Why iMacs are NOT the best laptops for music producers

Everybody seems to think that macs are the best computers for music production or the best laptops for music production.
And I’m here to open your eyes and tell you, that is not the case.
Apple has done such a bad job lately that it has become painfully clear that it doesn`t care about it’s professional users like music producers.

As a former Apple fanboy I have my fair share of Apple products, this post doesn’t come from a place of ignorance or fear of a music producer.
It’s from 10 years of experience of using the most overrated and overpriced products on the planet.
I started using Apple products because I (as a former computer programmer) didn`t like the corporate policies of Microsoft.
But now I can say: from the two worsts, the PC is just the better option.

Let me go back a little.
There was a time: 15 years, 10 years and even 5 years ago you had a valid argument by claiming that a mac was the best computer for music production.
But in the meantime the PC has caught up big time and is better suited for music production than ever before.

The only valid reason why you could argue that windows is bad is because the poor support for sound drivers.
But the sound quality isn’t any less under windows.
And with daws supported for both mac and pc, pc is just a better option for the music producer.

So, why are people hung up on this idea that Macs are the best computers for music production?
I don`t know, it`s a legacy thing I think.
Afraid of not being taken seriously by other music producers?

this is the problem with Apple

Apple’s priorities lie with their phones.
They make up the biggest share of their revenue and therefore have the most developers behind it.
But, what killer features were added to the iphone over the last 5 years?
Not much!

handoff, which doesn’t work?
or iCloud which generates duplicate entries on my phone?
Safari then, how many webpages work properly? 4 out of 5
the usability of iTunes then, the crashes in Final cut pro and the bugs in Logic pro X?

I can go on and on about the bad Apple stuff, but this post is about laptops and computers for music production.
The biggest problem is that Apple simply stopped caring about the quality of their products.
And treats their professional customers as beta testers

the T2 chips

the T2 chips are designed to encrypt your data (the official statement).
But they are really meant so you can’t repair you computer.
But, in january 2018 these chips caused crashes, it wasn`t fixed for more than a year!
With your music production, that is a slow music production process.

the mag safe

This was a super invention for the music producer: a connector that automatically disconnects when you apply to much force.
This prevents you from tripping over the wire or pickup your laptop without realizing it’s still connected.
It saved my laptop at least a dozen of times.

However Apple ditched this in favor of the usb-c connections, which is not trip proof.
Why? They wan’t you to return the laptop when it’s broken.
Back in the days when I was working at a computer store, the number one reason laptops stopped working is because of broken motherboard connectors, which are not easily fixable.

butterfly

Regular keyboards worked fine since the 70s.
Then apple released the butterfly keyboard op macbook pros, the professional grade laptops which cost 3000-5000 euros.
Butterfly keyboards broke with thousands at a time.
Super inconvenient for the music producer when one of your shortcut keys fails.
This slows down your music production process tremendously.
So they made a second version... without testing it.
Which (again) failed by the thousands.
So they released a third version of the butterfly keyboards.
Steve Jobs would turn around in his grave!

throttling

In 2018 Apple released a new macbook pro... without testing it.
And it turns out those had thermal throttling issues.
The most expensive CPU, the i9, became so hot, that it had to slow down to prevent overheating.
The performance was therefore equal to the cheaper i7.
As a music producer, you need the extra performance.
It was only after the pressure of the media, apple fixed the issue with a software update.

stability

Macs do crash… all the time.
This desktop iMac crashes at least once a day with (or without) Final Cut Pro X and even Logic Pro X.
Even with proprietary Apple products, they are not capable of delivering a stable performance.
Again, this slows down you music production process.

I say: a well build pc is as stable as a mac.

fixability and upgradability

Apple goes through great lengths to stop you from repairing your own machine, or even upgrading it.
First of all they make it super difficult to open the machines.
The T2 chips prevent repairing.
Then the solder CPUs, memory and SSD on the motherboards to prevent you from swapping those components.

So you overpaid for hardware in the first place, and then they try to retain ownership over stuff you bought from them.
And everyone is ok with that?

mac pro

That apple doesn’t care about it’s professional customers they made painfully clear by the mac pro.
Years ago they released a Mac Pro resembling a trashcan.
Expansion was difficult, and the system wasn’t updated for years.
Old hardware in a NEW computer, and still they asked top dollar for it and people bought it.
They released an update, but still this went on for years, and showed perfectly, that YOU are not a priority.

In short

I can go on about a lot of stuff, just in short:
-the terrible bluetooth support in apple products, but my playstation has no problems
-the usb port problems with this machine
-and what is this Apple
-the huge trackpads with accidental touches
-mini jack connections on the iPhone
-absence of sd card slots on MacBooks
-the price increases of 20-30 percent over the last few years.
-the lying about everything, like slowing down older iPhones to sell new ones
-the closed eco system
-the suitcase full of dongles that I have to travel with to connect my Apple devices
-not be able to put a usb drives or sd cards in my iPad to load my presentation
-the persistent alarming messages of refusal or even repairing products properly, or only after a media outrage
But I hope you finally get it: Apple doesn’t care about you.

macbook for the music producer

if you want to buy a macbook, i have to say you have to buy an old mac pro from years back or an old mac pro. -actually open to upgrade and
-with the mag-safe connector
-no butterfly keyboard
-without a T2 chip
But those have processors that are 5 years old, which are bad news for music producers.
It’s like buying a Mac Pro for your music production that hasn’t been updated in forever.

But just be smart about it, buy a pc for your music production. If we keep buying inferior stuff from companies like Apple for our music production and pay top dollar for it, they will never learn.

If you are serious about music production and want to take it to the next level,
download my free music production e-book.
Besides information about music production basics and computers for music production, the book gives also a unique perspective on the world of DJs and music producers.