Do I still need a Mac?

[Dodgerdoge]

Hi everyone, first ever post, so please bare with me. I currently have a mid 2011 21.5 iMac. Was thinking about upgrading to the new M1 iMac. I only use it these days for some banking and paying bills. Wife uses it occasionally for photoshop. I have about 500gb worth of photos, videos and music on an external hd. The photos and music are the only reasons I feel like I still need a computer. So for someone like myself, do I even need a computer anymore? And if I did get a new one, would the base model be fine for me? I just don’t know how to manage my family photos and music without one. Thanks for any input.

 

[Silmakhor]

What version of photoshop do you have? The legacy 32 bit versions of Adobe software won't run on the current Mac Os, and neither Apple nor Adobe gives a damn.

Other than that, you'd probably be fine with a Mac mini and third party monitor for $300.

 

[glenthompson]

Easy way to find out - just quit using it for a few weeks and use your iPad or iPhone for everything. Can you get everything done without it? I found that there enough tasks that I do that really need a Mac. However I can get by without a laptop in almost all cases.

 

[velocityg4]

You could do everything with an iPad. It'll be different for sure. The question is. What would you prefer to use?

Personally, I'd prefer the mini with a nice, big 4K display.

 

[loybond]

Maybe an iPad Air or Pro could work for you. Affinity could represent Photoshop unless you don't mind paying the monthly subscription. Your HDD can connect via usb-c. Do you stream your music?

 

[Dodgerdoge]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I’m not sure which version of photoshop we have. I know it’s really old (bought it macmall when they still had a store) Far as the external Hd, its also old and is not an usb c drive. You see the pattern here? All of our stuff is very old and outdated ?

 

[Silmakhor]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I’m not sure which version of photoshop we have. I know it’s really old (bought it macmall when they still had a store) Far as the external Hd, its also old and is not an usb c drive. You see the pattern here? All of our stuff is very old and outdated ?

Yup, forget running that version of Pshop on a modern mac. Affinity photo or something similar might be just fine though.

 

[Apple_Robert]

iPad Pro (2020) will work just fine for your limited needs.

 

[KaliYoni]

do I even need a computer anymore?

I would say your choice depends to a large extent on a few factors:

• How important is a big screen to you?
• Do you like using a full-sized keyboard or a keyboard with a high level of tactile feedback?
• What sort of input device(s) does your spouse use for editing photos?
• Mobile apps often have less privacy protection than desktop software. Are you OK with, say, Facebook or Google tracking all your banking activity (and linking it to your daily movements)?
• Do you feel comfortable using a device (phone or tablet) that can be lost or stolen relatively easily for personal finance stuff?
• Are you on a cell phone or tablet data plan with unlimited data each month?
• If you plan to use home WiFi for phone/tablet connectivity, can you manage your router and modem using your phone/tablet?

 

[Dodgerdoge]

I would say your choice depends to a large extent on a few factors:

• How important is a big screen to you?
• Do you like using a full-sized keyboard or a keyboard with a high level of tactile feedback?
• What sort of input device(s) does your spouse use for editing photos?
• Mobile apps often have less privacy protection than desktop software. Are you OK with, say, Facebook or Google tracking all your banking activity (and linking it to your daily movements)?
• Do you feel comfortable using a device (phone or tablet) that can be lost or stolen relatively easily for personal finance stuff?
• Are you on a cell phone or tablet data plan with unlimited data each month?
• If you plan to use home WiFi for phone/tablet connectivity, can you manage your router and modem using your phone/tablet?

You make a really valid point about privacy issues and relying only on my cell phone for everything. If I did lose it, I would be screwed, to put it mildly

 

[loybond]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I’m not sure which version of photoshop we have. I know it’s really old (bought it macmall when they still had a store) Far as the external Hd, its also old and is not an usb c drive. You see the pattern here? All of our stuff is very old and outdated ?

Adobe now has a mobile subscription for $15 or $20, or you can get the Photographer's bundle for around the same. You'd get the iPad versions that way. Alternatively, you can buy Affinity photo. Many, many people use it as a photoshop replacement and there's no subscription.

The beauty of USB-C is that pretty much anything connects to it. You can get a hub, so you can connect an SD card and a hard drive at the same time....

I have plenty of these, if I ever want to adapt USB-A...

Or you can actually just get new cables if that's better to you:

 

[KeithJenner]

Easy way to find out - just quit using it for a few weeks and use your iPad or iPhone for everything. Can you get everything done without it? I found that there enough tasks that I do that really need a Mac. However I can get by without a laptop in almost all cases.

This.

I spent a long time considering whether I still needed a laptop rather than just relying on my iPad for doing stuff when not at my desk. The only way I could find the answer was to not replace my laptop when it needed an upgrade.

After about two months I knew for sure that I need a laptop. These things work a lot different in real life compared to the theory.

 

[KeithJenner]

You make a really valid point about privacy issues and relying only on my cell phone for everything. If I did lose it, I would be screwed, to put it mildly

Backups are also a lot easier on a computer compared to a phone. It is easy to sign up for an online service or use an external disk.

Your phone is probably using iCloud, but I wouldn't want to just be relying on that.

 

[iHorseHead]

Nah, you'd be fine with a cheaper Windows PC.

 

[pmiles]

Here's an idea... just keep using what you are using now.

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

Plenty of folks are still using much older Macs than you are and are completely fine. My Mac Pro is 10 years old now. Still runs everything I need it to run.

Think of it like this. You have a microwave oven in your kitchen. It's x years old. You decide to replace it for a newer one, not because the previous one died, just because newer ones are newer. How many uses will it take before you forget that it's a new microwave oven and that it's just a microwave oven. It cooks food, that's it.

Are you really in need of parting ways with your money just because?