Quite nicely on my machine (a 17" MBP). The only drawback with a Mac Air is the amount of memory that the Virtual Machine takes to run smoothly. You'll want at least 4G of memory to run that smoothly.
Runs great on MBP with 8gb. I have just ordered a new MBP with 16gb and solid state hard disk of memory so hoping it will fly
I would echo everyone's comments max out the memory, most macs bought this year will support 16gb even if they say 8gb. I would also get windows 64bit so it can address more than 4gb of memory
Very helpful thread. Phil--How do you like Storyline on the new MBP with 16gb and the SSD?
My old HP Pavilion seems to be giving up the ghost, and I'm seriously considering switching finally to a mac, since I now have an iPhone and iPad and would love to use iCloud to synch them. I'm considering shelling out for the MCPro Retina, with the faster processor and 500 Gig hard drive, and was contemplating upgrading to the 16 gigs of memory as well. I know I'd have to buy Parallels 7, and a license for Windows 7 as well. Do you find the 16 gigs is worth it, performance-wise? (I've also learned in the forum that I'd have to keep at least PPT on the Windows side as well, since apparently Storyline can't reliably work with mac-created PPT files for some reason.)
The reality is that I was having trouble finding a lightweight, Windows-based laptop with a 500+ SSD and the option of 16 gigs memory; Dell has one, but the cost would be almost the same as a MBPro by the time you finish configuring, and I know the quality wouldn't be as good. The laptop needs to be light for carrying reasons; my old 7.7 lb Pavilion is killing my neck and shoulders. I love the weight of a MBAir, but worry that the max 8gigs wouldn't be enough to get the best of the virtual Windows install, and having only a 13-inch screen would be less than ideal, as sometimes I'm out of town for weeks at a time without a larger monitor.
So I'm thinking this might be the time to take the pricy plunge and switch to a MBPro Retina, and just deal with the virtual engine until such time as Storyline comes out for mac (if it ever does).
I'd very much appreciate any further thoughts, folks, if you have a minute. Thanks!!
Hi Andrew, no real difference between 8gb (old Macbook pro) and 16 gb on new one. Think SSD makes a difference. I also nearly choked on £160 for 8gb (8gb for my old MBP was £22).
I think the truth of the matter is that I have become the rate limiting step with most things. On a positive it is definitely lighter, wouldn't want to carry it round all day but it is more manageable.
8gb is definitely enough to run windows on a Mac, the monitor is the issue and 13 inch is small to work on poductively.
Would like a native version, I have issues sometimes with the Mac producing files with out the necessary file extensions (especially if I save them of emails). east to append these but not ideal.
Thanks, Phil; your input is very helpful. If I do switch to Mac, it's going to be a very pricy conversion, so it helps to get a feel for which features will really make a difference (although the $200 for the upgrade to 16 gigs isn't as expensive as upgrading a SSD). And yes, much as I love the portability of the MBAir, I don't think I could live with that 13" screen on out of town gigs. One thing I wasn't sure about was how one could apportion the memory between the Mac and Windows environment, or if it automatically goes where resources are most needed. I asked at an Apple Store yesterday, and they said Parallels offers the option to either designate the amount of memory for windows, or leave it dynamic/automatic, in which case I should think 8G would indeed suffice--though not being able to upgrade a MCPro's board at a later date does give one pause.
It's weird that there aren't more lightweight Windows laptops/ultrabooks offering a 500+ gig SSD for a reasonable price (or just offering it at all). I'm sure a host of new WIndows notebooks/ultrabooks will debut this fall with the advent of Windows 8, but I don't know whether I can trust my current hard drive to last that long. I ran one free diagnostic tool (CrystalDiskInfo) and it indicated my drive has less than 10% of its useful life remaining, so....
Hi all, I am thinking of buying a mac and wondering if anyone has any more up-to-date comments on using Storyline on a mac? I have to purchase a new laptop by Thanksgiving Monday and would truly appreciate any feedback given on how well storyline functions on a mac and any suggestions on what criteria I should include when purchasing one.
Kerry, a lot of us use Macs with SL including some of the Super Heroes on this forum and Articulate staff. Personally my main dev is on a PC desktop but I also use Parallels 9 on a 5 year old MacBook Pro and it works fine; I imagine with a newer Mac it would be even better. Make sure you have plenty or RAM if you're going to use Parallels (or VM Ware) so you can allocate enough to Windows (4 gigs is good for me) and to Mac OX; I'd aim for at least 8 gigs total. I haven't tried Boot Camp as I've found the virtual machine has been fine but that's also an option.
I do have to say that I haven't done a lot of video work on my Mac as most of that is done in the office on a PC but with a newer MacBook I'm thinking you'll be good. (BTW I'm speaking about MacBook Pros, I have no idea how one of the base model MacBook Airs might work...)
I love my Mac for development on both sides. I use VMWare Fusion on a 15" MBP Retina. One downside to the Retina - the resolution is too high for the default in the VM. I had to crank my VM display properties down to 1440x900 to make everything comfortably readable. Works great at that resolution. If you are looking mostly at PC side stuff and have never been spoiled by the Retina display, going with a normal resolution will save you some cash.
Personally, I will never buy another computer with a mechanical hard disk. The SSD hard disk is the single thing that I wouldn't give up in my MBP. LOVE that speed. You'll also want to get 8gig or more of memory. The VM will eat up almost as much system memory as you'll give it. I like to switch back and forth with the three finger swipe. Other than battery life being shorter with the VM running, I really don't notice a performance hit unless I have 5 applications running in the VM and 7 or 8 running on the Mac side (Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, AfterEffects and MS PPT, Word, and Storyline starts to be noticeable). Any sane and responsible computer user won't notice a slowdown
One of the things I love about the Mac side is the range of affordable tools. Really, some great tools that you can't really find for the same price on the PC side. These include:
Affinity Designer - GREAT alternative to AdobeIllustrator / Fireworks
Sketch - Another fantastic alternative to AdobeIllustrator / Fireworks (simpler than Affinity Designer)
Motion - Great alternative to Adobe AfterEffects
Hype 2 - Simply the best HTML5 interaction builder (IMO) for the price. Adobe's contender is pretty amazing but I'm really trying to drop that $50 a month subscription:)
Camtasia 2 for Mac is a lot cheaper than the PC version (for some reason)
Screenflow for Mac is simply amazing (probably the reason Camtasia 2 is cheaper on Mac than PC)
iMovie, GarageBand, Keynote - all really strong contenders with distinct functionality balanced with simplicity. Not everyone's cup of tea but these work really well for me for quickly building simple sequences and editing and processing footage / audio.
You'll also find a ton of useful little applications on the app store. Some of which are nearly as functional (or more) than PC alternatives at a fraction of the cost. One that comes to mind is PhotoSketcher.
11 Replies
Quite nicely on my machine (a 17" MBP). The only drawback with a Mac Air is the amount of memory that the Virtual Machine takes to run smoothly. You'll want at least 4G of memory to run that smoothly.
Thanks for your quick reply!
Hi Elizabeth - Storyline runs really well on my iMac. I have the max memory (16gb) but I've heard from folks running 4-8gb that it runs just as well.
In case you didn't see this page, we have some good info on running Storyline in a Mac environment.
Thanks for your reply David!
Runs great on MBP with 8gb. I have just ordered a new MBP with 16gb and solid state hard disk of memory so hoping it will fly
I would echo everyone's comments max out the memory, most macs bought this year will support 16gb even if they say 8gb. I would also get windows 64bit so it can address more than 4gb of memory
Very helpful thread. Phil--How do you like Storyline on the new MBP with 16gb and the SSD?
My old HP Pavilion seems to be giving up the ghost, and I'm seriously considering switching finally to a mac, since I now have an iPhone and iPad and would love to use iCloud to synch them. I'm considering shelling out for the MCPro Retina, with the faster processor and 500 Gig hard drive, and was contemplating upgrading to the 16 gigs of memory as well. I know I'd have to buy Parallels 7, and a license for Windows 7 as well. Do you find the 16 gigs is worth it, performance-wise? (I've also learned in the forum that I'd have to keep at least PPT on the Windows side as well, since apparently Storyline can't reliably work with mac-created PPT files for some reason.)
The reality is that I was having trouble finding a lightweight, Windows-based laptop with a 500+ SSD and the option of 16 gigs memory; Dell has one, but the cost would be almost the same as a MBPro by the time you finish configuring, and I know the quality wouldn't be as good. The laptop needs to be light for carrying reasons; my old 7.7 lb Pavilion is killing my neck and shoulders. I love the weight of a MBAir, but worry that the max 8gigs wouldn't be enough to get the best of the virtual Windows install, and having only a 13-inch screen would be less than ideal, as sometimes I'm out of town for weeks at a time without a larger monitor.
So I'm thinking this might be the time to take the pricy plunge and switch to a MBPro Retina, and just deal with the virtual engine until such time as Storyline comes out for mac (if it ever does).
I'd very much appreciate any further thoughts, folks, if you have a minute. Thanks!!
Andrew
Hi Andrew, no real difference between 8gb (old Macbook pro) and 16 gb on new one. Think SSD makes a difference. I also nearly choked on £160 for 8gb (8gb for my old MBP was £22).
I think the truth of the matter is that I have become the rate limiting step with most things. On a positive it is definitely lighter, wouldn't want to carry it round all day but it is more manageable.
8gb is definitely enough to run windows on a Mac, the monitor is the issue and 13 inch is small to work on poductively.
Would like a native version, I have issues sometimes with the Mac producing files with out the necessary file extensions (especially if I save them of emails). east to append these but not ideal.
Thanks, Phil; your input is very helpful. If I do switch to Mac, it's going to be a very pricy conversion, so it helps to get a feel for which features will really make a difference (although the $200 for the upgrade to 16 gigs isn't as expensive as upgrading a SSD). And yes, much as I love the portability of the MBAir, I don't think I could live with that 13" screen on out of town gigs. One thing I wasn't sure about was how one could apportion the memory between the Mac and Windows environment, or if it automatically goes where resources are most needed. I asked at an Apple Store yesterday, and they said Parallels offers the option to either designate the amount of memory for windows, or leave it dynamic/automatic, in which case I should think 8G would indeed suffice--though not being able to upgrade a MCPro's board at a later date does give one pause.
It's weird that there aren't more lightweight Windows laptops/ultrabooks offering a 500+ gig SSD for a reasonable price (or just offering it at all). I'm sure a host of new WIndows notebooks/ultrabooks will debut this fall with the advent of Windows 8, but I don't know whether I can trust my current hard drive to last that long. I ran one free diagnostic tool (CrystalDiskInfo) and it indicated my drive has less than 10% of its useful life remaining, so....
Hi all, I am thinking of buying a mac and wondering if anyone has any more up-to-date comments on using Storyline on a mac? I have to purchase a new laptop by Thanksgiving Monday and would truly appreciate any feedback given on how well storyline functions on a mac and any suggestions on what criteria I should include when purchasing one.
Many thanks,
kerry
Kerry, a lot of us use Macs with SL including some of the Super Heroes on this forum and Articulate staff. Personally my main dev is on a PC desktop but I also use Parallels 9 on a 5 year old MacBook Pro and it works fine; I imagine with a newer Mac it would be even better. Make sure you have plenty or RAM if you're going to use Parallels (or VM Ware) so you can allocate enough to Windows (4 gigs is good for me) and to Mac OX; I'd aim for at least 8 gigs total. I haven't tried Boot Camp as I've found the virtual machine has been fine but that's also an option.
I do have to say that I haven't done a lot of video work on my Mac as most of that is done in the office on a PC but with a newer MacBook I'm thinking you'll be good. (BTW I'm speaking about MacBook Pros, I have no idea how one of the base model MacBook Airs might work...)
I love my Mac for development on both sides. I use VMWare Fusion on a 15" MBP Retina. One downside to the Retina - the resolution is too high for the default in the VM. I had to crank my VM display properties down to 1440x900 to make everything comfortably readable. Works great at that resolution. If you are looking mostly at PC side stuff and have never been spoiled by the Retina display, going with a normal resolution will save you some cash.
Personally, I will never buy another computer with a mechanical hard disk. The SSD hard disk is the single thing that I wouldn't give up in my MBP. LOVE that speed. You'll also want to get 8gig or more of memory. The VM will eat up almost as much system memory as you'll give it. I like to switch back and forth with the three finger swipe. Other than battery life being shorter with the VM running, I really don't notice a performance hit unless I have 5 applications running in the VM and 7 or 8 running on the Mac side (Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, AfterEffects and MS PPT, Word, and Storyline starts to be noticeable). Any sane and responsible computer user won't notice a slowdown
One of the things I love about the Mac side is the range of affordable tools. Really, some great tools that you can't really find for the same price on the PC side. These include:
You'll also find a ton of useful little applications on the app store. Some of which are nearly as functional (or more) than PC alternatives at a fraction of the cost. One that comes to mind is PhotoSketcher.
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