Robb Montgomery

Mail call,

Larraine Rowney (Glasgow Herald) writes: (via my a wall post on my Facebook profile.

“Hi Robb,
You might be able to answer my concerns on a work related problem. I’m Graphics Editor at a daily newspaper in Scotland and we are presently switching from a Mac to PC-based editorial system - the problem is that I think the Graphics desk need to keep a Mac presence. I’m don’t have a problem working on a PC as I know that the software packages are pretty much the same on both platforms, I just have an issue with all of daily archived graphics, maps etc, that we have stored on mac cds (about ten years worth of work) most of which we need to use regularly. Also my staff and I would also much prefer to work on macs as it’s been the industry standard for so long, but I’m finding it difficult to articulate this to the “non-creative” executives. Any ideas? p.s their’s is a cost based argument.”

My reply, I hope, frames the old “Mac vs PC” in a new light - the ability to produce compelling Web multimedia with the same computer equipment.

Hello Scotland!
Larraine, I think you should articulate your solution as just that - maintaining a strong bridge to your archives. For a graphics department the archives are an active resource - used daily at most papers.

For the accountants you need to remind them that, cost-wise, buying a Mac gives you two computers in 2008 - a Mac AND a PC. All you need is to have a copy of Windows installed on the Mac to run software for both platforms on the same machine.

A 20-inch iMac is plenty powerful for this kind of everyday archive graphics work. I would think you might want to keep two of these around as these all-in-one machines let you assemble slick Web graphics very quickly using the built-in multimedia software, iMovie, Quicktime, Preview, iPhoto and the low-cost iWork software. For example, the quick graphics you can make in iWork look great online. Can’t say that about Powerpoint.

And, GarageBand (which is also free, built-in software) contains a powerful and simple to use multi-track audio editor. I use it for my podcasts . . . I like to teach with it AND produce with it because GB has the ability to demystify the black art of multi-track audio and video editing processes. Much more so than Audacity. But I digress.

So your Macs are cost-justified because you do things with it that you simply cannot do with a PC. (Namely Run OSX and the amazing graphics and multimedia software that comes FREE with a Mac)

So, you not only do you get two machines for the price you can look easily at how to multi-task those same machines by giving them the ability to edit and produce podcasts, generate Web graphics and even do some light video editing. Oh, and give you that bridge to your graphics archives.

Remind your editors and IT police that the future of media is visual interactive media and Macs make it dead simple to produce this kind of material.