Riceburner
Well-known member
Majority of businesses run Windows. Apple is more common on the "creative" side of things.
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Need new computer...
- Thread starter perferd
- Start date
Majority of businesses run Windows. Apple is more common on the "creative" side of things.
^^^ this.
the apple fanboys were quick to beat their chests and thump away. No wonder they are a trillion dollar company. LOLz.
All the poster really needs is a Chromebook. there are very good ones and they are cheap and very good.
Riceburner
Well-known member
Does the OP know enough to set up a dual boot? Still have to buy the Win lic or get it and install.
roadrash
Well-known member
Just to set the record straight, PCs can last a long time too. Built a desktop from old discarded parts from Work in 2010. It still runs perfectly, and I don't even have a case for it. The motherboard sits open on a styrofoam mould. Built another desktop for a family member 15 years ago, runs fine till this day. Fraction of the cost.
The biggest thing that I appreciate about all my Macs (and one of the biggest reasons I switched 15 years ago) is the fact that they are drastically lower maintenance and upkeep.
One doesn’t need to worry about constantly keeping virus software definition is up-to-date, running adware and spyware scans regularly, dealing with constant/occasionally buggy windows updates, etc. Don’t even let me get started on what happens when the technologically illiterate and up hosing up a windows system.
I have helped a lot of friends, both Tech savvy and technologically oblivious switch over the years as well, and none have ever returned to windows.
It’s also meant that as the families go-to tech guy I no longer get those constant “please fix my computer, it’s slow/crashed/full of pop ups/BSOD/etc etc” calls anymore. They just don’t happen but maybe once every few years now, and it’s usually something minor like a new printer or such that won’t quite setup on its own.
Time and frustration saved is worth a lot to me. The small premium I’ve paid for all the Macs I’ve bought over the years (some new, some used) is totally worth it to me.
In the end it’s like buying a Honda vs a Hyosing. They both kinda do the same thing, but although one costs a lot more it’s going to give you a much more enjoyable ownership experience in the long run. And there’s a much higher possibility it’s still going to be functional, reliable, and worth something if and when you decide to sell it down the road.
One doesn’t need to worry about constantly keeping virus software definition is up-to-date, running adware and spyware scans regularly, dealing with constant/occasionally buggy windows updates, etc. Don’t even let me get started on what happens when the technologically illiterate and up hosing up a windows system.
I have helped a lot of friends, both Tech savvy and technologically oblivious switch over the years as well, and none have ever returned to windows.
It’s also meant that as the families go-to tech guy I no longer get those constant “please fix my computer, it’s slow/crashed/full of pop ups/BSOD/etc etc” calls anymore. They just don’t happen but maybe once every few years now, and it’s usually something minor like a new printer or such that won’t quite setup on its own.
Time and frustration saved is worth a lot to me. The small premium I’ve paid for all the Macs I’ve bought over the years (some new, some used) is totally worth it to me.
In the end it’s like buying a Honda vs a Hyosing. They both kinda do the same thing, but although one costs a lot more it’s going to give you a much more enjoyable ownership experience in the long run. And there’s a much higher possibility it’s still going to be functional, reliable, and worth something if and when you decide to sell it down the road.
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PLau
Well-known member
Re: Maintenance:
Agreed to an extent..
Re: AV
No - I find Mac users are more susceptible to viruses because of the false sense of security that "Macs can't get viruses".
Re: Updates
Windows has have had issues lately (in the past few months) causing grief for their users which are relatively easy to rollback within a few mins if you know what to do (or google it on another device)
Mac is a huge PITA to rollback especially if it's an OS update. (If you don't keep a backup of your system, you're kind of screwed). This doesn't happen often, but when it does, hope the user has a backup.
Not to mention the number of application (non-Apple)/driver incompatibilities after new updates.
.... You can always not update your Mac.... Then again, you can always not update your Windows...
Re: Slow/Crashed computer
A hard drive is a hard drive, and usually starts to go after 3 years under heavy/regular use. "Mac hard drives" are no different. Most users that I know that use Mac(book)s, typically only use it for browsing the web... Very rarely would they use resource-heavy applications unless they're in design/media production. When they do use those types of applications through the life of the computer, they typically get replaced between 3-5 years.
It also differs from user to user in terms of how they use the computer. Background applications, viruses, running 50 tabs, memory, processing power.
BSOD will typically point you in the right direction of what caused the issue.
If you're a user that doesn't do anything except browse the web every now and then, it wouldn't really matter if you're on a $300 Windows computer vs $1300 Mac.
Forgot to mention: hardware quality plays a part too. If you buy a $20 motherboard from China, don't expect it to last very long. Just do a bit of research on it's components and you can acquire an Windows computer for a fraction of the cost.
AppleCare is great when your device is still under warranty though.
They both have their Pros and Cons...
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I've had similar experiences. Windows hiccups every few years and takes me less than an hour to get back to it's previous working state. When OSX goes wrong (which admittedly happens less often, maybe every 4 years) it normally takes me days of work to get it working properly again. Recovering a sick mac is infinitely easier if you have another mac around and I don't normally have two current version OSX devices.
To throw another wrench in, there are many rumblings of Apple bringing processors back in house. Hopefully this would trigger a huge cluster**** like the switch to Intel, but I would be surprised if it didn't. If that happens, normally you have to rebuy all software (after waiting for it to be redone to support the new chip). That may not affect a computer purchase in the near-term, but would make me hesitate to spend much on software for OSX. right now.
Riceburner
Well-known member
Apple and AV: For now Apple is less susceptible to viruses because the creators aren't targeting Apple as much...because they aren't as prolific...especially in the business realm. But if you are careful and backup your stuff, both of which you should do anyways....it won't be a problem.
J_F
Guest
no doubt there are junk PC's
wouldn't touch an Acer
or consumer grade Lenovo or HP notebook
thinkpads last forever and support is second to none
Dell commercial notebooks are excellent
bought my daughter a Macbook air and myself an Asus ultra book at the same time
hardware is virtually identical, the Asus is actually as bit slimmer and lighter
touchpad on the apple is much better, but I'm a mouse guy anyway
and hers has a backlit KB
not saying the Asus is any better, but it is certainly quality wise, in the same league
difference is I'm a windows guy, and it was $800 less than the apple
wouldn't touch an Acer
or consumer grade Lenovo or HP notebook
thinkpads last forever and support is second to none
Dell commercial notebooks are excellent
bought my daughter a Macbook air and myself an Asus ultra book at the same time
hardware is virtually identical, the Asus is actually as bit slimmer and lighter
touchpad on the apple is much better, but I'm a mouse guy anyway
and hers has a backlit KB
not saying the Asus is any better, but it is certainly quality wise, in the same league
difference is I'm a windows guy, and it was $800 less than the apple
PLau
Well-known member
Many subscription based AV's aren't compatible with the latest "High Sierra" roll-out unless you buy their latest version. Lots of external device driver incompatibilities as well.. Given the latest Macbook contains 4x USB-C ports (or as Apple calls them "Thunderbolt 3"), you're pretty limited on dock options as well..
Been an pain for me with 3 Macbook Pros on the go... =/
Aside from those factors, Macbook would be an OK choice if the user is a "browser-only" user.
On the backup note, if we didn't force our users to have a backup (cloud based), less than 20% would have one because it just isn't important to them until they need it. We even have Time Machine drives setup for all our Mac users, but only 1 of 7 users plug it in for a backup within a 60+ day span. (It's not because they know they have a cloud backup)
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sburns
Well-known member
Both platforms are very mature these days. You can't really go that wrong and still be able to do all you will need to do.
Apple you will be able to do anything you want with any choice of their hardware. Yup it will be premium priced but will last you.
PC side you get what you paid for. Low end options will start out well but don't age gracefully unless you add some extras.
But windows 10 is still a bit of a kulghy mess of a OS to use. It's gotten better though. I still use win7 all the time and it's great.
Having backups, hardrive images, some sort of strategy etc will go a long way to avoid any potential problems on either platform. Be prepared!
On the Apple OS side I stay 1 OS behind current. This way you don' have to worry about constant update pain. You have a fully patched OS with maybe some minor security updates.
For the OP it doesn't sound like you are a very demanding user, or familiar with hardware and it might be best to stick with a Apple product and continue as you were. Used or Refurb are great options and you don't need current hardware from the sounds of it. So this will fit limited budgets better.
Apple you will be able to do anything you want with any choice of their hardware. Yup it will be premium priced but will last you.
PC side you get what you paid for. Low end options will start out well but don't age gracefully unless you add some extras.
But windows 10 is still a bit of a kulghy mess of a OS to use. It's gotten better though. I still use win7 all the time and it's great.
Having backups, hardrive images, some sort of strategy etc will go a long way to avoid any potential problems on either platform. Be prepared!
On the Apple OS side I stay 1 OS behind current. This way you don' have to worry about constant update pain. You have a fully patched OS with maybe some minor security updates.
For the OP it doesn't sound like you are a very demanding user, or familiar with hardware and it might be best to stick with a Apple product and continue as you were. Used or Refurb are great options and you don't need current hardware from the sounds of it. So this will fit limited budgets better.
Riceburner
Well-known member
Apple is worth $1T...trillion...now. Canada's GDP is $1.7T.
I converted almost all my PCs to W10. Held out for the longest time with XP and then 7, but all in now. Maybe it's just that I'm used to 10 now or that I'm an IT hardware guy. There were a few things I missed about 7 at first,but now can't remember them. Only thing I don't like with 10 is the auto updating. Fortunately, no update I have an issue with though.
I converted almost all my PCs to W10. Held out for the longest time with XP and then 7, but all in now. Maybe it's just that I'm used to 10 now or that I'm an IT hardware guy. There were a few things I missed about 7 at first,but now can't remember them. Only thing I don't like with 10 is the auto updating. Fortunately, no update I have an issue with though.
kwtoxman
Well-known member
Both Mac and PC are reasonable options that do most things pretty well, that's why they are the top 2 choices. OPs wants are very simple so both will work. One simply gets better value with a PC (when comparing apples to apples, i.e. equivalent performance to equivalent performance) and can save hundreds of dollars on a purchase, or more.
There are some difference many people don't really care about such as an open vs closed system philosophy. That's important to me. I love the open system philosophy of PC's. It literally is what's leading market innovation. Obviously there are fans of the closed system philosophy.
Both PCs and Mac's are equally reliable. I have a PC from 2002 that I still use often. I also have a PC and laptop from 2010 that are still daily users and running current Windows 10. These were higher quality rigs. Fast for there times and still impressive against current budget-to-mid-price computer specs. That laptop is a quad core I7. I also bought a new laptop last year with $1300 range specs on yr end sale at $850 tax in and it's quality at a great price. Even the budget PC offerings as mentioned earlier may do the jobs the OP wants. His wants are simple, but the phrase "random stuff for a small bizz" is nebulous.
GLWC
There are some difference many people don't really care about such as an open vs closed system philosophy. That's important to me. I love the open system philosophy of PC's. It literally is what's leading market innovation. Obviously there are fans of the closed system philosophy.
Both PCs and Mac's are equally reliable. I have a PC from 2002 that I still use often. I also have a PC and laptop from 2010 that are still daily users and running current Windows 10. These were higher quality rigs. Fast for there times and still impressive against current budget-to-mid-price computer specs. That laptop is a quad core I7. I also bought a new laptop last year with $1300 range specs on yr end sale at $850 tax in and it's quality at a great price. Even the budget PC offerings as mentioned earlier may do the jobs the OP wants. His wants are simple, but the phrase "random stuff for a small bizz" is nebulous.
GLWC
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sburns
Well-known member
The auto update is a huge no no for me, the main reason I stay with win7. Doing live events you can't risk things going sideways because that is the moment windows decides it needs to restart to install the update. No thanks, yes I am aware you can set a something of a schedule. But removing the possibility is a complete solution.
I will concur that quality PC hardware will last, but that's where most people go down the wrong rabbit hole, again, comparing a $2000 collection of quality hardware to a $499 piece of Walmart garbage and thinking that just because they do the same thing (I can surf the internetz and watch my pornz!) that they are the same thing - many don't understand or appreciate the difference in both quality of hardware, but it's speed and capabilities.
Since Apple doesn't do budget hardware, yes, it all costs more, but you need to compare it to PC hardware on an equal footing, and most people find them that the price gap narrows dramatically when they do. Still premium priced vs direct Apple hardware? Arguably, yes, but as was also mentioned above, you get the level of customer service that Apple provides along with that purchase..and the customer satisfaction stats attest to the fact that it's a big deal.
I'm not anti-PC hardware. To the contrary I actually bought about $3000 worth of high end PC hardware about 5 years back and used it to run a hackintosh for some heavy lifting video editing and rendering..simply because an equivalent Mac Pro at the time would have cost me about $5000. Yes, it's running OK to this day...albeit I'm not using it anymore as a hackintosh. Would a $499, or even a $1000 piece of hardware still be working reliable 5 years later? Doubtful.
What I do still have an issue with is just Windows as a whole. My aforementioned stories of woe of seemingly constantly fixing other peoples borked Windows systems just left a terrible taste in my mouth, and for the technologically oblivious it still seems based on what I'm reading that it's still a thing. Was that an issue for ME? No, but I'm technically savvy. But yes, I did get tired of always needing to stay ahead of the curve to accomplish that. Unfortunately the majority of home PC users are in the "technologically illiterate" category and that's an open door to all the crap that comes along with that easily on Windows.
I'll have to agree to disagree that OSX is "just as vulnerable" but simply doesn't become infected as often because it's not as big of a target. It uses many of the same safety systems that iPhones use which is why virus', malware, and adware is virtually unheard of on iOS vs Android, for another comparison example.
Since Apple doesn't do budget hardware, yes, it all costs more, but you need to compare it to PC hardware on an equal footing, and most people find them that the price gap narrows dramatically when they do. Still premium priced vs direct Apple hardware? Arguably, yes, but as was also mentioned above, you get the level of customer service that Apple provides along with that purchase..and the customer satisfaction stats attest to the fact that it's a big deal.
I'm not anti-PC hardware. To the contrary I actually bought about $3000 worth of high end PC hardware about 5 years back and used it to run a hackintosh for some heavy lifting video editing and rendering..simply because an equivalent Mac Pro at the time would have cost me about $5000. Yes, it's running OK to this day...albeit I'm not using it anymore as a hackintosh. Would a $499, or even a $1000 piece of hardware still be working reliable 5 years later? Doubtful.
What I do still have an issue with is just Windows as a whole. My aforementioned stories of woe of seemingly constantly fixing other peoples borked Windows systems just left a terrible taste in my mouth, and for the technologically oblivious it still seems based on what I'm reading that it's still a thing. Was that an issue for ME? No, but I'm technically savvy. But yes, I did get tired of always needing to stay ahead of the curve to accomplish that. Unfortunately the majority of home PC users are in the "technologically illiterate" category and that's an open door to all the crap that comes along with that easily on Windows.
I'll have to agree to disagree that OSX is "just as vulnerable" but simply doesn't become infected as often because it's not as big of a target. It uses many of the same safety systems that iPhones use which is why virus', malware, and adware is virtually unheard of on iOS vs Android, for another comparison example.
Lol a lot of these posts went way over my head.
I can tell you though it will be a desktop cause I like a big screen and a normal keyboard. I like the idea of being able to get a pretty big screen like 27" or what not but that takes tons of cash for the apple.
As for why a new one honestly my computer could be perfectly fine but I just dont know lol. My wife worked on it over the phone for 2 hrs with apple and apparently it was in need of an update and I mean like tons of them lol. After that its really just kind of been super slow or what not...
I can tell you though it will be a desktop cause I like a big screen and a normal keyboard. I like the idea of being able to get a pretty big screen like 27" or what not but that takes tons of cash for the apple.
As for why a new one honestly my computer could be perfectly fine but I just dont know lol. My wife worked on it over the phone for 2 hrs with apple and apparently it was in need of an update and I mean like tons of them lol. After that its really just kind of been super slow or what not...
I almost certainly know what happened - they walked your wife through updating the entire OS, not just the outdated security updates on whatever version of OSX the system was already running. That will most certainly slow down an older system, especially one that is stock - although Apple is great at supporting older hardware with the latest versions of it's software, sometimes IMHO they go a bit too far and try to stretch support to hardware that is borderline not really suited for it, especially if it's all stock, in the case of their mac lineup.
So, that being said...can you post the model number of your current iMac? My suggestion would be to initially look at just upgrading it to an SSD and maxing out the RAM. I've done exactly that to a lot of friends older Macs (the aforementioned ones I've helped switch, many of whom are still using their original systems to this day, some well over 5-7 years old) and it really can breathe new life into an older machine, making it snappy and responsive again.
Best part is that it's usually only a few hundred dollar investment...and you get a much bigger HD than what's almost certainly in it right now, as well.
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