Mixed Ecosystem Discussion

[filu_]

You could use the browser versions of Numbers and Pages though I can understand wanting to use the Native Apps.

Yes, I will probably migrate completely to the Apple system. I do not need to use MS Office privately, it would be an excessive complication 🙂

 

[pshufd]

I need more horsepower and I had a look at the MBP 16 and, again, the thermals bothered me. The other thing is that two of the programs that I will be running run better on Windows than on macOS. One of them runs in WINE on macOS where I run it now but I will be doing a lot more on it and the fans spin up and the temps rise with the additional workload.

So I'm looking at doing a build with a Core i7-10700 (8 Core, hyperthreading, UHD graphics, 65 watts), Full Tower, 600+ Watt PSU, and hopefully something with 6 to 8 DIMM slots. My main requirements on a GPU is that it support 3x4K - I don't need any gaming support though. I'd like something that's very power-efficient. I would do my trading on this rig and there would be a MacBook Pro next to it for office stuff. I will take parts from my current Windows system too. I would be more inclined to go with the 16 if Apple offered 10th gen Intel. I would also like to see Apple Silicon. But the fact remains that the cost of a Windows build would be far less money and much better tailored to what I want to do.

 

[filu_]

My requirements are low, mainly for data storage. I also take a lot of pictures because I ride a bike and I live near the mountains. I use an iPhone and a Nikon camera. I also have a small blog about it.

I must admit that I liked the iMovie program and maybe I can process the movies with the iPhone.

I have 3 options:
1) entry-level to Apple Ecosystem + my old computer, replaced over time by NAS, eg MBA
2) a more powerful computer, such as MBP or Mini, with an additional external disk - as the main machine and home server,
3) powerful, new Linux computer, plus Windows in an iTunes virtual machine.

Every day I am satisfied with the iPad Air, but it is still more comfortable to work on a large screen and with a mouse. And I don't have a manager to manage our iPhones and iPads ...

I hesitate between MBA and MBP in basic configurations, although portability is not important to me. Mac mini would be objectively better but it has problems with external monitors, which I experienced myself. iMac is too expensive and too strong, but if it wasn't for the price, I would have bought it ....

 

[pshufd]

Just ordered parts for a new build. I'm not sure what the configuration on my desk will be but this will run 2 4k monitors. Maybe an additional QHD as well. I will see whether or not I keep macOS on the desk using my 2015 MacBook Pro. Last time I did a build was December 2018 but the system was for someone else. This is the first time I've had a full build of my own since 2010. I built a Sandy Bridge system and used it for a while until someone else wanted it and I gave it to them.

Core i7-10700
Corsair RMX Series RM500x 550 Watt Modular Power Supply
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti
Cougar Panzer Max Ultimate Full Tower Gaming Case
Corsair Vengeance LPX 64 GB (2x 32 GB) DDR4 3200 RAM
Crucial P4 1TB NVMe Internal SSD, up to 3,400 MB/s
ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus ATX Gaming

 

[Jason2000]

Just ordered parts for a new build. I'm not sure what the configuration on my desk will be but this will run 2 4k monitors. Maybe an additional QHD as well. I will see whether or not I keep macOS on the desk using my 2015 MacBook Pro. Last time I did a build was December 2018 but the system was for someone else. This is the first time I've had a full build of my own since 2010. I built a Sandy Bridge system and used it for a while until someone else wanted it and I gave it to them.

Core i7-10700
Corsair RMX Series RM500x 550 Watt Modular Power Supply
Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1050 Ti
Cougar Panzer Max Ultimate Full Tower Gaming Case
Corsair Vengeance LPX 64 GB (2x 32 GB) DDR4 3200 RAM
Crucial P4 1TB NVMe Internal SSD, up to 3,400 MB/s
ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus ATX Gaming

Looks nice. I would love to build one (I miss it) but I rarely play games anymore and there are no apps I really use. Basically I could get away with a Chromebook these days so I will stick with my MBA and 27” iMac.

 

[padams35]

Anyone know of a good alternative to an Apple Watch?

I'm looking to get my wife a smartwatch, but she is feeling disgruntled with her iPhone and may switch back to android. That makes ecosystem flexibility a selling point. I've been eyeing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (good reviews for small wrists) but some reviews suggest iOS support and battery life may be limited.

Anyone here using a non-apple smartwatch with an iPhone?

 

[pshufd]

Anyone know of a good alternative to an Apple Watch?

I'm looking to get my wife a smartwatch, but she is feeling disgruntled with her iPhone and may switch back to android. That makes ecosystem flexibility a selling point. I've been eyeing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (good reviews for small wrists) but some reviews suggest iOS support and battery life may be limited.

Anyone here using a non-apple smartwatch with an iPhone?

I use a Garmin Fenix 5+ with an iPhone. I love the watch though I'd like to upgrade to a 6. The Fenix series is generally more expensive than the Apple Watches. They are very fitness focused.

 

[The_Interloper]

Anyone know of a good alternative to an Apple Watch?

I'm looking to get my wife a smartwatch, but she is feeling disgruntled with her iPhone and may switch back to android. That makes ecosystem flexibility a selling point. I've been eyeing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (good reviews for small wrists) but some reviews suggest iOS support and battery life may be limited.

Anyone here using a non-apple smartwatch with an iPhone?

Hopefully one of my old posts will help. Trust me, I've used EVERY smartwatch under the sun (nearly): https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/thinking-about-a-switch.2181040/post-27356192

My wife has the Watch Active 2 and it's very nice (no speaker though, so no calls). I briefly had the larger version with an iPhone and it was OK but limited by what iOS will allow it to do (no replies to messages etc).

 

[filu_]

I can recommend the Polar Vantage or the Grit X. I had the Vantage M and was very happy but I wanted more and it was given to me by Grit. Actually, they are sports watches, mainly for runners, but not only. Vantage M does not have a touchscreen, Vantage V and Grit - do. In addition, there is a series of cheaper fitness watches from this manufacturer.

The watch shows notifications from the phone, the more expensive ones also have a barometer, and Grit additionally shows the weather and navigation - on the dash or routes from Komoot.

The Polar Flow web application does the rest - it documents your activities, allows you to plan your training. The iOS application is more of a communication interface - you can set some options from the watch, import routes, etc., but the Polar Flow does the whole job.

If I can help, I'll be happy to help 🙂

 

[pshufd]

I can recommend the Polar Vantage or the Grit X. I had the Vantage M and was very happy but I wanted more and it was given to me by Grit. Actually, they are sports watches, mainly for runners, but not only. Vantage M does not have a touchscreen, Vantage V and Grit - do. In addition, there is a series of cheaper fitness watches from this manufacturer.

The watch shows notifications from the phone, the more expensive ones also have a barometer, and Grit additionally shows the weather and navigation - on the dash or routes from Komoot.

The Polar Flow web application does the rest - it documents your activities, allows you to plan your training. The iOS application is more of a communication interface - you can set some options from the watch, import routes, etc., but the Polar Flow does the whole job.

If I can help, I'll be happy to help 🙂

A note on the fitness-oriented watches: the better ones tend to be buttons and no touchscreen as touchscreens don't work as well if you our outside running with gloves on, or you're wet from sweat or swimming.

I thought that most fitness watches have a barometer now, even the cheap ones, so that they can count stairs.

 

[filu_]

You're right, but Grit can be operated by touch or buttons 🙂

 

[pshufd]

You're right, but Grit can be operated by touch or buttons 🙂

It gives you the added option. I thought that I would hate going from a touchscreen to buttons but I actually love the buttons now.

 

[filu_]

The buttons are definitely better for activities, especially when it is raining or while swimming. I use touch outside of sports, but only buttons would suffice.

 

[Jason2000]

Anyone know of a good alternative to an Apple Watch?

I'm looking to get my wife a smartwatch, but she is feeling disgruntled with her iPhone and may switch back to android. That makes ecosystem flexibility a selling point. I've been eyeing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (good reviews for small wrists) but some reviews suggest iOS support and battery life may be limited.

Anyone here using a non-apple smartwatch with an iPhone?

out of curiosity why is she feeling disgruntled with her iPhone ? As far as watches maybe wait on the new Fitbit ones coming out.

 

[filu_]

I must have become a prisoner of my own habits ....

Over the years I have got used to the desktop to such an extent that I consider the laptop to be an immediate solution. Even now, as my home system has grown to include Apple mobile devices (mine and my wives), the desktop is the centerpiece of the system.

Of course, when I can enjoy Handoff functions, it becomes only natural that I should replace my linux desktop with a Mac mini or an iMac. However, the cost of such a transition is too high for me, especially now that Apple is about to move away from Intel processors - the future is becoming too uncertain.

Entry-level MBA is too expensive for what it offers and I would have to keep my old linux desktop server as a server anyway, and replace it with a NAS server after his death (Synology, Qnap or Raspberry ...). Apart from that, the MBA is too small a screen.

Now I think I think I'm just replacing my old eye-straining monitor with something modern. Desktop will stay old, and replace it with something newer in the future. With linux but also the dual boot option, if I had to use Windows, for reasons more important than iTunes.

As for iTunes - I will try to live without it, maybe I will switch to VLC entirely, because the occasional music management in the default iOS / iPadOS application is the only reason. Numbers and Pages have a browser version, you can work without Safari on the desktop ... I will do iPhone / iPad backups on an enlarged disk space.

What do you think?

I also know that in my case, the choice of computer comes second to the decision about what the ecosystem should look like.

Best regards!

 

[pshufd]

I must have become a prisoner of my own habits ....

Over the years I have got used to the desktop to such an extent that I consider the laptop to be an immediate solution. Even now, as my home system has grown to include Apple mobile devices (mine and my wives), the desktop is the centerpiece of the system.

Of course, when I can enjoy Handoff functions, it becomes only natural that I should replace my linux desktop with a Mac mini or an iMac. However, the cost of such a transition is too high for me, especially now that Apple is about to move away from Intel processors - the future is becoming too uncertain.

Entry-level MBA is too expensive for what it offers and I would have to keep my old linux desktop server as a server anyway, and replace it with a NAS server after his death (Synology, Qnap or Raspberry ...). Apart from that, the MBA is too small a screen.

Now I think I think I'm just replacing my old eye-straining monitor with something modern. Desktop will stay old, and replace it with something newer in the future. With linux but also the dual boot option, if I had to use Windows, for reasons more important than iTunes.

As for iTunes - I will try to live without it, maybe I will switch to VLC entirely, because the occasional music management in the default iOS / iPadOS application is the only reason. Numbers and Pages have a browser version, you can work without Safari on the desktop ... I will do iPhone / iPad backups on an enlarged disk space.

What do you think?

I also know that in my case, the choice of computer comes second to the decision about what the ecosystem should look like.

Best regards!

I am using my old Windows desktop as a NAS and finding that I'm using VLC instead of iTunes for watching videos. This is on my iOS and macOS devices. It is also a very convenient way to distribute videos to my wife. She just goes into an icon on the desktop to watch the videos instead of me using sneakernet to her Mac Mini. I still use iTunes for music and podcasts though - particularly when I go running or workout.

I also still do iOS backups on my old MacBook Pro. iTunes is extremely convenient for backups.

Microsoft Edge has gotten a lot better at running iCloud Apps in the browser as they are fixing bugs that I saw in the Spring and they are currently my goto if I don't have macOS up and running. At the moment, my thought is to run them both, side-by-side. I still like a lot of the apps in macOS and there's one that doesn't have a good counterpart in the Windows world that I have a massive amount of legacy data for.

 

[filu_]

I also still do iOS backups on my old MacBook Pro. iTunes is extremely convenient for backups

... that's why I still dream about this MBA ... even i3 ...

 

[kazmac]

While I’ve decided I want to be Mac only at home, noticed that Amazon has the Conceptd 3 Ezel in stock and that has me conflicted about Windows at home. Thinking I should try it because it’s the introductory model, not 2x the price Ezel7 (which is available on Acer’s site), and want to get going on learning Affinity software (My iMac is not powerful enough). The pen and screen are like catnip to me.

Plus, I can write it off as a business expense since my job keeps griping I use a Mac and want me to use a PC. Unlike other Windows laptops though, I see it a creative tool, not just a capitulation for this job.

Will wait to see what Apple announces tomorrow.

 

[filu_]

At home, I have no reason to use Windows (on the other hand - probably no reason not to).

I would like to have free access to my private home docs from iPad and PC. Similar to photos and music (but without managing my assets by dedicated applications) and movies.

So devices are just tools to achieve the goal.

We are waiting impatiently to see what Apple will show ...

 

[filu_]

What do you think about the Samsung ecosystem?

I don't like Android because it follows me, I don't like this mess on my phone where I have 2 mail clients and I can't delete any (I know, root ...).

But Samsung has meaningful phones, tablets, watches (just beyond my interest - I use a sports watch, no smartwatch), it has a TV.

It has a Windows application that allows you to integrate your computer with the rest of your devices ...

I do not know the Samsung ecosystem completely, I used to have 1 low end phone and it was terrible (Samsung Solid 3rd gen.).

I think that some average phone (I do not have high requirements), corresponding to SE 2020 to this Tab S5e + Windows computer, or a strong phone without a tablet, e.g. Note 10 - it would be an interesting option for SE 2020, Air and mini / MBA ....

 

[pshufd]

What do you think about the Samsung ecosystem?

I don't like Android because it follows me, I don't like this mess on my phone where I have 2 mail clients and I can't delete any (I know, root ...).

But Samsung has meaningful phones, tablets, watches (just beyond my interest - I use a sports watch, no smartwatch), it has a TV.

It has a Windows application that allows you to integrate your computer with the rest of your devices ...

I do not know the Samsung ecosystem completely, I used to have 1 low end phone and it was terrible (Samsung Solid 3rd gen.).

I think that some average phone (I do not have high requirements), corresponding to SE 2020 to this Tab S5e + Windows computer, or a strong phone without a tablet, e.g. Note 10 - it would be an interesting option for SE 2020, Air and mini / MBA ....

We bought a Google Samsung Nexus 3 a long time ago. There was a software bug which resulted in a power virus and the phone was useless. Google said that they wouldn't fix it because there was some Texas Instruments controller in it. Texas Instruments offered to fix it but Google just ignored the issue and the device is probably in a desk drawer someplace. We had a few other Google devices since then but their lack of support turned us off and we're all Apple for mobile devices now.

I suppose you could blame Google but it would have been nice if Samsung could have stepped up.

I also have a Samsung monitor - it works fine but I've only bought Dell in the past five years because they are full-featured and bulletproof. I have a 20-year old Dell Monitor on a table in the basement and it still works just fine.

I have a Samsung T-3 and it's great as a portable device. Great design and it's worked for a long time.

But I don't think of Samsung as an ecosystem company. I think of them more making point-products that fill in when I need something. In general though, my preferred vendors are Apple (mobile devices, macOS), Dell (monitors), Crucial (SSDs), Corsair (RAM), Garmin (watches). I prefer to get the best product and those are the vendors that I've gravitated to over the years. What I'm looking for is long-term support and reliability. It's also why I drive a Toyota - they are boring and utilitarian but they are also bulletproof.

 

[filu_]

It's a very sensible approach to use the right tool for a specific task. I also like simple and functional things. In the mountains or on a bike, I have a Victorinox pocket knife or a Leathermann multitool with me, but I have normal tools in the garage😉

I wonder if it's time to change my habits. Until now, I was satisfied with a computer with linux, but I already have 3 iPhones: 5S, SE, 8 - this meets my needs.

Since I have an iPad, I started to think about the full ecosystem - it's very convenient when you do something on the desktop and end up with the iPad but with the Mac mini I didn't work out, the iMac is too expensive and I don't need a laptop.

I only use the computer for home classes, I do not earn money thanks to it, so I can't spend money on iMac (why do I need this graphics card?), MBP (why do I need such an expensive laptop) or MBA (it's still an expensive laptop that offers little) .

Maybe it's time to say goodbye to linux and come back to Windows after 14 years? Or maybe Windows works better with a Samsung phone / tablet?

I'm sorry to write about the same again, but I hope for some good advice 🙂

 

[pshufd]

It's a very sensible approach to use the right tool for a specific task. I also like simple and functional things. In the mountains or on a bike, I have a Victorinox pocket knife or a Leathermann multitool with me, but I have normal tools in the garage😉

I wonder if it's time to change my habits. Until now, I was satisfied with a computer with linux, but I already have 3 iPhones: 5S, SE, 8 - this meets my needs.

Since I have an iPad, I started to think about the full ecosystem - it's very convenient when you do something on the desktop and end up with the iPad but with the Mac mini I didn't work out, the iMac is too expensive and I don't need a laptop.

I only use the computer for home classes, I do not earn money thanks to it, so I can't spend money on iMac (why do I need this graphics card?), MBP (why do I need such an expensive laptop) or MBA (it's still an expensive laptop that offers little) .

Maybe it's time to say goodbye to linux and come back to Windows after 14 years? Or maybe Windows works better with a Samsung phone / tablet?

I'm sorry to write about the same again, but I hope for some good advice 🙂

I also have a Victoronix knife and it's over forty years old and still use it a couple of times a week, usually for opening Amazon boxes or cutting things or when a screwdriver isn't handy. I originally bought it for on-the-road bike adjustments.

Windows 10 is the best Windows I've ever used and I did take quite some time off from Windows using just macOS and Linux. It is still an amalgamation of a lot of technologies and the UIs and tools are wildly inconsistent but you can find a set that works well enough. I'd love a Mac Pro to take care of my PC needs but 1) it's expensive and offends my sensibilities, 2) has parts that I don't need or want, 3) Apple Silicon is around the corner. So I'm going Windows for the short-term and will see what turns up later on.

 

[MisterSavage]

I didn't realize there were so many people like this on here.

I'm all over the place. I love my Apple hardware but software not so much. I switched to Mac-only for home use a long time ago with no big regrets except for gaming. I use the free version of Spotify for streaming music. I would have bought an Apple TV if the current one wasn't three years old. I bought a 4K Fire stick and honestly I don't feel the need to replace it now that I know you can watch Apple TV+ on it. I use Google Maps for navigation and Gmail for email. I have a Chromebook for a travel laptop. Love my iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and have never considered replacing them with third party alternatives.

 

[filu_]

I thought about buying a monitor because it is by far the worst thing in my set - I don't even know how old it is, I once got it for free. But I will not get second eyes ....

I will buy an HD monitor, maybe I will use it in the future with a new mini? For now, I could only buy Windows licenses and run it alongside linux for now. At the same time, my wife's old laptop that barely starts up Win 10 will retire.

I will be somehow compatible with iDevices (via iTunes), and when the time comes to replace the hardware, I will already know if Windows is ok or buy a mini with ASi ...

Damn, I also have a road bike😉