DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I will acknowledge that one can build a robust PC. I still think PC's are problematic. I had custom PC's built for big bucks and I was happy with them. The iPhone and iPad came out and I started getting use to iOS. I am sooooooo happy. No blue screen. No rebooting. Apples customer service is the best in the world. I even like the Apple stores where I belong to the Venture Partner program. I just have no issues with anything. That was never the case with PC's. I don't think a robust PC could get me back.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/03/10/apple-retains-top-spot-on-laptops-tech-support-rankings-for-third-year-straight

"By Roger Fingas
Friday, March 10, 2017, 08:53 am PT (11:53 am ET)

For a third consecutive year, tech publication Laptop has once again awarded the best score in its Tech Support Showdown to Apple, commending its support via phone calls, online chat, and social media accounts.

The company scored 93 out of 100 overall, Laptop said. It managed 56 out of 60 for its Web score, and 37 out of 40 for phone support, with an average call time of just 6 minutes in undercover investigations —over 2.5 minutes faster than second-place Acer, which actually scored 38 on phone support but only 50 on the Web...."

neil459

Unfortunately, you can not do that with any new MacBooks. All new MacBooks have RAM and SSD soldered onto the motherboard. iMacs have the RAM soldered in and the SSD does not have a connector. Everyone keeps thinking that the new Apple is the old Apple, they are not. You get very few choices with new Apple products and if you don't like them, then tough (or at least that is how Apple's attitude seems). Oh, did I mention that you cannot get more than 16 GB in any Apple laptop.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Steve and I are similar on this issue, except I have been using Macs for 3 to 4 years. I have been doing 98% of my pp on an iMac for the past 18 months and I would not go back for many reasons. The only time I use a PC for PP is when I need to use a specific, no longer manufactured printer, that has no current Mas software. I use a PC with Win 10 every workday and I also have a PC Desktop and laptop at home. I am completely familiar with both platforms and absolutely prefer the Mac systems and software, but to each his own. I've been involved with PC since I owned a dual floppy drive IBM PC. There is no one right answer here. Best of luck.

stadtmkw Loc: Burlington, MA

If you're used to Windows and new to a Mac you should consider whether you have knowledgeable Mac users available to help you ascend the learning curve. I'm a Windows user and specialize in IT. I've been supporting Windows systems for years and can deal with the issues that arise. I know users with both systems. Most feel that the Mac OS is more refined(easier to configure and maintain), less obtrusive and easier to use than Windows. In my opinion, Windows provide you with many more hardware choices and more horsepower per $ than a Mac.

Kevin_Talbot

The current iMacs have standard SIM sockets for RAM that are easily accessed and user upgradeable. But no way to upgrade the SSD/HD unless you tear it down which is not for the faint of heart. Brain surgery might be easier ;-)

Mac laptops are not upgradeable at all.

Edia Loc: Central New Jersey

Windows 10 is a game changer. It is powerful, stable and fast. I can buy three Dell windows computers for the price of an iMac 27. In the past, Apple had the edge. PCs were quirky and subject to viruses. That is not the case with todays PCs. I love my Dell 2 in 1 13, it has the fastest i7 chip, 8G of memory and a 256G SSD. The keyboard is lighted and the feel is really good. The touchscreen is really useful too. The iMac and the MacBook computers do not have touchscreen. The model I have has a removable stylus, an SD card reader and 3 usb3 ports and an HDMI output. It weighs 3.3 lbs. and is only a little thicker than the MacBook. I was able to double the SSD memory by plugging in a 256G flash drive into on of the USB ports. Away from home, this is my go to photography computer. I have loaded all my PP software on it. My only gripe is that the 13.3" screen is a little small for editing. When I am home, I use my desktop Dell with a 24" monitor for editing.

One thing to remember, Apple has no pity on past customers. I owned a PowerPC. Apples operating system upgrades stopped being issued for this computer at 10.4. All the latest software required later versions of OS that I could not load so my PowerPC became a doorstop. I own iphones and ipads, but I will not be burned again by Apple computers.

Randyb Loc: Houston

I switched from PC to Mac about 6 years ago. Still use PC for work. While both can do the job, my one and only reason for being a huge fan of Apple is that you can pick up the phone and talk to Apple to tech support for any and all questions you might have. No charge no time limits. I'm calling while using a 6 yr old iMac and they are happy to help. Try getting help for a PC.

Edia Loc: Central New Jersey

I agree, Dell's customer service sucks compared to Apple. When you call Dell, you get India. However, I bought the computer from Costco. Costco provides concierge service for two years on their computers and a 90 day return for new computers. I had a problem with my Desktop, called Costco and they had a service man at my house the next day with a new part. They had me on a conference call with Dell and Samsung troubleshooting the problem. I am quite impressed with Costco service.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Back in the late '70s I used Apple. When the Mac came out I switched to PCs. At the time, Apple was a closed system. The PC was open. You could buy all sorts of third party stuff for a PC but not for an Apple. Been using PCs ever since. Every so often I look at a Mac. Then I look at the price. It's about a factor of two. Then I go home to my PCs.

I have a Win7 desktop and a Win10 laptop. Both have LR/PS CC on them. SSD for C:, 2Gig normal HD for D:. The programs go on the SSD so they load fast. The data goes on D: so there's more room. Works for me.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Wide color gamut, consistent with Adobe RGB is currently only possible on Windows with Photoshop. Critical color work in corporate graphics departments is mostly done on Windows. Macs are ok, as long as you have the money, but there are some things that are just not currently possible on Mac, but they may not affect you. Still, you can either save a considerable amount of money or build a totally slamming machine for the same amount o money you might spend on a Mac, by going Windows. From a functional perspective - there is NOTHING that you can do on a Mac that you can't do on a PC running Windows. They are both intel, use the same internal drives and components, and the only magic about a mac is the marketing hype. I've been in IT since 1983, and have personally built over 3000 workstation-class machines based on Windows - so I can say without hesitation the allure to Mac is mostly marketing - from a specifications and performance perspective, they are pretty mediocre and the premium you pay for them should provide you with a better machine. They are adequate, but expensive. But to go beyond adequate, you'd have to look at Windows - an open architecture system that allows you to custom-spec anything you want.

Or you can settle for the limited configuration offerings from Apple. Your money, your choice.

Oh, I also ran dual video editing labs at a fine arts college - Power Macs in one lab, and Windows in the other - both ran quite well - can't say either one was better than the other 10 yrs ago, and now convergence is even greater and there fewer differences between them, other than the weird marketing from Apple. I suppose that accounts for the fact that 89% of all the personal computers in use are running Windows or Linux and the rest are running Mac OS.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Tell it like it is!!!!



Not to mention that I hate waiting for things to happen. My students with their new and expensive Macbooks and iMacs are constantly being blown away by how fast my 4 yr old <$2000 Windows 7 desktop is compared to what they have. They are impressed with the internal 4 TB RAID 1+0, 1 TB SSD boot drive, 32 gb ram and cpu running at 5 ghz (stable and with liquid cooling), and the pair of wide gamut color screens driven by 30 bit NVidia Quadro graphics card with 4 gb vram. Many express regrets they had not contacted me prior to making their purchases. I have no reason to switch horses at this point, it has been a very positive experience for me as well.

therwol Loc: USA

I don't think that Macs are cost effective. Also, some OS upgrades in the past have made a lot of software obsolete. Friends I know who use them have had hardware problems requiring their machines be replaced. (I wouldn't say that Windows machines are any better, but you expect better when you pay much more.). Anyway, it's like Canon versus Nikon. Some people love one and hate the other for whatever reason.

CookieRahll Loc: Brasher Falls,NY

I went from Dell to MAC 6 years ago..first bought a "Big Mac"(27"), then Mac Book Pro 17"(Little Mac) then bought my husband the 131/2" Mac Book(Baby Mac)and a "wee Mac" and haven't had any problems, except for my tolerance of a learning curve. I do think you can teach an old dog new tricks! And I'm just an amateur photographer that shoots for fun....(Nikon D100,D200,D810).....next is adding an easy photoshop, Lightroom,etc

onepictureatatime Loc: St. Louis, Missouri

I switched to a MacBook Pro almost a year ago, to get away from Windows 10. If I could afford to I would switch back to my HP in a hearthbeat, running Windows 7. I found the Apple system much more confusing and I have been building computers for over 35 years. I know it is matter of opinion, and this just mine.

Tim Kuelker