New Mac - trying to decide

[GomiGirl]

Time has come to retire my fave 12" G4 powerbook. I am now doing so much more DTP work in some really heavy apps like Adobe creative suite. Poor little powerbook has crawled to a snails pace. Still around 6gigs of spare memory but the processing power is really just not up to what I need these days.

So trying to decide between a HUGE iMac - I like them cos they are pretty and it will be fab to have a big screen for a change. I rarely travel with my laptop and it just sits on my work desk the whole time. I have a mac mini at home and these are the only places that I use a computer really. Plus for business trips I could just load up what I needed on the powerbook and use it like always but without all the process heavy apps installed.

BUT

Now that the new macbooks are out, I have been salivating. Plus if there are any dramas, it is hard to get an iMac repaired due to the size and the fact that it is an all-in-one beast.

What are the pros and cons of either choice? I am really not up to speed on the finer points of hardware as I really am a software girl.

Any personal recommendations? Or suggestions? Or horror stories.

(Kinda sounds like the same questions I would ask when buying a car - don't know much about the engine but I like the one with the awesome creature comforts and fab stereo. I am SUCH a girl.)

[wuchan]

Time has come to retire my fave 12" G4 powerbook. I am now doing so much more DTP work in some really heavy apps like Adobe creative suite. Poor little powerbook has crawled to a snails pace. Still around 6gigs of spare memory but the processing power is really just not up to what I need these days.

So trying to decide between a HUGE iMac - I like them cos they are pretty and it will be fab to have a big screen for a change. I rarely travel with my laptop and it just sits on my work desk the whole time. I have a mac mini at home and these are the only places that I use a computer really. Plus for business trips I could just load up what I needed on the powerbook and use it like always but without all the process heavy apps installed.

BUT

Now that the new macbooks are out, I have been salivating. Plus if there are any dramas, it is hard to get an iMac repaired due to the size and the fact that it is an all-in-one beast.

What are the pros and cons of either choice? I am really not up to speed on the finer points of hardware as I really am a software girl.

Any personal recommendations? Or suggestions? Or horror stories.

(Kinda sounds like the same questions I would ask when buying a car - don't know much about the engine but I like the one with the awesome creature comforts and fab stereo. I am SUCH a girl.)

It all depends on what you need. Forget the imac. For most people the new macbook pro will be more than enough. If you plan to do some high end rendering, video editing, or CGI you need a mac pro(the stupidly expensive and powerful minitower). Don't waste your money on a iMac, yes they are pretty but they are inferior to the macbook pro.

Until windows7 proves itself macbooks(with bootcamp running linux) will be king in the networking and creative computing worlds. Only super high-end CGI and creative programs require micro$oft, but I do wish I could get autocad for mac. Most of us don't need those programs, adobe is multi-platform. You already run mac so, for now, stick with it.

[Bucky]

. . . I am now doing so much more DTP work in some really heavy apps like Adobe creative suite.

GomiGirl,

Are you finding much use of Quark in Japan anymore? I see Quark now claims that QX 8 supports InDesign. We see very little in the way of Quark files coming through our shop anymore.

Also, do you find Japanese designers upgrade applications regularly? In the US I have heard a number of complaints from printing companies that get files from Japan that are still being made in Illustrator 9, or if files have to be sent to Japan, they need to be saved as AI 9 files.

It sounds like you are using CS2 or CS3.

[Charles]

You deserve an 8-core 3.2Ghz Mac Pro.

Personally, I would hold off for 2 more months and see what is announced at MacWorld on January 6.

[GomiGirl]

Thanks guys. This is what my staff were suggesting too. I am using CS3 mainly. I was just wanting a large screen for a change but you are right that the macbook is my best option.

I don't know if I can wait until January. My productivity is way down as I am opening and app and making a cup of coffee while I wait. I am really pushing my beloved PowerBook G4 to its processing limits - either that or Adobe CS3 is such a process hog.. or a combo of this.

I rarely have a need for Quark. Mostly I get stuff in InDesign, and Illustrator. I did get some files in Framemaker yesterday that I think I will need to download the trial version on a windows machine to convert the files to XML.

Mostly what we are getting from our publisher clients is print files that I am converting to use with mobile devices like iPhone etc. But I am making lots more graphics now for icons etc for the itunes store.

[GuyJean]

I think you'd appreciate the MacBook Pro.. I love my current MacBook. But the new MB, not having Firewire, pisses me off!

I'm assuming capturing video from a camera via USB is possible now? Or some Firewire to USB converter? I'm still old school Firewire.

GJ

[GomiGirl]

Also, do you find Japanese designers upgrade applications regularly? In the US I have heard a number of complaints from printing companies that get files from Japan that are still being made in Illustrator 9, or if files have to be sent to Japan, they need to be saved as AI 9 files.

Japanese DTP designers are still in the habit of saving things out in Illustrator 8 - mac version with the fonts outlined. The reason is that Japanese printer companies were only set up to handle this format. But also remember that most people stick with what they know and like to use. Plus the cost of upgrading has kept lots of people with their older software.

I just bought CS3 for the first time recently and my accountant nearly died when I gave her the invoice. It was a huge chunk of change to outlay on software but I really couldn't not have it given our new projects. But I have used it daily since I bought it so I really don't regret it. It was hard though to get over the mental hurdle of spending so much money on one package of software. Especially as we used to get all our software for free when we were in the salad days of fonts.

Just as an aside.
Then OTF came out on OSX and the whole market changed here. But Morisawa still have a HUGE business in fonts shipped on floppy disk with copy protection. The new Morisawa OTF are shipped without copy protection. The DTP world has really changed.

[Kuang_Grade]

Gomi...While I don't have heavy load uses for my computing needs such as DTP or photoshop, here are my thoughts.

From a software side, if you are running programs that have heavy processing loads, the imacs are more up your alley since they feature faster chips and offer higher RAM capacity, both of which help processor heavy programs work faster/smoother (the larger hard drives and better graphics cards don't hurt either). But that said, unless you are doing a ton of things at the exact same time, the differences in performance on the imac and mac mini probably won't be massive in most cases...Without getting into super specifics, it might be something that takes 4 seconds to happen on imac may take 7 seconds on mac mini...a big difference in % but not necessarily in real world time.

I recently switched from a mac mini (about year old...2.0GHzIntel Core 2 DuoMac mini (MB139LL/A) with 1 MB of RAM) to an imac (20-inch iMac
(MA877LL) 2.4 Intel Core 2 Duowith 4 MB of RAM). The imac is much more peppy, in no small part due 4x amount of RAM and pretty much never chuggs on anything while my mini chugged occasionally when I tried to do too much at one time. The screen on the imac is OK, but I actually preferred my old LCD which was much easier to see at vertical angles (although the imac pivots up and down) and had sharper detail than the imac screen does. If I had it all over to do again, I think I would just buy a bigger external drive for my mac mini and some extra RAM for it. The imac is nice and there nothing really wrong with it (although my initial imac unit was actually DOA and had to be returned) but I think I would be happier with a better LCD than the imac has...the resolution is not as sharp as I would like it on the imac. And I have doubts of the all in one nature of it...with my old mac mini setup, I could always plug in my keyboard, mouse and display into my laptop for a short term solution if the mac mini failed...as I learned with my DOA imac, if there a major MB problem on the imac, nothing works...not even the display as external unit. The only primary plus for the imac I can think off is the built in video camera if that is something you might find useful....also it has a much better graphics card than what is in the mac mini but that may not be a factor in all applications....

I also really didn't care for the new imac keyboard either but that's more a personal taste issue. Also my imac seems to put out a ton of heat as well...although this may have to do with it being all in one vs my old setup with display and computer separated by 3 feet. Also the storage box is much smaller on the mini..with the imac, if you have any problems down the road, you'll need the box just to carry it around safely due to design and weight. I was hard pressed to find a space for the box in my US house.

I would expect that new or at least bumped up specs mac minis might be coming out soon (like in Nov...since they probably won't put out anything new in Dec because that screws with retailers too much in Christmas season)
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac_mini

And with a mini, you can pick a display that suits you best (and will be likely cheaper/better than what your paying for on the imac).

so you might want to wait a bit if you can before making your choice....if they pump the max RAM levels on the mini and maybe offer better graphics card, it might do quite nicely for your needs.

[Kuang_Grade]

And if coin isn't a huge issue, you can always split the difference and get a new mac book AND a nice new display and just plug the macbook into the display when you use it at the office. A reasonably good 20 inch display in the US can be had in the $200-300 range...I wouldn't think things would be too out of line of that in Japan

[Kuang_Grade]

[Cyka UchuuJin]

GG... my PB gave up the ghost in may and after lots of hours spent faffing in apple shinsaibashi, i decided on the macbook, 2.4Ghz processor, 150GB HD and threw an extra couple GB ram in (4 total). at any given time, i've got firefox, safari, mail, skype, adium, itunes and at least 2 CS3 apps open. (usually DW and FL, but often PS as well). have had no crashes at all and my poor imac G5 is sad and lonely because i don't use her as much any more.

a lot of people have dismissed the macbook as being too 'amateur' and that you really need an MBP for design work. other than the pinch feature on the MBP touchpad, i really didn't find that it was any more powerful than the MB as far as working in multiple apps. the only downside to the MB is that it only comes in one size. at first i was hesitant, as i had a 15" PB, but the wideness of the MB screen is very suitable. i haven't found any need for an external display.

i'd recommend going down to apple and just playing with them all to see which one tickles you the most.

as for laptop vs desktop, i'd go for laptop. i do love my beautiful imac, but as you pointed out, if you have to drag it down to the genius bar, that could be a headache. the only reason i'd recommend going the imac route would be if you watch a lot of movies on computer.

[Neo-Rio]

It's strange, but the laptops are a lot more upgrade and maintenance friendly than the iMacs.

Everyone's been bugging Apple for a small Mac tower with only one processor (a Mac semi-pro, if you will) for quite a while now, but Apple doesn't deliver one.

[gkanai]

I've got the new MBP. Bootcamp Partition with Vista Ultimate and Ubunty Hardy. Very sweet rig.

The MBP is not worth the upgrade if you had the previous Penryn MBP (see comment from WSJ.) If you're upgrading from a G4 iBook, then the new MacBook will feel like a Ferrari.

GG- the GPU on the new MB is amazing. Very worth the upgrade.

[Charles]

[quote="GuyJean"]I think you'd appreciate the MacBook Pro.. I love my current MacBook. But the new MB, not having Firewire, pisses me off!

I'm assuming capturing video from a camera via USB is possible now? Or some Firewire to USB converter? I'm still old school Firewire. ]
There are ExpressCard FireWire adapters available now. So you can still get FireWire for the MacBook Pros, no FireWire for the MacBook Air (and any other laptop with no card slot.. don't know if the little MacBooks have the slot.. I don' think they have it).

[FG Lurker]

If you can get a notebook that will do everything you need and still be compact enough that you can carry it around then I would definitely go that way.

I used to have a large tower that I used as my main computer and then a notebook I used when I needed it. Making sure I had the right data in the right place was a major PITA. It also meant twice the number of machines to take care of and twice the possibility of something going wrong. Software licenses can also be an issue.

I switched to just a notebook about 2 years ago and I would *never* go back to having two systems that I have to keep in sync. It also means that if I have to go somewhere I never need to do any prep work -- just grab the notebook and go.

[mr. sparkle]

The Japan Friendly Rig:
NIIIIIIICE!

A new 24" LED display and a 15" MacBook Pro. Good balance of features in a space saving setup.

Since I don't work at Apple any more I can openly speculate that MacWorld will bring a 15" MacBook and a 17" MacBook Pro. We may see a speed bump in towers and perhaps a larger LED display (30"?). You have to ask yourself: is it worth the wait to see what is to come?

If it is slowing down your current workflow "to a crawl", get what works for you right now. Try to buy at least a mid-range model so you can get more than a few years use out of it. Getting a monitor like the above will fill the same need as the iMac would--viewing content, photo editing, music, web work.

I do agree that the new iMacs are delicious, a Mac Book would be cool but you have to decide if 13" is big enough for your portable needs (I can't see how you worked on that 12" for so long!). I would prefer a 15" display at a minimum.

I have a 2 year old model that is still cranking out pro work, but like you, I'm saddled with a similar G4 PowerBook that is in sore need of upgrading. Many of my gigs would be greatly helped if I had a modern MacBook Pro with me.

The upside of the new MacBook Pro and Displays is that they are eco-friendly and EnergyStar compliant. That's pretty cool too.

MacBooks only drawback is that they are not completely suitable for editing video with USB 2.0 option being the main I/O for external drives. That being said, USB 2.0 has been suitable for DV projects. I know it's not ideal but it has worked for certain clients handing these drives to me.

MacBook Pro has FireWire 800 which is fast enough for editing some forms of HD. It also has an Express Slot to which you attach extremely high speed arrays, and yes, FireWire 400 GJ! So, no worries there.

Best of luck in your decision.

[mr. sparkle]

There are ExpressCard FireWire adapters available now. So you can still get FireWire for the MacBook Pros, no FireWire for the MacBook Air (and any other laptop with no card slot.. don't know if the little MacBooks have the slot.. I don' think they have it).

No ExpressCard slot for MacBook or MacBook Air. 2 USB 2.0 slots for the MacBook, 1 USB 2.0 slot for the MacBook Air. 2 USB 2.0 slots, FireWire 800 and the ExpressCard slot for the MacBook Pro.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

[quote="GuyJean"]I think you'd appreciate the MacBook Pro.. I love my current MacBook. But the new MB, not having Firewire, pisses me off!

I'm assuming capturing video from a camera via USB is possible now? Or some Firewire to USB converter? I'm still old school Firewire. ]

eh? i just bought my macbook in june and it's got a firewire port.

[FG Lurker]

eh? i just bought my macbook in june and it's got a firewire port.

Yes, but replacement that Apple announced a week or so ago no longer has one.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Yes, but replacement that Apple announced a week or so ago no longer has one.

ah. and what will they be putting in there instead?

you could still find a firewire ported one i'm sure. i put off buying an imac until the intel chipped ones came out, because i knew that the price on them (the PPC chipped) would drop significantly once the intels came out. bic camera carried the PPC chipped for 8 months post-intel release.

[gkanai]

ah. and what will they be putting in there instead?

Nothing. Steve Jobs has killed off Firewire on the MacBook.

[American Oyaji]

The pro still has firewire doesn't it?

[FG Lurker]

The pro still has firewire doesn't it?

The MB Pro has one FireWire 800 port. You can get adapter cables to plug FW400 devices into the 800 port and apparently there aren't (many?) problems doing this. In other words FW800 is backwards compatible with FW400 although the connectors are physically different.

[GomiGirl]

I have a shiny new macbook pro 15" and it is LOVELY. Yes it feels like a ferrari compared to the old one. Spent most of today copying my files and apps across but it is laid out exactly the same and all my settings etc are saved. Perfect. Just gotta get used to the new keyboard layout and all will be well.

[FG Lurker]

Nice computer! One of these days I'll probably buy a Mac again... Sometime when I have time to make the transition without pulling out all my hair...

[Bucky]

I have a shiny new macbook pro 15" and it is LOVELY. Yes it feels like a ferrari compared to the old one. Spent most of today copying my files and apps across but it is laid out exactly the same and all my settings etc are saved. Perfect. Just gotta get used to the new keyboard layout and all will be well.

Are you going to need to spend much on software upgrades?

[GomiGirl]

Are you going to need to spend much on software upgrades?

Nothing so far - have opened most of my high use apps and they have converted themselves - eg Adobe CS.

[American Oyaji]

Congrats GG. I knew you could not resist.

[Catoneinutica]

Got a MBP last weekend too. Like the LED screen. It really is a beautiful machine, and makes all the PC notebooks at Bic Camera look like game center prizes.

[Yokohammer]

Picked up a 2.53 GHz 15" MacBook Pro about 10 days ago and am very happy with it. I'm very impressed with the LED backlit display, which I have calibrated and used for some serious CS3 photo editing destined for offset printed output with remarkably little stress. Very snappy. Very smooth. And now that the 24" LED backlit Cinema Display is available for only about 98,000 yen, the combination would be a viable replacement for a desktop system. In fact, the MacBook Pro is noticeably faster than my admittedly aging 2005 dual 2 GHz G5 PowerMac (as it should be, but I mean it's significantly faster).

And of course I love the cool backlit keyboard .