphics elite, the Mac would probably be better. I'm lucky because I get to work with both.

When I'm mobile, however, the PC laptop means that I can go anywhere and know that my system will work with (and exchange files with) my client base. This is especially important for all the non-graphic stuff that is part of any efficient workflow - emails, spreadsheets, reports, presentations, and documents that don't get mangled everytime they are passed back and forth.

It's not a religion... it's only a tool to do a job. I apologize if my ambivalent-to-Mac heresy offended anyone. Good luck to each of you as you make your own decision to meet your own specific needs.

Warmest regards, Chris

In the early 90's, the first Windows versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, etc. were dramatically different experiences than the Mac versions. Windows menus were structured and arranged awkwardly, the tools didn't have the same functionality and many features were in unexpected places compared to the Mac version. Back in the early days, there were a lot of Mac-only things in most graphic and layout programs.

Today, Adobe and the other software companies have worked hard to make their applications act virtually the same on either platform. If you're good at DreamWeaver or InDesign (or whatever), you can be equally productive on either platform. The keyboard shortcuts are the same but the relative position of the shortcut keys are slightly different... a minor adjustment (annoyance?) I have to remember each time I hop between operating systems.

From the very beginning, Windows always had a lock on the number-crunching and database applications like dBase, Access, etc. It's always been a mystery to me that there are no good Mac versions of many business applications that are heavily used throughout Corporate America - Macs certainly have the necessary computing power. Maybe it was a cultural perception where Macs were seen as magical outlets for the artsy creative and non-conformist types whereas PCs were seen as clunky tools for the boring businessmen and accountant types.

Even now, you still see comments about how cute and user-friendly the Mac is - and how you can spend hours dressing up the interface to do the most adorable things. For some people, the emotional experience of using one platform outweighs the functionality you can find on both. I don't understand that mentality but I respect it because I know that is important for some people's creative process. To me, it's like fixating on one type of pencil vs. another type of pencil - I only see them as tools to get a job done. I don't spend a lot of time obsessing  about the relative cuteness of my pencils.

Going forward, I see some interesting trends. As noted, Microsoft Office has many applications and features that are only available in their Windows version. Adobe *gasp!* seems to be following the Microsoft example. It starting to show up in earlier versions of Creative Suite but, with CS4, Adobe added numerous features that are Windows-only and not available at all for the Mac. There aren't Mac-only features anymore. What's up with that?

I can relate to jhaber 31:

jhaber31 says ...

... I once felt so up-to-date in my skills, and now I realize how dated I've become, unable to script it in something like php or Ruby or to add user comments to the home/blog page.

With web design, I find I really have to keep up the technology. I remember when it was only a matter of knowing HTML - there wasn't even any CSS yet. Now I'm working with XHTML, JavaScript, ASP, JSP, ColdFusion, PHP, SQL, and dozen other languages requiring all sorts of utilities. Thank goodness for DreamWeaver! I can hardly wait to work in CSS 3!

Anyway, there's never a dull moment - thank God - regardless of whether you use your Mac or your PC. Enjoy the challenges!

Warmest regards, Chris

PC user END OF STORY!! Besides why pay triple the price just  to have the name Apple hoity toidy on your laptop?? That's my two cents worth and I'm sticking with it. I'm forced to used Mac's in my classes, not by choice. The only thing Macs are good for are "TWO ALL BEEF PATTIES SPECIAL SAUCE LETUCE CHEESE PICKES ONIONS ON A SESAME SEED BUN!!!"

I use both. I learned on a Mac and it was simple. I would love a new Mac but, sheesh, dont have that kind of bread. So, I had someone build me a fastass pc. I use a kvm switch and toggle back and forth. I use my Mac (old school, os 9.1) for creating layers in Adobe Streamline and Macromedia Freehand 10 for the most of my vector work. I then save and export accordingly to my pc. I have found a comfortable bridge to use both and my work does not suffer. Lemons....Lemonade. Just create and share.

I almost hate to say it, I've been a PC user my entire life, and never had any interaction with a mac until college. I was completely against Macs all together and never wanted to be in the same room with one, and then all of a sudden I was in a room with 30 of them. I had some issues getting used to the single button mouse (it just feels wrong!) but eventually I got into the flow, and I have to say I think they've equaled themselves out. It seems like you need higher specs to run the adobe suites on a pc as opposed to a mac, but if you got the gear they seem to be matched pretty well.

In essence, on a normal basis I'm a pc, but when it comes to GD software, I can go either way.