Pro Tools Users Abandoning Apple Mac For Microsoft Windows. New Poll Shows Alarming Results



Pro Tools Expert conducts a number of polls to gauge the temperature of certain elements of the Pro Tools community. 3 years ago we ran one poll and asked the question ‘What Do You Use For Pro Tools PC Or Mac?’

The first poll was run in 2016 and gave the following results;

2016 Results Of Poll
What Do You Use For Pro Tools PC Or Mac?

• % Of Users

Number who responded: 1089
2019 Results Of Poll
We ran the poll again asking What Computer Platform Do You Use For Pro Tools - Windows Or Mac?

What Do You Use For Pro Tools PC Or Mac?

• % Of Users

Number who responded: 1038
Shocking Results
To say we were shocked by these results is perhaps an understatement. Looking at the results the numbers of Mac and PC Pro Tools users has effectively flipped in position in around three years. We knew there were some Pro Tools users feeling aggrieved by Apple’s lack of progress on a pro Apple Mac but we never expected the numbers to show such a change.

The General State Of The Mac Market
According to 9-5 Mac Mac sales are down 13% in 2018 compared to the previous year;

“Year-on-year, Mac sales were 3.7M last quarter against 4.29M the same quarter last year … that’s 13% down year-on-year.

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, painted an even starker picture;


Mac sales were the lowest in a quarter since 2010 - hard to blame the MacBook Pro coming out in July versus June.


Is The Rising Cost Of Macs A Real Answer To These Results?
It’s hard to cite the rising cost of Macs as a factor when considering those being asked are Pro Tools users, arguably one of the most expensive DAWs on the market and often reliant on even more costly HDX hardware. So suggesting Pro Tools users are price sensitive is perhaps an unwise explanation.

Is The Lack Of A New Mac Pro The Answer?
A more reasonable answer may be the lack of Apple offering what many regard as ‘pro’ machines for the Pro Tools user. Pro Tools users are one of the only user groups who use PCIe cards, which require more conventional chassis to use. As Avid haven’t really made significant progress in offering their pro hardware in ways that utilises more up-to-date protocols such as USB-C and Thunderbolt for HDX users, Pro Tools users are stuck between a rock (Avid) and a hard place (Apple).

Early responses to the new Mac Mini are showing positive feedback from pro users and so it will be interesting to see the results of this poll next year. By this time next year there may be a new Mac Pro and greater adoption of Mac Mini, only time will tell.

Have You Gone From Apple Mac to Windows PC?
Have you made the switch, if so then we would be interested to hear your reasons. Conversely if you are continuing to use an Apple Mac then let us know why.



SOURCE: https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/ho...bDyZIddhdHCq8x3OFfRlXfz5AFWXizWY_drpGXnH59S0c

 

Pro Tools? Whats that?

 

What is alarming??

 

Users leave Mac because of its hardware.

 

dramatic change indeed, without exaggerating i have been suspecting mac is heading into a crisis. they are not IN a crisis but heading right into it and in todays psychotic capitalism when you enter such a crisis its not certain you have the time to get back in, even for a until now titan like apple. it could happen very fast and when it happens it becomes obvious for everyone, a fact, just like it may be seen as farfetched right now.

the competition is harder, its not the same as ten years ago and apple has taken steps that are of a giant corporation and not grounded in the mentality of a "traditional" apple concept and considerations. im sure there must have been huge structural changes and those changes are resulting in bad decision and lost judgment

ive never ever seen the amount of negative reputation, so widely spread and generalised about apple as today, its beyond what can be considered "normal"

and, imo when the artists leave the platform it will be its undergoing, not because the musicians and other artists were the core consumers in any way, but because they gave the brand its quality mark, a mark that transforms the air of features into a magic aura.

that magic doesn't stand much more, and when it becomes broken its will be difficult and most probably imposible to bring back.

im a long time pc user but a macbook pro, specially a 13 inch (the 15 exceeds in price and I dont have need for its power since I have a stationary pc for mixing etc) is still light years from a regular pc laptop, I like quality so it would be a sad lost, specially when pc doesn't make any efforts to refine their products with the details that apple has managed to break into.

 

Last edited: Feb 9, 2019

Apple Mac. The best OS with the worst hardware, at the most expensive price.

And here is very little hope that Apple will make any good hardware at a competitive pricing in the foreseeable future.

But they started already their mission to ruin MacOS as well, by cutting every nVidia support.

If I had any money, I wouldn't invest it in Apple stocks. If they don't change their policies soon, they will fall pretty hard.

 

I can write what I said multiple times already

it's quite amusing to see protools expert being shocked, when reasons are rather obvious:
1) AVID has never been able to certify ProTools for up-to-date MacOS version (for ex. Mojave public beta, which is later than developer builds, was released in June 2018, yet PT 2018.12 released HALF YEAR LATER doesn't support Mojave at all), that is rather awkward when recent for ex. MacMini is shipped with Mojave and cannot be downgraded
2) since introduction of DigiLink, AVID effectively treats their long term (hardware) customers like shit, demanding additional FEE TO USE HARDWARE CUSTOMERS ALREADY PAID FOR
3) since 2013, Apple clearly showed they bury PCIexpress, yet AVID hasn't been able to provide Thunderbolt solution of HDX core, now 6 years later AVID still doesn't give a shit and so overpriced third-party solutions to provide PCIex for legacy HDX is inefficient waste of budget
4) in the long run, AVID is barely being able to keep up with competitors on DAW market, any lesser version than PT Ultimate is literally waste (artificial limitations are laughable); fair to say the older HD versions are decent, so customers don't really need to PAY ANNUAL FEE TO BE ABLE TO USE PT ON CURRENT MacOS version, and prices for new PT licenses have gone up noticeably as well (2600€ for PT Ultimate seriously?!)
5) Macs are in fact among most stable and powerful machines capable of running Windows, so there are people really installing Windows 7 on their older Macs - that way they are neither bothered by Windows 10 (which is the only version of Windows new PC hardware supports) nor Apple/AVID inability to provide crossversion-compatible software

 

Than why people built Hackintosh's. The whole Apple Mac OS thing is quite disturbing. I love using macOS but I am not interested in their current Hardware.

 

btw speaking of prices, freshly released Microsoft Surface Studio 2 costs 4258€ for base model, top model for 5613€,
if people are foolish enough to believe Microsoft won't adapt Apple strategy to squeeze money from customers, they'll die in tears

 

Ditch Apple and save the Earth!

 

This is indeed shocking news and not good news neither for Apple nor for Windows users.
Especially because Apples moneymaker iPhone is weakend as well and Apple ATM is dragging behind new developments.
It was a bad decision Steve Jobs made when he installed Cook as his successor. Better idea would have been Jonathan Ive. Apple needs an evengelist not a bookkeeper.

Why is it a bad news for Windows users as well?

If Apple isn't (even a lightweight) counterbalance to Windows the development of PC software as a whole will degrade as well and come to a standstill in some years.
The competition between Apple and MS was good for both sides.
And we Windows users would not have seen a Windows tablet, a real Smartphone or a usable Musicplayer/Musicstreamingapp without this competition.
Apple under Steve Jobs legacy was the pathfinder for all of us. The legace of the bookkeepers was the worst what could happen to Apple and the PC industry.
And we, the Windows users don't do good for ourselves grinning malicious. It will do harm us all.

Look back in computer history and you'll find that after Jobs was fired from Apple there was no trailblazing development of any hard- or software for many years. Neither from Apple nor MS. Apple Macs and MacOS got worse from one iteration to the next. MS half-hearted tried to build a handheld and a Tablet PC but never made it marketable.
When Jobs re-entered the scene it was not only Apple's salvation (MacOS 9 was a programmes nighmare OS X was the only rescue). Within only a few years, the whole industry changed. Apple brought us iPod, iPad and iTunes as well as great Macs.
And under the pressure of this rivalry, MS was able to be a counterbalance and brought us Surface, touch enabled Monitors, touchenabled OS and a lot more.

In the end MS should care that Apple stays on it's feet because MS desperately needs a pathfinder of this kind.

btw.: I'm a Windows user if someone is in doubt

 

Last edited: Feb 9, 2019

They are shocked? Article blah blah blah....

Meanwhile here is the real reason for musicians and mixing engineers dumping Apple:

 

Pc users better pray that apple stays on the market, because without them corporations will be coming after pc users.. Can you say "monopoly"?

 

I agree in principle, but as it looks to me right now, pc and mac have settled for a confortable position of market each, much of a genuine cartel.

 

Totally true. It's because the bookkeepers rule now, not the visionaries.
Bookkeepers close down parts of a company that do not bring money in the next few quaters (profit center thinking). They don't like innovations as they cost money and they just sit on a status quo.
The future doesn't count for them as they will leave the company in some years anyway.
This is the case especially for Cook. Nadella shut some parts of MS R&D as well and thinks MS would live on cloud services forever. And, as someone says before he thinks MS could go in price segments Apple has a market for. I don't think so.
In the long run Apple and MS will fail if they stay with the bookkeepers.

 

Pleese, I newbie here. Wot iss meenink, "Mac"?

 

Now this is a real shocker price tag. When I saw the ad in MS store, I first looked as crazy if I'm in the Hungary forint section

Mr. Nadella possibly thinks MS is a real Computer company. With a nimbus brighter than Apple at it's best days.

That will flip-flop.

 

Wow! Do you really think that was a scientific Poll? Does it really matter? Do you love Pro Tools? Since most PC users here bash Pro tools as well! And truly if you believe that garbage...why not a all around DAW poll by that Site? Especially since I know that the few mac guys that did jump to PC only did it because a lot of the free plug-ins stopped.

Now here on AS I know there are 80% PC users and 20% Mac so this thread will only start (As it seems to be doing already) a Flaming war.
I see constantly PC guys still bashing the Mac on a daily basis...Just check our sister. Don't think that the Mac "People" don't see you.
We just refrain from the drama because it's useless anyway.

Now I, like all mac users love that format. PC users don't have too. But, before you PC "People" start getting your panties up in an
all out war over that ridiculous site's post on that subject. I suggest you refrain with the insults about Mac and find something else
better to do. It will only start something here we all should not engage in.

After all, haven't we had enough drama for years to come?

lastly, I also believe it will be impossible for the ones that like to start drama and bash our beloved (Mac) format so I will use my post as
a scientific experiment to see if my statement is right. Those who like flaming wars and can't help themselves...Batter up!




P.S. I notice a lot of PC users think they know a lot about us Mac users...but you don't. Your
assumptions are wrong.

 

Last edited: Feb 10, 2019

Pc is better but mac have great effects and is fast but it is not really good with apps and if you want the latest apps like logic version you always new to update your os to the lastest version.

 

Last edited: Feb 10, 2019

Windows and PC are not the same thing. Since computing hardware is pretty generic these days, IMO it makes far more sense to specify the OS.

Mac hardware are PCs. And other PCs can run MacOS. And Macs can run Windows. PC itself is not meaningful these days. /rant