New Switcher

Hi,

i'm Andy and i'm an alch.......oops wrong forum! ;D

Seriously though,

I am about (within the week) to make that switch from pc to muh..muh...muh...mac!

As an old timer coder (BSc comp science, MSc advanced AI design and implementation) i had the misfortune to being contracted to write a system for an apple system.... it turned out to be such a ball ache that i swore blind i'd never have one myself or ever code one again.

roll forward 20 years and here i am, a semi pro wildlife photographer that is about to get his first imac.

ordered my imac 4.5 months ago and should be taking delivery of it on wednesday.

27" 3.2ghz
1tb fusion drive
32gb ram

i really hope im not wasting my money

AWSPhotography said:

i really hope im not wasting my money

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Do lots of research and homework (including getting experience using a Mac)...in terms of the hardware, applications, and OS.

If you do this...no surprises...thus no disappointments!

AWSPhotography said:

...ordered my imac 4.5 months ago and should be taking delivery of it on wednesday.

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Hopefully you used the past 4.5 months wisely!

I think that Apple has something like a 7 or 14 day no questions asked return policy...so take advantage of it if things don't workout.

Good luck with the new computer...and welcome to Mac-Forums!

- Nick

cheers nick,

spent the last 4.5 months doing nowt but lookups on imacs

i dont think i'll be disapointed (well i wouldn't have spent what i have if i thought i was going to be would i? )

i'll be using it for 99% photo editing and achiving etc.

(oh and 1% world of warcraft )

and from what i have seen and learnt for photo and video editing you cant beat a mac
(so i have been led to belive)

so will have a tall learning curve to overcome hence why i am here

AWSPhotography said:

...(well i wouldn't have spent what i have if i thought i was going to be would i? )

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Well...you did post back in post #1..."i really hope im not wasting my money". This statement doesn't exactly "exude" confidence!

I wouldn't have responded in post #2 if that hadn't been mentioned. Thus I was trying to post some suggestions to help minimize the risk.

- Nick

appreciate the advice nick and the responses,

i freely admit i am nowhere near confident, however all that i have read and the videos i have watched and people i know that have them say for what i need it for would knock spots off a pc, so lets say its an educated leap of faith on my part

The Mac is different than WIndows. That's the hardest thing for switchers to get their heads around. So try to learn how the OSX/Mac environment accomplishes things, rather than try to force it to work like Windows.

And when you get stuck, come here. Most of us were switchers at one point...

AWSPhotography said:

i freely admit i am nowhere near confident, however all that i have read and the videos i have watched and people i know that have them say for what i need it for would knock spots off a pc, so lets say its an educated leap of faith on my part

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I totally understand your concerns. It's a lot of money...and it is a change...and when you combine the concepts of "money & change"...it's a "brew" not easily swallowed!

For what it's worth. If a person (switcher) has done their homework regarding the hardware, software, and OS...and recognises how the Apple/Mac platform/OS is different than what they used previously (Windows computers and Windows OS)...the smoother the transition.

The "bumps in the road" regarding switching (many times)...isn't that Apple/Mac's "suck" (which is how many switchers that didn't do their homework will categorize things after having problems). It's more about a lack of understanding or confusion on the user/switcher's part.

Those of us that have been "Mac-Users" for a long time wouldn't keep doing it if Apple/Mac's REALLY sucked...why would we want to continuously punish ourselves! You can only poke yourself in the eye with a sharp stick so many times...before you say...enough of this!!!

Also realize that many of us do have years & years of Windows experience (what many of us use at work 8+ hours/day)...so we can "see" things from both sides.

One statement that I've seen many switchers make after they made the transition (I'm talking folks that maybe have used Windows computers for 5, 10, 20+ years) is..."WOW...I LOVE my Mac...I don't know why I didn't do this sooner!!!"

- Nick

MacInWin said:

The Mac is different than WIndows. That's the hardest thing for switchers to get their heads around. So try to learn how the OSX/Mac environment accomplishes things, rather than try to force it to work like Windows.

And when you get stuck, come here. Most of us were switchers at one point...

Click to expand...

Thankyou, yes i am trying (as much as i can without a mac) to learn the differences and how the osx works, and i agree entirly ...no point in trying to push a square peg through a round hole so ty for the advice, and the offer of help when i need it (which i will do... and often at first no doubt )

Nick thankyou for your encouraging words also, i do take heart from the comments of "why didn;t i do this sooner" and " most of us work on windows systems so we can see it from both sides" a point of view i hadn't thought about... and 1 i find settles my qualms a little.
I'm finding it all a bit weird, i feel i have bought a decent system that should last me 5-10 years and i am genuinly excited about it, then i remember its a mac and worry that its going to take me 5-10 years to learn use lol

but whatever problems i have you can be sure i'll be here asking for help if i cant figure it out myself

Welcome and congrats on the new baby . . .

As far as switching goes, most of us on this forum are actually switch hitters, we continue to use Windows when required/appropriate and dabble (or more) with the various flavors of Linux.
Also, our active membership is rather tech heavy, running over 50% engineers, programmer/software developers and assorted IT types, so you should fit in (despite your Canon addiction).


EDIT: A recommendation . . . In addition to the Stickies and other posts on this Forum, the Missing Manual Series on OS X, by David Pogue are a good resource.

RavingMac said:

.........(despite your Canon addiction).

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i am not touching that subject with a 14 foot barge pole, and ty for the kind welcome

AWSPhotography said:

i am not touching that subject with a 14 foot barge pole, and ty for the kind welcome

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Thanks . . . not trying to ignite the wars, just never been able to resist a good tease.

RavingMac said:

EDIT: A recommendation . . . In addition to the Stickies and other posts on this Forum, the Missing Manual Series on OS X, by David Pogue are a good resource.

Click to expand...

OOOoo thanks for that i'll look that up this weekend

Two things:

1. Read the essay in my signature link.

2. You'll probably want to invest in either Lightroom or Aperture. Despite the "Ford v Chevy" talk in some forums over these two programs, I find them nearly identical -- it's more a matter of whether you're adept at Adobe's other programs that makes people lean one way or the other I find.

3. For WoW, you will want to know about Pocket Gnome.

chas_m said:

Two things:

1. Read the essay in my signature link.

2. You'll probably want to invest in either Lightroom or Aperture. Despite the "Ford v Chevy" talk in some forums over these two programs, I find them nearly identical -- it's more a matter of whether you're adept at Adobe's other programs that makes people lean one way or the other I find.

3. For WoW, you will want to know about Pocket Gnome.

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1 thanks for the link will do
2 already have lr4 and ps cs5 was just looking at what aperture had to offer
3 you trying to get me banned???? lol never did like gnomes

Sadly, Apple does not make a trial of Aperture available any more.

Coming from Windows, Aperture is a very different cat. I like it, but there was a learning curve, and in the end I've relaxed into letting it manage my photos. Basically decide from the outset on one of two different Aperture approaches: (1) referenced, where one keeps their photos organized manually in a folder system external to Aperture, and (2) using Aperture's under the hood automated library. I gave in and use the second approach, then manually organize versions (not masters) into projects and albums. Aperture looks after the masters for me in a virtually library behind the scenes. Note I am only a low-volume hobby photographer, not a pro.

In any case, carefully keep a complete copy of all your Windows photos on an external hard drive in their original folder structure so you can fall back on that if something goes sideways while you figure this out.

I highly recommend chas' switcher thread.

Plan on the switch taking a few months. Plan the switch ahead very carefully, especially iTunes migration if you have been using iTunes. I had to scrap two iTunes migration attempts and succeeded on the third. Keep the Windows computer around a while until you are confident all your stuff has been migrated satisfactorily, and don't start using the Mac for new content until you feel ready to commit. I copied all my Windows data to an external hard drive and had to resort to it a couple of times. In the end, I committed in a couple of weeks and never turned on the Windows computer again, but I did dip into that copy from time to time.

Almost 2 years in I still feel a sense of relief at having made the switch after 20 years in Windows. Good luck.

good advice apples, and i thank you for it.
I will be keeping the windows machine around for a few months until i am happy that i know what i am doing with my mac, but tbh i only plan to use it for my photography, slideshows(with a few vids) and general web use... so really shouldn't take me long to get used to.

hardest thing i can forsee is getting au-fait with os x navigation, once thats cracked i feel i should be home and dry