Apple Mac OS or Windows 7 for Audio Mastering and Photoshop
Why Apple Mac OS for Audio Mastering and Photoshop Design?
For years I have always been a PC user, in fact on my first PC I used MSDOS with windows and a user of the Windows operating systems right up until Windows 7. About three years ago I decided to opt for an Imac as an upgrade to my ASUS core 2 Duo laptop with the full intention to install boot camp on the new Imac and run Windows 7 primarily to use the software that I had and to be honest I had no real intention of utilizing or using the Mac OS which was then running Mac OS Snow Leopard, with the mindset that my software and most programs that I use would probably not be compatible any way. This I did for a good initial two to three months, in fact rarely bothered with the Mac OS at all. The reason that I opted for an Imac as opposed to a standard All In One PC was the design and lovely robust build quality, something very special that can only be found like this on Apple products. I would begin, every now and then switch back and forward between operating systems to get more familiar with Mac OS because in my mind there was bound to be a steep learning curve using an operating system other than the one that I had used for years.
How wrong was I?
The first thing that I noticed was the major differences between the two systems was performance and initial loading times. For instance I would load in to Windows and always would expect the usual lag and delays before even being able to open major programs, because start up system programs like anti virus and similar would have to complete their checks before being able to use the system fully. This is something that as Windows users expect and get used to. But astoundingly initial loading of the Mac OS is almost instantaneously compared to Windows. No lag waiting for start up files to load a huge plus for me! In fact I even rang the tech boys in Apple to see if I need to install a third party Security or some kind of antivirus or firewall system like Windows has to have, but I was advised that as long as I had Apple updates loading in the background when they are issued that the system is perfectly secure and safe without third party security software intervention. I was advised not to install these at all.
From this point on I began to really re think my strategy about workflow between the two operating systems.
Another thing that I had got used to when using Windows was perhaps every six months I would reformat the hard drive and re install the operating system and software back because I would notice a gradual slow down of the system over time where system files would build up or files in the system would still remain even after uninstalling programmes the supposed correct way. This process could take me up to two days every time to complete. This is something that after three years of every day constant use I have not had to do using the Mac OS System, Amaizingly it seems to work as good now as the day that I first used it.
Stability
The second thing that I noticed was stability of programmes. For instance every now and then a program would crash on windows not as commonly as they used to on earlier windows but never the less they did crash for instance when using Adobe Software Photoshop and crash for unknown reasons. Also the same but a massive problem when using cubase and again Blender. You could argue that the programme or certain factors would have caused this to happen and that it is not an operating system problem , but a software manufacturers problem, but when one needs to complete a task and when time is limited, one just can’t be bothered to delve in to configerations of the system help files etc. Nine times out of ten for me, it would not fix the issues anyway. The point is that on Mac OS I have never had it crash ever. Programmes just work and work well. This is something that if I was told this I probably would not believe because I was so used to the Windows way.
Graphics
The third thing is the overall visual feel and experience. I noticed that visually everything looks so much better on a Mac Os system than a Windows system. A good example is comparing Browsers online. Being that I do a lot of website designs I am constantly looking at the finished designs in different browsers to compare overall performances and visually how they look. If I compare the same browser between the two operating systems they are like chalk and cheese. Everything is crisp and sharp on Mac OS and in windows is wishy washy no where near as crisp. Even with the same resolution set and the same monitor on the same computer! Graphics differences rendered between the two operating systems Mountain Lion and Windows 7 when using Adobe software is again like chalk and cheese. For this reason alone why would I want to edit graphics or photos in Windows when on a Mac it looks so much better?
To Sum up..
I am not writing this article to sell the Mac operating system to win over Windows users because I am sure that most will be like I was and we take it in our stride that things like updates and security is something in this day and age we have to expect to slow down our systems and while updates are proceeding we just go and make a cup of tea. But for me it was becoming more than a joke and for most time is money. The last straw for me is closing down Windows. I now noticed that more and more frequently it can take as long as half an hour to close whilst applying updates. This is not funny if you have your computer in your bedroom and want to go to sleep and the fans are running at full speed but it is not shutting down until it is finished. A notice on the pc stating “Do Not Power Off or it will corrupt the system” or something to that effect! Only to find that the next day when powering on it still wants to update before you can use the thing.
For these reasons I have now totally uninstalled windows and Bootcamp on my Imac and I would never ever go back to a PC Windows operating system again to use for my everyday tasks, In fact I only use Windows now on my original pc laptop to view my designs on windows browsers to see the difference. I now use Logic Pro for my audio mastering a much more stable programme than others that I have used on my Mac Book Pro laptop. Compatibility between windows files and accessing them on a Mac has rarely been a problem for me at all. I can do everything that I need to do now with a Mac System and I am much more satisfied and content.
I hope that you found this article helpful? If you agree or disagree please leave me your comments below.