Should I switch to Apple?

As a photographer and geek with Apple hardware, it's a question I get all the time. And a question that may be on the increase with the release of the iPad (Nope, I don't have one yet). Perhaps after over two decades of being a geek, half of which spent as an Apple user, I might be qualified to help you answer. I am a fan of Apple most of the time, so my answer might surprise you, which is, "It depends."

I started contemplating the switch to Apple when they announced OS X around 1999; you know, about the same time the world was supposed to end. Yes, I was an early adopter of OS X. And yes, it was as painful as the transition from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 (anyone remember tweaking TSR's? - Uhg). I had been around Commodore's, Amiga's, Epson's, Panasonic's (yeah, they made PC's prior to a bit of protectionist policy change in the Reagan years), Micron, Quantex, Dell...you get the point. In fact, I was so unimpressed with any of them I started building my own. Anyway, the switch started making sense for me when Canon released the D30 in 2000 and Apple released OS X 10.0 in 2001. I was tired of building PC's and wanted to use computers for something productive like digital imaging. So, I made the switch and never looked back (well, at least after third party OS X drivers finally came around). Now I have an iPhone, a MacBook, and an iMac, and they're all synced via MobileMe and backed up via Time Machine - I have drank of the apple flavored kool-aid and I like it. But to your question...

Should you switch?

My usual "It Depends" answer is followed by a few questions of my own: Do you have a big investment in PC hardware and software (like Photoshop and/or Lightroom)? Do you own/love your [non-iPhone]? Do you like using your PC? Is your digital work flow not so much a flow as a series of painful steps? If so, what is causing your work flow to break down? Do you really need to switch or just get smarter about how you are using your current tech? And if you think you need to switch are you in a position to embrace the Apple Ecosystem? Because in my mind, you will not get the same experience if you are not committed to allowing Apple to help make some of your computing choices. From hardware and software to web services it's all about The Experience. Even the product packaging is an experience meant to make you feel better about having spent more on your Apple product. And I am OK with it most of the time, but it's not without some frustrations. Let's not be shy about it - Apple likes to control your experience. It's like being married - "You can be right, or you can be happy." Luckily, like my wife, Steve Jobs is right a high percentage of the the time.

And why do I think it's so important to be all or nothing with Apple? Easy. Technology is supposed to make your life easier, and Apple does a good job of it if you play by their rules. In photography, as with any business, time is money and the easier the work flow the less time spent on nonproductive tasks - duh, right? But I am not just talking about your imaging workflow. You also need to consider the day-to-day stuff that should "just work" - Email, contacts, browsing, and media all synced up and ready for you when you are ready for it; no Wizards and other helpful interface things to get in the way; and even the input devices count. You can get close with a PC, but in my opinion, not with the same ease, efficiency and warm/fuzzy feeling you get when embracing the Apple Ecosystem. The important part is that I like my work flow and the tech that supports it. You need to like whatever you are using or it's either gotten old or will - trust me. Is Apple employing some form of black-magic-soft-science-marketology* to convince me and others they are the best thing since free internet porn(just kidding Mom)? No doubt, but it does "just work." And when your work flow is truly a flow you are free to spend more time making art and perhaps even a little more money.

So...Should you switch?

Only if what you have now is not working and you are willing to give up some of the control of your computing experience to a closed system. If you are considering the switch: Go to an Apple Store; talk to your friends who have Macs; spend some time in the Apple Ecosystem. IF it makes your life easier, like tech is supposed to do, AND you are aware of the conditions of being in the Apple Tribe*, then go for it. Else use whatever works best for you. At the end of the day you do not want the tech you are using to unintentionally influence the art you are trying to create. So yeah, "It depends."

*Seth Godin gets credit for Apple Tribe and knows more about black-magic-soft-science-marketology than I do: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/