Considering switching to Mac & iPhone

[Andy_uk_1]

Hi,

Firstly, apologies if this isn't posted in the best section.

I owned a MacBook Pro several years ago, and while Apple repaired a couple of faults free of charge (coating peeling off the display after 12 months, and then a dead logic board after 2 years), the rising cost of Macs plus the faults I'd experienced put me off a bit.

I've been using a Windows laptop for the last couple of years, but am considering switching back to Mac (MacBook Air or Pro) and getting an iPhone SE at the same time. Windows 10's constant, slow and buggy updates are unbearable at times.

Basically my questions are:

• Was my experience typical? Apple were great at fixing the machine but for it to totally die so soon did leave me concerned about reliability.
• Am I right in thinking that the iPhone SE doesn't ship with headphones or a charger, or a headphone socket, meaning I'd have to buy a headphone adapter and/or Apple's own headphones, as well as a charging brick?
• I like to use a proper mouse - I know Mac trackpads are generally good, but I just prefer a mouse. Can I attach a standard wireless mouse to a MacBook Air or Pro or would I need an adapter or specific mouse?

It seems like a lot of adapters and add-ons are needed unless I'm missing something. Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks!

 

[glenthompson]

I think your experience was atypical. I have Mac hardware from 2011 that still runs fine albeit not the current MacOS. A lot depends on how it is maintained.
Most people are moving to Bluetooth headphones. Lots of models out there that work well. I have a box of old charging bricks that I don’t use. I prefer my Anker multi port charger that handles all my devices on my nightstand. iPhone, iPad, watch, and headphones all get charged overnight.
I like the Apple mouse. Some people don’t. Most any wired or Bluetooth mouse will work fine.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

My perspective: My office has Windows laptops, but privately (and now when working from home) I use a Macbook Pro since five years and prefer the Apple experience. I also have an iPhone and two iPads, all devices working fine and flawless. This being said, to your questions:

Was my experience typical? Apple were great at fixing the machine but for it to totally die so soon did leave me concerned about reliability.

I do not think it was typical. Not because I had no issues until now but because there is a big market for used Macs, and they retain more value than other computers. I think this is a sign of above-average reliability.

Am I right in thinking that the iPhone SE doesn't ship with headphones or a charger, or a headphone socket, meaning I'd have to buy a headphone adapter and/or Apple's own headphones, as well as a charging brick?

Firstly, it is a good idea to switch also with the smartphone to the Apple ecosystem. The devices work (in general) beautifully together (Handoff, Continuity, common cloud apps)
You should be able to use nearly any adapter and headphone, as @glenthompson wrote. You may need an USB-A to Lightning Cable if you do not have an USB C adapter (the SE should come with an USB C to lightning cable but this can be different in different countries). Concerning the headphones, you may need a Lightning to 3,5mm-Jack adapter if you want to use a wired one. Personally, I use a no-name wired headphone for videoconferencing with my Mac and AirPods Pro for my iPhone, but I can switch the headphones anytime.

I like to use a proper mouse - I know Mac trackpads are generally good, but I just prefer a mouse. Can I attach a standard wireless mouse to a MacBook Air or Pro or would I need an adapter or specific mouse?

You can attach what you want. I prefer a non Apple mouse with a scrolling wheel, can‘t live without. Everything works fine.

 

[James_C]

Was my experience typical? Apple were great at fixing the machine but for it to totally die so soon did leave me concerned about reliability.

No not typical. I have had a lot of Macs -Desktop and Laptops over the years, only problem I had was with the original retina MacBook Pro that suffered from the image retention problem. Screen was replaced by Apple after the original warranty period had expired. You pay a little more for Apple, but the service is normally excellent.

Am I right in thinking that the iPhone SE doesn't ship with headphones or a charger, or a headphone socket, meaning I'd have to buy a headphone adapter and/or Apple's own headphones, as well as a charging brick?

Correct, buy a cheap but reputable 3rd Party charger, Apple does sell earphones with a lightning connector if you don't want to use an adapter, or I recommend buying some wireless AirPods (One of the best new products that Apple has made in the last few years)

Can I attach a standard wireless mouse to a MacBook Air or Pro or would I need an adapter or specific mouse?

Yes you can, but you will need a dongle to connect a wired USB 'A' mouse to the USB C ports or use a wireless mouse like the Apple Magic Mouse or a number of third party wireless mice.

 

[Boyd01]

I got my first Mac in 1985 (and had an Apple ][ since 1978). Your experience is not typical. The only problematic Mac I owned was a PowerBook G4, back around 2004 which would stop recognizing some of the RAM. Apple swapped the motherboard twice under AppleCare but the problem continued. They would have fixed it again, but the Intel Macs had been released by then and I just upgraded because they were so much faster.

I still have an old iPhone with the headphone jack, but picked up one of the lightning adapters so my daughter could connect her phone to an audio system when she visited. It was very small and inexpensive, but yes, you could also use bluetooth. The new phones will include a cable that you could connect to your laptop to charge, or you could purchase a compatible power brick with a USB-C port or buy any charger that includes a lightning cable. I already have a bunch of these myself, so that isn't an issue.

I am not much of a trackpad fan either. But you can use any wired or bluetooth mouse with a Mac. I have an Apple wireless "magic mouse" for my Mini, however it does not work well with the legacy Windows software I use (am also running Windows on my Mini). So I have plugged in a cheap, three-button Targus mouse that I got at the drugstore. Funny, I like that cheap-o mouse more than the expensive Apple mouse that mostly just sits unused. Now, the Mini has both USB-A and USB-C ports, so I didn't need any adapters, but you would need one for a wired mouse on a laptop.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

I think your experience was atypical. I have Mac hardware from 2011 that still runs fine albeit not the current MacOS. A lot depends on how it is maintained.
Most people are moving to Bluetooth headphones. Lots of models out there that work well. I have a box of old charging bricks that I don’t use. I prefer my Anker multi port charger that handles all my devices on my nightstand. iPhone, iPad, watch, and headphones all get charged overnight.
I like the Apple mouse. Some people don’t. Most any wired or Bluetooth mouse will work fine.

Thanks. I do like the idea of a multi-port charger actually. I only have one spare charging brick, from my previous smartphone, as I've tended to trade-in my old devices or sell them. It's a USB-A brick though, as is the one with my current phone, so a multi-port charger would be spot on I think.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

No not typical. I have had a lot of Macs -Desktop and Laptops over the years, only problem I had was with the original retina MacBook Pro that suffered from the image retention problem. Screen was replaced by Apple after the original warranty period had expired. You pay a little more for Apple, but the service is normally excellent.



Correct, buy a cheap but reputable 3rd Party charger, Apple does sell earphones with a lightning connector if you don't want to use an adapter, or I recommend buying some wireless AirPods (One of the best new products that Apple has made in the last few years)


Yes you can, but you will need a dongle to connect a wired USB 'A' mouse to the USB C ports or use a wireless mouse like the Apple Magic Mouse or a number of third party wireless mice.

Thanks James, I did think my experience was unusual. I've dipped my toe into Apple stuff twice in my life - back in 2014 with the MacBook Pro and way back in (I think) 2001, with one of the old Blueberry iMacs. That thing was really reliable, but at the time there wasn't much software for it and I ended up going back to Windows after a few years.

I think I'd want to stick with my own headphones - I have in-ear sport ones for working out and some big over ear ones as I make a bit of music. I can imagine Apple's Airpods are good but the price is a bit bonkers.

The ports and connectivity generally are an annoyance. I wish they'd just include USB-A ports on MacBooks, at the very least on the Pro. I'd have to get a hub I think, because I'll need a mouse, audio interface and access to an SD card slot at any one time for music production. Will give it some thought.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

I got my first Mac in 1985 (and had an Apple ][ since 1978). Your experience is not typical. The only problematic Mac I owned was a PowerBook G4, back around 2004 which would stop recognizing some of the RAM. Apple swapped the motherboard twice under AppleCare but the problem continued. They would have fixed it again, but the Intel Macs had been released by then and I just upgraded because they were so much faster.

I still have an old iPhone with the headphone jack, but picked up one of the lightning adapters so my daughter could connect her phone to an audio system when she visited. It was very small and inexpensive, but yes, you could also use bluetooth. The new phones will include a cable that you could connect to your laptop to charge, or you could purchase a compatible power brick with a USB-C port or buy any charger that includes a lightning cable. I already have a bunch of these myself, so that isn't an issue.

I am not much of a trackpad fan either. But you can use any wired or bluetooth mouse with a Mac. I have an Apple wireless "magic mouse" for my Mini, however it does not work well with the legacy Windows software I use (am also running Windows on my Mini). So I have plugged in a cheap, three-button Targus mouse that I got at the drugstore. Funny, I like that cheap-o mouse more than the expensive Apple mouse that mostly just sits unused. Now, the Mini has both USB-A and USB-C ports, so I didn't need any adapters, but you would need one for a wired mouse on a laptop.

Thanks for all the advice. Apple has such a good reputation for reliability so I was disappointed but I guess I must have been unlucky. I think the lack of a headphone jack and USB-A ports is putting me off a bit, but I'm feeling like if I switch and get all the necessary accessories/adapters, I should only need to do this once.

I've read there are some new Macs due to be released soon using Apple's own CPU - any thoughts on whether I should wait till then or is it better to go with a current model for now?

 

[Boyd01]

That question is the subject of much debate. Personally, I wouldn't want to be the "first kid on the block" with one of these. And they won't fit my needs, because they can't run Windows, like I do on my Intel Mac.

 

[James_C]

I've read there are some new Macs due to be released soon using Apple's own CPU - any thoughts on whether I should wait till then or is it better to go with a current model for now?

I would wait as they are due to be announced next week - Tuesday. However if you need to run Windows via Boot Camp you will need one of the Intel Macs

 

[Andy_uk_1]

Thanks for the suggestions re the new Macs. If it's as early as Tuesday next week then I'll wait and see.

I wouldn't need Windows for anything in particular, at the moment I jump between my Windows machine and a cheap Chromebook - the latter is actually better for almost everything apart from music production! What I'm hoping for from a Mac is the lightweight simplicity for web browsing, document editing and basic media consumption that the Chromebook offers, but with the option to do more powerful tasks, e.g. music production. I guess one other question I have is, do any of you know if the MacBook Air i3 8gb will be OK for running Logic Pro X? I won't be using it for any audio tracks, just using a midi controller and the built-in instruments and effects. I read that it should be fine. I already own Logic Pro X, tied to my Apple account, as well as PreSonus Studio One which I'm using on Windows currently.

The Air is my preference over the Pro, if possible, because I prefer the style and I'm not a fan of the touchbar.

 

[James_C]

The Air is my preference over the Pro, if possible, because I prefer the style and I'm not a fan of the touchbar.

I don't use logic, so hopefully someone else can comment on that. However I do recommend you wait for the Apple Silicon Macs if music production is your main use case. The reason is that while the current release of MacBook Air is a very capable machine with a Retina Screen, Touch ID and a decent keyboard it suffers from fans spinning up under load due to the thermal restrictions of a compact form factor and Intel Chips. This is one of the primary reasons that Apple is moving to Apple Silicon - Better performance per watt. The 13" Air is one of Macs that is rumoured to be transitioning to Apple Silicon next week with a 13 and 16" Mac Book Pro.

 

[brianmowrey]

If your instinct is that being forced to buy bluetooth headphones that you will lose over and over just to listen to anything on your phone and not being able to plug logitech receivers into a 'PRO' laptop are wrong, you're not crazy. "Most people are moving to bluetooth" give me a break

 

[Moakesy]

I think I'd want to stick with my own headphones - I have in-ear sport ones for working out and some big over ear ones as I make a bit of music. I can imagine Apple's Airpods are good but the price is a bit bonkers.

Sticking with your existing headphones for now makes sense, but when the time does come to change, remember that AirPods auto switch between devices. So if you’re listening to music your MacBook and switch to your phone, then headphones auto-switch between devices. IMO, it’s the best feature of iOS14.

 

[calliex]

Hi,

Firstly, apologies if this isn't posted in the best section.

I owned a MacBook Pro several years ago, and while Apple repaired a couple of faults free of charge (coating peeling off the display after 12 months, and then a dead logic board after 2 years), the rising cost of Macs plus the faults I'd experienced put me off a bit.

I've been using a Windows laptop for the last couple of years, but am considering switching back to Mac (MacBook Air or Pro) and getting an iPhone SE at the same time. Windows 10's constant, slow and buggy updates are unbearable at times.

Basically my questions are:

• Was my experience typical? Apple were great at fixing the machine but for it to totally die so soon did leave me concerned about reliability.
• Am I right in thinking that the iPhone SE doesn't ship with headphones or a charger, or a headphone socket, meaning I'd have to buy a headphone adapter and/or Apple's own headphones, as well as a charging brick?
• I like to use a proper mouse - I know Mac trackpads are generally good, but I just prefer a mouse. Can I attach a standard wireless mouse to a MacBook Air or Pro or would I need an adapter or specific mouse?

It seems like a lot of adapters and add-ons are needed unless I'm missing something. Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks!

I would say your experience was not typical. I have been with Apple since 1980 and first mac in 1986. Over the years I have had various Macs and never bought Apple Care and only had a problem with a powerbook that had a bad diode that smoked. It was repaired under warranty and never had problem afterwards. I currently have a mid 2012 15 MBP that is still going strong. I waiting till Tuesday to replace it.

 

[cdcastillo]

...Was my experience typical? Apple were great at fixing the machine but for it to totally die so soon did leave me concerned about reliability...

No, it was not. I'm working on a 2015 MBP that hasn't failed once. Every Mac laptop I've had has been with me for 3 o 6 years and at the end, I've sold them or pass them down (My mom is still using my white macbook from 2008).

...Am I right in thinking that the iPhone SE doesn't ship with headphones or a charger, or a headphone socket, meaning I'd have to buy a headphone adapter and/or Apple's own headphones, as well as a charging brick?...

I bought mine a couple months ago (July, I think) and it came with earphones and AC brick, but you're right, it doesn't have a 3.5 mm port. The earphones are still in the box, I haven't used them once, I normally use my BT headphones, UE speakers, or airplay to my Yamaha NP.

...I like to use a proper mouse - I know Mac trackpads are generally good, but I just prefer a mouse. Can I attach a standard wireless mouse to a MacBook Air or Pro or would I need an adapter or specific mouse?
It seems like a lot of adapters and add-ons are needed unless I'm missing something...

You can use any standard BT mouse without any adapter. The RF kind that need a USB adapter in every computer will obviously need this adapter (and a USB A to C adapter if your computer has only USB C ports, like many of the recent Macs), but I don't see why bother in getting anything other than a BT mouse.

Yes, recent Mac laptops need lots and lots of adapters.

 

[James_C]

I bought mine a couple months ago (July, I think) and it came with earphones and AC brick

No longer ships with Earphones or charger, according to the current specs page.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

I don't use logic, so hopefully someone else can comment on that. However I do recommend you wait for the Apple Silicon Macs if music production is your main use case. The reason is that while the current release of MacBook Air is a very capable machine with a Retina Screen, Touch ID and a decent keyboard it suffers from fans spinning up under load due to the thermal restrictions of a compact form factor and Intel Chips. This is one of the primary reasons that Apple is moving to Apple Silicon - Better performance per watt. The 13" Air is one of Macs that is rumoured to be transitioning to Apple Silicon next week with a 13 and 16" Mac Book Pro.

Thanks, yeah it does seem to make sense to wait and see what the models next week have to offer.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

No, it was not. I'm working on a 2015 MBP that hasn't failed once. Every Mac laptop I've had has been with me for 3 o 6 years and at the end, I've sold them or pass them down (My mom is still using my white macbook from 2008).


I bought mine a couple months ago (July, I think) and it came with earphones and AC brick, but you're right, it doesn't have a 3.5 mm port. The earphones are still in the box, I haven't used them once, I normally use my BT headphones, UE speakers, or airplay to my Yamaha NP.




You can use any standard BT mouse without any adapter. The RF kind that need a USB adapter in every computer will obviously need this adapter (and a USB A to C adapter if your computer has only USB C ports, like many of the recent Macs), but I don't see why bother in getting anything other than a BT mouse.

Yes, recent Mac laptops need lots and lots of adapters.

Thanks for this - I hadn't thought about a bluetooth mouse. There definitely aren't any earphones in the box in the UK unfortunately with the new iPhones.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

Sticking with your existing headphones for now makes sense, but when the time does come to change, remember that AirPods auto switch between devices. So if you’re listening to music your MacBook and switch to your phone, then headphones auto-switch between devices. IMO, it’s the best feature of iOS14.

I don't think I could ever switch to AirPods... I like cables - I'm old-fashioned and I'd be too worried I would lose them!

 

[Andy_uk_1]

If your instinct is that being forced to buy bluetooth headphones that you will lose over and over just to listen to anything on your phone and not being able to plug logitech receivers into a 'PRO' laptop are wrong, you're not crazy. "Most people are moving to bluetooth" give me a break

Yeah, I don't think I'd want to switch to bluetooth headphones, I'd rather have the standard ones. It's just connecting them that I think I'd find annoying if I have to have lots of adapters etc.

 

[planteater]

I’m another person without any issues whatsoever with Apple products. 1 Mac Pro, 1 MacBook Pro, 1 iPad Pro, and 3 iPhones. Zero issues or quality problems.

 

[Boyd01]

Frankly, I'd be happier if Apple hadn't eliminated the headphone jack. But here's the cheap third-party adapter I got (with a pen for size reference). Not such a big deal to just leave on the headphones (unless you also use them on another device).

 

[pmiles]

First thing to accept about the Apple Eco System is that the price structure has and always will be bonkers. You're paying for the cool kid Kool Aid.

Second thing to accept is that it is a very closed system, getting more closed with each new product release. Gotta keep that inner circle tight.

So it's not necessarily that the products are better than their competitors but rather that you believe in the eco system as a whole. It's a brand thing.

I switched to Apple because Windows sucked so bad... I only made the transition when OSX was announced... had zero interest in the OS9 stuff. It was a big investment back then. It's still a big investment today. I don't bite at the Apple very often, my current rig has been running since 2010, but now another major transition is about to take place. Is it where I want to go? I'd have to see what they are doing with the GPU going forward... that has always been their weakest link.

The time is coming where I make another decision, do I stick with the Mac or move back to Windows? It all hinges upon what they end up doing with the GPU.

 

[Andy_uk_1]

Frankly, I'd be happier if Apple hadn't eliminated the headphone jack. But here's the cheap third-party adapter I got (with a pen for size reference). Not such a big deal to just leave on the headphones (unless you also use them on another device).

View attachment 1490813

Thanks - I mean it looks ok. I guess it's just a bit messy. I've not really followed anything Apple for a while since I switched over to Windows so I'm pretty confused as to why they'd get rid of the headphone jack!