Apple or windows

[sidestand]

After years with Windows powered laptops slowly grinding to a halt - I bought my Macbook Air just over a couple of years ago

Absolutely brilliant - simple to use, reliable, & t'internet fires up just where I left it last time within five seconds (thumbs)
I just added Office for Mac & I can do any of my work stuff from home as well B)

[Tim Cullis]

Or maybe windows owners are quite happy & feel no need to justify a £1500 laptop?

You need to check out the Apple store, it's less than half that price for an ultra lightweight machine in a beautiful aluminium case with solid-state memory instead of slow, power hungry disk drives. Will last twice as long as an equivalent Windose system.

Battery run time of 9 to 12 hours, so no need to carry a brick charger with you.

[xtzrick]

Take a look at Ubuntu. This is a version of Linux so has some similarities to Mac.

You can load it as a 2nd OS on your current machine and still be able to boot into windows if you need to.

Stick with the LTS (Long Term Support) version that only has a significant change every 2 years.

I've been using it for 4 years ands its been great. Your machine will run much faster.

Nick.

+1

Only had Ubuntu a couple of months, recommended to me when I got a new desk top built.

The difference is night & day (thumbs)

As Nick says, you can load it as a 2nd OS & choose either windows or Ubuntu on start up.

It's free to download so you can try it before you buy new hardware.
http://www.ubuntu.com/

There are a few free pic/vid editing apps & some you pay for.... just like any other opporating system.

& +1 for not going back to windows, but it is just a mouse click away if I need to.

Rick

[Simon_100]

A simple test that clinches it for me. Just try changing the operating system from a Windows machine shipped to Britain into another language - easy? Then check out what happens to the keyboard character mapping across to the new system (if 'mapping' is the right term!)

Then you guys with Macs do it - one click in the preferences and thats it!

OK, my needs are specific as I need to write with easy access to Spanish keyboard characters like the 'ñ' and the 'ç' * and, funnily enough, I buy my Macs here - with VAT at 21% now it's going to be a trip Andorra next time!

Regs

Simon

* to judge from some of the Windows machines that I sometimes have to use in libraries, internet centres, etc, I'm guessing that some of can't even see what I'm writing - it's the Spanish 'tilde' as in España, and the French 'cedilla' which is used in Catalan - as is the umlaut - and if you ever find yourselves stuck with Windows with a AZERTY, i.e. French/Belgian keyboard, as happened to a friend of mine who won one in an on-line raffle after booking a flight to Paris, then heaven help you :laugh:

Screenshot2014-07-11at9.28.19AM.png (111.95 KiB) Viewed 1682 times

[ysbytymike]

Converted to Mac about 15 years ago. Wouldn't touch a windows machine with a bargepole now. Freezing, crashes, viruses, software malfunctions - All gone now I'm on Mac.

Look at any major graphics lab in the world and its almost guaranteed to be mac based.

[Mike54]

Well, as a mac user for the past 17 or so years I can certainly say they're far from perfect. In that time I've had every apple laptop I've owned go back for things like hard drive replacement, bracket failure, OS issues, optic drive problems. Desktops and imacs I've also had go back for a variety of (usually hardware) problems. So whilst they are great machines in one sense, in the professional world yes they're good for what they are but they also have a habit of breaking down, though many mac owners tend to forget that or not talk about it

Ultimately it depends on your use. If you want it just for home use, there isn't a lot of mileage in having a mac unless you just fancy one, in which case, (thumbs) . Otherwise, stick with a cheap laptop

[OB1]

For a long time, I was a PC guy and would build systems for myself and friends. I work as a graphic designer and was introduced to PCs when I began this career back in 1991 (I was an architectural technician working on drawing boards prior to this). In 1997 I went to work in the design studio at RAFC Cranwell where they had a Mac/PC 50/50 split: I was told that I would be working on a Mac… I wasn't happy at first, however, I soon got used to it and found that it was more intuitive when designing. At home I stayed with PCs for another 10 years due to the fact that I couldn't justify spending around £1,000 on a Mac when I could build a PC for£300. I realised later on that it was like buying anything: you get what you pay for and you would probably get through 3 PCs (or large upgrades thereof) in a 10 year period where one Mac would still be doing its job. The initial outlay may be greater than that of a PC, however, that is made up for by not having to install update after security patch after service pack. An OS update on a Mac can be as little as £13 and Apple don't seem to use their customers as Beta Testers, i.e. the software works as it should from the day you buy it.

For those wishing to retain PC programs and games, there is BootCamp which allows you to install and run a second operating system; yes, even Windows and it'll run faster on a Mac than on a PC! hmy:

[Simon_100]

So, when do we sell this thread to Apple and how do we divvy out the dosh

[AndyB]

So, when do we sell this thread to Apple and how do we divvy out the dosh

When I get my new iPad mini to sync with both my iPhone and my MacBook Pro because it ain't happening for me and I need it synced & performing as it should or I'll have to cancel next months trip to the Czech Republic!

I'll be gutted if this happens but I need it as a back up in case my satnav throws a hissy fit and I have to go on the internet to find somewhere selling a replacement :whistle:

[Tim Cullis]

...OK, my needs are specific as I need to write with easy access to Spanish keyboard characters like the 'ñ' and the 'ç' ...

With my UK keyboard I just hold down the 'n' key and it offers ñ as an option. Similarly ç.