Boy do I have questions!! I have never purchased a Mac machine before - have always been Windows-based. I understand though, that the Macs are great for graphics. Is there anything in particular I should know before I purchase?

Will ANY of my programs that I have work on a Mac?
Will ANY of my fonts that I have work on a Mac?
Are they truly better and faster when using graphics?

HELP!

__________________
Beth

View My Gallery

I've made the move to the Mac. Unfortunately, none of the my programs that I use worked. The only software I was willing to purchase was the office for Mac. I'm settling with PSE for Mac (was included with my Wacom tablet) until the next release PSCS. I had PSCS for PC but I couldn't upgrade to PSCS2 for Mac. I have seen an increase in performance but I don't know if its because I've upgraded from a laptop to a desktop.

So far, I've have not had any problems with using any of my old fonts.

If my laptop had not died, I would not have made the switch until the next PSCS upgrade. A lot of the features in PSCS that I use to extract is not available in PSE.

HTH

Macs are designed for graphics and they are fabulous for what they do. That being said....really think about it before buying. First of all, your programs will not work on it. So...if you forked over a boat load of money for PSCS or the likes for your PC, you're not going to be able to use it. The mac itself is a very expensive computer. Especially if you go the powermac G5 route. It's a fantastic machine, but if you aren't willing to drop some serious cash on not only the computer but the programs this is not the computer for you.
Yes, most of your fonts should work on the mac. Not all though, and some of your favorites may not.
I encourage you to thoroughly explore your options and really think about everything that you need your computer to do. Do you use Microsoft Office a lot or will the computer be used strictly for designing?
I've always had a mac, I absolutely love them and don't think I'll ever switch to PC. It's a practical computer for me because of my line of work but it's definitely not for everyone. My advice is to really think long and hard about all the pros and cons before you purchase. You definitely don't want to regret your purchase.

__________________
~ Jennifer Riggins ~
My Blog

Thanks for the input, Betty and Jen!

I am going to keep my Windows-based computer too. I only wanted the Mac for graphic work. I do TONS of scrapbooking and sometimes I want a little more speed and page access than with the PC. The Mac would be dedicated to graphics and yes, I am looking at an expensive machine. Scrapbooking is what I do! I will do some more research to see if I really want to go that route. Even with my graphics card, the PC locks quite often. I like to have quite a few pages open at one time.

Thanks for your responses!

__________________
Beth

View My Gallery

well as someone who is considering a mac as well. . .

I don't know about fonts.

I do know that PC software can work on a MAC if you run it through something else (an emulator of sorts). Not sure what it is called (can't remember). I was told that the programs would run slower than normal doing it this way. I figure it wouldn't be noticeable as it was a faster machine anyway.

I am considering a mac because of the graphics. I fell in love with the macbook pro! I can't afford it right now but that doesn't mean that I won't be saving for one!!!

__________________
~*~ Stacey ~*~
Mother to 3 boys | Digital Scrapbooking Junkie | Web Designer | Digital Scrapbook Kit Designer

Those of you considering Macs may be interested in this link http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/in.../Vmware_how_to. It gives instructions for installing a Mac OS operating system as a virtual machine. Meaning: you can use your normal windows software on windows, and start a virtual Mac operating system when you want to do Mac stuff. The big warning/disclaimer at the top refers do downloading illegal copies of the Mac Operating System - so as long as yours is legit, you should not have any troubles. VMware, which is the software to create these virtual machines is available free... I run extra windows and linux virtual machines with no problems at all on my Windows XP Professional laptop, but I've never tried a Mac...

Regards,
Anna

__________________

I just switched from a PC laptop (that is on it's last legs) to Mac about 1 month ago. I was lucky enough to get a Macbook Pro and I couldn't be happier! So fast and so beautiful. If you have an Apple store near you, go look and go play with them. All the employees there are very knowledgable. It is an investment. Best one I've made lately!

__________________

I switched from a pc to an iMac G5 about a year ago and I have to say I love my Mac. I did have to buy new software to run it, mainly PSE4 but that was the biggest thing I had to buy. Now I know that Macs aren't for everyone, but I personally do not regret the switch. I still have my pc beside my Mac but I find I use it less and less. I also do a lot of video and my iMac handles it beautifully. I can't say enough about it and I'm glad I made the switch.

__________________