Buying Advice - Windows User

[James Godfrey]

Hi all,

I currently own an iPad & and iPhone 4, both running iOS 5, now as I understand, these sync and work alot better with a Mac.

I am and always have been a windows user, and therefore am not sure whether or not to convert to an all Mac world, or just stay as I am.

My PC is starting to get outdate so a new PC or Laptop will be bought at some point during 2012.

After looking on apple.com/uk, I am very confused about what Mac is best for me...

I usually use the internet etc, edit documents, print etc... using my PC and I also edit music for shows within windows movie maker.

Now with all this in mind, I have a few questions:

1. Does a Mac work with all printers/wifi routers? I hear people saying that many extras dont work with Macs.

2. Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, whats the differences between them all and which is best for my needs?

3. Is it easy to transfer an iTunes library from a windows PC to a Mac?

4. What sacrifices would I be making by transferring over to a Mac? Will I loose Microsoft Works Word Processor Documents etc??

5. Is it worth considering the finanace option?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

James

 

[hafr]

Hi all,

I currently own an iPad & and iPhone 4, both running iOS 5, now as I understand, these sync and work alot better with a Mac.

I am and always have been a windows user, and therefore am not sure whether or not to convert to an all Mac world, or just stay as I am.

My PC is starting to get outdate so a new PC or Laptop will be bought at some point during 2012.

After looking on apple.com/uk, I am very confused about what Mac is best for me...

I usually use the internet etc, edit documents, print etc... using my PC and I also edit music for shows within windows movie maker.

Now with all this in mind, I have a few questions:

1. Does a Mac work with all printers/wifi routers? I hear people saying that many extras dont work with Macs.

2. Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, whats the differences between them all and which is best for my needs?

3. Is it easy to transfer an iTunes library from a windows PC to a Mac?

4. What sacrifices would I be making by transferring over to a Mac? Will I loose Microsoft Works Word Processor Documents etc??

5. Is it worth considering the finanace option?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

James

1. Are you talking about anything specific that you own and want to know if it works? Because there is no problem finding peripherals to mac.

2. The Air is very portable but not really upgradeable, the Pro is upgradeable and portable but not as powerful as the iMac, the iMac is powerful but not portable.

3. Yes.

4. The Office suite is available for mac.

5. Only you can answer that question. But if you're looking for most 'bang for the buck' with your needs, a mac will be more expensive than a Windows PC option.

 

[crzdcolombian]

If you have an ipad and an iphone why do you even need a computer other than to write papers or for the storage.

If your current computer has a good enough monitor then just get the mac mini it is the cheapest. If you need a better monitor or want an all in one get the imac. Its a 300-400 difference.

 

[James Godfrey]

So overall you would say that I would be better off with an iMac but if its portability im after go for the Macbook Pro?

I just feel that windows is getting very boring to me now, and I feel that mac is really moving forward to what it used to be years ago and an all mac set-up would be cool too.

I feel that most likely an iMac would probably suit me bvetter as I have my iPad and iPhone for my protability aspect.

In regards to the iMac, I know this might sound stupid to everyone but what is the differences between the Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro???

Is the mac pro and mac mini just towers? And is there a tower with the iMac?

Thanks

 

[palpatine]

Hi. I changed to OSX (the Mac operating system) from Windows 7 earlier this year. In my case, I needed to upgrade to a faster computer, I needed portability, and I knew that OSX provided certain features that would benefit my work. In fact, most of the people in my field use it. Overall, I like OSX a lot more and find it more enjoyable to use. However, I don't think it is for everyone, because there are going to be things that you have to give up (and, of course, things you gain).

Anyhow, more specifically, I have never had problems with wifi, printers, or routers. I have never had problems moving any files over. This includes the iTunes library and Microsoft Office documents.

Personally, I don't like being tied to a desk, so I chose the MacbookPro. The Macbook Air line is also very nice.

Whatever you choose, looking at it online is not a good idea. Just go to a store and ask the sales staff. They will give you a tour, and you will pretty quickly be able to identify the differences between the models / product lines, and what seems best for your needs.

 

[toxic]

In regards to the iMac, I know this might sound stupid to everyone but what is the differences between the Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro???

Is the mac pro and mac mini just towers? And is there a tower with the iMac?

the Mini is a desktop (literally desktop) computer, the iMac is an all-in-one, the Mac Pro is a mid-tower workstation. the Mac Pro isn't for you, so forget about that.

the Mini uses mobile (laptop) parts, like mobile graphics chips and 2.5" drives, so it can be small and power-efficient. you have to supply a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

iMacs use mobile graphics but otherwise have desktop parts, and come with a display (built-in), keyboard, and mouse.

 

[velocityg4]

You mentioned Works documents. Unless things have changed you will not be able to open MS Works .wps documents with MS Word on the Mac. You will need to convert them to a Word compatible file.

You would need to open them in Works then save them as a Word compatible format such as .doc.

As for the Office suite the common programs are available on Mac (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook). However, they do not make Publisher, Onenote, Access or any of the other Office programs from their professional suite.

Other things you may want to know is if you use Intuit does not put the same effort into their Mac offerings as the Windows counterparts. Before switching be sure there are Mac OS X compatible versions of all your software or acceptable alternatives.

With iPad/iPhone compatibility. You can sync practically everything with Windows that you can with OS X. If your concern is your address book, calendar and e-mail. I would set up a G-Mail account to keep them all in sync with their Exchange settings. You can forward your e-mail to the G-Mail address or just use if for calendar and contacts and keep your current provider for E-Mail if they support IMAP.