I am looking to buy myself one of those oh-so delicious mac computers but my only issue is that they are so ridiculously expensive! I have been looking at just getting a regular MacBook, but is it really up to standards for producing good web design? Obviously more expensive ones will be better but I just want something that I can work on without being annoyed by flaws that I didn't know about before I spent my precious £860. Does it live up to your expectations? Which one would you say is the best suitable?
I got the entry level MacBook and then upgraded the RAM because I didn't find the standard 2GB enough to run anything from Adobe with 2-3 other programs.
However, don't bother with the direct from Apple RAM as its horrifically expensive, you can get cheaper alternatives that work just as good.
Obviously I'd love a 27inch iMac...but have to be realistic!
If you are just coding, any mac should work. It really depends on how much graphic editing you are doing. The more intensive the graphics editing is the more power and ram you will need of course.
To give you a benchmark, I have a MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Core Duo, with 4GB's of ram, and I do pretty heavy graphics editing. At certain points, I have Photoshop, Illustrator, and Firefox, and Google Sketch-up all open at once. At that point some of the filter effects in Photoshop and Illustrator produce a pin wheel of death, but it does pretty well.
So other money saving tips: 1. A CinemaView CV24A 24" LCD display, is as great of a secondary mini display port monitor as Apples are. But they 80% there for 50% of the price. 2. Also if you drop in an SSD, it does more to speed things up than most CPU and RAM upgrades! I did it with a OWC conversion kit. Which turns the CD drive bay into a second hard drive bay.
I'd say a new iMac will get you the best bang for your buck.
Also, always remember to check out the Refurb section on Apple's website. I highly recommend it! You get the same warranty and can also purchase the extended if you want. Everything is the same except it comes in a brown box. If you don't mind knowing that somebody else has touched it, it's a great way to save a couple hundred bucks.
In addition to what TheDoc said, many (most?) times no one has touched it. Apple sells discontinued models as refurbs also. Over the years, I've ordered close to a dozen different refurbs, from iMacs to MacBook Pros, and every time they came through pristine. If someone had used it and returned it, there was absolutely no way to tell. I believe most of those were brand new.
Regarding the price, yes, obviously they are more expensive, but in my opinion they're well worth it. They also hold their value quite well. I usually keep my computers for one to two years, sell and purchase a just discontinued refurb. I spend very little in doing this. For instance, I just sold a 24" iMac that I purchased for $1100, used for 24 months and sold for $950. So basically it cost me $150 to use that computer for two years (not quite, because I added RAM and warranty, but it was still well under $300).
Oh, and TT_Mark is right - never buy additional RAM from Apple.
@springlab makes a fine point. Windows 7 is a great operating system, Microsoft has come a long way (ignoring the failure of Vista). While I prefer to work in OS X, I don't mind firing up into W7 every now and then. If you are stretching your budget just to get an Apple computer, make sure you are going to enjoy the OS.
I don't understand the new age window haters. I agree that prior to W7 windows had some issues which is why a lot of people stayed with XP or made the jump over to Apple. However, W7 has changed the playing field for Microsoft and that is a point no one can argue and those people that do argue that point are arguing for the sake of arguing. Apple is a great product...overpriced? yes... but still just the same a great product. I was on the brink of jumping to Apple before W7 came along and once I started using W7 I realized Microsoft finally had a reliable user friendly product on there hand. W8 is around the corner and it will only get better from the reports that I am hearing. Like I said..I am not putting down Apple for the product...I am simply saying W7 is a great product and has changed windows for the years to come. At least Microsoft and W7 they were able to kill those "Hi...I'm a mac" "Hi...I'm a PC" commercials. Apple finally put down the gloves and Microsoft is healing rather well these days.
Windows 7 isn't bad, it's startup time on my work PC is much faster than my MacBook (although my MacBook isn't old), however it takes forever to shut-down and that 'Force Shut-Down' thing that comes up telling you there are programs still open but not showing you any actually open just annoys the hell out of me.
I also hate the way they've basically stolen the dock and made it worse and the stupid compatibility mode when you run older programs where the screen has to flash and the taskbar goes to a solid colour....why is this necessary?!?!
In any case, I much prefer my Mac, however need a new one!
I am a traditional Windows guy. In fact this is the first Mac I have ever owned. I do agree that Windows 7 is a fantastic operating system, and you can get a lot more for your money going that route (I have two desktops running it). With all that said, I just enjoy using the Mac so much more. While OSX isn't perfect I just find that the overall experience of designing on a Mac much better.
The other big this is that, programs made for mac for some reason have a little extra polish to them. This goes double or triple for mac exclusive programs like Flux. They seemed to be approached from a usability stand point instead of an engineering stand point.
But you pay for the experience! If you are a budget conscience buyer, a good Win7 machine is 80 / 90% of the experience at a much lower price.
Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it. The apple refurb store is definitely my next stop! I have never even seen it before but sounds like it is quite a safe gamble for saving some pennies. I have a PC at work and it is indeed fine to work with but I had a mac before and now this is my situation! ...plus no pc software I have used can compare to coda, 1Password etc. Like Andrew says, it’s just so enjoyable to use. I would love to get an iMac but I don’t have space in my shoebox flat for a table or desk. Damn you overpriced London.
"The other big this is that, programs made for mac for some reason have a little extra polish to them." I agree, including the Mac OS as well as its programs.
"But you pay for the experience! If you are a budget conscience buyer, a good Win7 machine is 80 / 90% of the experience at a much lower price." I do not agree with the 80 / 90%, more like 40% of the experience.
1) Decide if you can wait a LITTLE bit longer. iMac and (most likely) Mac Mini refreshes are right around the corner. If all you do is use the new refresh as a catalyst to buy an even cheaper current generation machine, you still saved yourself some money. But it does give you some options if you want to buy one of the new shiny models.
2) Really take a close look at the Mac Mini if you already have some of the accessories (mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc). I bought my wife a Mac Mini 2.4ghz as a refurb, added $40 of ram into it to bring it to 4gb, and it actually is a fairly powerful little box for basic needs.
I will say that when I loaded CS5 on her Mac Mini, and opening Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Photoshop is was just slightly too slow for my taste. It didn't crawl, but it was a little too many beachballs when trying to apply filters and stuff. So under load I wanted something with some more zip to it.
Personally, I'm waiting for the refresh that's likely to happen in the next 8 weeks. My hope is that the new Mac Mini will contain the guts of the 13" Mac Book Pro. If it does, it will be plenty powerful at well under $1000.
If you do decide to go with a Mac Mini current generation, I'd look at the 2.53ghz models from 2009 on the refurb store. You can often times see them for about $590 and they are just about as powerful as the current generation ones. But like I said, I'd wait for the newest refresh.
@springlab - I disagree that Macs are over priced (in most cases). The baseline 21.5" iMac and I'd argue that the Mac Pros are probably overpriced, but everything else is pretty in line.
I think MS did a fantastic job with Win7, but the problem is that the Windows ecosystem is still much more ragtag. The Mac ecosystem is very polished, very refined, easier in general to work in, more fun in general to work with, has fewer overall driver issues, and the software for the most part works better within the environment. I applaud MS for the new taskbar and Start Menu and features of Win7, but I think it's more the fault of needing to work with a million other software companies that you have no input or control over that makes Windows feel the way it does.
I liken it to when I was a big huge Windows PC fan, I was much more into gaming, and overclocking my processors, and buying this or that new video card, downloading stuff off limewire and bit torrent, hacking my android phone, etc. But now, I've got a family and a demanding job with side work I do, and I really don't want any of that stuff. I want things to work without tinkering with them. I'd like to buy a movie in HD and have it just show up everywhere perfectly. I'm just at the stage of my life where I'm paying more for the higher quality product that provides a higher quality of life and less time messing with it.
Here in AUS I can pick up a 2011 macbook pro (base 13") for $600 or less, and the rest of the product line for large discounts. Requires using the student deals to your advantage.
Truth is, web design is so basic in it's requirements any machine is more than capable.
Awesome quote: "if you're concerned about price, get a pc.
@jimsilverman, you said "if you're concerned about status, get a mac"
If you buy a computer based on "status" then it is a self esteem issue and nothing to do with a software issue. If you are worried about your so called "status" then rock your design work and what ever profession you are in and your "status" will organically build like it should be....not built by what you bought.
@springlab - there was actually a very interesting article recently, I can't remember where (a shame), that discussed how the perception of your professionalism can greatly influence your ability to get new clients.
We are all aware of this already - we dress up for job interviews, we look to impress a crush, etc. We are constantly aware of our impression on other people and change into the person that we think we are supposed to be.
Macbook Pro, in this case, isn't just a machine - it's also a marketing tool in any discovery meeting. Whether people want to admit it or not, there is a sense of professionalism when it comes to owning Apple hardware. Whether it deserves that classification is a debate unto itself, but doesn't change the fact that Average Joe looking for a new website is going to be impressed (and probably reassured) when you pull one out.
Very good point Doc. Appearance certainly has a big impact. Especially as clients normally don’t know much about the quality of your existing work beyond the design, until they have their own site where they experience all the ins and outs.
I've only read the last 6 comments, but from what I can tell this has turned into a 'status' debate. Personally, I've found that first meetings are best held without technology off the table. When a laptop is placed on the table, it places way too much focus on how the end-product should look. In web design/development, you'll find that designers create systems, processes, and strategies first that eventually turn into an end product. Often, clients don't know this - they want the end product, but don't know what it takes to get there.
Anyways, web design and dev isn't about technology, it's about people. So place your focus on the people first. I recently read something that talked about tech startups and their greatest challenges. Their biggest challenge wasn't in coding and developing the site/service, but was instead in marketing. (if you read this article also, please post link)
The status debate is ridiculous - clients aren't hiring you because you have a Macbook. I love Apple products, but Apple products don't create better work. Even companies with amazing brands (I used to work at corporate for a luxury retailer) base their businesses on objective and fundamental competencies. Show me objective data that indicates a correlation between ownership of Apple products and successful client relationships and I'll invite you over to take a gander at my stable full of unicorns.
I've personally found the iPad fits snugly right in the middle of the debate. The biggest problem I've faced with the laptop, and to aaron's point, is the focus gets taken off the conversation. The biggest hurdle of that process I've found to be the load time.
My iPad makes technology during the client meeting very conversational because I can prepare everything before hand, and fire it up while I'm talking, and as we're discussing things I can bring in imagry that backs up what we're talking about without taking my focus off of the client. I often times hand the device to the client to play with it while I continue to talk and take notes.
Laptops make that more difficult because now the whole focus is shifted to a screen and you aren't building as much trust with the person. Of course I'm just talking about the initial meetings - as you build a relationship it matters far less.
I think it's less of a status thing and more of a "whole package" thing. Apple products in my experience allow someone to better leverage an already great presentation skillset. It gives a prospective client the feeling like this person knows what they are talking about.
"I think it's less of a status thing and more of a "whole package" thing. Apple products in my experience allow someone to better leverage an already great presentation skillset. It gives a prospective client the feeling like this person knows what they are talking about"
This may be true yet is very unfortunate. I tip my hat to the Apple marketing department. I believe in no way that an Apple product is superior to any non-Apple product of the same caliber. They just have fancy enclosures.
Now - were somebody to come along, SONY, for instance - and start marketing PCs and Windows products wrapped up in sleek cases, people might begin to believe that PCs are on par with, if not better (subjective) than Macs.
WOW...this thread has taken a turn. Sorry for getting of subject @emma...buy what you feel is right and rock your code with it and the client wouldn't care if you created it with a mac....pc...or carved it in a cave wall somewhere. The end product creates "status" not the shiny peace of hardware between you and the client.
@arronsilber .....well said and it is refreshing to hear someone finally put a emphasis on their work quality and not what they just bought in hopes to bolster their "high school status"
@springlab - i didn't mean to sound derogatory with the "status" comment. when you whip out a macbook, you're instantly perceived as a serious design professional. can't really get that same intangible effect from a thinkpad or dell, regardless of the computer's physical qualities.
@everyone else - whoops. i didn't mean to create so much controversy.
@jimsilverman - Sorry if that stung. It wasn't meant to be personal; but I'm 'passionate' - generic, I know - about the web. -bro hug-
Here's the rub; Professional designers often get miffed because clients often think things like, "Hey, don't little John down at the Speedway have himself a copy of Photoshop? I'm pretty sure he could do us a mighty fine web-cite in no-time, and we'd only have to give him a couple coupons to CHUCK-E-CHEESE and this free laser keychain I picked up at that conference for douchebags we went to last weekend! DUR-HUR!"
This client-side logic problem makes designers whiny. "But whyyyyyyyyy don't they just get it?! I demand respect because I understands grid systems, accessibility, and the finer points of web type. Photoshop doesn't mean you understand the web, and it doesn't make you a professional!"
Then, and this is what astonishes me, they (er, uhm, 'we') go down to our friendly local Apple store and wait in line for 'status' products. We then expect that these same status products will make us and our work more credible. Surely everyone can see the problem here. When this industry complains about joe-photoshop, but expects status products to bolster credibility, we're contributing to the problem and are guilty of the same offense. The web community is so much better than this.
Does anyone really believe that a thousand years ago, in the sculptor community, everyone had a specific brand of chisel that brought along 'status' with it? Nope, it never happened. Industrialization started this, and American consumerism empowered this behavior.
The growing perception when a guy whips out a Macbook is, "uh-oh, this dude could be a douche-bag."
@aaronsilber - didn't sting, was just worried my point didn't get across, which i'm still not sure it has.
i don't think anyone could argue that a client would refuse to hire you based solely on what laptop you use.
Your choice of mac or pc sets several preconceptions about your skill and personality (proof: http://www.google.com/images?q=mac+vs+pc). obviously, this could be overcome by how you act and what you do, but first impressions can mean a hell of a lot.
which brings me back to the initial point i made days ago:
"if you're concerned about status, get a mac."
IF you're going out to meet clients and do business with a pc, you're potentially putting yourself at a disadvantage. society "knows" that creative professionals are supposed to use a mac, and you'll have to prove otherwise.
I think I'm being slightly misunderstood, so I'll clarify just in case.
I was agreeing with @jimsilverman due to the fact that clients are an ignorant folk. Not stupid or slow, just ignorant. If I didn't know anything about web design/development, I'm sure I'd hold the same opinion that somebody whipping out a shiny Macbook Pro simply new what they were doing with it.
Is that right? Fuck no, but its the world in which we live.
I would never expect my computer to have an effect on a prospective client's perception of my abilities - I let my work do the talking for me. But I can't control what a client might think when they, through whatever means, find out that I'm running on a Mac at home.
This whole conversation has really digressed :) I think the logic behind image IS very important. I mean, why dress up? Why not put on dirty jeans and a white tee with holes in it? Can't someone just GET how talented I am despite my image?
Unfortunately, no, they can't.
I don't think anyone can really debate that without talent and communication skills, your technological choices really won't add up to much. But to an already talented person who understands the value of leveraging every tool at their disposal, it definitely renders a higher level of client confidence and will equal higher volumes of work/revenue. I agree it's not fair, but it is the truth.
Thanks all for your comments, I haven't really made up my mind of what to buy yet but it's interesting to hear what everyone has to say about it.
Now my next question, virus programs. I had MacAfee as I got it for free with Sky but got a virus after two days or having it so I'm not using that! Anyone got something not too expensive but good to recommend?
Status aside, I think you're compromising your web browsing experience on a PC. reading in arial, monitor quality and viruses? Mac isn't too expensive, it's just more expensive. Why compromise this experience when it's both a passion and a livelyhood? The sculptors tools may not have been made by a global brand, but I think pride in maintaining ones tools and using the best tools available to you are timeless ethics. Butchers don't use blunt knives, artists don't use cheap brushes… you get the drift.
I am looking to buy myself one of those oh-so delicious mac computers but my only issue is that they are so ridiculously expensive! I have been looking at just getting a regular MacBook, but is it really up to standards for producing good web design? Obviously more expensive ones will be better but I just want something that I can work on without being annoyed by flaws that I didn't know about before I spent my precious £860. Does it live up to your expectations? Which one would you say is the best suitable?
Thanks
em
However, don't bother with the direct from Apple RAM as its horrifically expensive, you can get cheaper alternatives that work just as good.
Obviously I'd love a 27inch iMac...but have to be realistic!
To give you a benchmark, I have a MacBook Pro 2.3GHz Core Duo, with 4GB's of ram, and I do pretty heavy graphics editing. At certain points, I have Photoshop, Illustrator, and Firefox, and Google Sketch-up all open at once. At that point some of the filter effects in Photoshop and Illustrator produce a pin wheel of death, but it does pretty well.
So other money saving tips:
1. A CinemaView CV24A 24" LCD display, is as great of a secondary mini display port monitor as Apples are. But they 80% there for 50% of the price.
2. Also if you drop in an SSD, it does more to speed things up than most CPU and RAM upgrades! I did it with a OWC conversion kit. Which turns the CD drive bay into a second hard drive bay.
Also, always remember to check out the Refurb section on Apple's website. I highly recommend it! You get the same warranty and can also purchase the extended if you want. Everything is the same except it comes in a brown box. If you don't mind knowing that somebody else has touched it, it's a great way to save a couple hundred bucks.
I haven't had any problems with it. Fingers crossed.
Regarding the price, yes, obviously they are more expensive, but in my opinion they're well worth it. They also hold their value quite well. I usually keep my computers for one to two years, sell and purchase a just discontinued refurb. I spend very little in doing this. For instance, I just sold a 24" iMac that I purchased for $1100, used for 24 months and sold for $950. So basically it cost me $150 to use that computer for two years (not quite, because I added RAM and warranty, but it was still well under $300).
Oh, and TT_Mark is right - never buy additional RAM from Apple.
I also hate the way they've basically stolen the dock and made it worse and the stupid compatibility mode when you run older programs where the screen has to flash and the taskbar goes to a solid colour....why is this necessary?!?!
In any case, I much prefer my Mac, however need a new one!
The other big this is that, programs made for mac for some reason have a little extra polish to them. This goes double or triple for mac exclusive programs like Flux. They seemed to be approached from a usability stand point instead of an engineering stand point.
But you pay for the experience! If you are a budget conscience buyer, a good Win7 machine is 80 / 90% of the experience at a much lower price.
"But you pay for the experience! If you are a budget conscience buyer, a good Win7 machine is 80 / 90% of the experience at a much lower price." I do not agree with the 80 / 90%, more like 40% of the experience.
1) Decide if you can wait a LITTLE bit longer. iMac and (most likely) Mac Mini refreshes are right around the corner. If all you do is use the new refresh as a catalyst to buy an even cheaper current generation machine, you still saved yourself some money. But it does give you some options if you want to buy one of the new shiny models.
2) Really take a close look at the Mac Mini if you already have some of the accessories (mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc). I bought my wife a Mac Mini 2.4ghz as a refurb, added $40 of ram into it to bring it to 4gb, and it actually is a fairly powerful little box for basic needs.
I will say that when I loaded CS5 on her Mac Mini, and opening Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Photoshop is was just slightly too slow for my taste. It didn't crawl, but it was a little too many beachballs when trying to apply filters and stuff. So under load I wanted something with some more zip to it.
Personally, I'm waiting for the refresh that's likely to happen in the next 8 weeks. My hope is that the new Mac Mini will contain the guts of the 13" Mac Book Pro. If it does, it will be plenty powerful at well under $1000.
If you do decide to go with a Mac Mini current generation, I'd look at the 2.53ghz models from 2009 on the refurb store. You can often times see them for about $590 and they are just about as powerful as the current generation ones. But like I said, I'd wait for the newest refresh.
@springlab - I disagree that Macs are over priced (in most cases). The baseline 21.5" iMac and I'd argue that the Mac Pros are probably overpriced, but everything else is pretty in line.
I think MS did a fantastic job with Win7, but the problem is that the Windows ecosystem is still much more ragtag. The Mac ecosystem is very polished, very refined, easier in general to work in, more fun in general to work with, has fewer overall driver issues, and the software for the most part works better within the environment. I applaud MS for the new taskbar and Start Menu and features of Win7, but I think it's more the fault of needing to work with a million other software companies that you have no input or control over that makes Windows feel the way it does.
I liken it to when I was a big huge Windows PC fan, I was much more into gaming, and overclocking my processors, and buying this or that new video card, downloading stuff off limewire and bit torrent, hacking my android phone, etc. But now, I've got a family and a demanding job with side work I do, and I really don't want any of that stuff. I want things to work without tinkering with them. I'd like to buy a movie in HD and have it just show up everywhere perfectly. I'm just at the stage of my life where I'm paying more for the higher quality product that provides a higher quality of life and less time messing with it.
if you're concerned about status, get a mac.
as long as you don't get a netbook, it's pretty hard to get a new machine that can't handle the duties of web design.
Truth is, web design is so basic in it's requirements any machine is more than capable.
Awesome quote:
"if you're concerned about price, get a pc.
if you're concerned about status, get a mac."
you said "if you're concerned about status, get a mac"
If you buy a computer based on "status" then it is a self esteem issue and nothing to do with a software issue. If you are worried about your so called "status" then rock your design work and what ever profession you are in and your "status" will organically build like it should be....not built by what you bought.
We are all aware of this already - we dress up for job interviews, we look to impress a crush, etc. We are constantly aware of our impression on other people and change into the person that we think we are supposed to be.
Macbook Pro, in this case, isn't just a machine - it's also a marketing tool in any discovery meeting. Whether people want to admit it or not, there is a sense of professionalism when it comes to owning Apple hardware. Whether it deserves that classification is a debate unto itself, but doesn't change the fact that Average Joe looking for a new website is going to be impressed (and probably reassured) when you pull one out.
Anyways, web design and dev isn't about technology, it's about people. So place your focus on the people first. I recently read something that talked about tech startups and their greatest challenges. Their biggest challenge wasn't in coding and developing the site/service, but was instead in marketing. (if you read this article also, please post link)
The status debate is ridiculous - clients aren't hiring you because you have a Macbook. I love Apple products, but Apple products don't create better work. Even companies with amazing brands (I used to work at corporate for a luxury retailer) base their businesses on objective and fundamental competencies. Show me objective data that indicates a correlation between ownership of Apple products and successful client relationships and I'll invite you over to take a gander at my stable full of unicorns.
@aaronsilber - I take a notebook and a pen to nearly every meeting. I find it especially important to do so in the discovery meeting.
My iPad makes technology during the client meeting very conversational because I can prepare everything before hand, and fire it up while I'm talking, and as we're discussing things I can bring in imagry that backs up what we're talking about without taking my focus off of the client. I often times hand the device to the client to play with it while I continue to talk and take notes.
Laptops make that more difficult because now the whole focus is shifted to a screen and you aren't building as much trust with the person. Of course I'm just talking about the initial meetings - as you build a relationship it matters far less.
I think it's less of a status thing and more of a "whole package" thing. Apple products in my experience allow someone to better leverage an already great presentation skillset. It gives a prospective client the feeling like this person knows what they are talking about.
This may be true yet is very unfortunate. I tip my hat to the Apple marketing department. I believe in no way that an Apple product is superior to any non-Apple product of the same caliber. They just have fancy enclosures.
Now - were somebody to come along, SONY, for instance - and start marketing PCs and Windows products wrapped up in sleek cases, people might begin to believe that PCs are on par with, if not better (subjective) than Macs.
@arronsilber .....well said and it is refreshing to hear someone finally put a emphasis on their work quality and not what they just bought in hopes to bolster their "high school status"
@everyone else - whoops. i didn't mean to create so much controversy.
@jimsilverman - Sorry if that stung. It wasn't meant to be personal; but I'm 'passionate' - generic, I know - about the web. -bro hug-
Here's the rub; Professional designers often get miffed because clients often think things like, "Hey, don't little John down at the Speedway have himself a copy of Photoshop? I'm pretty sure he could do us a mighty fine web-cite in no-time, and we'd only have to give him a couple coupons to CHUCK-E-CHEESE and this free laser keychain I picked up at that conference for douchebags we went to last weekend! DUR-HUR!"
This client-side logic problem makes designers whiny. "But whyyyyyyyyy don't they just get it?! I demand respect because I understands grid systems, accessibility, and the finer points of web type. Photoshop doesn't mean you understand the web, and it doesn't make you a professional!"
Then, and this is what astonishes me, they (er, uhm, 'we') go down to our friendly local Apple store and wait in line for 'status' products. We then expect that these same status products will make us and our work more credible. Surely everyone can see the problem here. When this industry complains about joe-photoshop, but expects status products to bolster credibility, we're contributing to the problem and are guilty of the same offense. The web community is so much better than this.
Does anyone really believe that a thousand years ago, in the sculptor community, everyone had a specific brand of chisel that brought along 'status' with it? Nope, it never happened. Industrialization started this, and American consumerism empowered this behavior.
The growing perception when a guy whips out a Macbook is, "uh-oh, this dude could be a douche-bag."
i don't think anyone could argue that a client would refuse to hire you based solely on what laptop you use.
Your choice of mac or pc sets several preconceptions about your skill and personality (proof: http://www.google.com/images?q=mac+vs+pc). obviously, this could be overcome by how you act and what you do, but first impressions can mean a hell of a lot.
which brings me back to the initial point i made days ago:
"if you're concerned about status, get a mac."
IF you're going out to meet clients and do business with a pc, you're potentially putting yourself at a disadvantage. society "knows" that creative professionals are supposed to use a mac, and you'll have to prove otherwise.
I was agreeing with @jimsilverman due to the fact that clients are an ignorant folk. Not stupid or slow, just ignorant. If I didn't know anything about web design/development, I'm sure I'd hold the same opinion that somebody whipping out a shiny Macbook Pro simply new what they were doing with it.
Is that right? Fuck no, but its the world in which we live.
I would never expect my computer to have an effect on a prospective client's perception of my abilities - I let my work do the talking for me. But I can't control what a client might think when they, through whatever means, find out that I'm running on a Mac at home.
img
Unfortunately, no, they can't.
I don't think anyone can really debate that without talent and communication skills, your technological choices really won't add up to much. But to an already talented person who understands the value of leveraging every tool at their disposal, it definitely renders a higher level of client confidence and will equal higher volumes of work/revenue. I agree it's not fair, but it is the truth.
@aarronsilber...back at you! someone else that truly sees the big picture.
@jimsilverman...not sure you cleared your point up or made it sound worse.
Now my next question, virus programs. I had MacAfee as I got it for free with Sky but got a virus after two days or having it so I'm not using that! Anyone got something not too expensive but good to recommend?