Switching to Apple?

[AndyRM]

None of that bothers me with Windows to be honest

Yeah, that's fair enough, doesn't bother a lot of people! It's only when you have to switch between the two that issues crop up.

 

[mjr]

Probably not useful in the least, but possibly a bit interesting....a friend has a desktop PC set up to run either Linux, Windows or Apple. He's recently been copying massive volumes of data - 100s of Gb - and doing it on each OS, just out of curiosity. (He's a tad geeky.) Anyway, copying a particular chunk of stuff - same chunk, same hardware - took:

Linux: 3 hrs 20min
Windows: 3 hrs 10min
Windows + a utility called FastCopy: 1 hr 4min
Apple: 22 min

That's pretty much meaningless without knowing what filesystems (ways of arranging the data on the disk, more or less) are in use. With the right options, they should all be able to go at pretty much the maximum disk test rate of the hardware... and I'm sure I could make the Apple one run like a dog too if I tried

 

[vickster]

Yeah, that's fair enough, doesn't bother a lot of people! It's only when you have to switch between the two that issues crop up.

Which I don't so it's probably better that way

 

[Welsh wheels]

You know what they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

 

[Racing roadkill]

The experiences are vastly different. The MacBook software makes life much easier, it’s just far better quality. The after care / Apple care thing is well worth having, but even the standard after sales support is far better from Apple. Apple stuff does have a bit of a ‘caravan dweller’ association, but if you can look past that, I personally find the MacBook to be far superior, in just about every aspect.

 

[Markymark]

The experiences are vastly different. The MacBook software makes life much easier, it’s just far better quality. The after care / Apple care thing is well worth having, but even the standard after sales support is far better from Apple. Apple stuff does have a bit of a ‘caravan dweller’ association, but if you can look past that, I personally find the MacBook to be far superior, in just about every aspect.

I have to turn it upside to scroll.

 

[Markymark]

I keep mine the right way up and then do a headstand....that usually works

I'm learning to just read backwards.

 

[albion]

MS Office for Apple has improved even though obviously its deficient compared to the full blown PC version.
Something new to learn. Think of it as a new hobby, it being an entity in itself.

There is other software out there that is native to Macs.

 

[flake99please]

iMac owner since 2009. Zero problems since I purchased it. I use Open Office for my 'office software' needs. I find using my iMac much more user friendly than the wifes Windows laptop. Should I ever need another desktop or laptop, it will be an Apple product.

 

[Profpointy]

Having now got a (work) apple, you do get used to it after a couple of years. I don't often swear at it these days and can fairly readily swap between the two. Things to be aware of - cut and paste work ddifferently, alt-tab between apps / sub windows is inferior. Office apps, whilst ok, are just slightly lacking compared to MS versions. On the other hand it is less effort to maintain, given its a bit of a closed environment. Basically it's OK but I'd not buy one myself. My company were right to buy them at the time as the low-maintenance was a big benefit in a (v-small) business environment. The advent of office 365, and windows 10 make this a moot point and I don't think we'd necessarily go the same way now. That said, some folks like 'em and they do work.

 

[chriswoody]

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.

 

[Inertia]

[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]
I love my chromebook, light, fast and the battery lasts a lot longer than a normal laptop.

I've switched from android to apple and overall I like it. I'm not sure its a good time to switch though.

Windows surface is IMO a much better laptop than a macbook. I get the impression that apple sees the iPad + keyboard as the future.

 

[dickyknees]

I cannot praise Apple's after-sales service highly enough. Once you're a customer of theirs, they really go out of their way to keep you happy. A couple of years ago they resolved an issue with my MacBook over the phone; it took several hours and they didn't charge a penny. Best customer care I've ever experienced.

+1. Excellent support free of charge by friendly people and when all that failed a replacement hard drive again no charge.

 

[Custom24]

You haven't said what you use the computer for

If just general surfing and nothing specialised, give Ubuntu a try on your existing Windows laptop before you go down the expensive Apple route.

Even for specialised stuff, you will most likely need to purchase the Mac equivalent of what you have on Windows, and in Ubuntu there are often free very good alternatives.

I have two work Macbooks, and a 11 year old Sony Viao running Ubuntu. I am happier in Ubuntu. I haven't used Windows in 3 years since previous job, and don't miss it at all.

 

[albion]

Unknown to most, Apple had a recall program for defective hard drives in 2011. Same for 2012, 2013 and 2015. Customers got Apple to date the first one back to 2009.

Falling into the recall categories allows the tech bods to help you, as does a history of spending big money with them.