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journal: mac
Wow, that was easy!
It was an extremely productive hour, at least for me. It's an hour that did more to convince me of the merits of the Mac than any Steve Jobs keynote ever did.
It’s times like these when the Mac shines.
So yesterday I was tasked with producing a 30-second ad spot for a radio program I help out with. It’s one of those low-production-value ads where someone (me) talks over looping music. I had the script; I was to record the ad and get it ready for air.
Problem: I had no microphone, so I made a quick trip to Staples and picked up a $50 Logitech USB headset.
So I plugged in the headset, went over to Sound Preferences and changed the audio input and output to it, then fired up GarageBand. First I recorded the script, then overlaid a couple of percussive loops, adjusted the levels for each track, and added a bit of noise-cancellation and adjusted the EQ of my voice to give it a little more ‘oomph’ - I have no problem admitting I have a girly voice, especially when it’s recorded - and exported the whole thing into iTunes. The whole thing took about an hour, the first 20 of which minutes was spent tooling around in GarageBand, figuring out how things worked.
It was an extremely productive hour, at least for me. It’s an hour that did more to convince me of the merits of the Mac than any Steve Jobs keynote ever did.
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| UnnDunn | comments | views |
thinkback
I think that’s the whole point of any computer. Every computer is a tool designed to do a task. Some may be easier at some tasks than others.
But they are all designed to make an “extremely productive hour”. I don’t think whether it’s a Mac or PC makes any difference, except for what you are more comfortable with or what works best for you.
I agree funk, but I’ll just say this much: iLife 05 is flat-out outstanding. I’ve shown customers at some of the iLife apps, and they get excited when they see what they can do with them.
(Getting people excited over the computer they want to purchase--Mac or PC--makes my job worthwhile. )
| Nick | Sep. 29, 2005 | |
| 6:03 pm |
Indeed! You’ll never hear me argue with that… It’s a solid software package, without a doubt…
To the person who feels “I don’t think whether it’s a Mac or PC makes any difference...”:
I disagree with you here. There are tools to perform all sorts of tasks. And as anybody in any industry can tell you, some tools are simply better than others. Sure, there are some cases where that is more subjective, but I’m sure we’ve all had bad tools and good tools. I know that I’ve had horrible answering machines and then really good ones too. I’ve had vacuum cleaners that run for years and pick up everything and ones that do a miserable job of cleaning the floor. I work extensively with Macs and PCs and the number one thing I always see is that the Mac is designed more intuitively. Macs and PCs aren’t just a matter of personal preference. There may be a few tasks which PCs perform better at, and there are niches where people only write Windows versions of the software. However, overall, the Mac is simply a better tool than a Windows PC.
Good stuff. I hear a lot about garageband and how some people rave on about it. It is also the only application they really showcase at the Apple store so I guess it must be one of the better software.
Pages is good too, especially for typographic and graphic features. I drew up my college timetable with pleasant light gradients and odd cell mergings and line spacings. I wouldn’t have been able to make it in Microsoft Word without probably five times the effort. I still haven’t found the feature in Word that lets you colour table cells with gradients.
| Sep. 30, 2005 | |
| 8:53 am |
Personal experience, to a large degree, determines this stuff - no doubt.
My extensive experience with Macs and PCs over the last 8 years has shown me very clearly that some folks take to Windows like white on rice, and some to Macs when introduced vis a vis…
For instance, the computer-illiterate gentleman sitting opposite me (don’t worry, he’s not offended by that) asks me on a near-daily basis how to do things like: connect to the same server we’ve been connecting to for years, how to make bookmarks in Safari, how to make his dock hide again (When he accidentally bumps CTRL-SHIFT D in QUark).
But I set him up with a Windows XP computer about 6 months ago for his home (he’s never used anything but Macs) - and he proceeded to install the DVD-ripping suite I installed for him when I built it and learn to rip, compress and re-burn his huge DVD collection - all on his own.
So if the Mac’s so much more intuitive by it’s very nature, why can’t he remember/figure out the things that we do daily? And why do I keep encountering in the wild that computers are not “easy” for most people no matter what it’s called, Mac, Windows or Fisher Price Kiddie Computer.
So until I see or hear otherwise, I will stand until the end of days that there is no way to state with provable truth that either Windows or Mac OS are inherently more “intuitive” or “better” for everyone. For some, yeah - for every single user? No way. Just not possible… I myself am living proof that not “everyone” gets more work done quicker or easier on the Mac. I don’t despise this G5 I’m typing on right now, and I get my work done quickly and efficiently - but damn if I’d love to bring my main box from home in here to do my work (page design, graphic design, copy editing)…
Err…
“proceeded to install the DVD-ripping suite I PURCHASED for him when building the computer”
1.
Isn’t that the whole point of the Mac, though? Someone can talk until he’s blue in the face about how great a product is, but that doesn’t always mean it’s true (I’m sure Microsoft has many conferences, presentations, etc. about how great their products are...). It’s when you actually sit down and get something done that the Mac shows off its merits.