buddy4344 wrote in post #10684579
Thanks guys. My logic is pretty simple: 1) many graphics folks love apple 2) while I know many PC to Mac changers, i don't many of the reverse
The only problems with trying things at an Apple store is that 1) I don't think I will really appreciate the product unless I am really editing an image or doing some workflow and 2) since I don't know the software of the general navigation, I think it will look shiny but feel klunky.
By the way, the primary system that melted was an i7 with 8MB ram and a 750 hard drive
I definitely will do my homework, but there is a lot of experience at POTN, so want to tap it.
I'm glad no one was hurt and that you saved most of your photos...
Sell you on Mac, hu? 
There are only three reasons you would want to switch to Mac, all things considered. 1) You want a no fuss OS that is very easy to operate and is incredibly stable. 2) You need the software available for Mac's. 3) You require the architecture (UNIX, Samba, etc...).
The money angle - Mac's are more expensive? Yes, and no. Lets say that you edit photos professionally, but Aperture 3 is enough. You also edit video semi-professionally (say, for Weddings) and buy Final Cut Studio. If you purchased Lightroom 3, Premiere, After Effects a Mac will be over $1,000 less than a comparable PC. LR3 and AE are more powerful than Aperture and Motion (in FCS), but 90% of users don't require all the features they offer. If you go all Adobe there won't be any software savings so it goes back to OS X as a preference.
Security is a big deal these days. There are no true OS X viruses. Not one. A virus, by definition, is a small program that can self-propagate spreading over networks. Now, there is malware though, but every one must be installed (you have to give it permission to open and run). I'm an IT professional in a 10,000 PC & 3,000 Mac network. Mac's account for .03% of malware infections - the rest are all PC 
. If you have kids, a Mac is probably the best thing you could ever get them. Teens account for the highest risk group because they go to pirate sites, porn sites and constantly share files with friends.
Did you know that Mac's are almost always #1 in every category they participate in? Consumer Reports, PCMag, CNet, LaptopMag and many others and are top sellers at Amazon (8/8). Apple is also #1 in customer satisfaction, almost doubling the closest PC vendor.
The architecture of OS X is versatile, powerful and easy. AppleScript and Automator make the entire OS and most software able to be used in a sort of batch or macro capacity. If you've used Bridge and Photoshop you know that you can setup a batch process to edit a lot of photos with set 'actions'. Imagine being able to do this with the entire OS. The sky is the limit. Automator is a strong reason many professionals like to use OS X. It makes doing repetitive and even complex actions simple. A for instance: Camera is attached to Mac, each photo goes into a folder... You would have to take those photos, place them into Aperture, make a project, etc... Automator can do that for you. Set Automator to monitor a folder, move the photo's into Aperture, rename them if necessary, do some basic edits, add meta data, create jpeg's at 10% size, compress them into a zip file, back them up, send them via email to client to select the best photos, have Automator waiting for an email from set client place all the photos they want into another folder.... I know, that's pretty extreme, but it would take me about fifteen minutes to set that up.
Architecure... This one is specialized for developers and programmers. If you want to write iPhone/iPad/iPod apps, want to work with Apple developers or have UNIX/Linux on your network OS X works with them naively. Window's would require additional software, and the better packages are expensive whereas on Apple they are either included or cheaper.
There are more reasons, but I'll stop there. PC's have a few big benefits that are hard to argue with. Usually PC OEMs will bundle bloatware, use plastic vs aluminum or carbon fiber and sell in massive bulk - all of which lowers costs considerably. If you built your own PC then you can leave out Bluetooth, IR sensor and premium mice and keyboards and settle for a $10 keyboard and $10 optical mouse. You can also pick and choose whatever hardware you'll want. PC's also have the gaming market and you can buy parts over weeks or months and put something together over time whereas with a Mac you'd have to plunk down the cash all at once.
Whatever you pick, do it from a point of understanding vs what others say. The diplomatic answer would be to tell you to make up your own mind and that OS X and Windows 7 are the same. They may have many of the same features, but they are wrapped up much differently. Just make sure you pick something you'll love to use vs put up with.
Automator, what is it (link) (note: My daughter said iTalkApple explained it best
? Using third-party scripts (link). A simple use for Automator with Aperture (link). The last Automator would help you greatly when you start to add all those photos back into your preferred workflow program (Automator can be used with Adobe products too btw).
Hope that helps
