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Apple Conputers
G8311374
Posts: 143 Forumite
in Techie Stuff
Hi,
I am looking for some quick advice. I am thinking of trading in my laptop for something new and have heard that the Apple computers are better and have less problems than the windows ones. Is this true? Also if I bought an Apple computer what are their customer services like if there are any problems? Any other pros and cons would be appreciated.
Thankyou very much in advance!!
I am looking for some quick advice. I am thinking of trading in my laptop for something new and have heard that the Apple computers are better and have less problems than the windows ones. Is this true? Also if I bought an Apple computer what are their customer services like if there are any problems? Any other pros and cons would be appreciated.
Thankyou very much in advance!!
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Comments
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Ask 10 people that question you'll get 10 different answers. You may as well ask if it's better to be a Catholic or a Protestant.
Apple computers don't run Windows, they run OS X which is a little different to use. If you're used to Windows then expect to have to learn a few new ways of doing things. However if you're buying a new computer now it will come with Windows 8 which also changes quite a lot of things, unless you're like me and install StartIsBack which basically makes it act like Windows 7.
Security: Most, but not all viruses and malware are written for Windows, there is certainly less of it around for OS X so you're less likely to get infected. There is still malware for OS X though, and as Apple computers become increasingly popular, expect more people to be targetting it. Apple are currently the winner in this area.
Software: All the "typical" home user stuff, email, web browsing etc. is built into both OSes, Office suites, both free and paid are available for both, however if you have purchased some expensive Windows-based software, such as Microsoft Office, you may have to buy it again to get an OS X version. Some of the software you have purchased may not even be available for OS X. That said if you're moving from XP to Windows 8 there's also a chance some of your older software might not work and will need upgrading (possibly at a cost). It might still work in Windows 8, it definitely won't work on OS X. For you Windows probably wins on this one, though it may not matter at all. I don't know what software you have.
Software upgrades: Windows tends to only have a major new version released every 3 years or so but they tend to charge more when they do. Apple releases new versions a lot more frequently, but for a lower price*. Both companies eventually stop supporting older versions leaving them vulnerable to any newly discovered security flaws. To my mind Microsoft are the clear winner in this area as they are still supporting Windows bloody XP which came out 10 years ago!
It's also worth pointing out that with Apple if you fall too far behind on the OS upgrades it's pretty much impossible to catch up as you are only allowed to upgrade from the previous version, they wont sell you older versions and the old versions go for stupid prices on eBay. By comparison the £25 upgrade version of Windows 8 is valid for upgrading from Windows 7, Vista (6) and XP (5.1) which is to say any OS they have released in the last 10 years!
Price: Apple computers are very much a premium item, even though the hardware is pretty much identical to what you would get in a Windows PC. Expect to pay a lot more for the privilege of being allowed to run OS X. This is particularly true for the higher spec machines. Windows definitely wins on price!
Design: There is no doubt that Apple hardware is gorgeous to look at and (most of the time) very well designed, with neat little touches like the magsafe power connector for laptops that is much more convenient that the typical PC laptop power supply. Apple simply can't be beaten here.
Connectors: Apple have this annoying tendency to use non-standard connectors for things like connecting your laptop up to a monitor or TV. Generally they are smaller and so allow the laptop to be made smaller which isn't necessarily a bad idea. In practice expect to get ripped off on adaptors if you want to hook up anything other than USB, Firewire or headphones/speakers. Windows machines win here, but again it may be irreverent to you.
For the sake of completeness I should also point out that you can run Windows on an Apple computer but this really is pointless. You have to pay another £50 for Windows and then you are running it on a computer you have paid a massive premium for. Once you put Windows on there all the problems you are complaining about will come straight back.
* The £25 upgrade version of Windows 8 is significantly cheaper than any previous upgrade version of Windows, no-one knows if this will continue with Windows 90 -
the above is a excellent summary, of course one or two bits will always be subjective and more than likely someone will want to argue, but overall the above is very good.
only thing i would add too it is the following
Reliability - there is no definitive answer too this, as there are too many manufacturers of Windows PCs (let alone self builds). However based on the latest reliability surveys which have been done on warranty claims and helpdesk calls, Apple tend to come out as 'only' 3rd or 4th place usually behind Asus, Lenovo and Samsung, this is not to say they are unreliable, just that they are not the pinnacle of reliability
Customer Service - once again i feel this is probably subjective in that you could buy a windows based pc from a store that has remarkable customer service, but then again you could buy it from PC world and have a whole world of sh 1t, however Apple are renowned for there customer service for the most part and so you are more likely to get good customer service from AppleDrop a brand challenge
on a £100 shop you might on average get 70 items save
10p per product = £7 a week ~ £28 a month
20p per product = £14 a week ~ £56 a month
30p per product = £21 a week ~ £84 a month (or in other words one weeks shoping at the new price)0 -
Both answers above are good with great points made. I would point out that price-wise, you will struggle to get a Windows laptop with similar spec to say an Apple MacBook for a lot less money.
Apple computers are very high-spec, they have high quality components that last with normal usage. Of course "some" Windows laptops are good quality too but they won't come cheap. In fact Windows offer something for every budget :money:
I currently have an Apple desktop & a Windows laptop & both are good, even though I'm using Windows Vista
As has been pointed out comparing Windows to Apple is no different to comparing a Ford Focus to a VW Golf, or Sony to Panasonic or even comparing tea to coffee
It all depends on the person you are asking's opinion. All you can really do it decide what you need, what you want it to do, and perhaps most importantly - what you want to spend. 
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To my mind Microsoft are the clear winner in this area as they are still supporting Windows bloody XP which came out 10 years ago!
/QUOTE]
What is wrong with that pretty robust system IMO.
Good summary.
I just have a passionate dislike for anything i, more for what it stands for and the strategy than the actual product, which I am sure does its job in a similar fashion to other similar products."If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....
"big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham0 -
I would add that you SHOULD GET AN ANTI-VIRUS, or similar security software for the mac, simply because you will have just paid £1,000+ on the overall mac (i.e. mac plus extras). Best to take no chances. Plus, if you are porting e-mails from Windows Outlook or Windows files in general you could be bringing future problems on-board. And it's not all about viruses either. The mac needs protecting against phishing scams, key loggers and so on just as Windows does.
WilliamO0 -
grizzly1911 wrote: »I just have a passionate dislike for anything i, more for what it stands for and the strategy than the actual product, which I am sure does its job in a similar fashion to other similar products.
And that is why I used the catholic vs protestant comparison. Personally I agree with you, but I tried to be as objective as possible in that post.0 -
My 4 year old MacBook has been dropped far more times than it should have and still looks and works like new.
OH has had 3 (horrible plasticky) windows/Linux based laptops in that time.Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman0 -
notanewuser wrote: »My 4 year old MacBook has been dropped far more times than it should have and still looks and works like new.
OH has had 3 (horrible plasticky) windows/Linux based laptops in that time.
Whats that got to do with Windows or Linux? They're not hardware manufacturers0 -
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thread should have been closed after the first two cracking posts, it's all going to go down hill from here!This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0
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