THinking about the switch from PC to Mac Pro

I'm looking at a configuration of two 2.8 quad-core with 2 gb ram from Apple, 6 gb ram from 3rd party, a single 750 SATA drive and Final Cut 2 Studio, and running VMWare Fusion for running Windows apps, and software development tools (Windows world). I have been doing a fair amount of video editing/processing, and see that growing - between this increase, and Windows Vista, I think the Mac world may be my best choice - I would run the Windows apps under Windows XP.
The Apple Store recommended going with 2 x ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB cards - I will be running with dual monitors, and the biggest demand will come from Final Cut 2. Is there a better choice to be made for the money?
Anybody see any flags raised by what I say I want to do, and the hardware I'm thinking about?
I debated the value in the second Quad core - whether the Final Cut 2 Studio software was written to take adavantage of multiple cores. I'm leaning toward the second quad core since the studio is most likely separate apps, and there might be some benefit provided the second quad core via the OS. Any thoughts on this?
The Ram and hard drives are too pricey from Apple - any suggestions on good third party supplier for the ram chips - I know they need to meet the Apple specs, but assume some mfgs have had a better production/quality history than others.
Any input on this is appreaciated.
Michael

Hatter,
The configuration is close - I like both of your suggestions on the graphics card and the boot drive - Apple won't add the Radeon 3870 card, nor the Velocity Raptor drive. So, if I buy the 3870 and Velocity Raptor from OWC, there is a decision I would have to make with regard to what I buy from Apple.
I'd like to continue the process, listing my thoughts, hoping to get more good feedback.
I'm leaning towards buying Apple's standard graphics card (Radeon 2600), and use it for lower demand activities - I figure I can always upgrade it at a later date if the performance is frustrating - I'll have a good comparison with the 3870, so the contrast should be apparent. I'm thinking about the standard 320 g drive, since the extra cost ($50 for 500g, or $150 for 750g) doesn't make sense with the Caviar Black priced at ~$150.
So, I would be getting a machine with the OS sitting on the 320g drive. *Is there a good strategy for adding the Velocity Raptor, making it my boot drive?*
I'm assuming I will get the OS on disc - is this true?
Lastly, I'm looking at the timing of purchasing. I debated on waiting to buy until after MacWorld 2009, but plan on buying prior to the event. My thought was to avoid any issues that come with new releases - adding another layer of issues without knowing what is "normal behavior" isn't worth the increased functionality. In the PC world, sales abound at the end of quarter, and prior to new release. *Is it worth waiting a little while hoping Apple will discount the Mac Pro? Or is this unlikely??*
Again, thanks for all of the great suggestions.
Michael

Similar Messages

I am looking to make the switch from pc to mac and have been eyeing the MBP 13". I would like to know whether it is fine to add RAM and SSD myself? any compatibility or warranty problems? what brand/type of RAM and SSD is the best fit? thank you.

i am looking to make the switch from pc to mac and have been eyeing the MBP 13". I would like to know whether it is fine to add RAM and SSD myself? any compatibility or warranty problems? what brand/type of RAM and SSD is the best fit? thank you.

Chamar wrote:
I'm possibly wrong here but I suspect opening a brand new MBP to add parts yourself will void the warranty. It is probably in the small print. I certainly would not risk it for an expensive Apple product.
Some (Windows) laptops have easy access to memory and disk slots that do not necessitate taking the complete back cover off. However, Apple does not make life easy for you.
However, if you are going for a 'used' machine it is probably worth a try.
Not possibly, definitely wrong, Ram and Hard Drive are considered user replaceable and will not void the warranty if changed.

Debating the switch from PC to Mac?

Hello,
I am debating the switch from PC to Mac, but I currently use CS5 and Lightroom 5. Is it possible to do a Platform Swap? I would HATE to have to purchase CS6 (and Lightroom, if applicable) on top of a $2500 upgrade on a computer.. Help, please!
Kristi

Yes, you will need to cross upgrade to CS6 Mac for $200, but the Lightroom license is also for the Mac and you can activate using your present serial number.
Gene

I just found out about the switch from Elements to Adobe Revel. HELP

I do not want to spend any money on something I rarely use. I also do not want to grant "rights" to any person or corporation for my family pictures.
Will I need to delete my account?.

Hi. There is not a switch from Elements. The switch is from Photoshop.com to Revel. Elements will work as it always did with the exception of communicating with Photoshop.com sharing and storage since that service is being discontinued.
In additon, Revel is free as long as you don't want to upload more than 50 files a month.
Check out these FAQ's and try Revel. After that, if you do not want your account, we can delete it.
Pattie
Forum for users moving from PS.com to Revel:
forums.adobe.com/community/ps.com_sharing_and_storage
Forum FAQ's:
forums.adobe.com/community/ps.com_sharing_and_storage/faq
Forum for Revel users:
forums.adobe.com/community/revel
FAQ's about the transition from Photoshop.com to Revel:
http://www.photoshop.com/misc/membership-faq
FAQ's about Revel and subscriptions:
http://www.adobe.com/products/revel/faq.html
Elements organizer/Revel Help:
http://helpx.adobe.com/elements-organizer/using/revel.html
Getting Started with Revel:
http://www.adobe.com/support/revel/gettingstarted/revel_gs.html
SHARE
FAQ: How do I share my photos in Revel?
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5092831#5092831
UPLOAD
FAQ: How do I add (upload) files to Revel?
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1162795?tstart=0
DOWNLOAD
FAQ: How Do I Download files from Revel?
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1166462?tstart=0
EDIT
FAQ: How do I edit photos in Revel?
http://forums.adobe.com/message/5088287#5088287
DELETE
FAQ? How do I delete a file in Revel?
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1162793?tstart=0
SUBSCRIBE TO REVEL PREMIUM
FAQ: How do I sign up for Revel Premium?
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1178780?tstart=0

Trying to make the switch from PC to Mac

Hi, I just graduated from high school and I'm off to college so I've been doing some research on what kind of laptop to get. I'm heavily leaning towards the Mac but I'm looking for that extra nudge that makes me a believer after a life on PC. I tend to be pretty virus-prone so the fact that Mac doesn't really have a problem with that is a huge factor. I really like the style and aesthetics that Mac has and it's simplicity of use. I'm not so worried about making the switch in that aspect because I feel like Mac won't be a very complicated and overwhelming change from PC. I also like the deal that I would get a free iPod Touch upon purchase and a $100 cut in price (so I'm told by the man at the Apple store). I have been looking specifically at the Macbook Pro 13-inch. However, one thing that I hear a lot about is problems with compatibility. Apparently there are a good deal of programs that don't work well with Mac and I don't know which ones. I would like to know exactly what kind of programs these are. Will I be able to download music or movies on a Mac? run games like WoW (if I would ever decide to play it) or similar MMOs? If it's not too much to ask it would be nice if someone could point out what Macs can do that PCs can't or on the flip side what PCs can do that Macs can't - Pros and Cons are good too. I would really appreciate any help anyone could give me. Thank you.

Hi Tower_Sage,
I hope you realize that you are going to get an extremely Apple-biased viewpoint here . The choice between a Mac and PC is purely personal, and compatibility is generally not an issue. There are really only a few instances where compatibility becomes critical, and that is the requirements of your college, and games.
First, my favorite, games:
Most high-profile, big-budge titles eventually come out for Mac. Unfortunately sometimes the performance of the game suffers compared to the PC version. This is not because of some flaw or problem with Macs, but rather the amount of time and effort developers put on the game. EA uses a Direct X "wrapper" for many of its games, and this results in lower performance than on a comparable equipped PC. The few games I have played this way (Spore, C&C 3, NWN2) all played "good enough" on my Mac. Some developers (like PopCap and Blizzard) actually support Mac from the get-go, and these titles do not suffer at all. Another example that I just discovered today, PopCap and Blizzard have created a World of WarCraft themed Peggle game, however this is available for PC only (at least right now), so I can't play it on my Mac. Bottom-line, if games are a priority, you need to investigate if the games you want to play are on the Mac, otherwise you will need to run Boot Camp.
School Requirements:
My college specifically requires Microsoft Office 2003 (not earlier or newer versions like 2007) for coursework, and Internet Explorer. So, when I switched to a Mac (in early 2008) I faced a few hurdles. I am a "computer geek," and was able to work around the compatibility issues by using Safari, and Office 2004 (and later Office 2008) for about 98% of the issues. The biggest issues seems to be the individual professors and classmates, as if they are not able to open your Word or PowerPoint documents, then you of course can't get grade. However, the work-around for this, was to use the Save-As command and save the documents in the 2000/2003 format. If you remember to do this, you should be able to get by using the Mac versions of Office. One of my final courses, I absolutely had to have Internet Explorer due to some glitch on the school servers, as I was unable to turn in assignments using Safari. Make sure you check with your college and see what requirements they have.
The only other "real" issue you will have, is software. Mac software is not sold everywhere, so you will end-up getting most of it online, unless you happen to live near an Apple Store (best place for Mac products, as far as selection goes). The advantage of getting software online, is that there is a lot of open source software that can be found for free.
Lastly, your copy of Office 2007 will not run on your Mac, without using Boot Camp. Under Boot Camp, your Mac becomes a PC. This means you must have a Windows disc (with license) to use Boot Camp, and this forces you to share your Mac hard drive with two operating system. Unless your college supports Macs (many do), plan on getting a copy of Windows at around $150 along with your Mac. Depending on the monetary support you have, you may want to consider getting a copy of VMWare Fusion (http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/) or Parallels Desktop for Mac (http://www.parallels.com/) for around $80 as well. This program will allow you to run Windows in a window on your Mac Desktop, and integrate Windows only program into the Mac experience. Plus, if you use Boot Camp, these programs can actually use that Windows install, allowing you to run in a window on your desktop, and if you need max performance (like for a game), you can re-boot into Boot Camp. This is how I currently run (with Parallels Workstation), and it solves 100% of the possible compatibility issues.
Good luck!
Rich S.
Coming Soon: Wombat Computer Service (http://www.wombatcs.com)

Hi, I've used PC's all my life and thinking about the switch

ok im probably going to ask some stupid questions, but i really dont know much about mac powerbooks.
first off the click key (right below the trackpad) there is only one clicker, in PC's there is 2. How would i click to print or view the photo bigger and all of that stuff you can do when you right click on a pc?
also above the Powerbook 12" screen on the left and right, there are those bumps that arent on the 15" and 17", are those bumps like cylinder shaped (round, but flat on the top) or is it like a half sphere (just round all over and curved.)
Also, i plan on buying a Powerbook for college, which would you recommend, the 12" or 15", is the 12" a big enough screen or is it something you have to squint your eyes to see.
One last thing, does SAFARI block internet sites just randomly or can it go and do everything that Internet Explorer can?
Thanks in advance for answering any of these.
Going to be a first time Mac buy, just want to learn more about them.

there's no such thing as stupid questions here...I just switched from a life of Windows last month, so I can offer an opinion from a new set of Mac eyes...I am very very very please with the switch...I love the mouse setup...the one button mouse seems so much more intuitive to me...I catch myself ctrl+clicking at school all the time...I have the 12 inch powerbook...for school I would recommend the 12 inch just because it will not hog as much desk space as a 15 or 17 inch model...Internet Explorer can do stuff?? I thought IE was good for...nothing?? I haven't used IE inn about two years...but Safari is far better than IE, although personally I use Camino (Mozilla)...but please don't be scared...I was a little confused with the Mac interface and working about for the first hour...but after that it became so much easier...The Mac OS is so much easier to use, especially with Tiger and spotlight...man spotlight is incredible...it's incredible...just like everything else in the world of Macintosh...please do yourself a favor and BUY BUY BUY!!! My wife got her mac at the same time as me and she said she felt liked she'd been 'Saved' as in religious terminology...it's that good.....

Making the switch from PC to Mac.

I am a dedicated Apple fan, to say the least. Like, I need a t-shirt and a tattoo. I have an iPod and iPhone currently and I've played a bit with the iPad but that's not what I'm asking.
My whole life I've had a PC. I hate Windows and PCs have always seem to fail me. I'm an extremely heavy computer user.
In school, I use Macs. I'm in Graphic Design. I also am a musician. I've been begging for one for a super long time. Now that I'm getting ready for college - a Mac could very well be my Christmas present.
In the past five years I've went through quite a few laptops due to Windows failing and what not, just dumb things that could happen I suppose. Being an Apple lover, I've heard that Macs are very could quality laptops, it's harder for them to get viruses, ect. Is it true?
Would it be worth it to make the switch?
What tips can you give?
& what antivirus software should be used for a Mac?
Previously, I used Norton and I haven't had too good of an experience.

Whereas no Windows computer would last very long without products like Norton, a Mac already includes all the protection it needs against viruses and malware. Norton a/k/a Symantec functions well on Windows PCs but it will cause no end of problems on a Mac.
A Mac is far removed from a Windows PC. It has always been so. Evolution of the two systems has been completely separate from the beginning, and have followed very different philosophies. Whereas OS X draws its roots from mainframe OS with multiple user accounts that must be separated from one another and the system that runs them, Windows took a very open approach from the beginning. It got much worse with Explorer and Active Destkop. Microsoft has been trying to shut the door on that Pandora's box of viruses and malware ever since.
Norton and its many Mac variants are one of the worst pieces of trash you can install on a Mac. All commercial Mac anti-virus software is superfluous and some of it is harmful. Apple Support Communities is full of horror stories describing the effects of installing such junk.
OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. You don't need to buy anything else.
This is an interesting thread you might enjoy: Virus count?

Should I make the switch from PC to Mac?

Hi. I have recently bought a 120GB HD Sony Laptop (PC) and am wondering if you would recomend I take it back for a MA699LL/A Macbook that has 60GB HD.
Does anyone own that model? And is it pretty fast?
And if this is in the wrong forum, sorry, I am new to the Apple forums.
Thanks. =)

More than fast enough for web browsing, word processing, etc. In fact, it's overkill for simple tasks like these.
As with most laptops, it doesn't make a great gaming machine - the graphics card is not really intended for heavy 3D. If you were wanting to install Windows on it as well, you probably want a bigger hard drive, but there are other options - if you only need to run a few Windows programs, Parallels works very well. Parallels is a virtual machine, meaning that it can run Windows or Linux on top of OS X, at near native speeds.
I bought my Mac Pro intending to dual boot to Windows, but haven't had to resort to that - Parallels does the job nicely. In fact, it's fast enough to do heavy .NET or Delphi development with no noticeable lag.
Once you become used to OS X, you won't want to run Windows.

Switching From PC to Mac Pro

OK, I made the leap and ordered my new Mac Pro. Seems like the time is right to join the Apple bandwagon.
I would like to hear from other people who have made the switch on how their experience with Apple is? After reading the Discussion area here, I am beginning to wonder if I did the right thing.
Come on folks. Make me feel good
My Setup will primarily be used with Adobe Photoshop and In-Design, plus a little Illustrator and Video Production. Yes...I am going to patiently wait for CS3! Hurry up Adobe.
2.66 GHz Quad Xeon
2GB 667 DDR2 FB DIMM ECC-4x512
ATI Radeon X1900 XT 512MB
250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s drive
500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s drive
2x16x SuperDrive DL
Airprt Extrm & BT 2.0+EDR
Apple Kybd & Wrls Mgty Ms
Final Cut Express HD
Mac Pro
Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I am such a Mac fan now it is downright scary. I was never a Windows user and was IBM's official "OS/2 Guy" for many years. Apple moved to Intel just after IBM announced the end of support and sales of OS/2 and that was enough for me.
The transition was pretty seamless. Both OSes are object oriented unlike Microsoft's OS. Installing a printer under OS/2 was a hit and miss kind of thing due to driver age. When I plugged in an HP ColorLaserJet I had no idea if it worked or not. There was no announcement or sound. So I sent something to be printed and it rolled out like a champ.
My biggest frustration was with the Superdrive. I put a DVD in, watched and loved the way Mac handled it but for the life of me couldn't figure out how to get the disk out of the drive. There is no drive button. Now I know why. None is needed. There are all kinds of ways to get the Superdrive to eject a DVD and so simple I felt incredibly stupid when they were revealed to me. "You're kidding! Oh my GAWD, how simple is that?"
Or to install or delete a program. This will rock your socks. You just drag a program icon to your applications folder and if you don't want it anymore, just delete it. Presto! Gone. To upgrade an installed program just drag the upgrade to the applications folder and OSX asks if you want to update the current program. You say yes and there is no big hoopla or twenty minute wait while the system goes through hoops. Open the program and it is updated!
I bought my Mac Pro within the first 17 minutes of online availability. Same with my BlackBook except I kept speed dialing because they weren't quite ready to accept my order. Now?? Now??? Can I order now?? I bought two Intel iMacs for the office - 20" and 24" and love love love 'em.
I could rant all day at how great they are but I won't. You'll see. Three months from now you'll be one very happy camper.
Tim...
3Ghz Mac Pro w/8GRam, 1500GHD/ 13" BlackBook, Black iPod - ALL fullly loaded Mac OS X (10.4.8) 30" Cinema, HPColorLJ Printer, LaCie 600Gig External & LaCie DVDRW/CDRW Drives

I'm looking to make the switch from PC to Mac to accommodate Premiere Pro CC.

Premeire Pro is a big program that needs a lot of power to function correctly. I have the "System Requirements" page up from the Adobe website, but as I'm researching laptops, it's still not clear to me which Macbooks will be compatible with that program. Can anyone help me with this dilemma?

Tess,
I'm not sure why one would switch to Mac for PrPro these days. Once upon a time Apple was clearly a better line of gear for imaging/video, especially as their stuff was more clearly specialized to that work. Over the last couple years it's almost seemed like Apple was tossing their whole concept of "we're the graphics folks" out the window. Look at the massive threads on these boards over the last few OS updates for Mac ... expensive two-year old graphics cards suddenly no longer supported, graphics drivers choking on the system, people needing to go back an OS notch or two to get back to work ... and the hardware is no longer any better designed for graphics than the PC side with similar attention to graphics needs. This isn't to say that Apple doesn't produce some fine machines that do work well for this stuff.
So out of curiousity ... what do you think would be the big improvement in going to Mac for the OS? There's been a post recently where one of the big all-time hardware geeks around these parts posted a laptop over at Newegg for about a grand that would be a pretty good editing machine. Pc ...
Neil

I made the switch from PC to MAC

Hello Everyone
For the past few weeks I have been visiting this forum for info on the MacBook Pro. Thanks for all the information! A week ago I called the nearest Apple store - an hour and a half away, and reserved the $1999 model, $1799 with my student discount. A week later, today, I called and my laptop had arrived. I took the trip down there and picked it up. I love it and I'm very happy with it. No problems so far! I bought the airport express for wireless internet for my laptop but I didn't realize at the time I bought it that my regular dell desktop is now not hooked up to the internet when i had to hook up the cable model to the airport connection. What can i do to solve that now that I already purchased the airport express? Thanks!
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.5)

If you want to have your Dell wired, and your laptop wireless, you can accomplish it with just a simple cable.
When you plug your internet into the base station in the WAN port you have another LAN port that outputs that connection. If you get a network cable (straight-through) you can connect it fron the LAN port on the base station to the internet port on your Dell.
I do not own this particular base station but I think this will work. The picture below will give you an idea of which port is which, even though it is probably shown on the base station.
But if you want to have both connected to wires at once then you will need a hub. You can buy any simple hub that you pick up from any local tech store, no need for anything fancy. You would plug the hub into the LAN port on the base station then you would plug the your Dell and your laptop into the hub. Both require network cables that have a Straight-through configuration. (should say it on the cable packaging.)
Hope this helps, good luck!
Awaiting my precious MBP.
Awaiting my precious MBP.
Awaiting my precious MBP.
Awaiting my precious MBP.

Making the switch from PC to Mac what's my best option?

I am at the stage where I need to upgrade my notebook. I am looking at a Mac because of all the multi-media capabilities that come with Mac, but I will still need to function in the MS world. Any comments on running MS Office on a Mac? Can I run both the Apple software & the MS software on the Mac at the same time? I need some help to decide what to do.
Dell Inspiron 8200 Windows XP Pro

I am by no means a Mac head that will recommend a Mac in any circumstance, regardless of the facts. However, I think devbob's comments are biased and he has never used a Mac.
I own both a Mac and a Windows computer and I consider myself above average when it comes to computer knowledge, so I thought I would add my 2 cents. The Mac is, hands down, is easier to use and requires much less maintenance. And the Mac interacts very will with Windows for the basic stuff like email, internet, Word, and Excel. If you need to do anything else with other Windows users regularly, a Mac is probably not for you. Outside of those items, it can get very difficult to work across platforms and it would be much better to use the same opporating system your peers are using. In most cases, that is Windows.
devbob is certainly correct that there is more software for windows than for Mac. But there are also more viruses and spyware for Windows. For home use, I don't think there is a better computer than a Mac. However, I don't think I will ever use a Mac at work because, like devbob said, there isn't enough software out there for the Mac. Also, since only 3% of the world uses a Mac currently, there isn't much incentive for outside vendors to write for a Mac yet. Although, there isn't much incentive for people to write viruses for it yet.
If you are planning to use a lot of Windows programs at work, don't get a Mac. If you are doing a lot of multimedia, email, and internet surfing and only need very occasional access to Windows software, I think getting a Mac would be a good choice.
Oh, and one more thing. I don't currently have an Intel Mac, but if you do want to run Windows with bootcamp or Parallel, I am pretty sure that you will need to buy you're own copy of Windows XP and you'll also probably want to buy virus protection. That could set you back another $400. You could almost buy a cheap laptop for that.
iMac (Flat Panel 21) G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)
iMac (Flat Panel 21) G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

About to Switch From Windows to Mac... is this a problem for my iPod?

okay... i've been working off Windows since i got my first iPod, but i'm about to get a Macbook for college cause that's what i need...
is this going to be an issue for my iPod?
if so, can someone explain what i have to do (an i've got this bad feeling i'm gonna have to restore it, which means a fun time reupping all 9600 of my songs)
thanks
Message was edited by: Andrew Martone

A Windows formatted iPod will work just fine on a Mac without you needing to do anything to it. Of course the new iTunes library on the Mac will see that the iPod is synced to another library, but otherwise, the iPod will work fine As-Is on a Mac.
Patrick

Painless switch from PC to MAC

As many people do so, i will be making the switch from PC to MAC in 2009.
Since i want to do this as painless as possible, i want to be prepared as good as possible. I already found some information about licensing but i'm also much concerned about the technical issues.
- Creative Suite CS2 / Photoshop CS3 : can i take all my actions, custom settings, brushes etc to the other side? All compatible. Concerning third-party plugins i know i will have to contact them seperately
Working a lot in Indesign and Illustrator, i expect to have many Font issues. Any advice on this?
- Lightroom: i have 5 collections and some 100,000 photos in DNG, JPEG and PSD format on 3 different (internal and external) drives. I backup on another external drive. I'm concerned making the switch, Lightroom's database will either not be compatible or will not take along all settings (presets, keywords, sets, etc).
- color consistency / calibration. I know the colors displayed on my current monitor are correct. Can I expect differences when displaying my photos on a mac?
Anything else I have to think about? I don't want to lose years of work neither spend weeks switching from one platform to the other. Any advice is really welcome.

Mr. Isaacs,
Please note this definition of the word misinformation:
"False or inaccurate information, esp. that which is deliberately intended to deceive..."
I am not a lawyer, and you might not be either: but when I am repeatedly given misinformation by representatives of a corporation, I must consider the possibility of fraudulent behavior. Whether or not the persons giving out the misinformation are employees or outsourced contractors is immaterial to me; the ultimate responsibility lies with Adobe's management.
Here's another example for you of misinformation. I discovered yesterday (after quite a bit of searching) that Adobe Acrobat Pro for Mac does not include the application LiveCycle Designer. However, when I looked at the product description on the Store page, I saw no mention that this is a Windows-only feature:
From http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro/features/:
"Create dynamic forms
Use Adobe LiveCycle Designer, a professional form design tool included with Acrobat 9 Pro, to further customize and automate dynamic XML forms."
I have several forms that I have created for clients using LiveCycle Designer. However, now that I have a Mac, I will be unable to edit those forms in Acrobat Pro, which I purchased as part of Creative Suite. From Help files http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Acrobat/8.0/Professional/help.html?content=WS58a04a822e3e50102 bd615109794195ff-7dfd.html:
In Windows, you can use LiveCycle Designer to edit forms that were created in Acrobat, but Acrobat can’t edit form fields that have been opened and saved in LiveCycle Designer.
So now I will need to purchase a full copy of Acrobat Pro for Windows ($449.00 USD) in order to continue to use the forms that I have created for my paying clients.
Just out of curiosity, I decided to ask a sales representative about whether or not LiveCycle Designer is included in the Mac version. I clicked the Chat button on the Acrobat Pro product page, and initiated a chat with "Randy." Here's the important bit of our conversation:
"Adrienne: Just to clarify, the Mac version of Acrobat Pro 9 does have LiveCycle designer included?
Randy: Yes."
"Randy" was only too eager to take my money then and there. Of course, if I had purchased Acrobat Pro 9, and once I opened, installed, and ran the software, I would have discovered that I did not in fact have LiveCycle Designer. I could then initiate a return, which would hopefully be completed within the three-week time frame specified.
I repeatedly requested that I be given an ID for the chat, either the representative's ID or a reference number for the chat. "Randy" told me he couldn't give me any "personal information," (I did not ask for his last name, just a way to identify him) but said I could email myself a copy of the chat. I entered my email address as instructed but never received a transcript of the chat.
I can only conclude two things from this experience:
One: Adobe's management of its Customer Service and Sales departments is incompetent;
OR
Two: Adobe is deliberately trying to deceive me, the customer, with "bait and switch" tactics.
If it's the first case, then I am only too eager to stop buying products from a company that cannot manage its Support and Sales teams. If it's the second case, I must consider filing a complaint with the FTC.
Mr. Isaacs, if you were in my position, what do you think you would do?

The move from PC to Mac...maybe

I have been recently considering making the switch from PC to mac. I am an avid PC user and very PC savvy. I guess its just a big leap for me and i just want to be sure its the right decision. Im going to college and need a good laptop im going to major in photography so i need a computer for graphics and that can handle what i need it to do. So i guess my question or questions are, How big is the learning curve? Are there any problems major or minor? What are the essential programs to get? Are the peripherals good if so which ones? and finally is the switch totally worth me paying the 1000 or so USD to get a mac?

i need a computer for graphics and that can handle what i need it to do. So i guess my question or questions are,
You really need to get a MacBook Pro if you plan on doing graphic and video work. The graphics circuit in a MacBook shares memory with the main RAM. Performance for pro graphic and video work is anemic.
How big is the learning curve?
Should be easy for you. You can always run Windows on it right along side the Mac OS with Fusion.
What are the essential programs to get?
iLife includes apps you can use. You may want to look at some Adobe products for graphics work.
Are the peripherals good if so which ones?
You should have a good drive for backup. External USB drives are inexpensive.
and finally is the switch totally worth me paying the 1000 or so USD to get a mac?
You will be looking at little more for a MacBook Pro. You can get an educational discount though it you're in school. You may even consider a refurb. Same warranty as a new one.
-Bmer
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THinking about the switch from PC to Mac Pro

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