we have been putting vista through the ringer here at UT. it isn't that much more secure than xp...you will be downloading security updates in vista just like you did with xp.. yes, it also feels just like a Mac..
Most of the dominance of Microfoft Windows can be attributed to the unlimited production PC's enjoyed in the 90's. ANYBODY could make a PC..Dell, IBM, Gateway, COmpact..etc. etc. So you have dozens of companies competing for your business -- thus the product is cheaper and you probably get more gadgets for you buck. Additionally, anybody could write programs for Windows/PC. So you could find any program you wanted...no problem. Conversely...only Apple made Macs (along with one or two co-producers I believe...maybe Mitsubishi??). And Apple software during these times was very limited. The market was given more access to PC's, and that laid the foundation for a generational war of OS's. With the introduction of the imac in 99' or 00', however, Apple turned a massive corner. That computer sold more units than any desktop ever. And ever since then, APple has been steadily climbing in market share. I believe the two computers have distinct niches they have carved out. Apple is the graphics, editing, creative junk computer. This isn't branding..it's just what they're good at. I work in advertising and I have never..ever...ever..been to any production house, ad agency, edit shop, sound studio, whatever..that used PC's. Just maccs. On the other hand..EVERYBODY else uses Windows/PC. No reason to battle people. Who cares.
Yeah he's right...I forgot that most of our account/media people use PC's. I just never hang out with those people long enough to see their computers... Kidding.
i have vista ultimate on my imac at home. it was a big improvement in GUI, tried to look more like OSX. i like the aeroglass look but after a while its still just windows. anti everything software to download and update daily. not as easy to use as OSX, not as stable, etc etc....
i've actually had pretty good experiences with the "genius bar" at the santa monica apple store. also, the store in dallas was good to us on a couple of occassions. the bars get sort of jammed up with people with ipod questions pretty often. but i've taken computers in and gotten good service. had apple repair a problem and send it back to me within two days.
i prefer to mod up my computer. therefore, pcs are the best for me. i actually kind of like running into problems every once in awhile. its like a puzzle. that said, i don't have anything against macs. i recommended one to the wife of a friend because it fit her uses more than a pc might. but mac users frequently come across as smarmy. as for the topic at hand, what does vista offer that xp does not currently offer?
Disclaimer: The monster I am today is due to exposure. IBM was a gateway PC (no, not that Gateway). Later, I became an addict. I am here to confess and throw myself at the altar of forgiveness. Background: When Mac became a true player in the market, according to all of the literature I was reading, it was too late. Intervention after intervention failed to help me get clean. When I could have quit, I chose what I knew. Bill was always there to hit me up with the good stuff. When I downloaded SP2, all I heard was Motley’s “Dr. Feelgood”. I felt unclean. I am ashamed to admit the cycle continued for convenience and utility. Truth: Keeping my problem in mind, I ask you not to judge. Judge not the meek, the timid. Judge not the project managers and accountants. The directors of capital funding and the bean counters. The money folks. In short, those of us who lack creativity. In closing, and on a totally unrelated note, I was forced to draw the conclusion that the most ardent Mac lovers/Windows haters are uncircumcised. I felt dirty thinking it but I knew it was true. I studied under the masters and I learned to use this Jedi skill at an early age. This ability was honed and refined on this very site. I hope I can be forgiven. I am going to update my antivirus software now. Pray for me, please.
I have another question. How exactly is a Mac better for "creatives"? I run image, video, and sound editing programs on my PC just fine.
well, for a long time most of the applications needed were only available on macs. macs have a long history of being first to market on innovations in the graphic fields. even now mac color calibration and management is better than windows. macs also had monitor spanning before windows did. i had multi-monitors on my macs a looong time ago. it was basically always plug and play. multi-monitors is a big deal with pallette-heavy apps like photoshop. at this point, even if there was parity it still wouldn't matter because it's extremely entrenched in the creative industries. also, most of us don't like spending time futzing with computers and really just want to get stuff done. i'm actually a geek and a creative, but most creatives i know don't like messing with their computers. the only creative field i know of that uses windows consistently is web design and dev. i think that's because it was a never field and all the tools were developed concurrently for both platforms so those folks took advantage of cheaper windows computers.
Voodoo -- while I agree that a lot of the programs used in our field (advertising for me) can be found on both systems...for whatever reason, apple is king. I'm a writer so I'm can't spout of color correcting software specs and all that jazz...but at every agency i've ever worked at (full-time or freelance) I've always been given a mac. And I'm only using word! As mentioned in previous posts, however, account/media peeps will usually roll with PC's. Probably for a lot of reasons..but I'm thinking the programs they use are probably better suited for a PC. Plus, if whatever we give them works on their computers -- it will work on the client's. When I was building my portfolio in school, I had a Dell with photoshop etc. loaded up. It worked just fine for me...but I wasn't doing anything too amazing with it.
