What are the pros and benefits of a Mac?

[Saulkar]

Apple has created a very stable platform with their hardware and software unison, and when that is a priority over performance, you should always turn to Apple. I've never run into a hardware limitation on the tracks, and it doesn't crash, ever ever ever ever ever ever.

That is a good benefit but the problem is my main 3D platform does not work with it. Where 3DS Max goes, I follow.

Really I thought 3DMax was for both Mac and Windows. Either way peeps use Maya round here

Maya is OK but the problem is that it has an unintuitive interface (coming from someone who spent a year with it) and 3DS Max has superior modeling tools while Maya has superior animation tools. I am a 3D modeler so max is where I stay.

I have only used Maya but you sound like you know what your talking about so I will trust ya. I just checked and 3ds Max is for both operating systems. Also if that is your work you are a very talented modeler great work I am more of a flash animator myself. I know the basics of Maya but really I am a 2d guy through and through I even won a few awards on newgrounds

So it sounds like I found a fellow artist and yes that is my work.

The thing is that 3DS Max is not natively designed to run on a MAC OS as it requires either a "Mac Virtualization on Parallels Desktop" or Boot Camp which results in stability issues with certain tools and operations which can cripple a work pipeline.

 

[Waaghpowa]

It's the best upgrade that I have made to a PC ever. It's an essential upgrade in my opinion. Fully loaded windows in 25 seconds? Yes please!

Or Ubuntu in 7 seconds. Seriously, my Ubuntu partition on a hard disk loads as fast as Windows on an SSD.

 

[Spitfire]

Unless you have a preference for Mac exclusive software, there is no other pro to it.

 

[aba1]

Apple has created a very stable platform with their hardware and software unison, and when that is a priority over performance, you should always turn to Apple. I've never run into a hardware limitation on the tracks, and it doesn't crash, ever ever ever ever ever ever.

That is a good benefit but the problem is my main 3D platform does not work with it. Where 3DS Max goes, I follow.

Really I thought 3DMax was for both Mac and Windows. Either way peeps use Maya round here

Maya is OK but the problem is that it has an unintuitive interface (coming from someone who spent a year with it) and 3DS Max has superior modeling tools while Maya has superior animation tools. I am a 3D modeler so max is where I stay.

I have only used Maya but you sound like you know what your talking about so I will trust ya. I just checked and 3ds Max is for both operating systems. Also if that is your work you are a very talented modeler great work I am more of a flash animator myself. I know the basics of Maya but really I am a 2d guy through and through I even won a few awards on newgrounds

So it sounds like I found a fellow artist and yes that is my work.

The thing is that 3DS Max is not natively designed to run on a MAC OS as it requires either a "Mac Virtualization on Parallels Desktop" or Boot Camp which results in stability issues with certain tools and operations which can cripple a work pipeline.

That really surprises me that sucks. But yes I am a fellow artist I am actually designing a game for steam right now been really busy with that. I haven't had hardly any time to do any digital paintings except for backgrounds in the intro.

 

[AD-Stu]

Oh, and Manufactuer's Bloatware. Screw you if you dare not build a machine yourself. And good luck trying to get rid of it all.

Sorry, but this is something Macs are just as guilty of, if not more so. My last work iMac had a taskbar full of iTunes, Garage Band and all sorts of other useless crap - and then the one time I actually needed to do some basic video reviewing work (y'know, the stuff Macs are supposed to be good at) I still needed to download VLC.

If you buy a name-brand PC then absolutely, bloatware can be a problem (though there was relatively little of it on my Toshiba laptop when I bought it a few years ago) but you can hardly pretend Macs are innocent in that regard...

 

[Overusedname]

Virus resistance, stability, well built and durable, Time Machine automatic data backup, online data backup, and a crap load of other things that boil down to: My massive pile of data is safer on this thing that on the other option. I'm a major writer and video maker, I don't wanna loose a single thing. And I prefer a computer that lasts long with a GUI emphasis on file/app organization. The App store also makes me happy, and valve has pretty much crushed the 'you can't game on a mac' thing.

Mac is a niche product in practice. I fit into that niche. None of the downsides have any consequence to me at all, and I desperately need the upsides.

I aknowledge the average joe should really just get a PC, and about half the 'specialists' should be using PC's anyway. I just know I sure as hell shouldn't. I've lost a lot of work to the evil forces of Dell.

 

[Bocaj2000]

Ok so after the torrent of comments I have a general idea but I am getting the impression that some people think that I want to buy one when in fact I do not.

Because I have no idea. As far as I can tell it is simply a different OS mounted onto standard hardware. Additionally I have been told that there are no real benefits to the OS as it is generally preference and what software is supported and that the hardware is generally overpriced. So instead of taking Apple's word for it, are there any real benefits to a Mac that I cannot get when building my own or buying a pre-built Windows computer?

Just a quick FYI, I already have a self built Windows 7 workstation that I am very happy with and have no intentions of buying a Mac.

EDIT: The reason I am asking here instead of simply Googling is I want a general consensus from a userbase I have a general familiarity of and has a good number of techies.

EDIT02: Entertainment Value for reasons I do not know why.

From someone who grew up on various Windows and got a Mac for school (animation major):

The biggest difference is user interface. In that regard, the mac generally more preferable for various reasons. However, it can't run as many games (complaint averted through the use virtual machines and bootcamp). I prefer the Mac OS, but others may disagree.

 

[bluepilot]

I love my mac because I study in Japan. This means that I have to type stuff in Japanese. The average PC has 5 buttons allowing my to change to Japanese/English and is a ridiculous system designed by a hyperactive octopus.

The mac has only two buttons and this feature alone has halved the time that it takes me to type.

So I guess it all depends on what it is you want to do with the computer really

 

[octafish]

I'll through my 2 cents in here. Displays. That is the primary advantage I see. I'm pretty sure that is why they are so favored by "creatives". Sure you can get good PC monitors, but with Macs it is virtually a guarantee, or at least it used to be I'm not sure what they are shipping with now. I don't think any laptop screen can compare to those in the MBP though. The 13" MBP is the nicest portable computer I have ever seen, and I want one, but I refuse to pay the premium.

I have been editing on dodgy monitors and relying on the numerical values Photoshop displays for over ten years now and have a good expectation of how an image will look even using an Ok but certainly not great TN panel. My next investment PC wise will be a 27" 1440p IPS monitor but if I had a Mac it would have come as standard.

 

[gyroscopeboy]

As someone who has been using Macs for the last 9 years, i can tell you there's no real benefit, besides a familiar and functional OS (once you're used to it) and good stability. I've had my Macbook Pro for almost 5 years and it hasn't slowed down AT ALL.

That said, I'm disappointed with Apple's approach to its customers, it has effectively shunned its pro user base, the ones that stuck with them through the Windows golden years, so my next desktop PC will be a custom built hackintosh, I refuse to shell out $5,000 for 3-5 year old tech.

Also, the new iMacs are a pile of shit compared to the old G5 towers...ran a geekbench on a year old iMac i5 against a 6-7 year old G5 tower and the G5 left the iMac in the dust. The iMacs with no ability to add a 2nd Hard Drive make them shithouse for Photoshopping large images.

 

[KenuZ]

FOr all of those saying that gamers have "Limited options"" I would like you to meet a friend of mine named Boot Camp.

Genau! If you would ever want to game on a mac, just Boot Camp dat shit

 

[Sanat]

Pros: They don't smell bad when you buy them.
Benefits: You now have a much lighter pocket.

There is literally not a single feature that logically favours a Mac over a PC.

Literally zero.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

Only two things I've noticed.

It comes with more goodies than a windows.
You can surf for porn without much fear of viruses, but if you start transferring those files to a windows the mac could become a carrier and infect the windows computer.

The virus thing is slowly changing, with macs getting a larger niche in the market people are starting to make viruses for it.

 

[Sexy Devil]

I use a Mac because the GUI is easier to use and there is less chance to get viruses. even with porn

Build quality mainly, the slaves at Foxconn are top notch!

It's way more locked down but with apple software anyway more stable.

this, all of it.

All you need to know is that Steve Jobs is a Prophet and his products are Godlike and you should buy his products.

I hate fanboyism like this.

Might just be because I grew up on Windows but the GUI annoys the shit out of me. Got a C programming class where they're requiring that I use a Mac and it's making me want to break things.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Might just be because I grew up on Windows but the GUI annoys the shit out of me. Got a C programming class where they're requiring that I use a Mac and it's making me want to break things.

Funny, I grew up on PCs then when I discovered OSX I as overjoyed with the GUI. I must be the nega-you.

 

[Pinkamena]

Great performance and a heck of a lot more stable than other OS's.

The OS is also a lot friendlier and more intuitive than Windows; having been a Windows user prior to switching, I can say that Mac OS is a lot more natural in the way you'd expect it to work.

The available software is geared more towards creativity, as opposed to Windows which is productivity-based. This obviously isn't a plus for everyone, but for me it absolutely is.

Beautiful design. From an aesthetic point of view, they're technical masterpieces. When it's turned off and sitting on my desk, it doesn't look like a 'computer' per se; it's like a work of art that I can use to create more art.

Wait, what? Art? To be honest, I find the "Apple design" very boring and plain. But I guess that's all a matter of taste.
And saying that Macs are geared more towards productivity is bullshit. A PC can run the exact same "creativity" programs that a Mac can.

 

[Pinkamena]

Pros: They don't smell bad when you buy them.
Benefits: You now have a much lighter pocket.

There is literally not a single feature that logically favours a Mac over a PC.

Literally zero.

I am in no way an Apple fanboy (Never bought one of their products, never will), but I can think of a single feature that makes a Mac favorable for the average person, and it's how the OS apparently is more user friendly and doesn't require any technical experience from the user. Funnily enough, that's also one of the reasons I don't want to buy a Mac. I enjoy the possibility to delve deep into the OS, because if something goes wrong, I want to be able to fix it myself.

 

[Waaghpowa]

For windows, you have to admit 25 seconds isn't bad. I mean fully loaded, that's with all the background tasks initialised and everything.

Still better than slogging through for a few minutes on a HDD waiting for everything to load, the constant hang ups etc. It's always great at the start then it sloooows.

Agreed, it's nice that my SSD allows me to start clicking on my browser or other icons the moment the desktop appears rather than waiting for things to load. The only down side I have with my SSD is that my MB uses Marvel controller, which means my SSD only has a Read/write of about 380 mb/s rather than the full 550mb/s it's supposed to have.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

I would say, if you want in on a lifestyle, go for it, because that is what Apple has been about over the last decade or so, much less about selling tech than they are about selling the apple lifestyle, they're akin the the starbucks of computing, and they irritate me, every damn mac store I've been in makes me feel like there's this pull to become a yuppy hipster and suddenly the only car I want is a grey merc and the only thing i ever want to consume again is biscotti and lattes, sad thing, is I'm only kinda joking...

I like building my own pcs, because unless you've got no hands, no eyes, and no brain, building a pc is simple shit, the cables only fit where they're supposed to, and motherboards come with manuals that are full of pictures, also installing new windows operating systems is a process of putting your tower together, and inserting a disc, then following the instructions, easy shit, I mean sure not as easy as plug and use, but honestly, spending 45mins building and setting up a computer, saving like $400-$1200 in the process, not a bad thing.