Fine, more detail:
Hardware -
More or less the same as XP (and I really mean all version of Windows
when i say XP) based systems now that Apple is on Intel CPU's, speeds
are basically identical. Macs are still more expensive, but in the
case of my MacBook Pro, I think the added cost was well worth it. The
lighted keyboard and slim aluminum cases make a HUGE difference,
especially as I DJ with mine. Very well cooled for a laptop, looks
bad ass too (there, I said it). You also get some benefit from the
fact that software companies more or less know what the hardware is
always, so they can easily test for compatibility.
It's not all good though, because it also means that you're stuck
dealing with Apple when it comes to hardware. My first two weeks of
the big "switch" were pretty frustrating as I not only leamed a new
OS, but had hardware issues plaguing me too. My first MBP kept giving
me kernal panics (the Mac version of BSOD), and I wasn't sure if it
was me or the computer itself at first. After a week, I took it back
to the store, where of course it worked great. After an hour long
talk with an "Egghead", I finally got them to give me another laptop
on the spot. Got home, and the CPU cooling fan in it was clicking
something awful, and occasionally just stopping! Ungh, back to store,
MBP #3, which I must say has been working flawlessly for 15 months.
3rd Party Software-
This one is kind of a toss. In terms of sheer numbers, there's
obviously way more choices for XP systems. Especially freeware music
apps, and I don't mean ware z. However, on the whole, the Mac
software you do find for free (and there's plenty) seems to be of
higher quality and stability. They feel and look like professional
apps you'd pay for. Some exceptions, just generalizing here. I haven't
run into a situation yet where I was unable to find a free app that
did the same thing as free XP apps I used earlier.
Music software really doesn't seem any more stable though, I never had
many issues on my XP laptop, and I really don't have any issues on the
Mac. There's still buggy stuff, NI's Battery 3 for instance
Ableton Live seems fine and stable. A few bugs here and there, but
they affect both systems. The one area where XP wins here is with
wave editors. Windows users by far have better options here, Wavelab
and Soundforge are much better than what's offered on OSX. Peak's ok,
expensive for what it is. DSP Quattro still isn't UB, though it does
work. There's a new one called wave Editor by Audiofile Engineering
that I'm beta-testing, and so far it looks pretty good. A lot like
Photoshop for audio, layers and such. But yeah, I still run Wavelab
in Parallels for all my mastering work, and this is the only XP app I
still use BTW.
Operating System-
No question OSX is way better for me, it's not even close. With XP
systems, you often have the need to browse deep into the OS files and
folders to solve issues, uninstall things, etc. This really isn't the
case with OSX. You see very little of the working of the OS day to
day, as long as you stick to keeping things the way OSX wants you to.
There's lots of cliches, but everything really is easier once you
'unlearn' the Windows way and accept OSX's methods. Everything is
pretty straightforward and yes, it all just works. You never need to
mess with drivers, firewalls, uninstall routines, registry, etc.
Installing a pogram is usually as simple as just dragging it's icon
into your applications folder. Done, it's installed. Drag it to the
trash to uninstall (usually). Back up is a lot easier too, all your
preferences and settings, programs and documents are all easy to find,
and clearly labelled.
The best part is that audio and midi is a core part of the OS, so you
have very well spec'd ways of routing and handling midi and audio
built right in to OSX. High sample rates and bit depths supported
right away, and you can even preview audio files right in Finder
easily (think Windows Explorer).
It's not all roses though, I do find weird bugs in OSX, has a couple
crashes too. Likely due to the apps I was using, but still.
Somethings are frustrating about OSX too, like gettiing used to new
key commands all over again (though this is much better in OSX once
you do), or not being able to just select a file and hit Delete to get
rid of it (it's CMD+Delete in OSX). Little things I may just need to
unlearn still.
Oh one more bonus I almost forgot, the apps that come with OSX are
very, very well done. I made and burned my very first DVD movie, and I never had to look in the help file or the manuals. It
was so easy to do, and looks professional. I had tried tin the past o
do the same thing with XP's Movie Maker, and it was impossible, I gave
up. Garageband is a top app, lots of good sounds in there that a lot
of people ignore for some reason. That's just the tips, it's all of
the same quality.
Having said all that, I CAN see why some people like Windows better.
Some people like to organize their data their way, and really
customize things in the OS. This is far easier in Windows, in OSX
most people are fine just leaving things as they are. Things work
better when you adopt the Apple way and keep all your files in OSX's
folders (like movies, music, pictures, etc). So if you can't adopt to
that, you won't be getting the same experience and Windows will be
better. Also, some people LIKE going deep into the OS to fix things
or tweak them slightly, being techy is fun for them. So again, you'll
never really appreciate the simplicity of OSX, it'll always be
fighting you and frustrating. You can do that stuff in OSX, it's just
not the same in terms of being hands on with the files.
Ok, so there's the unbiased review. To be honest, I'm REALLY glad I
switched. I spend a lot less time maintaining my computer (no more
virus scans, ad ware scans, spyware scans, defragging, etc.) I
literally pretty much come home, tap the keyboard to wake it, then
jump right into Live for the night. That's it, every night. Once in
awhile I might get a message that new software updates are ready, but
that's it in terms of the OS bugging me. 2 months after getting my
MBP, my wife switched as well, and she loves it too. We both won't go
back for home use, though we both use XP at work still.
It's really frustratin at first, it's SOO close to what you know, but
different enough that you're always aware of it. Took me about 2
weeks to really get a feel for everything, maybe a month to be totally
comfortable with all the differences and appreciating them at that
point.
Really not trying to start the whole Mac vs PC, I truly don't believe
one is inherently better than the other. I'm just giving my opinions
and in no way saying 'this is how it is, period'.
Go figure.
