Mitch's Employment Adventure

[Mitch]

Well, as some of you know, I'm losing my job at the end of the month because my store is closing. I'm the most demanded print/copy/cheap graphic design guy in the Auburn area, but alas, I can't find another job.

So, yesterday one of my buddies at work tells me about a job at the Macintosh Store in a nearby area. It's sales, which I am used to, and it would be pure comission. So, I'd be selling Macs all day in a store that has less furniture than a hockey rink, and is just about as vibrant. But the thing is, I know little about Macs, so, can all you Mac experts give me some pointers?

[Figrin D'an]

What would you like to know?

[Sejah Haversh]

What's hot right now? Why is it that a Mac can be so great at 2-D graphics, and why should I buy a Mac over a PC when the Mac costs so much more, and it's hard to find software for?

That work for starters?

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Sejah Haversh
What's hot right now?

The G5 is the workhorse of the Mac line. Has a few base configurations. I got to setup and play with one recently, running OS 10.3. Very nice machine. The new iBooks are impressive as well. The reviews on them have been solid. Beyond that, there's the iMac line, which are the middle-of-the-road home systems. And, of course, the iPod, the insanely popular mp3 player.




Why is it that a Mac can be so great at 2-D graphics, and why should I buy a Mac over a PC when the Mac costs so much more, and it's hard to find software for?



The "Mac Enthusiast" Answer: Macs are built with graphic design in mind, using high quality, high speed hardware to maximize the users ability to create complex graphical media. The easy-to-use. powerful and stable operating system, combined with powerful software titles, is favored by many in graphic design fields.


The "Real" Answer: Once upon a time, Macs actually did have a very real computational advantage over PCs in this area. Apple decided to exploit this niche (much as they did with K-12 education), and made the hard sell on their high-end machines to the graphic design industry. So, it became a field pretty much dominated by Mac machines. For quite a while, PC's couldn't compete in this area. Today, this really is no longer true... Apple's hardware advantage is essentially gone now. It's, more or less, that since Macs have become the standard in many graphic design fields, it continues to hold suit (mostly... there have been some converts to Windows-based PCs, with programs like Photoshop and such being now equal on both platforms).

The software disparity has shrunk quite a bit. Most major software titles that are available for Windows have Mac versions as well. The only exception is gaming. Standard apps, however, isn't much of a problem. There will either be a version of the same software written for Mac, or there will be a comparable alternative.

[Mitch]

Okay, well, I don't feel too bad now because I actually knew all that.

I guess my biggest question that I have to come up with a reason that even I would believe is, "Why would I spend so much more money to get a Mac than I would spend buying a more powerful PC?"

What truly is the Mac advantage? And if you all say looks, I will hurt you with a pipe cleaner very badly.

[Marcus Telcontar]

What truly is the Mac advantage? And if you all say looks, I will hurt you with a pipe cleaner very badly.

It's a good deal more secure out of the box and less prone to be borked up by idiots. It IS easier to use. They are wonderful for video editing, with Final Cut. The Microsoft titles availible on Mac are better than the Windows versions. A distinct quality differential.

And finally...

SAFARI ROCKS

[Morgan Evanar]

OS-X is built on top of free bsd or openbsd, which is a lot like linux/unix in terms of how the operating system talks to itself, and the way the files are organized.

Quartz is really cool. Instead of letting the graphics card do boring crap in 2d and lean on the CPU too much, most everything is 3d accellerated.

OS-X eats RAM like you would not beleive. Anything less than 512 will leave you hanging. Mac desktops are overpriced.

Mac laptops are RAD. I want a 10" TiBook.