Mac vs. Windows...

[Rainer Fritz]

I love Unix based OS the most. There are a lot of points why. At least what you can only do with a line of code in the bash. With some view lines in the bash we are preconforming based on EDL or XML a lot of footage nearly every day. Apple took Darwin and made an easy to use GUI over it. The limitations we see compared to other systems, plus the fact that we don't know if they will stay in the pro market was also me thinking on changing the platform. I would love to change over to a linux based system if it would give me the easy handling and applications like OSX does. Ubuntu or other OS could get there. Jim you could speak with the canonical CEO ???? If I could run all my software I need for DITing, editing, color correction and mastering on a single linux machine, I would change over immediately. But at the moment only OSX gives you both worlds. The Unix world and the easy GUI world with a large amount of software/applications... Would love to see that adobe or other big houses would port their software to linux and you could easyly install a package on the machine like in OSX.
I see it as a logical result that there came up a lot of hackintosh's. It would also a great benefit to Apple if they would give out a OS version which you can setup on any new Intel-based machine. The number of "Apple" machines would grow even more then and we had no headache with thinking of if there will be coming a new hardware. They should rethink their point only selling the os with their hardware...
I want to use TBolt and USB3 in a big box together with the ability to put PCIe 3.0 cards in.

 

[Eric Santiago]

I finally caught up to the end of this thread.


Whatever I use to get the job done (currently Mac) is what makes me a professional.

Either way...I bleed RED.

 

[Yuval Shrem]

No Apple products here. Every time I almost made the switch (which happened two or three times over the years), when I took a closer look, it simply didn't add up. I'm using the Adobe package on my Windows 7 system, and it rocks!
The desktop was built by Vision DAW, and is simply awesome. No Apple desktop can even begin to compete in neither performance nor price.
My laptop has about twice the specs of the top-end Mac, and had cost about half the price of the low-end Mac.
Apple is fantastic at creating a loyal following of users, but when buying Apple products, you typically pay twice as much to get a previous generation hardware, and software that always "almost" does what you want it to do.
Also, as professional users I'd be very aware of the sharp shift in Apple's main source of income.
Apple is no longer primarily a computer company. It is now primarily a phone company. Their main money maker is the consumer market. Not the professional market. The consumer market is both bigger and easier to please. That is merely common sense that the professional market would be quietly dropped.

Apple users always tell me they "love" their Mac. That they like how it "feels". In other words, it's really mostly tooted in emotion rather than any actual technological advantage. I myself was convinced a couple of times, by the Apple marketing efforts, but it never passed my closer inspection.

Bottom line:

Windows, Adobe + Nvedia with strong CUDA processing.

This is my opinion anyway...

 

[Tony Lorentzen]

If only this bad boy ran OSX (and had Thunderbolt 2): http://www.promax.com/s-210-promax-one-plus.aspx

3.1 GHz 16-core Intel Xeon
Up to 128 GB RAM
4 x16 PCIe 3.0 slots
3 x8 PCIe 3.0 slots
1 x4 PCIe 2.0 slot
Up to 8 internal drives for up to 1500 MB/sec raid
Built-in Sonnet QIO
Built-in LTO
Built-in BluRay

Insane amount of I/O.

I'm in love <3

 

[Michel Rabe]

It's noticable that Mac users use the word 'love' alot while Win users don't.
Clearly, Apple is a love-brand whereas Microsoft is a trust-brand (funny term when speaking about Windows, btw Win7 is rocksolid).

Being a love-brand is why Apple can still count you professional Mac guys in and they should keep supporting the pro industry even if it might not be profitable at all - as that always gave and gives the Apple brand a huge credibility.

 

[Mathieu Ghekiere]

It's noticable that Mac users use the word 'love' alot while Win users don't.
Clearly, Apple is a love-brand whereas Microsoft is a trust-brand (funny term when speaking about Windows, btw Win7 is rocksolid).

Being a love-brand is why Apple can still count you professional Mac guys in and they should keep supporting the pro industry even if it might not be profitable at all - as that always gave and gives the Apple brand a huge credibility.

They earned that love, and it's because of the Same reasons people give them a lot of credit now.

 

[Ben Scott]

Yeah but it seems more and more like the love found in a really abusive relationship where you keep going back to them even if you know they are bad for you and there's much better partners out there.

 

[Michel Rabe]

They earned that love, and it's because of the Same reasons people give them a lot of credit now.

Definately. Love brand means the company went from trust- to love-brand, it's 'more' then just quality products.

EDIT: RED is also a typical love-brand. They make quality products but the user base is emotionally bound on top of that. Any trust brand wants to be a love brand because users follow and forgive more easily.

 

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

Apple is facing challenges, folks. And on the mobile front, no less. I doubt they will focus on the pro user. And if they do, it'll be lip service. Asking them to deliver FULLY COMMITTED service to the pro industry might be akin to asking RED to deliver a camcorder my mother-in-law can use easily.

I have an iPad for the kids, and for my on-set related apps. My wife has an iPhone (all her friends have it too), and I bought an Apple TV just to see how it works (but we use ROKU pretty much all the time except when we want to mirror our iPad screen).

But I'm planning on a Windows machine build now. Have already ordered the Win 7 Pro full version. Time to rock and roll.

I made this short film - shot on my EPIC-X and post was all on a Macbook Pro and it was the MOST frustrating experience EVER. I used Avid, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Resolve, SynthEyes, you name it.

http://www.vimeo.com/kamkolkar/tbd password: tbd
if you want to take a dekko.

I NEED POWER. I need large monitors. I need these things. But when I watch the finished product, I have no issues watching it on an iPhone even. And that's the new dynamic.

 

[Peter Stelzhammer]

I like how this thread was closed for a moment a few hours ago (Jim did not speak about not closing - only about not deleting, so basically that has been a fair move)

As for things like the Mac Pro; sure - in the end Apple decides what to do, but I think various decisions at Intel did totally not help in this case - Thunderbolt is not getting love at the speed level it could have and the new pro-processor series is long overdue… (but then; if they wouldn't have done the transition from IBM to Intel back then they might be even dead in the meantime… there was a situation at the EOL of the G5 processors when IBM could not deliver the clock-speeds Apple wanted to give to the customers when some people thought "it's over soon"… as far as I remember).

 

[Matt Doane]

It's all about the OS for me, and OS X is far and away better than Windows. I know they can do the same things, and that there's way more hardware available on a PC, but I just hate working in Windows.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Regarding Microsoft... Oh, to dream what they could be capable in the hands of a competent CEO with an equally competent eye for design. ...I know it was a few years ago now, but they still can't live down the whole bulky Zune music player. Especially the turd-brown model. But hey, "it squirts!". Jeebus, who came up with that?

I have no idea if this concept would actually work, but ever since the G5 tower I've wished Apple would create something modular like this...

Modular, yes! That particular concept? No! eeewww... There's enough wasted space in that design to install a real computer inside...

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

Absolutely 100% Mac.

Stephen

 

[william howell]

last night this thread was closed... so... i smiled... alone at home... it felt good to know that I wasn't the only one hoping for "one more thing".

Although I never personally met Steve, I was 30 feet away from him when he introduced the iPhone to the world. That is a memory that I will always cherish. I'm not sure there's another computer company that has produced so many "memorable" moments.... especially ones that have had such a historical and sociological impact...

It does feel good to work on an apple computer... and all of the history that goes along with it... security and stability are the reasons we choose to work in an OSX environment... but... there is a deep appreciation that I personally have for apple computers... and it feels good to know that even the people from the bottom (me with no camera) all the way to top of the Red pyramid share the same sentiment.

 

[Corrado Silveri]

If only this bad boy ran OSX (and had Thunderbolt 2): http://www.promax.com/s-210-promax-one-plus.aspx

3.1 GHz 16-core Intel Xeon
Up to 128 GB RAM
4 x16 PCIe 3.0 slots
3 x8 PCIe 3.0 slots
1 x4 PCIe 2.0 slot
Up to 8 internal drives for up to 1500 MB/sec raid
Built-in Sonnet QIO
Built-in LTO
Built-in BluRay

Insane amount of I/O.

I'm in love <3

If you make an Hackintosh out of this. I'm sold.
Btw, there's no pci with Thunderbolt i/o out there?

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

If only this bad boy ran OSX (and had Thunderbolt 2): http://www.promax.com/s-210-promax-one-plus.aspx

3.1 GHz 16-core Intel Xeon
Up to 128 GB RAM
4 x16 PCIe 3.0 slots
3 x8 PCIe 3.0 slots
1 x4 PCIe 2.0 slot
Up to 8 internal drives for up to 1500 MB/sec raid
Built-in Sonnet QIO
Built-in LTO
Built-in BluRay

Insane amount of I/O.

I'm in love <3

...It's 110% made of off-the-shelf, available anywhere parts. Just like their RAIDs and other things ProMaxx sells. They have a cool case design... Oh, oops, where did they steal that from? And it's so 2003. Really it's a nice system, but it's just like everyone else's. This is the "problem" with the PC industry. The vast majority of PC vendors our there are nothing more than simple integrators. If they invest any any customization, its cosmetic in the way of a fancy case to put all the generic parts in. Motherboard designers are at the root of the problem. There is no forward thinking or modularity to speak of. No one willing to re-think a design or take an objective look at performance workstation and server hardware and say, "hey, we don't need this or that... We could really use two more of those..."

Not trying to pick on you here, or ProMaxx specifically, but what do they offer you that other PC vendors don't? What value do they provide over simply building it yourself? Ordering from them, or anyone else can save you time. It can potentially give you someone to call when the thing breaks... But really, beyond that, what is their advantage? Or the advantage of Origin, Boxx, or any of the others out there who are all selling the exact same stuff, or at least their version they build out of all the same available stuff?

 

[Peter Majtan]

There is one more thing about OS-X and Apple HW...
I had recently a GPU die on my late 2010 17" MBP and while it was repaired (under extended Apple Care) - I was simply able to connect my backup portable HDD to a borrowed 2008 MBP and boot from it and just get on with my work. I know I can boot my OS (with all my SW and settings such as email, etc...) just by connecting my backup HDD to pretty much any working Intel Mac and keep on working. This is one of my favorite features of OS-X...

P

 

[Brian Boyer]

Keep in mind that Mac vs. Windows is not one company against one other. It's one company against a horde of them.

When you consider that Apple manages to hold its own in performance (when the machines are new) and desirability with Windows machines from multiple vendors while only accounting for ~10% of the computer market, yet still making up the majority of pro users on this forum, I'd say they're doing a pretty bang-up job. You probably can't name many other companies that can do that in any industry.

They will almost never have the fastest computer money can buy and, if they do, it won't be for long.

PC users cobble together bits and pieces from 8 different vendors to build those powerhouses but then count that as one entity. It's not like it's just HP that's always at the cutting edge of performance. It's HP + Dell + Lenovo + 500 other companies.

Their onslaught of top performance gets handed off from one to another all year long. When one company adopts the newest and fastest doodad, it counts against Apple in favor of the entire Windows universe.

Under this rather unfair paradigm, Apple is the biggest boutique computer maker in the world. They're not going to attempt to keep current with the blistering pace of technology at every turn any more than any other single computer company.

It doesn't make sense to me that Apple wouldn't build computers powerful enough to handle the emerging digital cinema landscape of file formats, both compressed and uncompressed, after having built FCPX from the ground up with 4K support in mind.

The new Mac Pro will probably be a stellar performer but it probably won't be the absolute fastest thing smokin'.

By the way, the future of ALL computing, consumer or pro, looks more like an iPad than it does a tower. I've learned to not second-guess Gene Roddenberry on such matters.

 

[Andy Roberts]

It seems with Apple that most of the time, especially something new, if it isn't head and shoulders above the rest, they won't do it. I know they have been focusing, rightfully, on mobile. But I do think that they have been silently working on insanely great PRO products. The ongoing rumors of a TV but still no TV... why not? They don't want to release just some advanced HD set. They want a mind-blowing UHD set with advanced features. Does anyone actually think it will be not be 4k UHD? And if they build the TV to display 4K content, they HAVE to release a Mac Pro that can create 4K content. I really think we will see these announcements by August.

 

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

It doesn't make sense to me that Apple wouldn't build computers powerful enough to handle the emerging digital cinema landscape of file formats, both compressed and uncompressed, after having built FCPX from the ground up with 4K support in mind.

The new Mac Pro will probably be a stellar performer but it probably won't be the absolute fastest thing smokin'.

By the way, the future of ALL computing, consumer or pro, looks more like an iPad than it does a tower. I've learned to not second-guess Gene Roddenberry on such matters.

Apple and others think not of one product line, but their mission/focus. What is Apple's mission? Microsoft is switching to "devices + services". Is Apple switching to "servicing pro marketplace?"

I think a third contender who meets this niche need must now arise. Until then, we have to work with with what exists and keep making noise.

btw, my guess would be that Gene Roddenberry had Massively Powerful computers hidden away in the Enterprise, that did the heavy lifting.