We use Macs almost exclusively in our exhibits and off-site kiosks. Not only does all of the software seem to run better (that is, the animation and graphic software, not the scientific software all the time which is why we have some PC's) but the iMac is a godsend for the exhibiting world, or so it seems to this Museum Educator. The whole computer is in one, easy to build for package. You don't have to build room for a CPU and a monitor and the newest iMac can be easily swapped for the first generation machines in the same cabinet, literally in minutes. Try that with PC's which are made by dozens of different manufacturers and can change size and shape yearly. We have even swapped in staff desk top machines when no other was available for a special event or if one of the exhibit machines needed work. I even met a vendor at last Fall's ASTC meeting who, in addition to selling his custom visitor evaluation software, made computer stations that had a hole and hook ups into which you could drop any iMac and run it from keyboards, trackball, and button which were built into the kiosk/desk. Plug and play indeed. Those of us with our own exhibit fabrication departments or a carpenter or cabinet maker on staff may find the cost a bit pricey, but to those who have to contract out these jobs, large and small, the price is well below what you would have to pay a skilled artisan or company to build one or two units. Of course we all know that this very standardization and Apple's philosophy toward sharing design and code has also led to the situation that less software runs on the Mac platform. Which is why we have to buy some PC's. (Although with the release of Apple's Unix based OS X this may slowly change, or so a bunch of programmers assure me personally and in various professional publications. I'll wait and see, I've heard this before.) And don't let IT professionals snow you. Macs and PCs work very nicely on a network. At least all the Macs do. Some of the PC configurations that some staff brought in for their desk top use were difficult to hook up. But that is because there is such varying levels of quality and specifications in PCs and PC components that PC's can be difficult to network even if they are on a PC only network. See point 1 below. I can operate and troubleshoot any computer on our exhibit floors (some of which are more than 20 miles away and 6,288 feet above us on the summit of Mount Washington) Mac and PC, from a Mac in my valley office using a program called Timbuktu. Two additions I would like to make to Emily's Post are: 1) She says that both Macs and PCs are/can be reliable. That can be true of almost every Mac (software willing) but it is true of only SOME PC's (also software willing). As stated before there or dozens (maybe hundreds for all I know) PC makers out there and not all CPU's/monitors/sound cards/graphics cards etc. are created equal. Many people and institutions settle for the cheapest computer they can buy with a Pentium III or IV and don't look under the hood or on the back of the CPU or get the wrong monitor with a too low graphics card, or ... well you get the idea. My institution bought a piece of software for an exhibit from a well known exhibit company and it only runs on a PC and even then only with the right brand PC with just the right sound card, just the right graphics card, etc. By the time we assemble all this very specific hardware it will have cost us the same as 2 or 3 iMacs depending on configuration. 2) She has a problem with the price of iMacs (currently available in America for less than $800, but of course that is lower end of what is current) but there are ways to reduce the costs to make them comparable to PC's of the same capabilities. Before I mention some, let me say that these work in America and from what I can gather (and I am not a professional) computers, especially Apple's, are distributed by different companies or different subsidiaries of the same company in different countries and they set their own sales policies in that country. So I have no idea if this advice will work in New Zealand or other parts of the world. First, try to take advantage of education discounts. Apple has an aggressive strategy toward the education market (through both eleemosynarian and pecuniary motives) and non-profit museums can qualify. Look into it for hardware and software. It might take a bit of leg work and letter writing, but if you plan to buy more than two or three computers it is worth it. Of course this strategy could work with every hardware and software developer, but each of them would be different. Second, work through an authorized Apple technician and/or reseller. Don't go through mail order or the web. If you can find a local person to develop a personal relationship with (pardon that dangling participle) you can take advantage of a number of programs most people never hear about. You can find these people in the unlikeliest of places. The contractor we use to build and design our high tech exhibits is one of these guys, but he has no retail shop nor does he repair computers for a living, so the average person would never be ale to find him in this regard. But his status with Apple gets us units much less than you would going through MacMall or one of the other catalog stores. Apple's new retail outlets will add an interesting twist to this. Anyone who has ever begged, borrowed, or stolen donations or discounts from businesses knows that it is easier to cajole a local store or business out of stuff than a national or international company. One of Apple's problems, IMHO, is that they have never been a part of our communities and have never reached out to be neighborly. PC manufacturers have business like CompUSA, Best Buy, etc. to do this for them (although Gateway has branched out into some of out communities) but these companies are notorious for giving Apple short shrift. I think we can see a change if one of these new stores opens in our area. This will put an Apple store with Apple employees within personal touch range. Will these new stores be a soft touch after they have been open in our communities for a while? Will the managers feel like part of our communities as their kids go to sports practice and band recitals with our kids and attend our museums together. Will they cave in, as so many do, when we wear them down with our insistent, persistent, and tireless schmoozing? I leave it to those museums near Tyson's Corner, VA and Glendale, CA to be the pioneers and report back. Third, buy in bulk. Even if you only need one computer this year, I'll bet there are a few more small museums in your area or region who are in the same boat. Find each other, pool your needs into one order and save money. Even software is cheaper if you buy 10 licenses of a program rather than 10 copies of the same program. Of course, I barely understand the language in software licenses so this may or may not pass their muster, legally speaking. Try this at your own risk, or maybe someone else on this list knows more than I do on the subject. Anyway, enough said on a sunny Monday morning here in the White Mountains. Enjoy the rest of the week and keep your eye on the holiday weekend ahead. (For the American readers only I think. Sorry.) -- Matthew White Director of Museums The Mount Washington Observatory North Conway, New Hampshire Emily said: > Hi there, > to add to the debate, we have done a lot of work for, amongst others, the > National Museum in New Zealand - Te Papa. All the exhibition computers are > PC's (though museum design staff at the time were using Macs). > I would recommend that this is something you discuss with the people making > the kiosk software, they will have experience to contribute. > > In our experience, we've delivered to both Macs and Pcs for use in the (high > demand) public arena, they are/can be both very reliable (it can depend on > what you're running on them which is why you should consult with your > developers). > > Given the "evenness" of them, PCs have to be a favourite in terms of price > paid for faster computers. > > Designers can be Mac fans (which I understand totally!), but the economics > can't be overlooked. Sorry. > > Emily ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . 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