Apple Wants to Educate You for Free
Whether you are a Mac-based photographer, or merely a future Mac-based photographer, Apple would like three hours of quality time with you. And they are willing to travel around the country to get it. Leggo of your wallets -- it's free.
And if that's not good enough (or if you are in another country) Apple is also streaming some high-end seminar goodness right off of their website. And that's free, too.
(Yes, I am an unapologetically pathetic Apple Fanboy. Sorry.)
More on the roadshow and the online seminars after the jump.
UPDATE: You REALLY want to watch the Brian Storm stuff on the free Apple seminars linked after the jump. Really good info.
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Apple wants to spend an afternoon teaching you how to automate repetitive tasks, build more efficient workflows and print stuff that actually looks like you expected it to look. And, like the Photoshelter series, it is all free.
If you are a Mac-based photog, it is a chance to learn from the hotshots about ways to make your imaging experience more seamless. If you are thinking of switching to Mac, it's one of those afternoons that will send you running to the altar to be the first in line to drink the special Kool-Aid the security guards are handing out.
Here is the initial free roster of free cities and free dates, with more said to be freely coming:
Boston -- Oct 23rd
San Francisco -- Oct 30th
San Diego -- Nov 13rd
Culver City -- Nov 15th
Miami -- Nov 27th
New York -- Dec 5th and 6th
(I plan to get up to one of the NYC shows, and am hoping that a Vista install won't set off some kind of alarm at the door.)
:: More Info/Registration ::
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More Cool Free Stuff
I didn't know this until tonight, but Apple apparently has a bunch of free online seminars that are yours for the watching. I am streaming Brian Storm (of MediaStorm.org) to teach me about using Final Cut Pro to create rich media. I have seen Brian teach this in person.
I am watching his seminar right now and I can tell you that for free, this is a total no-brainer.
:: Apple's Free Online Seminars ::
And if that's not good enough (or if you are in another country) Apple is also streaming some high-end seminar goodness right off of their website. And that's free, too.
(Yes, I am an unapologetically pathetic Apple Fanboy. Sorry.)
More on the roadshow and the online seminars after the jump.
UPDATE: You REALLY want to watch the Brian Storm stuff on the free Apple seminars linked after the jump. Really good info.
_______________________
Apple wants to spend an afternoon teaching you how to automate repetitive tasks, build more efficient workflows and print stuff that actually looks like you expected it to look. And, like the Photoshelter series, it is all free.
If you are a Mac-based photog, it is a chance to learn from the hotshots about ways to make your imaging experience more seamless. If you are thinking of switching to Mac, it's one of those afternoons that will send you running to the altar to be the first in line to drink the special Kool-Aid the security guards are handing out.
Here is the initial free roster of free cities and free dates, with more said to be freely coming:
Boston -- Oct 23rd
San Francisco -- Oct 30th
San Diego -- Nov 13rd
Culver City -- Nov 15th
Miami -- Nov 27th
New York -- Dec 5th and 6th
(I plan to get up to one of the NYC shows, and am hoping that a Vista install won't set off some kind of alarm at the door.)
:: More Info/Registration ::
___________________________
More Cool Free Stuff
I didn't know this until tonight, but Apple apparently has a bunch of free online seminars that are yours for the watching. I am streaming Brian Storm (of MediaStorm.org) to teach me about using Final Cut Pro to create rich media. I have seen Brian teach this in person.
I am watching his seminar right now and I can tell you that for free, this is a total no-brainer.
:: Apple's Free Online Seminars ::
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by David, at 12:00 AM.
27 Comments:
Just had to say. Using an apple in the computer world is like using a point and shoot in the camera world. Yeah you can get some good results and don't have to know what you are doing, but if you take the time to learn Windows/Linux you probably would get great results too. Anyhow I diverge. Another thing I had to mention though. A mac is a PC. Can we please stop that commercial and fix it so it says hi mac. Hi windows. cause Mac is just an OS. Same equipment.
Mostly, I'll keep looking at my PowerBook to see what people have to say about James' comment. This should be fun. :)
NOTICE SERVED: I will not let this thread get uncivil. If it can stay good-natured, it can go up. But none of that slippery slope stuff that leads to a violent death an this blog being featured on CNN for a news cycle.
(Although that would be awesome for the page view count...)
I don't want to debate either way. Don't get my first comment wrong. Macs are great for most the people in my opinion, but I am a linux guy. However I am also glad to see that Apple is educating us for free. I think any bonus knowledge is good knowledge to have so it should be good to see what they are doing. David, is apple allowing us other users to access their videos online for seminars?
> Yeah you can get some good results
> and don't have to know what you are
> doing, but if you take the time to
> learn Windows/Linux you probably
> would get great results too.
OS X is Unix based just as Linux. So why wouldn't you be able to do advanced stuff if you have to?
> Hi windows. cause Mac is just an OS.
No, the Macintosh is a computer. The OS is called OS X Tiger.
Typical of Apple - those non standard folk - I'm trying to register from a Windows Machine and the link doesn't work - I bet they do it on purpose.
@ james: people who know how to use point and shoots can make better photographs than people who don't know how to use a DSLR. the thing about the mac is that, by being a point-and-shoot OS, does all the mundane decisions that non-programmers/neophytes do not need to worry about. and if they do want to get into it, they can learn BSD and get into really nuts-and-bolts type stuff :)
anyways, to the topic at hand... free+seminar+online= i'm there :)
Of course James... on the other hand one might say exactly the same, and then some more, regarding your platforms of choice: most people using MacOS don't care less what happens underneath, they just want to get the job done. Those that do care realize that with Mac they most often than not get the best compromise in hassle free, reliable and solid interface and backend with the tools and quality of Mac and BSD in one not simply "compatible" but rather "designed for by the same company" hardware packaged with state of the art components.
Thx for the seminars on line link, they look interesing. You may als be interested in the, not many-but-hopefully-to-grow, photography related lectures on the iTunes Store iTunesU section.
For those of you who don't like having to register in order to watch the online seminars, http://www.bugmenot.com is your friend. Just search for seminars.apple.com.
David, my apologies, but I simply have to respond to James' comment. I rather feel that Windows (and other Microsoft stuff) is like a point and shoot. It keeps forcing things on me I don't want (Does anybody remember the classic "It looks like you are writing a letter"? Yikes…). My experience is that Mac OS lets you do things with less effort, but gives you more control, whereas Windows tends to oversimplify things into those wizard dialogs that only work half of the time and offer both very little control and very little insight for the advanced user as to what they actually set up or change (like the Home Network wizard in Windows XP; It never works, but it does change all your settings). This is why (at least to me) the Mac is like an SLR: In auto mode, it gives you much better results than the point-and-shoot does (like the built-in effects in iWork versus the horrible Word-Art templates, or just the automatic ligatures), and it gives you all the control you want in manual mode.
I think it's not so much about the quality of the results (you shouldn't be able to tell on which system it was achieved, unless maybe you are doing non-professional work in the aforementioned auto mode), but rather how long it takes and how hard/frustrating it is to get them. That's what Mac users love about their computers. They work, make it easy, and they don't get into their way.
However, many people are happy with Windows, and those people should by all means use it. Agreed, ultimately both Mac and Windows systems are computers, but I think there really is a reason why most Windows users don't see why anybody would love their computer as much as most Mac users do.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a long-time Windows user who has been using both systems. My point simply is, let's let Mac users keep loving their OS, especially in a blog post about Apple.
Peter
OS X is like automatic zoom, they made it to make your life easier. It's not the be all end all, but it sure is great! (as I write this from my Dell) : )
Is anyone else not finding the videos? I've logged in, but the only links I see are to product training for Aperture and iPhoto.
peter, thanks for the bugmenot link
I had some trouble registering as well.
Here's the direct link to the event registration page: http://urltea.com/1ow7
How can there not be a Chicago seminar yet?!
Heeelllloooooo Apple! There are people that live in the midwest too! Thanks for thinking of us! (*grumble, grumble...*)
My only gripe with James' comment is his analogy that Macs are like point-and-shoots. You can take a $5000 DSLR and set it to program mode and effectively you are taking point-and-shoot pictures. You can likewise take a $500 point-and-shoot camera and set it to manual mode to control the color balance, ISO, aperture and shutter. Whether you are using Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux, you have the choice of how to use it: program or manual mode. Which operating system you choose is a matter of preference and resources (time & money), just as each of us chooses to work with Canon, Nikon or (insert your favorite brand here). How well we use our tools and not which tools we use is what makes the difference.
Free info is good. Thanks Apple.
Mac vs PC vs Linux = Chocolate vs Vanilla vs Strawberry
People like all different kinds of ice cream but they all make your head hurt if you eat it too fast.
Mac = “You have style” = “Wow, Serious Artist”------Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.
Mac is for people who really like it, who really need it, and who get used to it.
Mac is way more expensive than PC. If you want to show off, don’t spend extra money on Mac, get a luxury car instead.
Knowing the software is more important, Dude!
Fact:
Mac using Intel processor.
PC using Intel and AMD processor.
Mac using NVIDIA GeForce Graphic card.
PC using NVIDIA GeForce and ATI.
PC is caching up...
If you don’t care about the money and only care about the performance, get Apple Mac Pro desktop with Two 3.0GHz Quad Core desktop with 16GB memory and NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 512 MB Video Card. That could be the most powerful personal computer setup in the world. Again, Know how to use the software is more important.
Very happy to see that there will be a San Diego seminar. Thanks for the heads-up.
As for the Mac v. PC thing: There was a time when a PC was used for office work and the Mac was used for creative work. That was it. Being a professional graphic designer and photographer meant that I pretty much had to use a Mac. (See the "History of Photoshop" here): http://www.computerarts.co.uk/in_depth/features/the_history_of_photoshop
Anyone remember using PS 2 before "Layers" was introduced?
My point is that most serious creatives used to have one choice and it was Apple. No such thing as PS for Windows. If that was still the case, we wouldn't be having this friendly debate...
Now, what about Canon v. Nikon?
I will be at the 9am miami seminar.have to leave REAL early because I will be getting stuck in traffic, but it will be well worth it.
DRH responding to: james said...
I bought a Nikon Film Scanner a few years ago. The instruction book had software installation steps for both Mac and PC. The Mac steps were the usual 5 or 6 steps for either scanner model and for any supported OS - less than one page in the book. The PC steps took up about a forth of the book because there were eight different sets of instructions depending on which of four OS's and which of two models of scanners you had. Each of these different instructions had around eighteen to twenty installation steps and a caution that it might not work even after it was installed. I admit that I am a dyed-in-the-wool Mac user. But, the few times I was forced to use a PC was like going from a state-of-the-art BMW to a five year old basic Chevy. I prefer to call PC's Rube Goldberg machines. Apple's aren't flawless, but they are far better than and more dependable than PC's.
Have I got a story.
David's read the abbreviated version already, and I hope he doesn't mind me sharing it 'round here in this discussion, since it's not exactly off-topic. And, hey, story telling should be civil, and very much experience-based, so let me share a bit with you...
Shortly after getting back into photography and entering the world of dSLR-dom, I'd bought a beefy Windows laptop with plenty of RAM -- it wasn't QUITE the top-of-the-line machine, but it certainly was close. It was mostly meeting my needs, photography-wise, from June 2006 until about March 2007. Of course, I was shooting a D1H, so the 4-megabyte, 2.7-megapixel RAW files weren't much of a problem for the computer.
When I'd initially sought out a laptop for my photography, I strongly considered an Intel Mac, but my wife talked me out of it. I'd been a PC/Windows snob since even before the original Mac came out. While my specialty now is on the database/programming side of things, I actually got my current job because of my expertise with supporting hardware systems and building/maintaining PCs. My bias that Macs were for graphic design snobs who knew nothing about computers and were using inferior machines certainly didn't help.
Well, I was wrong.
See, on Opening Day (MLB), I'd attended the game at Safeco Field, and grabbed 70+ frames on my D1H to stitch together back at home into as big a panorama as I could. The stitching took awhile (and "only" 3-4 reboots after crashing midstream), but it indeed worked, and I was able to build a 100+ megapixel JPG that was about 45 MB in size. I could view the JPG in preview mode no problem, but when I tried opening the file on my PC for editing, after about 5 minutes, it would finally open, but I couldn't do jack squat with it. Any edits I wanted to make weren't going to happen.
So, after reading a lot of different stuff with photo processing and realizing that the graphics design people and professional photogs mostly all use Macs for a reason, I decided to see if I could get my hands on a Mac laptop. I didn't have much of a budget, so I couldn't get a screamin' new machine, but I found a couple models within my budget.
I had stashed this 45-meg JPG on an external hard drive and a thumb drive both, to cover any compatibility issues while testing the machine. My first test machine was a 500 Mhz G3 iBook w/128 megs of RAM. I opened Photoshop CS2 (yeah, on a whimpy G3 even, with practically no RAM, either!), and while it took a bit, the 45MB file indeed opened and I could make some edits. It was still a little slow for my needs, and didn't have enough hard drive space (10 gigs), and I ended up passing, even though it was still a better performer than my Windows laptop w/1 gig of RAM, albeit still quite a bit slower than I'd hoped. A few weeks later, I got my hands on a 12" Powerbook G4 867 mHz w/640 megs of RAM. Same thing -- opened up Photoshop (CS instead of CS2), and that sucker screamed in comparison! In spite of having half the processor speed and only 2/3rds of the RAM, it opened the file rather quickly (later -- I tested this against my bro-in-law's Dual-Core machine w/2 gigs of RAM and USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1 on the Mac, and the Mac STILL won). I could edit it all I wanted, and while it still has some noticable lag, I was still able to get the job done on my 5-year-old Mac.
So, yeah, I switched to Mac. Something about having a 4-hour battery life instead of maybe 90 minutes; having my laptop pretty much ready for me to use it the instant I wake it up from sleep mode (okay it takes 15-20 seconds for the WiFi to reconnect); having a computer that I don't have to spend all day tweaking to make things run; not having to spend 5-10 minutes waiting for the computer to reboot after a crash (although, yeah, I've had programs crash and hang on my Mac, but I've always eventually been able to force quit the program). And my Mac is 5 years old. I can only imagine how much better a newer laptop would work for me, let alone a tower that I can pump Gigs of RAM and Terrabytes of HD space into...
It's come to the point that I really hate working on Windows machines now.
I won't go into Canon vs. Nikon, but the gap between those two, IMHO is much, much narrower than the gap between the Mac & Windows.
What? No Rexburg, ID seminar? *sigh*
Here's a great article, "Mac vs. PC cost analysis revisited"
http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/08/17/costanalysis/index.php
Thanks for the free stuff - always appreciated!
As far as the old debate goes, I've had great times and bad times with both Mac and PC systems over the years. I've settled on a beast of an XP PC for now - it's lightning fast and stable as hell. But that doesn't mean I won't ever swap back to Mac, or have both, if sufficiently swayed.
The enormous point that people always miss, though, is the most important. A creative person with passion and a brain can get great results on any computer system, using cheap software. Machinery is only a very small part of the equation.
It's only the hardware/software manufacturers who need everyone to think that a Mac will give you great videos, or a 1D MkIII will give you great pictures, or a Pro Tools system will give you great songs. This is nonsense.
Give a creative professional any damn bit of equipment you like, and they'll make it work for them and get a meaningful result. It may be a challenge sometimes, but that's half the fun!
Did anyone notice the "Less Gear, More Brain" banner at the top of Strobist?
Let's stop obsessing about the bits of plastic and metal we're using, and just concentrate on creating something beautiful and meaningful instead. I don't care if someone uses a cameraphone and Windows 95, it's whether the resulting photo makes me feel all tingly that matters.
:)
I had trouble opening the seminar link using Firefox 2.0 or IE 7 on Vista. Downloaded the Safari Beta for windows and it seems to work fine.
I use OS X because I want to. Sometimes I use Windows because I have to. And sometimes I use Linux because I choose to. Which is why I own a Mac...I get all three with one box.
yeah free stuff - do we get it here in Australia?? Online Seminars, the only way to spend a saturday night!! :-)
I have been an IT professional for 22yrs .. dos, win311, win95/98, XP now Vista, Novell, TCPIP - you name it. With Macs mixed in there along the way.
in 2002 i bought my first Mac with OS X 10.1 .. and have never looked back, i have eradicated PC's from my home (except the virtual kind running on my iMac).
I wish i had a dollar every time one of my friends and family asked me 'what computer should I buy' - i used to run through a long list of 'when where how why what' are you going to do with it .. then customise a solution for their needs. Now i just say buy a Mac ...
When 80%-90% or people just want to get on with the doing 'Word processing, video editing, photography, photo editing etc' Macs just do it, no hassles, no problems.
If your a gamer, or want to tinker with the OS - then Macs are unlikely to be your cup of tea. However several of the Linux admins working for me - own - you guessed it Macs ... they get to geek out on Unix to their hearts content and their girlfriends get to video conference and organise photo's without having to understand what 'ls -a' means or when to use 'chmod' or should they 'su' that command.
If you want to waste a lot of time playing with the OS - by a PC and run Linux ... if you want to be productive with your Photography images ... get a Mac ...
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