Should you buy a Mac to use Garage band

Should you buy a Mac for Garage band or search for Garage band for Windows?


If there is one single reason that you might consider purchasing a Mac then it’s probably Garage band. Of course, there’s the cool factor, sleek lines, design nirvana, crystal clear screen etc. but if you are musician, pod caster or content producer then the ease of use and professional results of Garage band are a compelling reason to consider it. Let's have a deeper look at the Pros and Cons.

Pros

  • Beautiful design
  • Excellent Screen
  • Garage band
  • Synergy with other Apple devices
  • The graphic designers tool of choice

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Not upgrade-able
  • Deep functionality deliberately obfuscated by Apple
  • Not cost effective if you only purchase for Garage band
  • Built in obsolescence
  • Learning curve if moving from Windows
  • Accessories are expensive
  • Garage band limitations require the purchase of Logic Pro X to upgrade
On the surface with it's amazing marketing, beautiful looks and user friendly software the Mac seems like a creativity boosting dream.

Lets look in more detail at the downside

Expensive

Macs are not cheap, especially when you consider what you actually get for the money, a Windows PC with similar specifications will cost you a lot less. Apple puts a premium on their brand name which also transfers to the cost of RAM, Processors and Hard Disk space.

Not upgrade-able

In line with being expensive, to prevent you from purchasing a cheaper model and upgrading it yourself by adding RAM or installing a larger hard disk, Apple have led the field in permanently attached surface components. This means that you have to buy the spec that you think you might need and will have to live with it. Not only can they not be upgraded, but should something break, this often means replacing the entire logic board which is silly expensive without apple cover or 3rd party insurance.

Deep functionality deliberately obfuscated by Apple

In line with making things easy to use, a lot of deeper settings and functionality have been deliberately dumbed down and buried deep in the OS. While it's not impossible to access, you need to learn command line commands run from the terminal to change things at the core Linux level. OSX is a highly customized version of Linux.

Not cost effective if you only purchase for Garage band

If you are only intending to use it to run Garage band it makes no sense to spend the kind of price tag a Mac commands these days.

Built in obsolescence

These days you'd be lucky if your Mac survives more than a single new version of OSX, because of breaking changes in the OS and Software the Hardware often outlives the current OS and you are prevented from upgrading and taking advantage of new functionality. This is entirely for profit reasons as the architecture of the Hardware is essentially the same and new OS versions could be easily backwards compatible, these improvements are used to force you to buy new hardware.

Learning curve if moving from Windows

Macs are relatively easy to use, but there is still a learning curve if you move from windows, be prepared to be frustrated for a while until you get used to it!

Accessories are expensive

As macs get sleeker, more streamlined and minimalist, conversely the available ports that you expect for connecting peripherals have decreased, this means you often need a dongle or hub to connect other devices, which Apple have priced including their brand premium, be prepared for a shock !

Garage band limitations require the purchase of Logic Pro X to upgrade

Once you reach the limitations of Garage band your only choice aside from jumping platforms is to upgrade to Logic Pro X. Unlike Garage band it is not free. Once you add a few plugins it is certainly not cheap.

So, as you can see, it is worthwhile spending some time in consideration before pulling the trigger on a Mac.