to Mac or not

prowla

marleyboy wrote: »

I was put off Mc by the lack of upgradable hardware. The very idea that if I want a bigger HD, I would have to send it off to Apple, on top of the thought they can take my old HD and keep it, unless I pay them extra to get it back (even though I own it) put me right off.

I was reluctantly planning Apple because the idea of being tied down to Apple products, a previous thread on here helped put the brakes on it completely.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5148633

I much prefer the idea of upgrading my own laptop\desktop, the idea of OS support and the price difference overall.

I upgraded the hard disk in my Mac mini; it's got an SSD and a hard disk in it now.

(I don't know what that thread has to do with it; it was about Apple wanting faulty parts replaced under warranty to be returned to them. That is common practice, and it may be that they have to return them to their disk supplier.)

marleyboy

I still refer to the link - Its a NO NO for me.

stuart07970

What a dull thread, that ignores the original question.
The entry level Mac mini will suit the OP just fine and she's not a power user or likely to need to upgrade as she describes herself as a non-techy old biddy, who mainly uses e-mail and Internet

I like to upgrade my components - but most people don't.
Please get over over yourselves.

shortchanged_2

Roland_Sausage wrote: »

Of course not. I am just saying that, in my opinion the user experience is better. Just what is your issue anyway?

Basically what marleyboy says. Apple is a very closed controlled company. They suck people in with their overpriced products and then people are trapped by them.

Simply put apple is the designer brand of the technology world. No better than other things out there but people out there with apple branded products can show them off in public saying look at my expensive phone/tablet. I believe it is called willy waving.

Orangezorki

I straddle both worlds frequently, because of work and personal use. And unlike the fanboys I do see the benefits of both.

Firstly, a Mac is not moneysaving. But I do find them to have the best operating system to get things done and they have without question been reliable and had good customer service in the 15+years I have used them. The problem is the price. Much of that is that Apple don't really offer cheap components - they just don't compete in the low end. And sometimes, like with soldered RAM, they just take the mickey.

If you do want a Mac, and I do recommend them unless it will put you in penury, I suggest getting the model you want with the lowest processor and storage but with at least 8GB of ram (as it's non-upgradable now). The processor will be fine for everyday use and you can always plug in a hard drive.

David

cookie365

OP, ignore all the bitter arguments

A PC will be fine, an Apple will be fine, go for whatever one you feel most comfortable with

Orangezorki

shortchanged wrote: »

Basically what marleyboy says. Apple is a very closed controlled company. They suck people in with their overpriced products and then people are trapped by them.

Simply put apple is the designer brand of the technology world. No better than other things out there but people out there with apple branded products can show them off in public saying look at my expensive phone/tablet. I believe it is called willy waving.

I genuinely agree with almost all of your points, but not the 'no better' point. I do prefer the OS, which is of course subjective, but if you look at a similar windows product with similar components they are often around the same price, and I have found quality control on Apple products to be much better over the years.

Of course, PCs can be much better suited for some uses, and have a greater range of form factors and components. I wouldn't have built a rig with a 5960X and dual GTX 980s otherwise!

marleyboy

Its been a long time since I used Apple, I remember doing a Graphic Design course at Tech, when Macs were (and no doubt still are) the best C.A.D. systems there are. With a close par to the Archimedes. That was back in the 80s.

As a machine I cannot fault Apple products, its the restrictiveness I dont like.
For one example, if I need a printer, even though nowadays nobody does. I could opt for a HP, Epsom etc, the same applies to hard drives, memory, even internal dvd drives...theres a wide choice of brands to choose from.

The same applies to Software, I dont like being restricted to Windows either, but I have the choice of Lynux, Ubunto and not forgetting the good old DOS,

I wont get that with Apple, as someone helped point out for me, I dont want to be tied in to buying one branded products. Even Betamax were the better product than VHS in the analogue wars.

prowla

marleyboy wrote: »

Its been a long time since I used Apple, I remember doing a Graphic Design course at Tech, when Macs were (and no doubt still are) the best C.A.D. systems there are. With a close par to the Archimedes. That was back in the 80s.

As a machine I cannot fault Apple products, its the restrictiveness I dont like.
For one example, if I need a printer, even though nowadays nobody does. I could opt for a HP, Epsom etc, the same applies to hard drives, memory, even internal dvd drives...theres a wide choice of brands to choose from.

The same applies to Software, I dont like being restricted to Windows either, but I have the choice of Lynux, Ubunto and not forgetting the good old DOS,

I wont get that with Apple, as someone helped point out for me, I dont want to be tied in to buying one branded products. Even Betamax were the better product than VHS in the analogue wars.

I'm not sure what you are saying...

Is it that:
a. Apple Macs restrict your ability to use software and peripherals.
b. They don't restrict you?

I use a Mac, and I find it has very good support. It has a good mail client, runs Firefox, and Microsoft Office.

If things don't run native on my Mac, then I can install a VM; I have:

• A Linux VM on my Mac, which can be quite handy.
• A Windows 7 VM, running some legacy stuff.
• A Windows XP VM, supporting a couple of devices (eg. a scanner) which is no longer supported on Windows.
• A Windows 10 VM, to have a look at.

So I would suggest that Macs are not very restrictive at all.


And the Mac mini is very competitively priced (though the current models lack of upgradability is an issue).

Roland_Sausage

marleyboy wrote: »

Its been a long time since I used Apple, I remember doing a Graphic Design course at Tech, when Macs were (and no doubt still are) the best C.A.D. systems there are. With a close par to the Archimedes. That was back in the 80s.

As a machine I cannot fault Apple products, its the restrictiveness I dont like.
For one example, if I need a printer, even though nowadays nobody does. I could opt for a HP, Epsom etc, the same applies to hard drives, memory, even internal dvd drives...theres a wide choice of brands to choose from.

The same applies to Software, I dont like being restricted to Windows either, but I have the choice of Lynux, Ubunto and not forgetting the good old DOS,

I wont get that with Apple, as someone helped point out for me, I dont want to be tied in to buying one branded products. Even Betamax were the better product than VHS in the analogue wars.

You do realise that pretty much all printers are Mac compatible? I don't think you've been able to get Apple branded printers for years.

And as for software, you can install Windows or Linux on a Mac should you wish. In fact OS X even comes with a wizard (Boot Camp) that pretty much steps you through a Windows installation and installs all the drivers for you.