MS Vista & High-End Audio

[Rich]

This is groundbreaking news. I'm surprised there are not more comments on this.

I for one wish general media (Music, movies) DRM would just disappear. It's an annoyance for us legit users who purchase *all* our content.

So three cheers for Steve Jobs and this very public statement on why DRM is bad. :cheers:

I agree, Jonathan. This is huge. A very public statement from a high-profile player on the detriments of DRM. It underscores my belief that Apple is ultimately more concerned with the end-user experience than MS, and certainly more-so than the big record labels. Very nice of Steve Jobs to take a stand for all of us legit purchasers of content who are constantly being shafted by the big labels.

 

[ScottG]

This is groundbreaking news. I'm surprised there are not more comments on this.

I for one wish general media (Music, movies) DRM would just disappear. It's an annoyance for us legit users who purchase *all* our content.

If DRM on music is abolished, then DRM on HD video content might be next. Removing some of these massive constraints Hollywood is putting on computer makers and forcing many of the issues discussed earlier in the thread.

And Apple will not be exempted from DRM hell if they want to support BlueRay or HD-DVD playback on their devices. No doubt they’ll do it elegantly and user friendly as possible, but DRM is DRM and it will get in the way of what I consider ‘normal’ usage of purchased content.

So three cheers for Steve Jobs and this very public statement on why DRM is bad. :cheers:

+1... I AGREE... but go further... I do not think Steve should stop statements to the public. He AND Bill should use their positions to discuss this w/ the content owners, music labels, movie studios... While I applaud Steve making a statement... he should do something about it and since his companies products domainate the music download ecosystem and Bill's company certainly have connections in both music and movie... Together they dont' need to talk w/ reporters... they need to talk w/ CEOs...

 

[ScottG]

I did a quick search on mac vs pc ads... came up w/ this gem... I do not want to enrage the fanboys... it's just one more opinion on the internet... obviously you can find others if you try... But you got to admit, this is kinda funny..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2005931,00.html

 

[Yang1815]

I did a quick search on mac vs pc ads... came up w/ this gem... I do not want to enrage the fanboys... it's just one more opinion on the internet... obviously you can find others if you try... But you got to admit, this is kinda funny..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2005931,00.html

That guy's on crack, Macs do have a secondary-click. And when is there a direct correlation between having fun and gaming? Listening to music is fun, watching movies is fun, creating your own video clips is fun, composing your own tunes is fun, organizing pictures and turning them into quality DVD's/calendars/photo albums is fun... And all of these can be done straight out of a box on a Mac.

I personally prefer to play my games on my big screen sitting in my couch with a wireless controller in my hand and not having to worry about system requirements and compatibility. Love my Xbox/Playstation, thinking about picking up a Wii as well.

 

[kcl]

... Software application requirements will be what drives the user community to go to Vista. "Here's a great new program that I can't live without.... Darn.. it only runs on Vista. Guess I'll have to upgrade."

I absolutely agree with Tom. Not even our compiler developers will have Vista on their computers for some time to come, and we're a field test and beta site for Microsoft! As has occurred in the past, we won't start using Vista until we have no choice in whats installed on the new PCs we buy (and everybody in the company has at least one PC, Mac, and/or Unix box on their desk), or non-IT folks have apps that will only run on Vista.

 

[lugano]

I did a quick search on mac vs pc ads... came up w/ this gem... I do not want to enrage the fanboys... it's just one more opinion on the internet...

It's not one more opinion This guy makes his living out of writing satire, comedy and fun stuff, and his article has to be seen in that light, i.e. as an attempt to create fun through sarcasm.

If I had to limit myself to reading just one Mac-related web site per day, the one which wins hands down is http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php

The MDN takes are brilliant, and many comments to the articles are priceless.

By the way, they've already covered the page you mention, here:

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/12522/

 

[IWalker]

Haha.

"If the ads were really honest, Webb would be standing there with one arm, struggling to open a packet of peanuts while Mitchell effortlessly tore his apart with both hands."

 

[lugano]

Haha.

"If the ads were really honest, Webb would be standing there with one arm, struggling to open a packet of peanuts while Mitchell effortlessly tore his apart with both hands."

You do need only one arm to operate this:

http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/

and the wired version comes STANDARD together with all the Mac Desktops, mini excepted. But you can still have fun at humor created upon ignorance...

 

[risabet]

What does any of the above have to do with high-end audio?

 

[lugano]

What does any of the above have to do with high-end audio?

At least Steve Jobs' take about DRM does have something to do with it. In related news, he sold more than 2 BILLION songs over the internet in less than 4 years - through Apple's iTunes store - so I guess he does have some authority when touching the music argument.

Beside this - we're in "off topic audio video", not in "high-end audio". And yes, the iTunes store does sell videos, too - so it's quite on topic.

 

[MickeyVee]

So, what's the difference

I've been a Windows user since inception.
When the Intel Mac's came out, I purchased a 12 inch iBook at a great price to see what the heck this Mac thing was about.

My conclusions.. The Mac can do whatever the Windows machine can do and vice versa. The applications that come with the Mac are a little richer but as with the PC, if you need more, you buy more.
The only thing I don't like about the Mac is that it generally tries to hide the filesystem. iPhoto drives me crazy because I want to put the files where I decide, so I do, and then import.
As far as stability, they seem the same. I have a very stable Windows XP system and the Mac has hung up on me once since August when I first purchased it.

I took to the Mac within hours and consider myself a proficient user. I haven't learned to tweak the Mac the same as I have for Windows but this is a time thing.

In conclusion, they're both just tools, they both do the job nicely. it's about the application software. The Mac maybe a little easier overall especially on a clean system install. No separate drivers, Yippee!

I can see them co-existing for me well into the future. I will continue to own one of each with the Mac being my road warrior machine. BTW, my primary use for either machine is digital phtography closely followed by my music library.

 

[lugano]

The only thing I don't like about the Mac is that it generally tries to hide the filesystem. iPhoto drives me crazy because I want to put the files where I decide, so I do, and then import.
....

BTW, my primary use for either machine is digital phtography closely followed by my music library.

Mickey, the Mac is about usability. Hiding the file system from your aunt's or grandfather's eyes can actually be a good idea. If your primary concern is digital photography, for real work you'll need Aperture and/or Photoshop and/or Adobe's Lightroom, of course. iPhoto is for the casual, normal user - but it's very well integrated with iDVD, Toast, iWeb etc. You are right, good output and ease of use are the arguments here. That's what the regular John Doe is looking for: a clear, straight, quick path from his ideas to the result. If he can travel along it with no screens of death, no driver installs and no viruses/spyware, and spend the same amount to achieve it, then there's no doubt - the Mac is much better, also because the hardware follows the software's principles.

As fot the music library - just tell iTunes in the preferences that you don't want your library to be organized nor you want him to copy the songs to the music folder. My library spans 3 HD's and weighs in about 600 GB and I never had a problem with it.

The best interface is the one you don't perceive as being one.

On this forum, we are very critical people, who listen to and examine gear before buying and even before asserting something about it. I'd be very happy to know that some of you went down to the local Apple store, saying "there are some trolls on my favourite club praising this pos - I'm fed up with it but I'm honest and open to facts, so you have 10 minutes to prove me wrong - try to convince me that Macs are better".

 

[ScottG]

I'm fed up with it but I'm honest and open to facts, so you have 10 minutes to prove me wrong - try to convince me that Macs are better".

Somehow I think your mind is already made up... The good news is I think both camps will be around for a long time... so what ever makes you happy, you'll be able to buy. Can we get back to Tubes vs. Solid State

 

[jjqiv]

Originally Posted by lugano
I'm fed up with it but I'm honest and open to facts, so you have 10 minutes to prove me wrong - try to convince me that Macs are better".



Somehow I think your mind is already made up... The good news is I think both camps will be around for a long time... so what ever makes you happy, you'll be able to buy. Can we get back to Tubes vs. Solid State

Of course a Tube Mac is better than a SS PS Audio amp.

 

[Rich]

Of course a Tube Mac is better than a SS PS Audio amp.

A Tube Mac? Awesome, where do I sign up? (Actually, you can get a tube amplifier for your IPod).

Mickey, if you are really serious about photography and if you shoot RAW, I second the recommendation for Aperture or Adobe LightRoom. I use Aperture and love it. Understand that it is not a replacement for photoshop. It is a photo organizer and RAW photo processor.

As for the Mac vs. PC thing, I find that not only are the included applications richer on the Mac, but the entire OS is designed more intuitively, more user-centric. It is just easier to use, with less headaches on a daily basis. This is just my experience. YMMV.

 

[ralflar]

Neither Vista nor the new Office do much or anything at all which would make me more productive. I have become quite efficient with WXP, tweaked it a lot, too. AFAICT I am using all of six MS applications on a regular basis: Calculator, Excel, NetMeeting, PowerPoint, Visual Studio/dotNET, Word. And of these I only use Visual Studio's Designer and Word when dragged screaming and kicking! Otherwise XP has been very stable and, by means of lots of 3rd party software, quite useable, for a long time. W2K was not bad either but did not run many games.

Vista adds chrome and complexity, bloat and DRM restrictions. It won't be any easier to use than XP. It won't have any added value except DX10 for games.

What JonFo wrote earlier perfectly reflects my opinion on DRM. Vista will impose more restrictions on media use without compensating benefits. Fortunately I have an iMac to run SlimServer and manage my FLAC files. Apple leaves them alone (I don't use iTunes) and I sure won't let Microsoft take control of them!

No need for Vista for me until I want those DX10 games, badly.

 

[ralflar]

Always remember: On Unix, be root. On Windows, reboot!

 

[MickeyVee]

Hi All,
I was just talking about the software that comes with the Mac.
Yes, I am serious about photography. Canon Digital cameras, all 'L' series lenses. (I've been shooting 7-10 weddings a year for about 20 years). Yes, I shoot RAW. Yes, I use Capture One for RAW processing and Photoshop CS2 (PC) and PS Elements 4 (Mac) for any additional work. I was part of the LightRoom beta and like it better than C1. Just need to decide which platform I will purchase it for.

For me, it makes no difference whether I do it on the Mac or the PC. (assuming equivilant hardware) The 'major' applications are the same. (still haven't found a reasonable equivilant to ACDSee Pro for the Mac though). Just go to the dock instead of the Start menu and I'm off..

Wish it were that simple the audio world. (Computers and cameras are easy!)Thinking of what I will do long term, 5+ years. Speakers are easy. Just go up the ML line. Electronics, not so. (leaning towards Sunfire, Anthem, Rotel for processor and amp.. but years away from that)
That's what I love about audio and this forum. Great people and great information!

 

[lugano]

Steve Jobs on music....4 years ago

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939600/steve_jobs_the_rolling_stone_interview

 

[lugano]

This Forbes guy gets it...

... and sets it straight.

http://www.forbes.com/security/2007/02/10/microsoft-vista-drm-tech-security-cz_bs_0212vista.html