Why Do Some Designers & Developers Insist On Using A Mac
I’ve been working in the web development industry for a little while now (worked for a couple of major news conglomerates) and have noticed that a lot of designers and some developers prefer using a Mac over a Windows PC and I began to wonder why that is. What advantage does a Mac give you over a PC other than a different operating system and messed up mouse and keyboard configurations?
This argument has been going on for years now and the only way of it ever ending would be for Apple to go bankrupt, like that is ever going to happen though.
Using a Mac does not make you a better designer or developer
Adobe’s Creative Suite software is the industry standard when it comes to design (in most industries) and it is available on both Windows and Mac. They are both the same and neither one has any Mac or Windows specific features. Except if you count the automatic backup feature Fireworks CS5 has for Mac.
I’ve used a Mac a few times before and while they might have a pretty interface, I wouldn’t exactly call it a user-friendly interface for someone who primarily uses a PC. No control key, no right mouse button and no alt+tab. To me using a Mac is like learning to ride a bike all over again.
The insides aren’t really that different
Mac’s use Intel processors now, so is there any reason that a Mac running an Intel processor should be faster than a Core i7 PC with 6 gigs of ram and running Windows 7? Of course not. A Mac is no different to a PC and merely a difference in looks and operating system.
I could run Mac OS on my PC right now if I wanted to, but I like being able to play computer games and download lots of open source applications that are free.
Here’s the difference
People who use Mac’s are mostly elitists and fanboys who are perfectly happy paying a premium price for basic hardware and Mac OS, with a little bit of brushed rounded aluminium thrown in.
PC users are people who just want a machine that gets the job done and couldn’t care less about impressing a small minority of elitists who think they’re better because they use a Mac or having brushed aluminium that scratches real easy over their computer towers.
I think it has more to do with the “aesthetic” that kinda goes with what you said about being an elitist. I guess they figure because they’re in the business of design, their tools have to be fashionable as well.
One other point I would make is that if they just used PCs, perhaps they could charge their clients less because they wouldn’t have to pass off the price of their absurdly expensive mac pro workstations to the client.
I just got done disagreeing with you on another post of yours, but now I see that you’re a much smarter person than I gave you credit for. This is a great post, and I completely agree with you. I never understood why most web designers insist on using a Mac. Or why EVERY time I see an open position at a local design firm, they require proficient experience with a Mac. Seriously, Macs are only good because no hackers bother making viruses for them because they have maybe 15% of the market. The great thing about PCs, to name a few – as you said, PCs get the job done. 99% of all software works on a PC. Nearly all open source and developmental software work on a PC. The kind of people who solely design software, do it on a PC, and make it only for PCs. The first time I used a PC, it was pretty easy and the first time I used a Mac, I vowed to never use a Mac again.
And yes, they are VERY elitist. Whether it’s due to the price, or the general “style” of Macs. Which is weird because Mac has always been the “computer of the people”, while PCs were the “computer of the business world”. Yet, PCs have always been cheaper. I seriously just saw a new Toshiba laptop for $350 at Best Buy. The base model of a Mac is what? $1100? Unless you get an iPad, but then you are paying $500 for a “computer” that doesn’t have enough room to really save anything to, doesn’t have the processor power to run any extensive applications, and is basically an oversized iPhone that you can’t make phone calls on.
K sorry for the long comment, just glad to see another PC web designer haha
Eric,
Couldn’t agree more. Those damn Mac nerds make my blood boil so much! I am overcome with rage just walking past an Apple store and always seeing hundreds of people in there playing with the demo computers with their left hand and combing their Zelda side fringes with their right hand.
I use an iMac and a laptop with Ubuntu daily and while I agree that there’s no real reason you should get a mac, working on it is pure pleasure for me.
It’s easier for me to develop on a nix machine (be it mac or ubuntu) than on a windows one.
To be honest, every system has it’s pros and cons, I personally like all three (win, lin, mac).
To summarize, your summary is shallow and missed in my opinion.
And just to be clear, I think apple’s ads are crap, they brainwash people telling them PCs are bad while macs are PCs too with a different operating system. Still, macs are as good as any other pc, don’t hate macs, hate all the stupid apple fanboys…
Considering I can merely download a LAMP stack and throw it onto my Windows machine, I would say developing on a Windows machine is just as convenient and easy as using a Mac to develop.
just because Mac OS is based on Unix does not make it a great operating system. Windows may look like a plain white wall in comparison, but you have to admit Windows has gotten a lot better in terms of stability and security since Windows XP days.
The fan-boys are the ones responsible for the Mac elitist stereotype. I bet not every Mac user is an elitist, but most are.
The only main difference I have found (working in a large advertising firm) is Fonts and the old school bs reasons that go back to when Mac was on the PPC chip. Lots of times a design firms clients require the use of specific fonts for which their is no OpenType or windows equivalent, at which point you either get a new client or you get a mac to do the work on. This tends not to be a problem in shops that actually buy their own fonts and will get the correct font in OpenType or a windows format, but since most don’t pay for the fonts they are using or just use the one the client gives them, even thought they are required to pay for the font, you have the Mac versus Windows dichotomy.
My personal opinion is that if you are any good at your craft, the tool you use to complete the task is an ancillary consideration and you are a snivelling bitch if you insist on one platform over the other.
Dwayne, your opinion is very limited. All that you said is because you really didn’t use a mac. (I mean really). I’m not a fanboy. But I really enjoy working on my mac. Sure, you want to play games? Have Windows. I want to work, and mac and mac os x are the best tools for me. And I’ve used Windows for more than 15 years before switching. And yes, I’m a designer. Most people (that I know) that give importance to details, like Apple products.
You want a LAMP? Think WAMP.
No alt-tab? Try command-tab. All the same. Most commands with CTRL on windows are either with ALT of COMMAND key.
Messed up mouse? I have right-click too. Also on the trackpad. And the slider is so much better than… no slider? The Magic Mouse is incredibly useful. At first I thought I wasn’t going to use it because all surface is “touchable”, but now I’m pissed off when I have to use other mouse.
“Using a Mac does not make you a better designer or developer”
Couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t.
But it does make my life easier by not crashing so many times (it does crash too!).
Getting the job done is not have to worry about anything else than the work. Back when I used Windows, this was a big issue. SO always getting problems. And the freaking drivers. And what not.
The REAL difference between mac and other system is the OS. I don’t know about other linux distros, but OS X is much more powerfull and lightweight than Windows.
Well, I don’t know about Windows 7, haven’t use it much to have an opinion, but the previous Windows were just laughable.
Dwayne, try giving in another try. Open minded.
The only downside I see is the price. They’re expensive, thats for sure.
Donno man. its the wow factor.
many professionals use it ..it makes newbies think that mac is the best platform for a designer.
I am a coder and I use Linux for coding stuff ( php, python and QT )
There no better platform than linux if you are a coder ..
Mac OS is not more ligntweight. The install is far bigger than windows or Linux. A few more observations from the trenches here. Macs truely suck at being implemented in a networked, Active Directory environment. As soon as you join them to a domain, you lose the ability to enable a local cifs share on the unit without significant work. They let users save files of exceedingly long file names when the rest of the platforms out there have issues with handling them. That being said as a stand alone platform or in small work groups the do well and I have few complains, but in a company that has to meet data security requirements, implement user controls, removable media auditing, or almost anything else a modern sysadmin is asked to do, Macs are simply a pain in the ass and can’t touch windows. And with windows 7, crashes are as non existent as they are on Macs.
Wow. This post and its comments is full of ignorance.
I would ask you what OS you use Alex, but judging by your arrogance and your cynicism I’d say you’re a Mac user. Ha.