Why are Macs so dominate in the media creation industry today?

[gunraidan]

Why? I know that in the past all media software was developed solely on Mac OS, but today not entirely. With PC's being cheaper than Macs why haven't media companies switched? Is it because Mac Pro's are more powerful than most high end components? Is it because Macs are more stable?

Sorry I'm just curious.

 

[clevin]

Im curious too, about your data. any source or links?

 

[gunraidan]

Im curious too, about your data. any source or links?

Aren't Macs widely known to be the standard in the media creation industry (I.E. Graphic Design, Music Creation, etc.)?

 

[MisterMe]

Aren't Macs widely known to be the standard in the media creation industry (I.E. Graphic Design, Music Creation, etc.)?

Yes. The OP wants to know why.

 

[akm3]

"because they always have been"

While Windows stole away all the other business functions, the Mac's early dominance of desktop publishing, and other media creation, let it stay as a viable candidate in those fields. So, just like people keep buying Windows because they've always bought Windows . . . .

It is inertia in that industry, the only industry that stayed with Apple through thick and thin.

 

[FX120]

For the longest time, all the good software was only available on the Macintosh, combined with post script support, color managment, ect, the platform got a good hold on the market in the early-mid 90's, and many people never switched back, even though now many of the tools and features available on different platforms are as powerful, if not more so than they are on the Mac.

Photoshop is a great example. Back in the PPC days, PS flew compared to x86 systems, but when Apple switched to x86, that advantage went away, and is now actually the reverse. Photoshop CS4 runs faster under a Vista x64 machine than it does on OS X, on the same hardware.

And this of course has lead some people away from the platform. Some of this has to do with the availability of software on competing platforms, some of it has to do with many people feeling abandoned by Apple because of their recient hardware and software decisions (glossy displays, dropping firewire for a while, really long periods between software updates, dropping out of NAB, hardware becoming more consumer-focused, ect), and because often times the hardware is less expensive, and the support is better on the "other side".

I'm not saying that Apple doesn't still have a large share in the "creative professional" market, but it is definitly shrinking.

 

[gunraidan]

Thanks. I also saw this article that struck my interest.

Which I find strange. Maybe Mac's maybe slightly better than pre-built PC's but custom built can be superior is what you guys are saying? Or is this article all wrong?

For the longest time, all the good software was only available on the Macintosh, combined with post script support, color managment, ect, the platform got a good hold on the market in the early-mid 90's, and many people never switched back, even though now many of the tools and features available on different platforms are as powerful, if not more so than they are on the Mac.

Photoshop is a great example. Back in the PPC days, PS flew compared to x86 systems, but when Apple switched to x86, that advantage went away, and is now actually the reverse. Photoshop CS4 runs faster under a Vista x64 machine than it does on OS X, on the same hardware.

And this of course has lead some people away from the platform. Some of this has to do with the availability of software on competing platforms, some of it has to do with many people feeling abandoned by Apple because of their recient hardware and software decisions (glossy displays, dropping firewire for a while, really long periods between software updates, dropping out of NAB, hardware becoming more consumer-focused, ect), and because often times the hardware is less expensive, and the support is better on the "other side".

I'm not saying that Apple doesn't still have a large share in the "creative professional" market, but it is definitly shrinking.

Awesome post thanks.

Yes. The OP wants to know why.

I am the OP...

 

[xIGmanIx]

i would say software, which recently has not been so one sided in my opinion, basically a Mac is built from the same hardware that is available to PC makers, so its not the hardware.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Sheep effect multiplies what has been said above. The software helps. Also, people when they start are more inclined to go to the Mac for a variety of reasons: stability, track record, ease of use, etc... That only helps.

 

[gunraidan]

i would say software, which recently has not been so one sided in my opinion, basically a Mac is built from the same hardware that is available to PC makers, so its not the hardware.

Sheep effect multiplies what has been said above. The software helps. Also, people when they start are more inclined to go to the Mac for a variety of reasons: stability, track record, ease of use, etc... That only helps.

So it could also be because OS X is designed for using media creation which usually results in a slight edge?

 

[clevin]

Aren't Macs widely known to be the standard in the media creation industry (I.E. Graphic Design, Music Creation, etc.)?

Yes. The OP wants to know why.

widely known? no, i dont think so. I dont think macs is dominant in media creation industry. so there is no reason to ask why.

 

[EssentialParado]

Macs have traditionally represented colors a lot differently from PCs that makes them specifically good for print design (if you go to a website on your PC then visit it on a Mac, you'll see a big difference in the vibrance of the colors.)

PCs can change their color gamma now too, but a lot of designers just want to go with Macs because of the reliability to reproduce colors in this way. Mac displays have also always been of a high quality.

These are the reasons I understand design companies still use Macs, but I've heard that independent artists also find the design of Mac OS X and the Macs as inspirational.

Though there is nothing technically stopping PCs performing the same tasks as you can on a Mac.

 

[MisterMe]

Thanks. I also saw this article that struck my interest.

Which I find strange. Maybe Mac's maybe slightly better than pre-built PC's but custom built can be superior is what you guys are saying? Or is this article all wrong?

...

I would say that the Popular Mechanics review has nothing to do with the Mac or why Mac users would not surrender our systems at gunpoint. We all want our computer hardware to complete its tasks as quickly as possible. The benchmarks in the review attempts to measure the performance on a few representative tasks. We can discuss the relevance of each benchmarked task in the overall scheme of things. What is not open to discussion is that fact that the review does not even attempt to benchmark the computer/user system.

It is one thing to burn a DVD. It is another thing to tape the action, edit the video, create the DVD, and then burn a high-quality DVD. The Windows user will argue that his favorite platform can do individual tasks quickly and cheaply. The Mac user will argue that his favorite platform allows him to produce a high-quality product with a minimum of hassle.

I am a Mac user. I hate hassle. My Macs are extensions of me. I produce quality work that boggle the minds of my Windows-using colleagues. They think it is magic. It is just my Mac and I.

 

[EssentialParado]

widely known? no, i dont think so. I dont think macs is dominant in media creation industry. so there is no reason to ask why.

Hehe, every single graphic design company I've walked into have been 90-100% Macs. Same with video production (with the exception of one studio I visited.) Journalism is usually PCs though.

 

[LeviG]

In my experience
graphic and print are mainly done on mac, although in my opinion it makes no difference if you use windows, as the main software is cross platform and both really need calibrating before being colour accurate.

Video - probably 50/50, really does depend on the software you use.

3D CAD - 90% windows (mostly dedicated hardware not bootcamp) as the major software is windows only.

Music - probably 50/50 again.

Writing - take your pick but as said journalism is mainly windows

 

[mysterytramp]

In some respects, I don't think the two platforms are equals, not yet. About 18 months ago, we switched from OS 9 Macs with Quark (upgrading the OS would have meant a costly Quark upgrade) to PCs running XP and Quark.

Feature for feature, the two platforms are very similar but you can tell from the Quark jockeys that life still isn't roses and buttercups. (I say that and I seem to recall there was a vicious bug in our version of Quark that would corrupt large files; if office gossip is any indicator, we don't seem to have THAT problem.)

Although the plan was to ditch all the Macs so our IT guys could be monolingual, we still have several Macs running OS X in other departments because of photo and video processing. They would have made the switch if the PCs were their equal.

mt

 

[djellison]

Aren't Macs widely known to be the standard in the media creation industry (I.E. Graphic Design, Music Creation, etc.)?

I don't think they are anymore to be honest.

 

[clevin]

Hehe, every single graphic design company I've walked into have been 90-100% Macs. Same with video production (with the exception of one studio I visited.) Journalism is usually PCs though.

I just simply want a report of some sort, obvious you can't expect me to draw conclusion on limited number of personal experiences.

If I were to do that, I would say macs has 40% overall marketshare then..... which is obviously false

 

[EmperorDarius]

I think it's because of the success that Macs had in those fields in the past, however, I also think it's because of the ease of use of Macs, less hassles (not having to deal with security, more stability etc.) and perhaps even the user interface (designers like good design after all). Oh, and let's not forget software (Final Cut, Logic, Aperture).

Some quotes from the Apple pro pages (Different users):

*The tools are easily accessible, which allows us to focus on being creative. That's why we use the Mac."

*“When you have tight deadlines, you need a stable hardware system with a stable operating system,” Marty says. “We need a high-performance system that’s easy to set up and manage, with no viruses, and simple ways to share data between all the systems in the company. And the Mac gives us exactly that!"

*“We have very complex stuff that needs to be done very fast and we need to know that we can trust the machines to handle whatever we throw at them without crumbling,” says JJ Franzen, technical director at South Park Studios. “That’s why we use Macs.”

*“It’s really the same thing my Mac gives me: the ability to be spontaneous. I came into each interview free to experience these people in the present, because I could see all the pieces of the work in progress and be confident that I was getting the story. The Mac empowered me to be here, now.”

*“The Mac is at the core of our creative process,” says Robinson. “The majority of our creative and development teams use Macs, and we use Final Cut Studio to cut all our footage. iChat allows us to exchange ideas between offices on opposite sides of the globe. Our iPhones keep us connected wherever we are. Macs are reliable, flexible, and powerful. They give us the creative freedom we need to stand out in this field.”

*“I never have any problems. With Macs, when you want to do something, you do it—and everything happens just the way you expect it to.”

I just picked the few firsts interviews on the pro page.

Video - probably 50/50, really does depend on the software you use.

3D CAD - 90% windows (mostly dedicated hardware not bootcamp) as the major software is windows only.

Music - probably 50/50 again.

Writing - take your pick but as said journalism is mainly windows

Video, Music and Graphic design are mainly done on Macs. Business, 3D animation etc. are usually done on PCs.

widely known? no, i dont think so. I dont think macs is dominant in media creation industry. so there is no reason to ask why.

It is widely known. And entirely true.

 

[miles01110]

widely known? no, i dont think so. I dont think macs is dominant in media creation industry. so there is no reason to ask why.

I went to the Rochester Jazz Festival recently, and out of the several dozens of artists using a computer for their craft, none of them used Windows.

Biased sample? Sure. But it's telling.

 

[akm3]

I always love showing my 'Macs SUCK' friends simple consumer media creation to help them out - it blows there mind and changes perceptions.

Example, a 'Macs SUCK' friend had a child's birthday coming up, I offered 'hey! Want to take some of those pictures and make a quick DVD?'

He admitted: "Oh WOW! We've been wanting to do something like that, but just couldn't figure out how to do it!"

I had him bring all the pictures he wanted to use on a USB drive and we stayed after work: iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iDVD and ~3 hours later, and he has a 20 minute music video of his four year old. It *blew* *his* *mind*. (He was particularly impressed with the iMovie 09 'travel' feature that shows an Indiana Jones style line from where you are to where you're going on a map)

I haven't heard 'Macs SUCK' from him since then.

-Allen

 

[clevin]

everybody is repeating a statement, and two person come up with two personal experiences, and nobody provide any data?

Sorry, to convince me, thats really not enough. but since obviously nobody has any data (you would imagine for such a glorious "fact", there is at least some articles somewhere....lol ). I shall exit by now. Not really interested discussion a reason for an empty statement that may or may not be real.

I always love showing my 'Macs SUCK' friends simple consumer media creation to help them out - it blows there mind and changes perceptions.

Example, a 'Macs SUCK' friend had a child's birthday coming up, I offered 'hey! Want to take some of those pictures and make a quick DVD?'

He admitted: "Oh WOW! We've been wanting to do something like that, but just couldn't figure out how to do it!"

I had him bring all the pictures he wanted to use on a USB drive and we stayed after work: iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iDVD and ~3 hours later, and he has a 20 minute music video of his four year old. It *blew* *his* *mind*. (He was particularly impressed with the iMovie 09 'travel' feature that shows an Indiana Jones style line from where you are to where you're going on a map)

I haven't heard 'Macs SUCK' from him since then.

-Allen

I have a feeling the reason is not windows, that your friends don't know how to make a DVD movie of all the pics. If thats what you were suggesting?

 

[EmperorDarius]

everybody is repeating a statement, and two person come up with two personal experiences, and nobody provide any data?
Sorry, to convince me, thats really not enough. but since obviously nobody has any data (you would imagine for such a glorious "fact", there is at least some articles somewhere....lol ). I shall exit by now. Not really interested discussion a reason for an empty statement that may or may not be real.

If you ask the designers/video editors/musicians in this forum, they most probably will tell you that it is true. Actually it is a known fact for most Mac users. No one really cares if you believe that the moon exists or not

 

[instaxgirl]

If you ask the designers/video editors/musicians in this forum, they most probably will tell you that it is true.

Well, you're asking designers etc on a mac forum. Not the most unbiased sample.

 

[EmperorDarius]

Well, you're asking designers etc on a mac forum. Not the most unbiased sample.

Well then what, if you will ask designers etc. on a Windows forum, they will not know/accept it. Besides, not everyone here is a Mac user, and we're talking about something everyone should know.