Interactive media, apple mac?

Question

Going into college very soon, I am studying interactive media... I want to focus mainly on animation on my 2nd unit and also want to do my own research and development into other fields of interactive media.

Would an apple mac be advisable? I wouldn't want to waste money on a laptop to find that I can use a different model and still have the same capabilities for cheaper.

Answer 1

If you are at the point where you have narrowed your college choices, you may want to contact or visit their media departments to see what they use for their courses. Another good thing to check is if they provide computer labs that they prefer you use.

Most colleges and universities have very reasonable software prices through their bookstores, sometimes half or less than the retail price (I once picked up a copy of Finale for less than $50 from a clearance table). You may want to hold off major software purchases until you enroll.

Macintosh is traditionally the platform of choice for multimedia, so you will probably be able to do a lot with it. Laptops are great and I love my iBook, but went it comes to major graphics work, I connect an external CRT monitor or use an older desktop.

Something else to consider before investing in a laptop, especially if you want to do R&D, is that desktops are usually easier to install additional cards and hardware. For instance, if you do a lot of video editing, you can add a card and connect a second monitor to a desktop to increase the number of windows you can view simultaneously.

Just some thoughts, good luck on your career!