New to the Apple ecosystem

[jkrobs]

Dear All,

Hello, this is my first message on this forum and I would really appreciate some help.

I'm completely new to the Apple ecosystem and could do with some help deciding on what is best for my needs...

Ok, My previous experience is with Windows laptops/Pc's

I owned a Windows 7 pc back in 2007 and after 2 years it died on me...I've been scared to buy another windows laptop due to getting virus ect

I then jumped onto the Chromebook ecosystem and have enjoyed it...but have found there It's lacking in some areas of my needs ( Although ChromeOS has come a long way and improving all the time.

Right, so I have been for a while now doing research on macs, the software and if I should purchase a mac book pro or I pad pro.

I currently live in Japan, so I have a few questions.

I'm looking to purchase either a Mac book pro 13 inches, 512GB memory, 8 GB of ram, M1 chip, luckily I'm able to choose a British magic keyboard keyboard

I need a computer for the following...

Internet browsing/ research
listening to music,
light video editing
word office, docs, excel

Do you think 8GB is enough? or should I opt for 16GB? it says you cannot change the Ram it after you have purchased.

some questions

1. If I move back to the UK, is it safe to purchase a UK apple plug adapter? I'm guessing all macs are the same around the world and the power brick that is given with the device controls the voltage based on where you live. ( So If I move back to the UK, I can simply purchase a UK Apple power brick? )

2. I think I know this answer, but can I change the language in apple mac to English from Japanese?
With windows in the past, you had to purchase a new version of windows which was BS

3. If I purchase office for mac along with the Mac on the Japanese Apple website, Can I change the language to English?

4. Does Mac OS take time to get used to, is it easy like chromeOS or Windows 7?

5. Last question, Would you recommend an Ipad pro 12.9 or Mac book pro 13?

I've also heard Apple has an event on Tuesday the 14th, is it worth waiting?

I'm looking to purchase this Computer by the end of next week.

Thank you for any help you can provide,

Sorry if my questions seem silly, but I really have no idea which is better and much about Apple, Ipad Os Or mac OS big sir.

thanks, guys and have a nice weekend.

Jimmy

 

[velocityg4]

1. The actual plug may be changed in the power adapter. No need for a new adapter. Apples sells a world travel kit for cheap.

2. Change it and the input language to whatever you want.

3. Don't know. You could always just buy the license off Amazon UK and register with MS UK to be sure.

4. Yes, you'll probably find it easy or easier and it will take some time to get used to

5. MacBook, they're more general purpose thank an iPad. File management is much easier across apps.

 

[jkrobs]

1. The actual plug may be changed in the power adapter. No need for a new adapter. Apples sells a world travel kit for cheap.

2. Change it and the input language to whatever you want.

3. Don't know. You could always just buy the license off Amazon UK and register with MS UK to be sure.

4. Yes, you'll probably find it easy or easier and it will take some time to get used to

5. MacBook, they're more general purpose thank an iPad. File management is much easier across apps.

Thank you so much, about point 5 that you made...can I confirm, are you saying Mac book Pro is better for file management than I pad pro? Or the other way round.

 

[velocityg4]

Thank you so much, about point 5 that you made...can I confirm, are you saying Mac book Pro is better for file management than I pad pro? Or the other way round.

The Macbook is better. The system on the iPad for navigating files is rather clunky.

 

[jkrobs]

Thank you so much for explaining.

Final final question, will Mac book Pro 13 inch, 512gb and 8gb of ram be enough for me to do what I need? Or should I wait for the M1x chip?

 

[velocityg4]

Thank you so much for explaining.

Final final question, will Mac book Pro 13 inch, 512gb and 8gb of ram be enough for me to do what I need? Or should I wait for the M1x chip?

It's enough. Depending on what you mean by light video editing. Although I'd opt for 16/512 for a longer useful life.

 

[jkrobs]

Thank you,

Yes if I purchase this Mac book Pro, I would like it to last me at least 10 years if possible. Although that might be pushing it.
5 tops I will be happy

And is the M1 chip good or should I wait for the new chip?

 

[velocityg4]

Thank you,

Yes if I purchase this Mac book Pro, I would like it to last me at least 10 years if possible. Although that might be pushing it.
5 tops I will be happy

And is the M1 chip good or should I wait for the new chip?

Ten years is a bit much to expect from a computer. Sure computers last that long for a lot of people. There's no way of knowing how your needs or interests will change in ten years. Also the battery will likely die long before then. 16/512 is your best shot though.

Sure you can wait for the M1X. But it's likely going to be a replacement for the high end 13" Intel model. At around $2,000. It'll have a longer useful life. But it'll cost significantly more. At some point with upgrades. You have diminishing returns. Where it makes more sense to save the extra money for the next computer purchase.

I like the 16GB RAM upgrade on the M1. As it's a marginal cost increase. For a significant memory increase. Memory generally being the primary stumbling block in a computer's useful life.

 

[jkrobs]

Thank you so much,

I'll order the Mac book Pro 13 inch, M1 chip 16gb of ram. 512gb memory.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate it so much

 

[jkrobs]

Sorry guys, someone on a youtube channel said the air is better than the pro...can you advise the difference.

which would be better for me?

 

[Expos of 1969]

Sorry guys, someone on a youtube channel said the air is better than the pro...can you advise the difference.

which would be better for me?

Better can be defined many ways. I used to have a 2013 MacBook Pro. A few months ago I replaced it with a new M1 MacBook Air. I am pleased with it and felt I did not require the Pro. My 2013 was overkill for my needs but I chose it over the Air because the Retina display was far better than the one on the Air. The new Airs have better displays now. I do everything you do except for video editing. I went with the basic 8 gb of ram and 256 gb memory. Due to your video editing 16gb ram may be wise but you should get other opinions.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

I would not discount an iPad 12.9" for what you require on your list.

Not sure if different in Japan, but Apple has a two-week, no questions asked return policy, so you can try out the devices with your workflows in the real world with confidence.

For me, the iPad + iPhone combo is all I need.

 

[jkrobs]

Thank you all for your help,

I'm gonna wait until Wednesday the 15th as there is an event from Apple ( 2.00am here in Japan)

One thing I don't like about the Mac air is it's very thin and I wanted something that opens with 1 hand if that makes sense.

Also my wife has an I pad , but it's not the pro and I don't like IOS , but is IPADOS better?

Also I don't do so heavy visiting editing, my wife makes Japanese cooking videos and she wanted me to get something with video editing, Mac comes with I movies..so I presume you need lots of ram to use it .

 

[ericwn]

Thank you all for your help,

I'm gonna wait until Wednesday the 15th as there is an event from Apple ( 2.00am here in Japan)

One thing I don't like about the Mac air is it's very thin and I wanted something that opens with 1 hand if that makes sense.

Also my wife has an I pad , but it's not the pro and I don't like IOS , but is IPADOS better?

Also I don't do so heavy visiting editing, my wife makes Japanese cooking videos and she wanted me to get something with video editing, Mac comes with I movies..so I presume you need lots of ram to use it .

You can surely wait but it’s widely reported that this will be the usual iPhone event and not necessarily a Mac thing. That may happen later that year.

iPadOS and iOS are pretty similar.

If you already have an iPad, get iMovie for it and then check how far your wife can work with that already. Maybe you get even more use from the existing iPad. You don’t need tons of memory (RAM) but having enough storage available is required of course.

 

[velocityg4]

Sorry guys, someone on a youtube channel said the air is better than the pro...can you advise the difference.

which would be better for me?

They're similar computers. The MacBook Air is generally a better value.

The MacBook Pro has a slightly better screen and Touch Bar. It also has better cooling. Which allows for slightly faster sustained performance. Battery life is also a little better.

Overall there isn't a big difference between the two. Either would work for you. As the MacBook Pro has a brighter screen. It'll be better using it in bright light.

 

[jkrobs]

Guys, thank you all for explaining to me the differences.

Sorry some of my questions have been a little silly perhaps, but I simply don't know what is best .

It's a fairly big purchase and I want to buy the right one and keep it for as long as I can.

I keep hearing I pads are taking over macs,, so I don't want to buy a Mac then discover the Mac is being discontinued ect.

The thing I don't like the IOS phone or iPad software...so that's one reason I'm not too keen on getting an iPad...but I did hear I pad pro uses different software, so I was not sure if iPad pro might be worth it over a MacBook.

 

[jkrobs]

Hello all,

Thank you all for your previous help..

I was going to order a Mac Book pro 13 inch M1 today...but suddenly I decided not to, My Youtube recommendation list keeps popping up about videos on SSD issues and also cracked screens.

Could someone please advise is this true?

another question I have is..if Apple announces new macs soon, will the price of the current M1 models go down in price? I'm not that bothered about the cost, to be honest..but if the price was to go down soon, I would feel a little silly, so maybe it's just a smart move to wait a bit? What do you think?

Does anyone know historically if prices fall and when?

Also, I need a CD drive, as I want to burn all My music CDs that I have.

1. is the Apple Superdrive worth buying? does it work with the newer models? It appears to be USB A
2. does the new apple music software allow editing of the artist information, Ie Meta tags, album covers?

Thank you very much

 

[Ruggy]

Remember when someone has a problem they shout about it from the rooftops whereas when they are content, you don't hear about it.
I'm sure some people have problems but I imagine it's a tiny percentage in reality.
Apple are pretty good at fixing things for you when they go wrong. Yes, they aren't perfect and it can be down to individuals and individual stores, but you can take it into an Apple store and more often than not, they will fix it.
Their service is still excellent.
Yes, it will be covered back in blighty, but I would recommend Apple care+ It might seem an extra cost but it has proved to be worth it so many times here that I always take it. It has saved me SO MUCH money!
A question about keyboards? I suppose you must have checked and you get the QWERTY keyboard you want in Japan?
It will certainly be available but be sure to specify.
The Japanese charger will have the wrong plug on it for the UK of course. You can get an adaptor but the voltage will be ok.
You can buy external drives for almost nothing. I think I paid less than $30. They all work perfectly. It's old tech now and so cheap.
I have been buying computers with 16gb of ram or more since 2011. They still say 8 is enough and it probably is so I've probably wasted my money all this time. But let's remember, the RAM isn't the same either. It's much faster than it was and so are the SSD.
Don't know about the apple software you mean but Music and before it iTunes has allowed you to edit the information. You rt click on a track or album>info and then you get to edit everything, group things etc.
Prices may fall a bit just before the launch of a new model but not much.
You can play that game forever of course. There will always be a,new model and if they change them every year then half the time you are going to be less than 6 months away from a new model.
iPad? They are fine but there are loads of things they don't do. I don't want to get into an argument with anyone but using a work VPN for example.
For me just trying to copy and paste with these stupid little circles where you have to pull them apart to select text by moving your fingers apart on the screen. That's enough for me because even something as simple as that is way more difficult to do on an iPad.
Chromebook: they are just a spyware device for Google. That's wy they are so cheap. I gave one to my mother in law and they are great for just surfing the net if you want to do everything signed into google.Really easy to use for someone older and not tech savvy. But really slow and limited in what they can do.
I very recently took possession of an Air to replace my 2016, fully specced Macbook pro which was a lemon to be honest. Apple replaced the screen twice, the keyboard and the battery all on Apple care but this time when the screen went again it was too much for me. (Note: we are 5 in the family and we have 4 Pros and a MacBook and this is the only one that's ever had a problem. It's just a lemon).
But I'm astonished at how much better the Air is!. Everything is faster and it's clearly not an underpowered machine at all and for half the price the Pro was in 2016. Really, this machine is astonishing and that's from someone that's been using macs for 20 years now.
It's something to bear in mind when you think of keeping a computer for 10 years. Will the computer in 5 years be half the price and 5x as powerful? This one is for sure. Plus everything is new on it. Everything. The USB-C ports aren't sloppy, the keyboard is perfect...
Who knows what new standards for wifi, bluetooth, etc will be. It probably won't change much but it will change.

As to getting used to a new mac it really is surprisingly easy but there are things that will undoubtedly catch you out sometimes because they are so easy. Of course there's a learning curve.
I remember wanting to uninstall something with my first mac and ringing my brother to ask where the uninstaller was because when you come from Windows you know how important it is to uninstall correctly.
You just drag it to the bin was the reply and that's pretty much what you will find.
Pretty much everything you need will be installed from the word go and if you are stuck think of the simple solution and it's probably it.
And there's no bloatware. One of the first things you do on a Windows computer is uninstall all the cr*p you don't need.

If you use iCloud to save everything it gets even easier.

Anyway, good luck. It seems like a big leap and I do get it.
Yes, I'm sure people do have problems- me too but I still do have 2 Windows machines (and one is a cracking water cooled Ryzen Alienware) but I can honestly say I spend more time sorting out things own Windows- getting rid of broken links, temporary files, updating etc- in a month than I have on all the macs together in 5 years.
Take care
This is a long post I hope it's useful to you.