he wants it to last 2-3 years--pc don't hold there value and change more quickly than apple---the ibook does things very well i have the 14 1gz and it rocks, has a 6hr bat life and it will hold it's value, looks cool
desk top--the emac is the best value and it's harder for someone to walk off with it. looks cool and in 2-3 years there is still a market for used.
if you're a heavy photoshop/adobe suite user in graphic design, get a G5, if you cant afford one, build a custom pc that will perform better than a G4.
if you're in motion graphics/film, get a G5 as well
otherwise, get the pc.
if it doesn't matter too much but love the mac anyway, well, get a mac then!
if you're a heavy photoshop/adobe suite user in graphic design, get a G5, if you cant afford one, build a custom pc that will perform better than a G4.
if you're in motion graphics/film, get a G5 as well
otherwise, get the pc.
if it doesn't matter too much but love the mac anyway, well, get a mac then!
On the fence, doing CIS as it stands now but very seriously second guessing my choice, I want, the more I mess with the tools, to do video, I have wanted to do it since I was little, but every time I turm around, people say things like "you are great at this computer suff you could make a kiling doing this for a liveing" but I am doubtoing my choice, It seems like once you get a degree in IT, you have just begun, all the certs that are requierd for a decent job, and the market is flooded with IT grads, thus the dilemma, if/when I graduate, will there be any jobs availible?
from my research, it appears that the video/movie industry is looking for good comp.graphics people and digi-video people who also understand analog, so that is my other rout.
..., the more I mess with the tools, to do video, I have wanted to do it since I was little, but every time I turm around, people say things like "you are great at this computer suff you could make a kiling doing this for a liveing" but I am doubtoing my choice, It seems like once you get a degree in IT, you have just begun, all the certs that are requierd for a decent job, and the market is flooded with IT grads, thus the dilemma, if/when I graduate, will there be any jobs availible?
from my research, it appears that the video/movie industry is looking for good comp.graphics people and digi-video people who also understand analog, so that is my other rout.
...
what about some self...hm...conscious? Dude, get a mac. Don't argue with yourself. Get what you are really for.
Wow whats with all these comments telling a_greer to give it up and just purchase a PC? Grow up. a_greer isn't some newbie, they have been posting here for a while and wants to switch.
Anyway yeah the laptop route is another way to approach it. Many switchers I know have chosen the iBook specifically as the machine to purchase. When I'm not on my Power Mac or Cube I use a 500Mhz iBook. Upgraded to 512MB RAM and Panther it handled my work surprisingly well. BBEdit, Photoshop (light stuff, web work), GoLive, Acrobat.
What might be of interest for CIS or tech support is that with a good sized hard drive and licenses you can run multiple versions of Windows using Virtual PC. Great for testing applications, walking people through problems. Speed varies, now I'm just VNC'ng into a windows box. For content creation Macs have exceptional tools; Logic, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro...
It seems like once you get a degree in IT, you have just begun, all the certs that are requierd for a decent job
Speaking from personal experience the people I've known that have certs, a few with MANY of them, specialize and bookworm it so much they can't sit down and problem solve. As long it was an example in one of their huge books their are fine.
Again, not to offend anyone that may have their MCSE and what not. I hear many employers are interested in experience too, many times more so then a bunch of letters following your name.
Just a brain-storm: is there a high demand for IT guys with an apple specialty/focus? and what kind of mony is there in this area?
and where can I get more info on mac it as a potential career?
I can't help with these specific questions but want to note something related.
If you pursue a programming, media worker, etc. career, you build a set of core skills. Those are the essence of why someone would want to hire you. Any specific technology, new software, language, platform you can learn in days, weeks, couple months at most.
If you want to build a career on "X technology", you assemble an array of certificates or similar technology-specific knowledge that dates fast. You keep on learning new stuff all the time, and that new stuff is why someone would want to hire you. You really should get paid more if you are this sort of specialist, since there is more risk. What if "X technology" ceases to be good, in production, etc.? What if you cease to be happy with "X technology" and want to work with something else?
The division is not usually this clear cut, but I know at least one guy who collected MS certificates for a long time without any sort of education degree. He could work with MS SQL Server, .Net, ASP, and many more interesting acronyms to make webstores and simple web services. He then went on to earn his living training others for the MS certificates. In the course of all this he has accumulated quite a bit of general programming skill, but it has taken a *lot* of time, and I think he would still find it hard to work outside the Windows "mold".
[snipe]I think he would still find it hard to work outside the Windows "mold".
this is the reason I am so seriously considering a Mac, I will learn to operate outside the windows 'mold', which I already know intimately and as an added bonus of X, teach myself UNIX, shell scripting and other neat little tricks like that, diversification never hurts.
Wow whats with all these comments telling a_greer to give it up and just purchase a PC?
His original post.
Quote:
Originally posted by a_greer
I am going to college and want a powerful desktop that can, with few upgrades get me through the first 2-3 years, I will, in late Aug have ~$900-1000 to spend.
My dilemma is that I really want a Mac but I will NEVER buy an e/imac because AIOs ALWAYS without exception suck hard, they cant be upgraded and I am stuck with a crummy 17 inch crt that is lower quality than the one that I have.
I have thought about the PM but I don?t need 8 gigs of ram and 2 G5s, I may save for a little longer and go for a PM but all I want is what I will need to listen to music, write reports, coding, networking, and other college stuff like the occasional DVD and the obligatory web and email tasks. (Addition) I also do some light photoshoping if that makes a differance.
Will apple ever get a non-aio low end unit? Will they ever unplug their ears and stop humming loudly while ignoring what real consumers need and demand?
My other option is building a windows rig, please Apple, don?t make me do it!
He set the perimeters. He narrowed down the price. He pretty much excluded the iBook by rejecting AIOs. i/emac is not an option. Everyone knows that PC desktops are way ahead of anything that Apple produces at that $1000 price point. What he is really doing in this thread is bemoaning the fact that Apple doesn't produce a consumer level, competitive, headless desktop. Fact is, on the PC side, for a thousand dollars, you get fast graphics, DVD burning, and a head. No look, I'm not berating him for bemoaning. But as you say, he has been around the block a few times and knows full well that Apple does not produce the type of box he has narrowly described. He's got two choices: buy a Mac that clearly does not fit into his defined perimeters, or buy a PC. Considering the original post, I fail to see the point of the thread. If it seeks to have real advice, then the only real advice is to buy the PC that fits your description and wait another several years to see if Apple has expanded its lines. There's nothing wrong with buying a PC if that's what you need and want. Remember, in college, you will probably want to play the latest and greatest games. A Mac of any description will be bad for that purpose. To think that you have to go out and buy a Mac that does not fit the bill is a sign of immaturity. Buy what you want and need. Don't worry about the whole Mac vs. PC none-sense. That's childish. You have already defined what you want. Now go buy it and enjoy it.
Thank you Mac Voyer for pointing that out. I just reread all the posts in that thread and, though yet, i was wondering, IF i missed something in particular.
Actually i'd say: everyone to his/her likeing. Once, i recommended under any circumstances a mac to someone. But i dropped that attitude.
let me clarify, I didn't intentionally rule out laptops, I was just saying that I hate the concept of AIO desktops, for one, they cant be upgraded (maybe a video card or a specialty pci card) if the need/money arises, and they also lack the mobility factor that laptops possess, but the more I read and consider, I am thinking that if I want to 'switch'(would still keep my win. box if vpc was slower) I should do it right, save up and get a power Mac because in this life you get what you pay for, and if I want the toys, I will just have to wait a while longer, I know I could get a loan but I absolutely refuse to go into debt for something that falls into the category of a "want" and not a need, but in the end I doubt that I will be sorry.
Hell, if these new displays surface at wwdc, well, my little savings plan will take a little longer
let me clarify, ... I know I could get a loan but I absolutely refuse to go into debt for something that falls into the category of a "want" and not a need, ...
This is a good rule sir, there is only one exception: the need for the "want an apple"
a_greer, if you give in to what people think, especially as to your career, i will kill a kitten.
it sounds like you've got a soft spot for video and film.
i say go with your gut instincts man!
a while back i was on the way into management/economics because that's what my family does, and we were well off because of it.
that changed though i work with video a little bit (digital compositing), and i'd like to get into film eventually. we do some 3d animation, motion graphics and all that as well. and i wholeheartedly recommend anyone and everyone into this area of work.
if you have no passion for IT, and you're a film guy deep down, LET IT OUT BABY!!! [but also, once you're in this area, dont even *think* about a crappy laptop]
I would check out the refurb section at the Apple store. Right now they have a 1.6 G5 for $1,299. I know your not looking to buy now right now but it is something to keep in mind.
And you might be surprised at how much money you can save in school. Most of the time I would borrow textbooks from kids in class and make copies of the pages we needed. I had one poly sci class that we only needed six pages from a 110 dollar book. Do that three times and you would have the extra three hundred you would need for a G5.
Comments
desk top--the emac is the best value and it's harder for someone to walk off with it. looks cool and in 2-3 years there is still a market for used.
that should define what you use.
if you're a heavy photoshop/adobe suite user in graphic design, get a G5, if you cant afford one, build a custom pc that will perform better than a G4.
if you're in motion graphics/film, get a G5 as well
otherwise, get the pc.
if it doesn't matter too much but love the mac anyway, well, get a mac then!
Originally posted by Sleeping Fox
what are you going to specialize in in college?
that should define what you use.
if you're a heavy photoshop/adobe suite user in graphic design, get a G5, if you cant afford one, build a custom pc that will perform better than a G4.
if you're in motion graphics/film, get a G5 as well
otherwise, get the pc.
if it doesn't matter too much but love the mac anyway, well, get a mac then!
On the fence, doing CIS as it stands now but very seriously second guessing my choice, I want, the more I mess with the tools, to do video, I have wanted to do it since I was little, but every time I turm around, people say things like "you are great at this computer suff you could make a kiling doing this for a liveing" but I am doubtoing my choice, It seems like once you get a degree in IT, you have just begun, all the certs that are requierd for a decent job, and the market is flooded with IT grads, thus the dilemma, if/when I graduate, will there be any jobs availible?
from my research, it appears that the video/movie industry is looking for good comp.graphics people and digi-video people who also understand analog, so that is my other rout.
Originally posted by a_greer
..., the more I mess with the tools, to do video, I have wanted to do it since I was little, but every time I turm around, people say things like "you are great at this computer suff you could make a kiling doing this for a liveing" but I am doubtoing my choice, It seems like once you get a degree in IT, you have just begun, all the certs that are requierd for a decent job, and the market is flooded with IT grads, thus the dilemma, if/when I graduate, will there be any jobs availible?
from my research, it appears that the video/movie industry is looking for good comp.graphics people and digi-video people who also understand analog, so that is my other rout.
...
what about some self...hm...conscious? Dude, get a mac. Don't argue with yourself. Get what you are really for.
Anyway yeah the laptop route is another way to approach it. Many switchers I know have chosen the iBook specifically as the machine to purchase. When I'm not on my Power Mac or Cube I use a 500Mhz iBook. Upgraded to 512MB RAM and Panther it handled my work surprisingly well. BBEdit, Photoshop (light stuff, web work), GoLive, Acrobat.
What might be of interest for CIS or tech support is that with a good sized hard drive and licenses you can run multiple versions of Windows using Virtual PC. Great for testing applications, walking people through problems. Speed varies, now I'm just VNC'ng into a windows box. For content creation Macs have exceptional tools; Logic, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro...
Now who's the long winded one?
Originally posted by a_greer
It seems like once you get a degree in IT, you have just begun, all the certs that are requierd for a decent job
Speaking from personal experience the people I've known that have certs, a few with MANY of them, specialize and bookworm it so much they can't sit down and problem solve. As long it was an example in one of their huge books their are fine.
Again, not to offend anyone that may have their MCSE and what not. I hear many employers are interested in experience too, many times more so then a bunch of letters following your name.
and where can I get more info on mac it as a potential career?
Originally posted by a_greer
Just a brain-storm: is there a high demand for IT guys with an apple specialty/focus? and what kind of mony is there in this area?
and where can I get more info on mac it as a potential career?
I can't help with these specific questions but want to note something related.
If you pursue a programming, media worker, etc. career, you build a set of core skills. Those are the essence of why someone would want to hire you. Any specific technology, new software, language, platform you can learn in days, weeks, couple months at most.
If you want to build a career on "X technology", you assemble an array of certificates or similar technology-specific knowledge that dates fast. You keep on learning new stuff all the time, and that new stuff is why someone would want to hire you. You really should get paid more if you are this sort of specialist, since there is more risk. What if "X technology" ceases to be good, in production, etc.? What if you cease to be happy with "X technology" and want to work with something else?
The division is not usually this clear cut, but I know at least one guy who collected MS certificates for a long time without any sort of education degree. He could work with MS SQL Server, .Net, ASP, and many more interesting acronyms to make webstores and simple web services. He then went on to earn his living training others for the MS certificates. In the course of all this he has accumulated quite a bit of general programming skill, but it has taken a *lot* of time, and I think he would still find it hard to work outside the Windows "mold".
Originally posted by Gon
[snipe]I think he would still find it hard to work outside the Windows "mold".
this is the reason I am so seriously considering a Mac, I will learn to operate outside the windows 'mold', which I already know intimately and as an added bonus of X, teach myself UNIX, shell scripting and other neat little tricks like that, diversification never hurts.
Originally posted by IonYz
Wow whats with all these comments telling a_greer to give it up and just purchase a PC?
His original post.
Originally posted by a_greer
I am going to college and want a powerful desktop that can, with few upgrades get me through the first 2-3 years, I will, in late Aug have ~$900-1000 to spend.
My dilemma is that I really want a Mac but I will NEVER buy an e/imac because AIOs ALWAYS without exception suck hard, they cant be upgraded and I am stuck with a crummy 17 inch crt that is lower quality than the one that I have.
I have thought about the PM but I don?t need 8 gigs of ram and 2 G5s, I may save for a little longer and go for a PM but all I want is what I will need to listen to music, write reports, coding, networking, and other college stuff like the occasional DVD and the obligatory web and email tasks. (Addition) I also do some light photoshoping if that makes a differance.
Will apple ever get a non-aio low end unit? Will they ever unplug their ears and stop humming loudly while ignoring what real consumers need and demand?
My other option is building a windows rig, please Apple, don?t make me do it!
He set the perimeters. He narrowed down the price. He pretty much excluded the iBook by rejecting AIOs. i/emac is not an option. Everyone knows that PC desktops are way ahead of anything that Apple produces at that $1000 price point. What he is really doing in this thread is bemoaning the fact that Apple doesn't produce a consumer level, competitive, headless desktop. Fact is, on the PC side, for a thousand dollars, you get fast graphics, DVD burning, and a head. No look, I'm not berating him for bemoaning. But as you say, he has been around the block a few times and knows full well that Apple does not produce the type of box he has narrowly described. He's got two choices: buy a Mac that clearly does not fit into his defined perimeters, or buy a PC. Considering the original post, I fail to see the point of the thread. If it seeks to have real advice, then the only real advice is to buy the PC that fits your description and wait another several years to see if Apple has expanded its lines. There's nothing wrong with buying a PC if that's what you need and want. Remember, in college, you will probably want to play the latest and greatest games. A Mac of any description will be bad for that purpose. To think that you have to go out and buy a Mac that does not fit the bill is a sign of immaturity. Buy what you want and need. Don't worry about the whole Mac vs. PC none-sense. That's childish. You have already defined what you want. Now go buy it and enjoy it.
Originally posted by Mac Voyer
His original post....He set the perimeters. ...
Thank you Mac Voyer for pointing that out. I just reread all the posts in that thread and, though yet, i was wondering, IF i missed something in particular.
Actually i'd say: everyone to his/her likeing. Once, i recommended under any circumstances a mac to someone. But i dropped that attitude.
best
Hell, if these new displays surface at wwdc, well, my little savings plan will take a little longer
Originally posted by a_greer
let me clarify, ... I know I could get a loan but I absolutely refuse to go into debt for something that falls into the category of a "want" and not a need, ...
This is a good rule sir, there is only one exception: the need for the "want an apple"
it sounds like you've got a soft spot for video and film.
i say go with your gut instincts man!
a while back i was on the way into management/economics because that's what my family does, and we were well off because of it.
that changed though
if you have no passion for IT, and you're a film guy deep down, LET IT OUT BABY!!! [but also, once you're in this area, dont even *think* about a crappy laptop]
And you might be surprised at how much money you can save in school. Most of the time I would borrow textbooks from kids in class and make copies of the pages we needed. I had one poly sci class that we only needed six pages from a 110 dollar book. Do that three times and you would have the extra three hundred you would need for a G5.