open letter to apple or adobe...not sure

[biebel]

Hi everyone,
I am at the point buying an intel imac (because i am fed up with windows, what's new).
As an architect the adobe line is really a must for me (together with other software f.i vectorworks).
The problem is that i need adobe products to run fast. Universal binaries are on their way but no date is picked.
I would consider buying the mac now but there is a lot of 'contrary' speed info.For some Rosetta works fine, for others not.
i disregard the bootcamp option because i am REALLY fed up with windows.


My direct question is: Could someone of apple or adobe please do a comparative benchmarktest for adobe products using Rosetta for intel mac?

This way i could have hard facts, which makes it easy for me to decide buying an intel mac now or to wait (another year) for universal binary CS3 versions.

A lot of my 'windows' fellow architects struggle with the same dillemma and are all convinced they should take action to change their hardware and operating system.

Some of them have a medium to large architecture firm.(not me, i am small) Since changing a lot of computers is expensive some hard facts would be welcome.


Thanks in advance,
I hope i posted this in the right section. Excuse me if not, i am kind of new over here. Very nice and helpful forum by the way.

[fryke]

1.) Neither Adobe nor Apple have an interest in doing a "direct comparison" benchmark. However: There _are_ benchmarks about Adobe's apps out there. Look for them.

2.) If you're, as you put it, *really* fed up with Windows, there's really only one way to go right now. Mac. Depending on whether you're looking for a desktop machine or a portable, you have the choice between PowerPC or intel Macs. You clearly want an _intel_ Mac, though, because you want the machine to work well in the future as well, and for all tasks, this means that an intel machine is the way to go. Sure, a PowerPC PowerMac is still a good machine right now, but compared to what intel professional desktop Macs will be doing with Universal Binaries, they're simply out of the loop in no time (no time meaning "now" for some applications and "up to a year" in other cases).

3.) Since you've already stated that you _want_ to go Mac and want to do so rather sooner than later, I'd say you'd have to wait for Apple to complete the transition to intel (this Autumn, probably) and take a closer look then.

But asking Adobe or Apple for benchmarks here is not the way to go. Make first hand experience. Run Adobe's software on currently available Macs. With actual _work_ files you have. So you can actually have hard facts. What good are some benchmarks run on tasks that you might or might not find interesting.

[biebel]

Originally Posted by fryke

But asking Adobe or Apple for benchmarks here is not the way to go. Make first hand experience. Run Adobe's software on currently available Macs. With actual _work_ files you have. So you can actually have hard facts. What good are some benchmarks run on tasks that you might or might not find interesting.

...I will take you up on that advice. Thanks.
I hope the local Mac-shop will be willing enough to let me spend some time on their macs to try some of my heavy PS files.

Just as a note:
concerning the need to use vectorworks for cad: the problem with that is not just a rosetta speed issue, it is just not functional at the moment under Rosetta (crashes). It seems that bootcamp cannot be avoided in this case. No hard date picked yet for a universal binary either.

If that was sorted out , Apple would immediately have more customers i believe .
Architects are in the 'twilightzone' at this moment....until....you know....the universal binaries arrive.

My conclusion is that for the moment buying an intel mac is fine for home use.
For professional (graphical) use i am not sure.
Maybe when the needed UB's are out,the new PRO-macs (G6?Quad-intel?) are out as well.
Worth waiting for....

In the meantime i'll just have to cope with what i have now.
I hear a lot about Linux lately.I consider this also as an option but i have no experience with that whatsoever. Could Linux be a temporary (or lasting) solution for me?