This might be my last post for a while. My vintage PC laptop is suffering from age, and is definitely on its way out. It's been good to me ever since we got acquainted back in 2005.
I now have to decide what type of laptop to buy. This purchase might take place next week. The debate is whether to convert to the land of Apple. I have never used any Apple devices, although many of my friends urge me that Apple is the way to go.
What do you all think? I welcome all your comments and advice. Please do be as specific as you like. There is a lovely Apple store a short walk away, filled with bright helpful folks and shiny Apple products.
It is my hope that this current laptop upon which I now type will hold out long enough for me to be able to read your comments. In the past week my e-mail sending and receiving has been suffering.
I thank you in advance for any help you all will offer.
I haven't had a Mac for years, but I think a stylish New Yorker needs a stylish new Apple Mac. So long as you get back online soon! XX
ReplyDeleteFrances, my PC was 8 years old and getting slower and slower. I just bought a new laptop, but have no experience of Apple. People say it is good and that you don't get virus problems.
ReplyDeleteOur Mac has been going strong since
ReplyDelete2005 it is on for 12 hours a day.
Never has crashed or been in repair.
We will soon have to buy another Mac as we are losing some features that only work with newer operating systems.
The issue for us presently is going wireless and having to replace everything sooner then later such as scanners & printers which makes Mac quite expensive as our old computer will not interface with
those peripherals.
You are lucky to live near a modern
Apple store ,as they are so helpful
at their "genius bar"..Good Luck.
Apple also has an easy application
for PC users to use a Mac as a PC for those that are Mac newbies no need then to fear the changeover from Mac to PC ,the PC prompts
that you are accustomed too will be the same.
For me as an artist I say "Once you
go Mac ,you never go back".
Mike of Tin Pan Alley
i know that store frances! my daughter bought the first edition ipad there for me when it first came out. we are a mac family, all five of my kids have macs, ipads and iphones (they've purchased themselves). it wasn't always this way though, years ago we started with a pc when they were in school, but one by one as they grew up they switched. it's true, if you try it you won't want to go back.
ReplyDeleteand apple employees are so kind friendly and helpful!
My daughter had a Mac and went to back to a PC afterwards. She liked her Mac while she had it but found that for the money a PC was more useful to her. Even Apple computers get slow and need repairs and they are quite an investment. I like the versatility of having a PC lap top and an Apple i-Pad..best of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteMy dear Frances,
ReplyDeleteas you know I
m an apple fanatic!
And you can get Instagram too!
I know the store you're talking about too, Frances and will think of you visiting it. I still work on my PC which I like. Although I'm fortunate enough to have an iPad, I have very cold fingers and the touch screen doesn't like them very much. I know when my mum secretly went off to get connected, the staff in her local Apple store were brilliant with her so it's no wonder she chose an iPad. My younger daughter works in publishing and loves her Mac - as someone else here commented, once you've gone over it seems there's no going back. I hope you find what you're looking for! Cx
ReplyDeleteHi Frances, I have a MacBook as I think you know and have had this one for about five and a half years now. It's a very competent machine and also looks beautiful (it is all white). I did have a little problem with it (the mail program) and took it to the local Apple Store but the fellow there suggested that I needed some more memory. So I upgraded the memory (which is actually a very simple task, no harder than replacing a lightbulb) and the computer is now superfast. I said I was thinking about buying a new Mac, but he said that if I were happy with this one then not to bother; that if a Mac didn't go wrong in the first couple of years then it ought to be good almost indefinitely. This one gets a lot of use. Nine or ten hours a day everyday. It's still on the original battery. It will give up eventually in which case I will probably buy a MacBook Air. Won't do anymore than this one does but it is far lighter. I wouldn't go back to a PC, though I use two elderly Sony PC's (1998 and 2001) for the business. They aren't connected to the internet though. I'd go for a handy MacBook Air in a small size unless you are doing a lot of graphic work or need to play CDs. (The Air doesn't have a CD port but you can buy a CD/DVD drive to plug in). Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteApple Mac! So stylish and virus free. I would definitely change if money was no object. I was trained on a PC in Windows but have used an Apple Mac at work and it wasn't too hard to get around.
ReplyDeleteAnyone I know who has one loves it and the great thing is that you can also use all the other compatible software. I'm sure the lovely helpful assistants will give you lots of tips. Good luck
Dear Frances, Have you transferred your contacts, and other important information onto an external hard drive? ox, Gina
ReplyDeleteGo for a Mac - I have used both, and definitely choose to have a Mac now, both at work and at home. They will last 5 years to a PC's 3, they don't need you to be constantly calling in a repair man, and they are intuitive to use. They are standard in the creative industries for very good reason.
ReplyDeletePomona x
Oh Frances, I am possibly the most useless person to ask for such adivce; sorry! I have a computer friendly husband, you see,and am guilty of leaning heavily on his shoulders.
ReplyDeleteHurry up and come back please!
Stephanie
Get a Mac, Frances!
ReplyDeleteBut as I've used Macs for work and home use since 1986, I'm biased. I occasionally have the use of a PC laptop - fine for spreadsheets and written documents but for anything visually creative Macs win every time.
btw I love my new iPad ;-)
C xx
A Mac for me too - I'd highly recommend them.
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you all so much for the comments so far.
ReplyDeleteMy laptop is holding on so far...so I do hope to have the opportunity to see what others might write.
Thank you Gina for the wise advice re external whatsit backup.
Thank you Chris for advice re cold fingers...which I have in some circumstances, but not in this overheated apartment.
What kind and generous readers I have! xo
I would get strange looks if I reverted to PC in this household .I have only made good experience with may MacBook (4 years old) I must confess though I installed Windows as a writing program as I just don't get friendly with "pages". My sister has just bought a Sony Vaio, chiefly because it was much cheaper than the apple she actually wanted and is perfectly happy with it. But I find it quite reassuring that Apple devices hardly ever get bugs.... ( or so I was told by my Apple - crazy men-folk) If you have the Apple store round the corner go there and let them show you what suits you best
ReplyDeleteI've had several mac/apples and I love them. The reason? You can use one successfully with a minimum of fuss and/or instruction...to me, a very big PLUS.
ReplyDeleteI've done book layouts, printed up copy, reproduced my photos, written whole books on macs, and they've never ever let me down. I've even desk top published books, printed the pages off, collated them myself and taken them to the binder with the help of a mac.
They are more expensive, but attached to a good printer (HP springs to mind) they simply can't be beat.
My husband has had several PC's - Dells mainly, and I HATE using them. They drive me nuts! So it's back to my Mac! :)
Apple lovers are passionate -- I don't have any experience with Apple -- and will probably replace my aging Dell with another. The cost is an issue...
ReplyDeleteI'm Mac all the way baby!
ReplyDelete–Cassandra
Hi Frances, I don't have much to contribute, I'm afraid (I'm an Apple user and have got very used to its features so will no doubt stick with the brand). I do echo Gina's advice though to back everything up before your laptop gives up the ghost. It's lasted a long time, I must say!
ReplyDeleteI do hope you get sorted soon so that we can have you back!
Good luck and warm greetings xx
Dear Frances, unfortunately I cannot advise you on this. My knowledge on laptops is nil!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your search. Hope you will have found it soon, so that we will not miss your posts for too long.
Happy day!
Madelief x
Apple Apple all the way.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, if you don’t need to have a laptop to carry around with you I’d say buy a desktop.
I wouldn’t dream of having anything else.
Apple is dearer but it has never yet let me down, so I’ve never had to pay for maintenance. I also bought myself an ipad to take around with me, which allows me instant access to my emails and blogs. Next, I’ll buy an iphone, that is, when I’ve saved up enough.
Mac is easy to operate too, beautiful to look at and perfect for anyone who writes a lot. I’ve never been infested with nasties either and I’ve been using one mac or another -usually 2nd hand - for a long time now.
My current desktop and ipad I bought new; Mac also lets you update for many years.
My laptop which I bought in 2008 broke down several months ago. I bought a new laptop on the Monday after Thanksgiving, during the big sale, it was a LeNovo because I was told that they are made by IBM and last longer than the others. An Apple would have cost me twice as much and that was a consideration. Also I did not know if all my programs, like those for my photos, or my documents, would be compatible with Apple. My son-in-law loves Apple, but my daughter bought a new laptop and did not follow his advice - she did not get an Apple. Computers get obsolete so quickly that I’d rather buy a cheaper one now and another one in 5 years which will have upgrades that are unknown now.
ReplyDeleteI have a laptop Frances but my boys all have Macs and swear by them. Intuitive to use and less problems apparently!
ReplyDeleteI think that if you are not familar with an Apple I would stick with a PC. I get frustrated by the learning curve. With a PC after all the programs are loaded you can just GO!
ReplyDeleteI have other things that can occupy my daily life not to have to learn about an apple.
I do own a IPHONE but thats a different story.
Ruth from California
Hi Frances, I am not at Apple as I always worked for companies using PCs. I have a private Dell since 2005 and it is still ok, fast and reliable. I take regular backups on the external disk, this is my safety net. I am not keen on changing as I have several programs, the most important are for photos and am so used to it and happy with it. I think it might be useful to have an ipad in future, as well, but am not ripe yet. Wish you luck with whatever choice you make - having an Apple service round the corner is certainly very helpful and perhaps the right moment to change.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! We have always had Apple Macs, ever since we owned a computer so I am biased. They are very user friendly and beautiful but I can see that other brands are looking very similar. Once you have had a bite of that apple there is no going back. Our grandson has just spilled water on his daddy's Apple laptop, he has had that ever since he was a student, all his work, baby photo's gone in the blink of an eye, despite all advice about backing up files. Whatever you chose you can get Dropbox for free and store up to 2GB for free somewhere over the rainbow. Now I sound like a spammer so I will bid you a fond goodnight. x
ReplyDeleteDear Frances,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely comments!
Yes, I am not hiding behind my camera any more.
Good luck with the purchase of new computer - not an easy decision.
Stay warm and well!
xoxo Ingrid
Knitting looks gorgeous. Hope the computer problems are not keeping you awake at night. I love my iPad and use it a lot, but cannot offer any help with a laptop. Hope you have managed some good advice.
ReplyDeleteStrange weather patterns here too, lovely sunshine and everything has grown, my fritillary have such early buds.
A nice chance to get outdoors and some nice walks. A first sighting of a new born lamb in the fields.
Stay warm, spring is on the way. X
PC users here ... I live in a house full of computer geeks who could list a lot of reasons why you shouldn't choose a Mac. Sorry to be the lone dissenting voice there.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you buy I hope it can be sorted soon and you don't have to interrupt your blogging :D