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- Sep 5, 2007
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- Location
- Gold Coast, Australia
Hello all - this is my first post, though I have been lurking for a month or so now!
I am planning on buynig either a MacBook Pro or an iMac in October (reasons include the new OS and funding) and am trying to decide between the two.
Some history - I used to work on Macs years ago while studying Graphic Design and Photography, and working as a Graphic Designer - back in the day we used OS 8 or 9 - and quite frankly I HATED it. It just didn't have the features of Windows XP and they used to freeze up all the time.
Recently I bought a little HP laptop with Windows Vista on it to take on a holiday to New Zealand. I was really excited about using it - Vista looked so cool. Unfortunately the looks was where the coolness ended. I wont go on about it, but anyone who has used Vista will understand - it's virtually useless and VERY slow on anything less than the very latest hardware.
So I started looking into Macs and decided to give them another try. The ones I played with in the shops were very different to the crappy old ones I used to use, and I discovered all the benefits of colour management and ease of use for the creative fields.
(Oh some background on what I do - I'm primarily a website designer using Photoshop and Dreamweaver (it pays the bills, though getting a bit over it lately) and also a photographer. I shoot in RAW format and use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my shots.)
Anyway the idea was to get a MacBook Pro to replace the crappy little Vista laptop - just as a trial really to see if I liked using the new Mac OS. I was planning on keeping my XP desktop as my main computer.
But in the last week or so I've been thinking - hmmmm - why not just go the whole hog and get an iMac to replace my desktop? I mean I am pretty sure I am going to like using the Mac and I'm gonna want to get a Mac desktop eventually anyway. And the new iMac's are pretty awesome looking!
Anyway, to help my in my decision, I just have a few questions:
1. Do MacBook Pro's come with the cables and connections required to connect a external LCD monitor, and do you have the same amount of colour/calibration adjustments if using a different brand (Acer 22" widescreen) monitor?
2. Is there much difference in processing power/speed between a 15.4" 2.2 MacBook Pro and a 24" 2.4 iMac? Would I really notice the difference on an iMac?
3. If I bought a MacBook Pro would I absolutely love it and end up using it all the time over my desktop PC? (subjective question - go nuts and convince me people!)
4. If I am used to working on a dual monitor setup (22" widescreen plus 17"), would the 24" iMac be enough screen real estate space to keep me happy, or would I need an additional monitor?
Basically I'm just looking for people's opinions. Any suggestions or reasons for me to go one over the other would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Charlotte
I am planning on buynig either a MacBook Pro or an iMac in October (reasons include the new OS and funding) and am trying to decide between the two.
Some history - I used to work on Macs years ago while studying Graphic Design and Photography, and working as a Graphic Designer - back in the day we used OS 8 or 9 - and quite frankly I HATED it. It just didn't have the features of Windows XP and they used to freeze up all the time.
Recently I bought a little HP laptop with Windows Vista on it to take on a holiday to New Zealand. I was really excited about using it - Vista looked so cool. Unfortunately the looks was where the coolness ended. I wont go on about it, but anyone who has used Vista will understand - it's virtually useless and VERY slow on anything less than the very latest hardware.
So I started looking into Macs and decided to give them another try. The ones I played with in the shops were very different to the crappy old ones I used to use, and I discovered all the benefits of colour management and ease of use for the creative fields.
(Oh some background on what I do - I'm primarily a website designer using Photoshop and Dreamweaver (it pays the bills, though getting a bit over it lately) and also a photographer. I shoot in RAW format and use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my shots.)
Anyway the idea was to get a MacBook Pro to replace the crappy little Vista laptop - just as a trial really to see if I liked using the new Mac OS. I was planning on keeping my XP desktop as my main computer.
But in the last week or so I've been thinking - hmmmm - why not just go the whole hog and get an iMac to replace my desktop? I mean I am pretty sure I am going to like using the Mac and I'm gonna want to get a Mac desktop eventually anyway. And the new iMac's are pretty awesome looking!
Anyway, to help my in my decision, I just have a few questions:
1. Do MacBook Pro's come with the cables and connections required to connect a external LCD monitor, and do you have the same amount of colour/calibration adjustments if using a different brand (Acer 22" widescreen) monitor?
2. Is there much difference in processing power/speed between a 15.4" 2.2 MacBook Pro and a 24" 2.4 iMac? Would I really notice the difference on an iMac?
3. If I bought a MacBook Pro would I absolutely love it and end up using it all the time over my desktop PC? (subjective question - go nuts and convince me people!)
4. If I am used to working on a dual monitor setup (22" widescreen plus 17"), would the 24" iMac be enough screen real estate space to keep me happy, or would I need an additional monitor?
Basically I'm just looking for people's opinions. Any suggestions or reasons for me to go one over the other would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Charlotte