Switching to Mac...have I got this right?

[Lani]

I am getting seriously close to switching to Mac, more specifically an iMac, 24in....either the 2.93GHz or the 3.06GHz ( not sure if the latter is worth the extra dollars?), and am working out how to get around software issues.
Please let me know if this correct.... can I partition the hard drive to run windows with CS3 on it as I only have the windows education version, avoiding internet access to avoid viruses etc, and then install Lightroom (which is multi platform) on the other partition as I will be using that more.

Another question is as to whether iWork is worth it?

[Calxoddity]

Lani,
Take the 2.93GHz model and spend the difference on something useful like an external HDD or bigger internal disk or tweaked card or something - you won't notice the difference in processor speed in real life.

Have a look at OpenOffice for Mac - if you like this you won't need to spend the $$ buying iWorks. I downloaded the iWorks demo version but was perfectly happy with OpenOffice so didn't buy iWorks - but you may prefer it - personal preference.

I don't use CS3 or Lightroom, so can't really comment there - I understand your license can cross platforms, but it may not apply to EDU or Academic version. Ditto for advice on dual booting - I migrated completely to avoid the hassle of dual boot or worrying about two operating systems and everything worked the way it should.

What else are you running? Have you checked the migration path for your existing data?

Regards,
Calx

[Lani]

Thanks for your reply, Calx,


Take the 2.93GHz model and spend the difference on something useful like an external HDD or bigger internal disk or tweaked card or something - you won't notice the difference in processor speed in real life.

Good to know, quite a few dollars difference.

Have a look at OpenOffice for Mac - if you like this you won't need to spend the $$ buying iWorks. I downloaded the iWorks demo version but was perfectly happy with OpenOffice so didn't buy iWorks - but you may prefer it - personal preference.

I don't use office that much, just the odd publisher document really so I wasn't keen to buy a whole program just for that, so I'll check out open office, thanx

I don't use CS3 or Lightroom, so can't really comment there - I understand your license can cross platforms, but it may not apply to EDU or Academic version. Ditto for advice on dual booting - I migrated completely to avoid the hassle of dual boot or worrying about two operating systems and everything worked the way it should.

Ok, lightroom is no a problem but I will investigate further with adobe re CS3. I would prefer to do the same as you and migrate completely, it's just that software is so damn expensive.

What else are you running? Have you checked the migration path for your existing data?

I mostly use the PC for photography related stuff, so I have a few plug-ins for CS3 I will need to check, but other than that, nothing else I can't use Michael's PC for if I desperately need to.



My other question is how have you found getting your screen calibrated to match print output. I understand you can get a program to reduce the screen brightness, but does that diminish how good it looks as it is.... the glossy 24 in is one of the big draw cards for me. , but I am dreading having colour management issues. I use a Spyder3pro to calibrate my current screen.

[MarkW]

Lani
Your going to have problems if you try to use multiple systems from a single source (the images). You cant read from both systems at the same time. Yes you can partition and run windows from that partition and that would be done using bootcamp (comes with the operating system), but then you can only get files from that partition. I dont believe that anything stored on the Mac partition will be accessible.

The same will also go for using a virtual machine system like Fusion or Parallels, once inside the virtual machine its ver difficult to read any of the other softwre as it must be windows compatible and within the "sandbox".

In the end if you cant reasonably change to all Mac software I would be considering staying with a PC format system. In actual fact I think the benefits of going Mac just wont exist on a Mac using Windows in either a Bootcamp or virtual machine situation. One of Macs biggest pluses is the use of 16 bit systems with reverts to 8 bit when you use the windows interface.

[mcdesign]

Get as much RAM as you can Lani, I have 4 GB and love it, I believe that you can get even more, I myself wouldn't complicate things by partitioning the HD to run Windows, no point in getting a Mac to my mind, I run two external HD's one as backup and one for my data keeping the main HD free for maximum runnung speed, Time Machine, the backup program is wonderful, just set it up an forget it! I just wish that the iMac had more firewire ports it only has two, one 400 & one 800.

Check with Adobe to see if you can migrate Photoshop, they might do it for the education version. iWorks seems to be pretty good if you need to do documents or Powerpoint type presentations, to me it works better than the Microsoft Word and Powerpoint (they are very slow on a Mac) and intergrates with all the iLife software. I transfered all of a friends PC files across to her new iMac without much trouble, just sent them from the PC to a memory stick then put them in files created on the iMac, the only thing that doesn't transfer well is emails, best to print out the ones you need or re-send them to yourself. If I can help in any way just yell! Margaret

[DanNG]

Calibration of the glossy imac 24 is a big talking point on forums... the screen tends to display images with more contrast and saturation... (look fantastic on the monitor) but make it a bit more difficult to match to print.

Brightness will be the main issue, the plugin you mentioned that dims the monitor does effect the luminance curve negatively.. so I would try using your Spyder software to get a decent result to begin with.

If that fails.. I recommend ColorEyes by www.intergrated-color.com, its the best calibrating software solution for the imac,, it allows direct proper control of the screen brightness.. works quite well - I have calibrated a few 24inch imacs with this. You can download a demo from their site to try beforehand.. and it works with the Spyder.

Good luck with the switch, Apple have video tutorials on their site for functions inside mac os x, which are quite helpful. Say goodbye to de-fragging, un-install and reformatting.