Switching to Apple?

[Joffey]

I switched from Windows to a MacBook about 3 years ago and have never looked back. No more upgrading laptop every couple of years and now everything just works without messing around behind the scenes.

It'll take you a week or so to get used to it but once you have you'll wonder why you never made the change earlier.

I've never experienced any compatibility issues from MS based documents / files but if you are worried get MS Office. Remember most stuff is available on Windows and Mac (apart from Pro Cycling Manager which annoys me).

 

[AndyRM]

We use imacs at work and I have a works macbook pro. At home I have a Windows desktop machine. Personally I wouldn't spend my hard earned on an Apple machine, they just give me too much hassle day to day. I'm really not a fan of the closed eco system that they employ, or the fact that system upgrades more often than not, subsequently cause problems.

For example we use Adobe Creative Suite quite extensively at work and recent versions of OSX have caused massive stability issue's. Some of the creative suite is virtually unusable, but thankfully we were able to roll back the update to a more stable version of OSX, something a private customer would find very difficult to do.

There's no denying that the Macbook pro is beautifully built, but the new Macbook is a joke. Day to day I use USB, Ethernet, DVD drive, SD card slot and Thunderbolt port. All of which are missing on the latest iteration of the Macbook. I appreciate my needs are different to your average home user and this probably wouldn't concern you, however I just feel that Windows is a far more open and user friendly system that just seamlessly works with so much more.

A lot of truth in OSX knackering Adobe CS. Premiere refuses to load for me, and InDesign freezes regularly. Infuriating.

 

[Doseone]

Thanks for your responses. Its interesting to hear your thoughts. Part of my frustration was spending the whole evening on Monday trying to sort my daughter's laptop that had a stuck Windows update file that meant it was in a permanent loop of trying to update which in turn was slowing it down. This is a problem I've had at some point on every Windows laptop or pc that I've used. God knows how people manage the Windows Update on a slow internet connection.

 

[swee'pea99]

I appreciate my needs are different to your average home user

It's striking how often these sorts of debates manage to avoid the question: 'what do you actually want to do with it?'

 

[bozmandb9]

My Macbook Air is a late 2010 model. Stupidly expensive when I bought it, but it's been largely trouble free over 7 years. When I first got it, I was blown away. After years of PC laptops, having to turn them on, then go and make a cup of tea whilst they booted up, I could open up my Mac and it was ready to go. It probably saved me an hour a week on average in terms of not waiting for annoying Windows things. Never froze, just worked.

In recent years, it has got slow but only if and when I allow the memory to become over full (i.e. it has been accumulating mail, music and photo's, but it was the iPhone back ups which really killed it. Once I discovered where to delete those, it had a new lease of life.

Seven years on, it's still the best laptop I've ever had, and I'd struggle to find a good reason to replace it. Battery life isn't quite what it was, but that's not exactly a complaint. If I value my time at minimum wage, then it's probably cost me nothing compared to the time cost of a Windows laptop.

I used to be a bit of an Apple fanboy, which I no longer am, but at the same time, I would certainly not be looking to revert to PC/ Windows. Transitioning to Mac is not difficult, you can still use all Office programs, and I'd say the Mac OS is a million times better. So unless you enjoy spending time waiting for, and looking after your computer, if you just want it to work, and to continue to work, efficiently, if you want good customer service, then I'd go for the Mac.

 

[chriswoody]

It's striking how often these sorts of debates manage to avoid the question: 'what do you actually want to do with it?'

Exactly why I'd popped that last sentence in, I'd gone off on one of my frustrated rambles against Apple and then realised that actually I may not be helping at all.

As you rightly say, it is about what the OP actually wants to do with the computer.

For normal home use it may be a perfectly good machine, especially if they already own other Apple products. If however you have an android phone or tablet, that may be another frustration because Apples closed eco system adds a layer of complication to their use.

There are also some wonderful aspects to owning a Macbook, the trackpad for one, is something I find a joy to use compared to any Windows machine I've used. We've also got the remains of a Macbook at work, that fell out of a colleagues bag while he cycled to work and was subsequently run over. Remarkably a lot of it survived and most of the components were successfully transplanted into other machines. Really impressively tough.

Anyhow, I've gone off again, so I'm going to leave it there.

 

[Doseone]

As you rightly say, it is about what the OP actually wants to do with the computer.

A mix of pretty normal stuff, internet, email, Adobe photoshop, MS Office - mainly Word, Excel & Powerpoint, although I'd be happy to use alternatives to these as long as there's compatibility.

 

[AndyRM]

A mix of pretty normal stuff, internet, email, Adobe photoshop, MS Office - mainly Word, Excel & Powerpoint, although I'd be happy to use alternatives to these as long as there's compatibility.

You won't have any compatibility issues with that range of usage. Photoshop is memory hungry so a decent spec machine whatever you buy is a good idea, especially if you're doing a lot of image editing/rendering.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

A mix of pretty normal stuff, internet, email, Adobe photoshop, MS Office - mainly Word, Excel & Powerpoint, although I'd be happy to use alternatives to these as long as there's compatibility.

No reason NOT to try Ubuntu for free on a dual boot or even on a memory stick before going to Mac, I have Ubuntu on my home PC, my 2 work PC's & a Macbook Pro as a laptop. Haven't used Windows for over 15 years now

Edit:- adding NOT lol

 

[Profpointy]

Re: a couple of specific points above

Trackpad - my first apple had a terrible trackpad which led to a lot of bad language. Turned out it was a shyte one and / or faulty so mac was replace. Current one fine. Likewise have had good and bad on PCs.

Re: software compatibility. Not everything works quite as well on Mac, MS office is slightly less good for onstance and visio is unavailable. On the other hand I am led to believe that photoshop may be better as media types tended to have macs so it is the primary platform for that.

Re compatibility. Apple's attempt at world domination means you need an adaptor to plug in almost everything - doesn't have HDMi for instance. I tend to email stuff to my proper PC if I want to present on a screen. This is particularly irksome given it's a problem apple have willfully created in their attempt to be non-standard.

Re : blueray. Bought a seperate blue ray drive to use with my mac when staying away. No blueray drivers for mac (unless since changed) so no worky, at least with blueray discs. Again apple trying to own thw world.

 

[StuAff]

You can play Blu-ray on a Mac. BR data discs mount just like any other disc. As for movies, https://macblurayplayer.com works pretty well.

 

[Profpointy]

You can play Blu-ray on a Mac. BR data discs mount just like any other disc. As for movies, https://macblurayplayer.com works pretty well.

Thanks - i'll give that a go. Didn't seem to be the case a couple of years back

 

[StuAff]

Thanks - i'll give that a go. Didn't seem to be the case a couple of years back

It was, you didn't know about it. VLC has had add-on BR support for a few years, never tried it. Macgo took VLC, bolted on a few bits and pieces, and made Mac Bluray Player.

 

[jefmcg]

OSx is the operating system (Apple equivalent of Windows)

Well, technically OSX was name of the operating system. They rebranded it macOS last year, nearly back to the 20th century name, Mac OS.

</nerd>

 

[bozmandb9]

[QUOTE 5005009, member: 45"]A mate of mine, who works in IT, told me on Tuesday he's given his macbOok away as he's had enough of apple. He's ordered a Windows laptop.

Me, I've done 99% of my IT home stuff on a £200 Chromebook for the last two years, and have not needed anything else.[/QUOTE]

IT support people don't like Mac, since it makes them redundant!