Do I need a MacBook?

[TalskiddyTreacleMiner]

I'm in the market for a new laptop I think. I say I think because i have an iPad which I use a lot, but I don't find it great for office type stuff - Word, Excel etc.

Over the years we've got through loads of Windows laptops as they seem to slow right down after a couple of years. The current one has got a failed motherboard and isn't worth getting fixed.

So I'm thinking of throwing a bit more quite a lot more money at a new one and am specifically looking at the latest MacBook Air with the M1 chip. Friends who have Macs tell me they last for ages and when I add up how much I've spent on cheapie Windows ones, I could probably have bought a Mac only once in that time.

But do I need one? I want one, but it seems such a lot of money to spend when I already have an iPad. I can afford it due to a recent windfall but I can't seem to justify it. Tell me how great, or not, Macs are!

I'm not a Mac user, but I understand they have a load of fans; but I was going to say pretty much exactly the same as 00100001

Spending £200-£300 on a laptop only really covers the very basic system, as well as profits all along the supply chain, overheads and VAT, and there's very little left over for components of any kind of quality or durability. If you break down the figures on a £300 (or less) laptop, the manufacturer's margins are such that they have no choice but to use the cheapest, lowest-quality, most basic components they possibly can - and not to include any half-decent feature or function that they can get away with omitting altogether.

I believe ours is now 10 years old and still going strong! The battery life is non existent so we just leave it permanently plugged in but other than that it's still great.

You can usually buy replacement batteries for PCs - even old ones - on eBay for £30 or less. Wouldn't the same be true for Apple - or do they integrate/solder them in and make them non-replaceable 'for your enhanced user experience'? That said, a battery that's lasted the best part of 10 years certainly doesn't owe you anything.

Can you get batteries replaced? My old
MacBook Air needs it lol! Mine is 7-8 years old and I bought a new one a few months ago. Worth it.

The camera is shit, (and shitter than my old one!) but it generally is in a laptop. So if you need a good quality camera, get a seperate one.

@bottleofbeer

No, I hate them. My husband spent stupid money on one for me that was useless for my degree. Ended up giving it to my daughter and bought a seriously amazing windows laptop. HP Pavilion.

DD found that her Macbook (6 years old) wasn't compatible with the software her university uses. She now has a Windows laptop and finds it so much easier and less time consuming. She doesn't have to keep reformatting her work, and it works with all the software she uses.

She also found that the files she sent to school when she was in 6th form couldn't be opened because she didn't always remember to save them as a Word document.

We aren't fans of Apple in our house, preferring Android and Windows. Although DH prefers Linux.

Definitely go for the M1 chip. They last at least 10 years even after they're unable to get the latest updates. They're amazing. I've had two since 2008 and plan on getting the M1 next week, not because there's anything wrong with my 2015 macbook but because I need the M1 chip for accessibility and also the bigger battery life.

One thing I would suggest is getting the highest RAM you can afford as you can't upgrade later.

Replacement batteries are about £150-£170 or something, at the Apple Store. Given how long the MacBooks seem to last, it seems like a good investment to me if it means my DD can use it out and about for a few more years. I wouldn't dream of replacing a battery in my work Surface Pro or Lenovo Miix, they 're already dead after 3 years.

My OH has a couple of Macbook pros and wouldn't be parted from them even if he had to run barefoot over lava to rescue them; they bloody drive me mad and I hate them with a passion. I have a Dell running windows (about 3 years old now) that is as fabulous as when I bought it. I've always had Dell laptops, and love them.

I love all other apple products - iphone, ipad, etc but won't be getting a macbook any time soon.

I love mine, I upgraded mine (needed more disk space) at the end of last year but the one I replaced was still going strong on the most recent OS and was 7 years old.

Make sure you get as large a disk capacity as you can afford if you are going to be putting music or photos on it.

I would not use the expression need. It depends on what you use a computer for and to an extent your thought process. It seems akin to people who are strong at maths/science and those strong on English.

I have a mac mini and love it.

I've had my macbook since 2012 and it's still going strong (touch wood!). You won't regret it. But if you're moving from PC think about what apps you need and make sure if there are mac versions available. I know people who have PCs and can't move from them because of certain applications they use.

@hMG206

Can you get batteries replaced? My old MacBook Air needs it lol! Mine is 7-8 years old and I bought a new one a few months ago. Worth it.

The camera is shit, (and shitter than my old one!) but it generally is in a laptop. So if you need a good quality camera, get a seperate one.

Mine is currently with Apple getting a new battery. They ran a check on it and everything else is working well. I’m paying $129 for it here in the US.

It’s a 2013 MBAir bought in 2015.

I’ve had expensive PC laptops in the past that have all died. I’m a web/graphic designer and I work my computers pretty intensively.

I'm typing this on a MacBook Pro I've had for 8 years - it's great.

Mine is currently with Apple getting a new battery. They ran a check on it and everything else is working well. I’m paying $129 for it here in the US.

Do they actually have to take in your computer and fit it for you? Can you not just buy a replacement and slot it in the back in three seconds? Maybe they are vastly superior to PC batteries, but that sounds very inconvenient if so - and definitely done for their profit rather than the customer's benefit.

I’ve had expensive PC laptops in the past that have all died. I’m a web/graphic designer and I work my computers pretty intensively.

I'm not saying that being expensive is any guarantee of a good PC; just that being very cheap is almost certainly a guarantee of a bad/low-quality/non-long-lasting one.

It sounds like a Mac is probably much better suited to your own individual requirements, but heavy, intensive use of just about anything will make it wear out much more quickly than with light/average use.

Just to say, I'm most certainly neither a die-hard PC fan nor an Apple naysayer - I've considered whether Apple products might be better for me on several occasions. I suppose you also get used to one or the other and, with Apple, it's often a case of getting into the whole ecosystem rather than seamlessly mixing and matching.

I just don't like the attitude that a lot of people have (not saying anybody on this thread) that Apple must be better because it's Apple; and anything Windows-based must be rubbish because it isn't Apple - without any fair comparison or consideration of the merits and drawbacks of both.

Literally no-one's said that in 65 messages Buffet. But carry on, that's fine (typing on a 2009 MacBook Pro).

I had to get a MacBook Air for work and pay half towards the cost.
Didn't like it for a long time (more than 2 years) as I was used to Windows but now I wouldn't be without it.
Next time i need a laptop, I will buy another MacBook.

Literally no-one's said that in 65 messages Buffet. But carry on, that's fine (typing on a 2009 MacBook Pro).

No-one's said what in the thread? The bit that I said nobody on this thread had said?!

@HerNameIsIncontinentiaButtocks

Literally no-one's said that in 65 messages Buffet. But carry on, that's fine (typing on a 2009 MacBook Pro).

I think you misread her post

..

My Macbook is 5 years old and going strong. Macs don't seem to get as buggy as Windows. It's seen me through nearly a year of working from home and Teams works fine. Also has my doctorate on it.

I can see where @WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll is coming from.

There is the software compatibility issue for some applications. We all have Windows PCs and laptops at work because some of the software we use can't be used on Apple products.

Also, it is unfair to compare a £300 laptop with an expensive Apple laptop. It's like comparing a bottle of Lambrusco with a bottle of vintage Champagne.

I am used to using Windows laptops and have no desire to buy a Macbook. I have only owned three lapops in the last 17 years.

Have both but still use iPad the most. I am retired so not in a work situation but my grandsons who are working are devoted to their macs.My daughter had to use my Mac for some urgent work while visiting and all I could hear was “I love this”. The reason I usually use my iPad is a) so used to it b) very easy to pick up and use c) I can take screen shots that go straight to my photos. I can take screen shots on the Mac but they go to the screen and I can’t find a way to put them in photos. So applying on line for say road tax etc or a recipe a quick screen shot is really useful.

Love it. 6 years old, going perfectly. Looks lovely. Battery lasts for ages.

I just don't like the attitude that a lot of people have (not saying anybody on this thread) that Apple must be better because it's Apple; and anything Windows-based must be rubbish because it isn't Apple - without any fair comparison or consideration of the merits and drawbacks of both

If there’s one constant, it’s the justification Apple users have for purchasing Apple products.

I love mine. Resisted for a long time but am a convert.