What did you use before a MBP?

[lethal_pizzle]

Aaaaargh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xephPwP05A

[padi_04]

justin beiber made me switch

[Ed Paris]

i had no problem with windows 7 at all. i must say it was working solid and awsome, but what made me switch to mac was that crappy sony vaio laptop i bought a year ago. i had so many problems with it. now i had the money and didn´t had to care so i got myself a mac. love how robust it is build in comparison to my vaio. yep. so no problem with windows at all aswell as mac...

[mostapha]

I think macs work better. Before I switched, I used thinkpads. At some point, I switched to Linux to get away from the atrocity that is Windows, and I was happy…until I started wanting to use my computer to DJ/Produce…there is no good software for linux even now, and there certainly wasn't then.

After 2 years happily using Gentoo Linux, I went back to WinXP…and I started getting headaches and wanting to throw my computer across the room again. Since I switched to Macs, I've had headaches…but they're much fewer and farther between.

I'm not going back. I'll stop using a computer to DJ long before I'll use Windows.

I have to use Win7 at work, and everything I do is slower than on my Mac…it ends up being faster to do everything I can on my personal laptop and use win7 for the one program I can't get for my laptop…and that thing still doesn't run well.

I know windows can be made stable and efficient…I've seen enough people do it. It's not worth the headache.

[completej]

if you think for even a second that a windows pc out of the box is as solid as a mac out of the box, youre on crack.

and even moreso if you think a "worn in" windows pc, without constant tweaking and oversight, is as solid as a mac.

there is a REASON its an industry standard with just about everyone, everywhere, who isnt using turntables / cdjs only.


edit: troll thread is troll

[StephanV]

Probably not 'as solid', but Win7 has come really really close. I know I didn't tweak anything about my setup, I just installed my applications and shit worked. Nothing else. Running good for about 16 months now.

Why it's an industry standard? Because for a lot of time OSX indeed kicked Windows' ass: Vista sucked and while XP wasn't bad, it couldn't quite live up to OSX. Times change though, Microsoft did a hell of a job catching up, and I'd say both OS'es are now on par, both having minor differences in certain fields. From what I've read Mac is indeed a little superior when it comes to audio, but this minor advantage does imo in no way justify the ~100% increase of price.

Sure, if you're very serious about DJ'ing and you're making a whole lotta money with it, the extra 800 or so bucks may be worth it. But I rather spend that kind of money on some cool new controllers. I know my Windows won't crash.


On a side note: Apple ranks only fourth in reliability rankings. Asus, Toshiba (shocking, I know) and Sony do better.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/l...-win-hp-fails/

[Garygary1]

sorry, Im relatively new and wasn't aware that this discussion had taken place. thanks for the info

[tekki]

Anyone who bitches about Macs is too poor to afford one.

Not a smart remark bro'.

Anyone who bitches about Windows is too dumb to use it.

Seriously, anyone can make stupid comments like that. I could buy a new 17" MBP in a heartbeat, but I don't because I find it hilariously overpriced. My Windows 7 setup works perfectly too, out of the box, no issues at all. Half the price, same features, performance and stability.

Mac is good, no doubt about that. But their pricing can be bitched about.
Their company philosophy too, but that's probably quite unrelated.

One of the best features of mac:

You can use your sound card ins and outs in multiple sound applications at the same time, thanks to Core Audio.
In windows, if you use your sound card through ASIO, you are not able to use the same ins and outs in multiple sound applications.
If your sound card I/O is used in one program, you are not able to use the same I/O in Windows.

One of the other things, MIDI over ethernet, or MIDI in general is not that well supported on windows.
On mac, this is done on a native level, with windows you have to install exotic hardware.

Once more, I used to be a sceptic windows user to, until I had a financial opportunity to try and buy one.
When I picked it up, I never looked back to windows options to replace Mac.

Even in the IT organization I work for, people are starting to look at mac as a more valid option, and that really says something in 'windows PC oriented Europe'.


Even MCSEs and people that work intricate virtualizations and Citrix server parks across the globe are favouring mac OSx more and more.
So the 'too dumb to use it' is a short sighted brainfart to start with.
(I know it's a reply to the too poor to afford remark. )

Probably not 'as solid', but Win7 has come really really close. I know I didn't tweak anything about my setup, I just installed my applications and shit worked. Nothing else. Running good for about 16 months now.

I have run a stable XP install for more than 2 years straight. Bitch was, that after a year it started slowing down and stretching HDD space.

I'm currently at the same point with my macbook pro, but it is still as fast as it was when I bought it.
Why can't windows try and do the same?

Why it's an industry standard? Because for a lot of time OSX indeed kicked Windows' ass: Vista sucked and while XP wasn't bad, it couldn't quite live up to OSX.

Times change though, Microsoft did a hell of a job catching up, and I'd say both OS'es are now on par, both having minor differences in certain fields. From what I've read Mac is indeed a little superior when it comes to audio, but this minor advantage does imo in no way justify the ~100% increase of price.

Sure, if you're very serious about DJ'ing and you're making a whole lotta money with it, the extra 800 or so bucks may be worth it. But I rather spend that kind of money on some cool new controllers. I know my Windows won't crash.

Might be time for you to actually try OSx, let's see what you think than.
Loads of the win-sceptical buddies thought win7 was great, but OSx was even greater.

On a side note: Apple ranks only fourth in reliability rankings. Asus, Toshiba (shocking, I know) and Sony do better.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/l...-win-hp-fails/

Figures are more than a year old, and by what party are they conducted?

[Ando]

i got my mbp 13' and a lenovo thinkpad 13' with win 7 from the company i work for, both are nice to work with and run stable (office stuff as well as traktor/ableton).

but my mac is just more fun and more intuitive to use. Only for the purpose of running traktor/serato, win 7 does the same as as a mac (as long as you don't catch a virus/male ware that slows the system down like hell). and most win 7 notebooks got more usb slots

having a mac is not rational, its self satisfaction.

[StephanV]

One of the best features of mac:

You can use your sound card ins and outs in multiple sound applications at the same time, thanks to Core Audio.
In windows, if you use your sound card through ASIO, you are not able to use the same ins and outs in multiple sound applications.
If your sound card I/O is used in one program, you are not able to use the same I/O in Windows.

One of the other things, MIDI over ethernet, or MIDI in general is not that well supported on windows.
On mac, this is done on a native level, with windows you have to install exotic hardware.

I can't really respond to that, as I don't know (and need) all the features you are talking about. I suppose you're right about them, you do seem to know a fair bit about it. To the average amateur DJ, they're really not relevant though. When I have Traktor running, I don't need/want any other application to use my in/outputs.

I have run a stable XP install for more than 2 years straight. Bitch was, that after a year it started slowing down and stretching HDD space.

I'm currently at the same point with my macbook pro, but it is still as fast as it was when I bought it.
Why can't windows try and do the same?

Yep, XP slowed down an awful lot after some time, and I recognized OSX was better than XP. Windows 7 doesn't have this problem though, it remains fast. I don't see the use of comparing OSX to an almost 10 year old OS either.

Might be time for you to actually try OSx, let's see what you think than.
Loads of the win-sceptical buddies thought win7 was great, but OSx was even greater.

Oh, I have tried OSX, believe me. We have an iMac at home too. It's an awesome operating system, really smooth. If Macs were priced equally (assuming similar hardware specs) to pcs, I might consider switching (probably won't though, I'm not a fan of this wall Apple is building around their users). Truth is, they're not.

People who need the features you mentioned may be better off with a Mac. But the average DJ coming to this forum probably doesn't even care about MIDI over ethernet, or other 'exotic' features. I think most of the members here are using a fairly typical setup: 1 laptop, 1 or more USB MIDI controllers, probably an external sound card and maybe timecode to finish it all up.
And to those people I say: don't just buy a Mac because people say it's better. Windows 7 handles everything you need just as well as OSX: same features, same stability, same speed, and probably the same ease of use. Spend the cash you just saved on some nice hardware.

That said: MBP's screens are awesome. They really are. The batteries too. If those are important factors to you, go for it. Awesome devices.
But I'd rather spend more money on a new controller (I feel like I've been repeating myself an awful lot).

Figures are more than a year old, and by what party are they conducted?

You've just been comparing OSX to a 10 year old OS, and now you're saying my 1 year old sources are outdated? =) I don't see what's wrong with the source either?