mffox Loc: Avon, CT

Thank you, Bob. I hadn't thought about Linux.

mffox Loc: Avon, CT

Thanks, Bill. I'm more comfortable with the the Mac. Having said that, if I have to replace it I will not go for the 64 Bit. My one gripe with Apple is the number of passwords I need to get around in it.

mffox Loc: Avon, CT

Yes, I've learned the backup lesson the hard way.

Thanks.

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

I started with Apple (Apple ][). When the Mac came out, everything was proprietary. Third party accessories did not exist. You took what Apple gave you and liked it. I didn't like it. I needed things that Apple could not supply since I was hooking the computer up to various instruments to control them and take data. Apple was for home use. So I switched to the PC, which had everything I needed.

Stayed that way until about 3 years ago. Acquired a new wife, who was Apple based. Changed from an android to an iPhone because texts between Apple and Android sometimes took 24 hours to get across. Had to learn how to help her manage her Air.

My Desktop and Laptop are starting to get old teeth. I considered moving to a Mac. Briefly. I'm comfortable with the PC so I will stick with it. I can get more for my money, although interfacing with my wife's computer is still a problem. I have dealt with that problem for the last 3 years so I can continue to do so.

I would say (1) it's important to deal with what you're used to (particularly as I age); and (2) if you choose to switch, be sure that the software you need to run your life is available and compatible with all your current files. And workflow.

Craigdca Loc: California

I use a PC do everything. But I also have corporate IT experience and can see the value of using a Mac that also has Windows installed to run your PC software to access old data.

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

You can get a heck of a lot more PC power for 1/2 the price of Mac.

JADAV

you could try looking through some Youtube reviews of current laptops. I've just replaced my workstation PC with a "Creator" one. The professional graphics reviewers surprised me in that many seem to becoming disillusioned with the Applemac options. It would appear some users are becoming tired of their developing needs being ignored by Apple whilst the greater number of Windows software sources remain competitive. The computer sector now only plays a relatively small part in Apple's business - the far greater portion is phone based. I was quite shocked at the apparent trend as I always thought that the graphics industry were fully bought-in to Apple.
PC manufacturers such as Asus and MSI, who sell games PC's, recognised that their high speed products can lend themselves to photographic and video production and have several "creator" machines on sale. I hope that is useful information to you and your choices. My wife and I operate both Windows and AppleMac Pro and have no bias either way.

AGO

I have always used Windows on my home system, but we used Apples at work. Why did I stick to Windows? First, I found Windows to be more intuitive. The second reason was that Apple support was not good for the machines at work. I've been retired for 12 years now, so maybe it's gotten better since then.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I was a Mac user early on, but had to switch to a PC because of their exclusive use at work, always feeling they were cumbersome. When I retired, I couldn’t wait to get back to a Mac. Now I am living happily ever after with my 27” iMac.

My son-in-law, who runs his own IT business, doesn’t like Macs, but he has no real reasons to give. I suspect that it’s because he doesn’t have much work to do with Macs, but he’s always busy trying to get some client’s PC up and running again. The hand that feeds you . . . .

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

Working at a major lab every day brings me into a variety of computer systems and just about every kind of software imaginable. My desktop unit is an up to date HP. But not a day goes by without at least 4 or 5 freezes and several dumps to slow my work down. Granted, about half are due to network issues, not the computer. But I sure am glad I don't have to pay the bill to have these high salary IT techs fix the problems. When I go home, I'm glad I have the Apple eco system to use. It just works. I've never spent a dime on IT assistance. I keep the software up to date and wait usually one software upgrade to make any changes but otherwise nothing. My iMac is a 2015 27" model equipped with a 2TB OWC SSD and my MPB is a 2012 model. I do use a chromebook for a few things but I have never used a PC at home.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

This is not a problem as they have built in translation.

AGO

I've had the opposite experience. I've never spent a dime on IT for my PC, but we ran into many problems with our Apples machines at work. Again, that was years ago so maybe things are better now.

The problem I had with support is that when we bought the computers (24 of them) we also bought a service contract that gave us on-site service within 24 hours. We complained when we were not getting service calls within 24 hours. The response we got was, "Well you close at 3:00." Although this was true, I was still there until 6:00. But also, if we called before 3:00 one day we should have had service by 3:00 the next day.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

I taught computers in a middle school Mac Lab. However, I’ve been using; and even built a few, PCs. Right now I have a Dell XPS desktop an old HP 17.3” gen 1 i7 Laptop that is is slow and problematic. I just replaced it with a new Acer i7, 10th gen laptop which is about 1/3 the weight of the HP and very fast. My wife has an original iBook Air. Additionally, we use iPhones & iPads.
Which platform is better? My preference is the PC. I think they’re easier to update/upgrade, or repair. Apple makes things, for lack of a better word, “secretive.” They don’t like you opening the box to upgrade or repair.
Also, there’s a bit more software for PC than Mac.
On the other hand, hackers like to spread viruses & malware to PCs because there are more Microsoft based computer systems than Mac. However, the hackers are now paying attention to Mac systems more.
My 2¢.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

My advice is to decide what your requirements are and then see what Dell and Apple have to offer. Of course, Dell isn't the only Windows game in town, so you might want to look elsewhere. As I always recommend, read all you can about Apple vs The Others.

JerryOSF Loc: Bristol, VA

Linux is free, use Wine to run windows sw. Put linuxmint (free download) on your old computer, install it to dual boot. The old computer will run much faster using linux. When you are comfortable with linux just copy your data files to linux directory and ditch the old MS. I recommend linuxmint, go to linuxmint.com and download the os.