On Saturday, I bought a Mac*. I’m a switcher.
Folks have asked: “Why?” There are a number of reasons, some major, some minor, but all leading me to think that my life will be smoother once I’ve converted over to OS X. As a photographer, it makes sense. Much of the world of photo software revolves around the Mac. Having looked at Windows 7, Microsoft has made some nice updates for networks and corporations, but I didn’t see too much there that would really benefit me as a one-man photography shop. When I look at software innovations and I look at new tools being released, more often than not these tools seem to be arriving on OS X.
I’m still getting things set up and need to start the heavy migration of my photos and Lighroom catalog along with some other random data that I store locally. Twitter has a been a great migration resource… with so many of my tweeps being Mac users, I can throw out questions looking for software recommendations or wondering about hardware and I get back a bunch of useful information from people I trust.
What else should I know? What random bits of Mac or OS X coolness do you want to share with me as a comment?
* I bought the MacBook Pro, 15″, 4GB RAM, 512mb video. It’s this one.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Of course Photoshop is de rigeur for someone like you, or Lightroom. Try Apple’s Aperture and see if you like it.
Also, hot tip – get GraphicConverter which is only like $35 and an AMAZING app.
You might be interested in WrongZoom (http://github.com/spicyj/wrongzoom/tree/master) which makes the green button maximize windows instead of the default zoom behavior.
You should also check out that iSellOut app.
I used to be the only mac user in my house… but now since you have one Mike is insisting that he needs one too. Sigh… peer pressure.
Though my personal knowledge of you is limited to the web, I must say I was shocked when I saw that you were switching. You should continue chronicling the switch. I’ve been considering it for years and would love to see the process of transition.
Wow — that’s fantastic! I switched in 2002 and never looked back. There’s a great network of small devs cranking out awesome software all the time, and in my experience, the quality of open source and indie packages tend to be higher quality on the mac.
For quick photo manipulation — really targeted for prepping snaps for blogs — check out Picturesque (http://www.acqualia.com/picturesque/). They’re doing some cool things in the realm of easy image prep.
If you write at length, check out Scrivener.
ScreenFlow is the best screencast app I’ve used. Easier than Camtasia by a mile and far more flexible export.
ScreenStep is a great tool for managing and creating documentation.
The Hit List: I just can say enough good stuff about this little app. For keeping up with todos, it’s tops. I keep the database in my dropbox (another essential if you don’t use it already) and in syncs with my desktop mac too.
Tweetie for Twitter.
Transmit for FTP.
Skype. The mac version actually lets you share your screen with other Skype users — about the only thing we have on Windows Skype users.
I’m sure there are others — but those are a few of the essentials. I’m afraid I’ve left some holes there for you to google the websites. Didn’t want to overload the comment with links, after all.
Happy switching!
Forgot about Evernote. I know… it’s cross-platform. But it’s another absolute essential on all my macs!
Well, um… I’m speachless.
Download Quicksilver for sure, if you haven’t already.
It’s the first thing I add when I get a new Mac (well, maybe after Firefox).
Enjoy. You won’t look back.
I’ve thought about going Mac in the past, but based on cost and well frankly I can’t get past the horrible psychological event of “Oregon Trail” I was forced to play on Apple IIe(s) throughout my elementary education….