Laptop and Photoshop?

[Douglas Broussard]

You may want to check out this thread in the photo.net forum for some reasons that ColorSync make a mac worthwhile.

I would stick with a desktop system given the choice, but leaving the Mac platform is out of the question for me; ColorSync simply saves me too much money (by virtue of making fewer fine-tuning prints) when used properly.

Anyone who tells you the mobile Pentiums at any speed are faster than a 500MHz G3 hasn't actually used both machines. The mobile pentium (ii, iii, whatever version) is a crippled and hobbled dog of a processor, barely fit for running the latest version of Word. Seriously - I've tried it - on a machine with 128MB of RAM! Just think what it would be like in Photoshop.

[Larry Huppert]

Doug,

You must have tried the most torrible implementation of Pentium's in mobile platforms known to the earth! I can't speak to the relative merits of the G3 vs. Pentium, but what you suggest isn't the norm. I use a notebook with a lowly Pentium (i) @ 225MHz w/ 64MB or RAM, and it run most common software quite well. Web browsers, Word, Excel, Quickbooks, Visio are no problem at all. I've even run PhotoShop, and although it wasn't nearly as fast as I'd like, it got the job done. Unlike the Mac where there is only one hardware supplier, you do have to be careful when choosing a PC based platform. A fast processor with a poorly implemented set of core logic will yield poor results. Notebooks can be particularly difficult where vendors play all sorts of games towards the goal of superior power management. There is no question that these tricks can impact performance on a notebooks, but you should be able to turn off the tricks or not have them apply when AC powered.

You might think I'm a PC bigot - hardly. I just ordered an Apple G4 tower specifically for digital photography. As you mentioned, ColorSync and the 3rd party profiling tools and profile editing tools are just better implemented on the Mac at this point. Have I defected from the "darkside"? Hardly. It just seemed to be the better tool for PhotoShop in particular at this point in time. My non-PhotoShop computing needs will still be done on a PC.

[Peter L Brown]

Bob

I've been running Macs and Epson combos for a number of years now, currently a G3 with La Cie 19" monitor and Epson Photo 2000 P. This combo can't be beaten for value for money and excellent monitor to printer output. As the others have said Colorsync is a big plus for using Mac. I've used both platforms over the last 10 years as a photographer and for graphic art. For me the Mac combo wins hands down. To reduce physical size of the computer have you looked at the Mac G4 cube?

I also agree that currently, to get good monitor to printer colour, you need a seperate monitor and good calibration.

By the way the powerbooks are a much better option than the iMacs. Good luck.