Windows 10 or Mac?

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markwilding
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Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby markwilding » Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:44 pm

I’m on the fence because I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

For me the biggest disadvantage of a Mac is price. I would never advise someone who uses their computer for just streaming, a few documents and basic internet use to pay at least 1,000 euros for a Mac.

I hope members will post their reasons for their preferences as It will be interesting to read their views and I hope the opinions of both sides of the arguments are respected.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby firsttango » Tue Jan 23, 2018 6:18 pm

Mac by a country mile, simple answer because they work and they have a far superior build quality and infinitely more user friendly and far better quality components, yes you can get laptops of similar quality build and components but you'll be approaching Mac prices and still stuck with an appalling Windows O.S (Yes I know you can install Linux etc but the thread is Windows 10 v Mac). No sitting around whilst Windows hijacks your PC/Laptop etc and updates ad infinitum for hours on end (recent examples in thread Windows10 updates) leaving you twiddling your thumbs. Having worked and played on both systems Windows OS V Mac OS ......MAC is far superior in every single way. You get what you pay for with a 350 euro Lenovo/dell/HP etc machine.....grief and hours of frustration in a horrible clunky plastic case. Windows P.C People seem to have this strange thing regarding the price of a Mac, yet a great many of them have an iphone and or ipad?
I differ to you Mark in that I would always recommend a Mac even just for surfing the web (if their budget allowed) again it's as you say all personal choice and opinion and thats mine.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby elusive » Tue Jan 23, 2018 6:27 pm

Or a chromebook if all you want is to be able to surf the net,use the cloud to save doc/photos etc download apps and dont understand or need all the issues and bloatware that comes with other O.S. a great choice for those who want to keep it as simple as possible

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby costakid » Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:22 pm

Mac every time. I was a windows user until 2010 when we changed to an IMac for the office. I cant believe we waited so long. The build quality is much better and after sales is excellent. I also have a MacBook pro from 2011 which played up recently when I upgraded to High Sierra, I rang apple and they fixed it over the phone for free. 35 minutes of there time and no charge. When you’ve had Mac you will never go back.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby Flexo » Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:54 pm

Geez, another Apple-fanboy thread about the superior Apple sweatshop-techmologies.

Last time I checked the best Apple computer cost twice the similar PC build and was benchmarked at less than half the speed. If that is a metric for superior then I am Clark Kent.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby dxf » Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:37 pm

Hola

I go for Windows; it is used by many more people - if you Google it you'll find roughly 80% Windows and 20% Mac. There are specialist programs for specific purposes - but ignoring those I'd buy a Windows computer every time.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby El Cid » Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:45 pm

The fact that 80% of PC users have Windows is irrelevant to the argument. 99% of drivers don’t buy a Rolls Royce but it would be difficult to argue the the RR was not the better car, cost and value for money excluded.

The original thread title is a bit ambiguous as Windows 10 is only an operating system, not a computer. Perhaps the question should have been non Apple hardware vs Apple hardware or Windows 10 vs OSX High Sierra, (The latest version of Apple’s operating system).

Non Apple computers come in various qualities based mainly on the components used to assemble them which come from a multitude of different suppliers. Apple tends to use a range of components from a smaller number of suppliers and also use some proprietary components. That means that when you buy an Apple computer you know exactly what you are getting. A Windows generic computer could be anything and as a result some are clearly better than others but that makes choosing which to buy more difficult.

There is no question that, like for like Apple is more expensive and it is down to the user to decide whether it is value for money, but 20% of the world market seem to think it is.

As for Windows vs Apple OSX, in my opinion there is absolutely no contest. OSX is so much easier to use, no interminable forced updates that screw it up, almost total control of what apps you can run, resulting in almost zero malware and viruses. When you buy a new model, the upgrade process is ludicrously simple. Just plug in your backup disk from the old Mac, a couple of clicks and you have a perfect copy of your old Mac with all apps and data installed and in the right place. I must have spent hundreds of hours over the years setting up new Windows PCs and trying to replicate the old one. It’s the same when you upgrade an iPhone, in fact just placing it close to the old one can transfer all the basic settings and the apps and data are downloaded from the iCloud.

Finally and possibly most important is what is sometimes referred to as the Apple “eco system”. What that means is that all of your Apple products talk to each other, share your Apple account and automatically synch data sign ins and passwords across the systems. A change to my calendar on my iPhone immediately appears on my iMac and my iPad. A photo taken on my iPhone is the same, immediately available across all devices. If my iPhone is in the living room when I am sat in my study on the iMac, and I receive a call, my iMac rings and I take the call on the iMac or iPad or whatever is to hand.

I also use an Apple TV (a misnomer as it isn’t a TV, just a streaming box attached to my TV). This is part of the system in that all of my photos are there, all my music is available, and any videos I have downloaded from Apple are there with instant availability across the devices.

Before anyone describes me as an Apple “fanboy” I would point out that I worked for IBM for the majority of my working life, particularly in the Personal Computer environment and have used every version of Windows ever released, so hopefully my opinions are objective.

It is worth noting that an Apple PC will happily run Windows 10 and all its applications just as fast as a “Windows” PC . If you want the best of both worlds, you can run Windows alongside OSX at the same time and it becomes almost impossible to tell whether you are using the Windows app or the Apple version.

If you decide to try Apple, there is an interesting “comparatively” low cost option. The Apple Mini PC is a very small box that runs as a full blown Apple PC but you can attach your existing screen, keyboard and mouse and external disks. Once you do that you have an Apple PC with all the Apple connectivity advantages and the ability to run Windows as well. Incidentally Apple do not charge for OS upgrades.

I do have to admit though, Apple products are overpriced, especially outside the US, but for me they offer me what I consider to be the best solution to my communication and computing needs.

Sid

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby olive » Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:19 pm

Apple mini £679 in UK. Still a fair whack compared to a new base unit with Win 10 preloaded

I may have reached the end of the road with my two desktops running Win10. Not helped by the last update which took errr a very long time. I shall investigate the Apple mini. I presume no point in shopping around here in Spain?

I have got to say my ipad is a joy likewise the apple tv.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby Enrique » Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:34 pm

Sid.....Sold...........Good review, thanks

£479 in UK...........I could be tempted at that price........... :idea:
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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby firsttango » Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:39 pm


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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby olive » Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:13 pm

Enrique wrote:Sid.....Sold...........Good review, thanks

£479 in UK...........I could be tempted at that price........... :idea:
Ah yes. That is the poverty spec. Bit like buying car without aircon perhaps :lol:

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby markwilding » Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:54 am

Interesting post Sid
Here's my take on some of your points
El Cid wrote:.
The original thread title is a bit ambiguous as Windows 10 is only an operating system, not a computer. Perhaps the question should have been non Apple hardware vs Apple hardware or Windows 10 vs OSX High Sierra, (The latest version of Apple’s operating system).
Totally agree.
El Cid wrote:.
As for Windows vs Apple OSX, in my opinion there is absolutely no contest. OSX is so much easier to use, no interminable forced updates that screw it up, almost total control of what apps you can run, resulting in almost zero malware and viruses. When you buy a new model, the upgrade process is ludicrously simple. Just plug in your backup disk from the old Mac, a couple of clicks and you have a perfect copy of your old Mac with all apps and data installed and in the right place. I must have spent hundreds of hours over the years setting up new Windows PCs and trying to replicate the old one. It’s the same when you upgrade an iPhone, in fact just placing it close to the old one can transfer all the basic settings and the apps and data are downloaded from the iCloud.
The big problem is with Windows users is that they will insist on using it and installing programmes in the old way. It isn't necessary to overload it with bloated programs. I use Windows 10 in the same way as my Apple products. I have everything Apple except my laptop and desktop, (My MacBook tends to be used by my son as I don't have much use for it.) I've never had any problems with updates and with Windows 10, never had to stop using my computer while I wait for the update. From time to time I do notice that an update hasn't been successful but I leave it and the next time it tries, it works.
El Cid wrote:.
Finally and possibly most important is what is sometimes referred to as the Apple “eco system”. What that means is that all of your Apple products talk to each other, share your Apple account and automatically synch data sign ins and passwords across the systems. A change to my calendar on my iPhone immediately appears on my iMac and my iPad. A photo taken on my iPhone is the same, immediately available across all devices. If my iPhone is in the living room when I am sat in my study on the iMac, and I receive a call, my iMac rings and I take the call on the iMac or iPad or whatever is to hand.
The Apple eco system is not perfect and has some faults. Siri is nowhere near as good as Amazon Echo. The biggest problem for me is it doesn't work well with many non-Apple Apps such as Spotify or change radio stations in Tunein or Iplayer radio, the very apps I would like to be able to use in my car and which Echo does really well. It will be interesting to see what Apple's version will be like but already it looks like it's going to be way more expensive.


I have two older Apple TVs but I think the Amazon fire box is far more flexible, better and about half the price of the newer Apple TV ,which offers less options . I use the Amazon cloud to instantly view photos taken on my IPhone X on the big TV through the Fire TV, while using Google photos to view instantly on all other gadgets from my IPad to PCs. I can stream videos from the Mac and the PC to most of my set top boxes with Plex but It's something I'm doing less and less.

Airplay is good and with compatible speakers, is probably the best way of changing music from speaker to speaker as you walk around the house apart from a dedicated speaker system.

High quality video taken on the IPhone can be mixed and edited on the phone, then uploaded to my private YouTube account to be viewed in 4K directly on the TV. The only other way is to pay for the new 4k Apple TV

I use the Apple cloud pay service to back up the various Apple IPad and phones owned by the family and for business documents, all seamless with both apple and Windows products

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby Enrique » Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:49 am

Hi,
A recurring theme from Mac users..........."its easier to use"...........but they never say Why or How..........so Post away please...

Windows updates always gets a knocking.........not really a show stopper if you set the options to control when you want to install them.

Now for the Bad....

Feature Updates that come out twice a year...........hands up anyone that has actually used any of them since Version 1511....

Terminating support for earlier less bloated versions of Windows 10 i.e. 1511
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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby olive » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:18 pm

mmm this is a bit disconcerting.

https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/ ... i-3535701/

In your opening post Mark you said " For me the biggest disadvantage of a Mac is price. I would never advise someone who uses their computer for just streaming, a few documents and basic internet use to pay at least 1,000 euros for a Mac." I suspect some that have had bad experiences with Windows might just be prepared to pay that much and have the knowledge that it will work properly for say six years before needing an upgrade. 200 euros a year for trouble free basic computing? I would say a good deal assuming you have the capital up front.

I wonder how many of our average forum users have all these things like Siri, Echo, airplay streaming music from room to room and so on. Maybe I am in a minority hindered by slow and limited bandwidth per month internet.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby dxf » Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:49 pm

Hola

My phone has "Hi Bixby" & "OK Goggle" but I use an Android streaming box for You tube music through the TV. I should add that my phone comes with a DEC docking station so I can use the TV as a large screen computer - it was incredibly fast when I tried it but then again the phone was but a few days old with not much on it.

The problem these days is that gadgets overlap facilities so you don't usually use all the facilities on one device. I use my Windows 10 laptop for normal computer work, my phone for messages and phone calls, and my streaming box to watch TV. So Windows 10, Android 7.1.1 and Android 6.1. Would I use an overpriced MAC to do all of these - I don't think so - I prefer not to have all my eggs in one basket in case it all goes horrible wrong

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby Paulinmalaga » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:54 pm

Worth a read
https://www.powermax.com/page/the-top-t ... -than-pcs/

Also a Mac in the hands of a general/casual user and not someone who is tech savvy is infinitely more secure than a Windows Machine. The average user doesn't want to go anywhere near settings and installing anti virus programs etc, yes we know about Windows defender but Windows seems to bombard you with pop ups for AVG and the rest. Mac OS system preferences are a breeze to use and NO ads from 3rd party software suppliers.
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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby brimsham » Thu Jan 25, 2018 9:26 pm

Whilst not wishing to enter into the argument of which is better, the link provided cannot be described as unbiased.

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Re: Windows 10 or Mac?

Postby El Cid » Thu Jan 25, 2018 10:08 pm

Of course it’s biased - they are an Apple reseller.

It doesn’t necessarily make their points invalid.

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