[photopress:mightymouse_1_2.jpg,thumb,alignright]Long ago in the days of computer yore, I used a Mac. We had four of them for high school yearbook staff, but my folks couldn’t afford anything besides a hand-me-down Apple IIe. So there was little Mac use for me aside from the occasional term paper in the college computer lab.
And then there was Windows 95. Cheap, Mac-like, and it worked well enough when it was crashing or locking up. Macs were still outrageously expensive, so I found a Mac-looking all-in-one Compac to get me through seminary. I have been using PCs ever since.
But now I’m thinking of going into business for myself doing web design and what not. And I don’t want to be fussing with Windows XP while I’m on deadline. Sure, it works with a great deal of games, but I don’t need to be playing City of Villains or Civilization all day. That won’t bring home the bacon.
Then there’s my iPod. Oh, how it sings. It’s simple, and it works.
Now that Apple has released the first few Macs in its new line of Intel Core Duo machines, I’m thinking of switching. I’ve visited the Apple Store to check things out. I’m thinking of getting a souped up iMac. It’s small outside, it’s big inside, and it’s probably as much computer as I’ll need.
That, and maybe a MacBook Pro too. Wish the smaller ones were out already. I just need something to take to client visits. Something to use in the coffee shop. Nothing fancy. Hell, maybe I can get away with the small iBook. It doesn’t have the new Intel chip, but I’m not going to be doing much on it. The code crunching and book balancing is for the desktop machine. (My power user of a brother-in-law has regular Macgasms about his PowerBook, so I figure it can haul the load I’ll need it to carry.)
So I’ve taken my first baby steps into Macland. I’ve purchased a Mighty Mouse. I figured if I can’t stand it, I don’t need to shell out for anything else. But it’s great! Not all its features work with XP, but it’s a nice mouse. It responds well and gives nice touch and sound feedback to clicks and scrollball rolls.
But first some questions for those of you already in Macland: Is there good business management software out there? Is iWork worth getting? (Will be using OpenOffice otherwise.) And, most importantly, what’s the worst thing about Mac?
Best things?
– Not as much concern about virus / spyware
– I already can do more cool things with my iBook than I ever could with my PC
– OS X is built on top of UNIX. That makes my inner-geek happy
Worst Things?
– Price / Feature ratio
– Relearning some habits, like keyboard cut and paste
– Fewer software options
btw- I know it’s “cool” to buy an Intel Mac right now but before you do, make sure the software you will normally use doesn’t require Rosetta. And besides, the older PowerPC models are being cut in price and will be very usable for the near future.
The iBook is the best $1200 I ever spent. I’ve been running Creative Suite on it (a 12″, no less) and haven’t found it too laggy (I just wish I had more monitor real estate now).
I’m wary of the new Intel machines since Rosetta doesn’t have all the kinks worked out yet, and third party software developers are going to be a tad behind in bringing their stuff up to speed. I’m praying my G4 will hold out for a few more years.
I know nothing about iWork. I’ve been running NeoOffice the last few weeks, which is Open Office without the need for Apple’s X11 plugin (which works for shit). Loads slow, less flashy than MS Office, but I’m liking it overall.
The worst things about Mac right now is this transitional stage from G4/5 to Intel. I’d suggest waiting to purchase until their plans for the whole line have been revealed. Also, if you’re looking at doing primarily web design, remember that Microsoft has stopped supporting and producing IE for Mac. If you want to check work across browsers, you may not get an accurate rendering of your pages.
Happy shopping!
As a long-term owner of 3 Macs, I love them dearly. And the idea of the new Macs have me salivating. But the new Macbook Pros seem to be having some new-product problems…
MacBook Pro: Inconsistent backlight, hissing LCD [Updated x3] – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
Good Things:
-ease of networking, file sharing
-no worries about security (even with the news of recent basic attempts at OS X viruses, worms, etc)
– a genuinely nice looking electronic appliance
– an online community that is working hard to create good software and fill in the voids (freeware, shareware)
– alternatives to Windows specific software (like Flip4Mac, plays Windows Media Files on the Quicktime Player)
Worst Thing:
– late/no versions of software (late like Google Earth)
Um, not much else. Not using the computer for business, I don’t have to contend with files that come from Windows based computers or finding productivity software.
And that’s my 2 cents.
The only Windows programs I’ve ever missed in my Mac-oriented life are good database programs and the really nifty HTML editor Arachnophilia, back before it tried to be a Javascript program.
A caution for Web design: It is still true that the overwhelming majority of Web users have PCs, and being able to test for the primary reading environment is a big deal. Macs make me happy, though, and that counts for a lot, too.
Oh, as for PC-to-Mac compatibility, these issues almost never come up in my work office where all print production is done on Macs and some Web production is done on PCs. I remember the days of complex file transfer protocols between platforms (I worked in technical support for WordPerfect back in the early 1990s), but I really don’t run into those problems anymore.
Proprietary database programs, though, notoriously avoid Mac. Damn them.
A few suggestion about the freelance web design biz…
– Make customers sign a contract before you begin any significant work. There are probably lots of good examples of contracts online you could draw from. I’ve had a customer not pay after all the work was done…
– Make sure customers understand from the beginning that any/all revisions (of content, functionality and design) cost extra.
– Make sure you charge enough. Build time spent in meetings, emails, travelling, thinking, planning, shopping, doing research, etc. into your costs. Remember that you’ll lose a large chunk to taxes. Figure out how much money you’d like to make over a year after taxes, then figure an average 10-page static site (including all the extra time spent on things listed above) will take you 20 hrs minimum. If you charge even just $50/hr that’s $2000 before taxes. When all was said and done, I discovered that making less than $1000 after taxes for a single web site was not worth my while.
PS – I want to have a Macagsm … or, at least, a Mac :(
then I could use Logic