Question Which MAC do you buy?

[soundguruman]

I have a friend who wants to buy a MAC and dump his PC. He surfs and uses stuff like WORD, but no games. He might watch streaming video or listen to music, but that's about it.
He is 76 years old and is accustomed to PCs. He needs a pretty large monitor, like 22" or bigger. I think it would help him with his eyesight.
Which current model MAC desktop (not lap) should he get, and which OS should it have? Which office program should he have so he can make a smooth transition from MS office?
I am asking you MAC heads, cause of course, you know your stuffs. And he wants to know, to reduce the need for learning a new system.....minimize his confusion.
And I think he is sick of dealing with antivirus, which is his chief reason for abandoning PCs...
Thanks for helpful replies in advance.

 

[Pyree]

Big Mac. Oh wait, that is McDonalds.

There aren't really that many options when it comes to Apple computer.

I would go for a basic iMac. No need to fiddle around with other peripherals because everything is there including input devices. It is expensive in performance per dollar ration, but it is a Mac so that is expected. A Mac mini will also do everything your friend wants but require a separate monitor, speaker, keyboard, mouse and DVD drive.

Get the latest OS and you are set for a long time. Unlike gamers which needs frequent hardware update, your friend don't really that much power. If the hardware does not die, I would say your friend can keep it for at least 5+ years.

 

[DrakesTechGuide]

I would recommend a basic iMac; you will not need to worry about having the most powerful machine because he does not do any gaming/video editing. I would also highly recommend that if you have a local Apple store near your location, you take him there and have him look at the iMac and get his opinion on what he thinks about it. Apple totally fails at making mice. So you may want to get him a mouse that has more arch than the Magic mouse. The magic mouse is a mouse that comes with iMacs. I have used it and cannot stand it. (Makes my hand hurt after a while) You said that he likes to use Microsoft Office, and just to let you know there is a Microsoft Office for Mac. You can buy it at the Apple store online or the normal Apple store. I have also seen it a Best Buy. 2 last little tips you can tell him: Safari (The Compass looking thing in the dock) is Apples Internet Browser, and Finder (the face like thing in the dock) is like Windows Explorer. He should be able to pick up OS X quick it is not all the complicated.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

sick of dealing with antivirus? you do know that macs get viruses just as much as PC's do. Its a total MYTH that they dont get viruses. They are even more prone to viruses because people take such a light handed approach when it comes to securing their mac. Not to mention the macOS is less secure and updated less often than a windows PC. So in short, he WILL need antivirus/antimalware protection on his mac. If it were me, i'd just convert him and tell him macs are overpriced and a PC can do all the same things and more than a mac can do. But if you really must have a mac for some reason, please dont be naive, run virus protection.

 

[legendkiller]

Dont buy mac, they are too overpriced like Alien Ware Gaming Laptops...

 

[musical marv]

Dont buy mac, they are too overpriced like Alien Ware Gaming Laptops...

Why is there always a negative person among the apple sites here?Everything is overpriced including cars.

 

[musical marv]

sick of dealing with antivirus? you do know that macs get viruses just as much as PC's do. Its a total MYTH that they dont get viruses. They are even more prone to viruses because people take such a light handed approach when it comes to securing their mac. Not to mention the macOS is less secure and updated less often than a windows PC. So in short, he WILL need antivirus/antimalware protection on his mac. If it were me, i'd just convert him and tell him macs are overpriced and a PC can do all the same things and more than a mac can do. But if you really must have a mac for some reason, please dont be naive, run virus protection.

I am using a Mac for over 2 years straight with no virus at all. Use Clam Xva which is free and useful.

 

[nukemaster]

If your friend is used to the Windows style programs. Open Office may be something to toss on that mac. This way there is a familiar (MS clone) set of tools.

Everything else included with the basic mac will work just fine for those uses(hell even open office is not needed, just may be easier to use and will open many office formats).

 

[legendkiller]

Why is there always a negative person among the apple sites here?Everything is overpriced including cars.

Do you understand the overpricing? lol... Look, would you get a $1000 mouse or a $100 mouse which perform the same?
MSI sell a Quad Core i7 with GTX570m for less than $2000 awhile apple sell those kind of spec for more than $2400...

 

[musical marv]

Do you understand the overpricing? lol... Look, would you get a $1000 mouse or a $100 mouse which perform the same?
MSI sell a Quad Core i7 with GTX570m for less than $2000 awhile apple sell those kind of spec for more than $2400...

Apple has an excellent customer service base which you do pay for which is worth it compared to the other computer makers whose customer service stinks!

 

[joe_newbuilder]

It really sounds like your friends just wants a new PC. Antivirus on new systems takes care of it self and doesn't slow things down.

As for the mac front. I second,Third,the imac. It is a good system. If he needs a big display I'd say go with a 30"1080p tv

He should just get office for mac. I think both chrome and firefox work in less 'mac' way then safari.


However he WILL have a learning curve when it comes to macs they just work different and they no longer comes with awesome instructions

 

[HugoStiglitz]

Mac's ARE overpriced for their hardware specs.

but their software, after sales support & repair turn arounds is what you pay the extra for.

I've been an PC Repair Tech for 11 years, Mac Authorised Repair Tech for 3 and network engineer for 5.

for what i do, ill prob always have a MAC laptop and a Windows Based gaming desktop.
everyone uses computers differently.

 

[amdfangirl]

If I had to buy a mac for your mate, I would go with the lowest end Mac Mini and equip it with LibreOffice (Openoffice fork). I would choose the Mac Mini because I believe that it is easier to service and if a part fails eg. the monitor, webcam, you can just swap it easily in the Mac Mini, but the lowest end iMac is a solid choice as well.

But consider this, if your friend is already experienced with Windows and is not technically adept to a basic level, it may take him time to grow accustomed to Mac OS X and require retraining. I strongly recommend that you either train him how to safely use Windows. I have been a Windows/Mac/Linux user for ~10 years, haven't had a virus since 2006. Pretty easy to avoid, get music legally(ie. don't torrent copyrighted material), check non-dodgy emails visit same few reliable websites etc. Common sense really.

Alternatively if you have the technical expertise, considering installing a Linux distribution (eg. Linux Mint) which looks and works like Windows. You can avoid many common viruses with this, but be warned, all operating systems are have inheritly viruses.

 

[Ian-Mac]

I agree with AMDFanGirl. You would be better off just installing a poplar Linux distribution. I would recommend Ubuntu or Fedora but the large chance is that he might find Unity or Gnome 3 too different to what he has used before. I used to use Linux Mint at college and found it to be a really good distribution. Personally I use Ubuntu.

 

[amdfangirl]

I would suggest the LXDE desktop. It's almost Windows.

Default LXDE

Linux Mint LXDE

Lubuntu

my LXDE desktop (Fedora LXDE)

My desktop particularly looks like Windows. It's what I grew up with. (Hence the Office 2003-esque word processor; LibreOffice)
I configure it like this because I love Windows, still use it but it's too bloated and slow for my netbook.

 

[Ian-Mac]

http://lxde.org/sites/default/files/images/desktop_full.preview.png

Internet Explorer 6.0?

 

[viktorbkk]

Try to make your friend see reason. Macs, and Apple products in general are a plague, and consumers should stay clear.
If you have spent even minimum time on sites like Tom's, you should know how easy and cheap it is to build a powerful system today. You can build 2 or more powerful PCs for the price of one entry level weakling iMac.
If your friend doesn't want to pay for an antivirus, he can use Avast or some other type of free antivirus software.
As others have said, if your friend really doesn't like windows, you can use a Linux distro like Ubuntu. However I would strongly recommend that your friend tries Windows 7, if he hasn't already. Personally, I find Windows 7 to be ages ahead of previous versions, in every aspect.

 

[amdfangirl]

http://lxde.org/sites/default/files/images/desktop_full.preview.png

Internet Explorer 6.0?

It's configured like that because of WINE which aims to run Windows applications natively in Linux.

Mind you, it's an ancient screenshot from their website.

Try to make your friend see reason. Macs, and Apple products in general are a plague, and consumers should stay clear.
If you have spent even minimum time on sites like Tom's, you should know how easy and cheap it is to build a powerful system today. You can build 2 or more powerful PCs for the price of one entry level weakling iMac.
If your friend doesn't want to pay for an antivirus, he can use Avast or some other type of free antivirus software.
As others have said, if your friend really doesn't like windows, you can use a Linux distro like Ubuntu. However I would strongly recommend that your friend tries Windows 7, if he hasn't already. Personally, I find Windows 7 to be ages ahead of previous versions, in every aspect.

If the user could learn safe usage practices, it would aid greatly in keeping his computer free of viruses.

Windows (in general) is the best OS for the user, but Linux with the LXDE is not that far off.

 

[musical marv]

Windows has to many updates and it is expensive if you want to buy a better version.Apple is easier to use.

 

[amdfangirl]

Windows vs. Mac is like Imperial vs. Metric

Most Americans think that Imperial is easier to use

The rest of the world thinks that Metric is easier to use

It goes both ways because it is easier for Americans to use Imperial than Metric, which Metric is obviously better. Easy of use is subjective, marv.

While Windows may be more expensive per copy of Windows, Windows computers tend to be cheaper than Mac computers, making it more economical to keep Mac OS X to the latest OS release.

While Windows has many updates, it tends to be released more frequently rather than later. It means more updates, but the OS is more "secure" from new threats, relatively speaking.

 

[nukemaster]

Windows vs. Mac is like Imperial vs. Metric

Most Americans think that Imperial is easier to use

The rest of the world thinks that Metric is easier to use

It goes both ways because it is easier for Americans to use Imperial than Metric, which Metric is obviously better. Easy of use is subjective, marv.

While Windows may be more expensive per copy of Windows, Windows computers tend to be cheaper than Mac computers, making it more economical to keep Mac OS X to the latest OS release.

While Windows has many updates, it tends to be released more frequently rather than later. It means more updates, but the OS is more "secure" from new threats, relatively speaking.

Yay for clear and well thought out discussion and not flame wars.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Windows has to many updates and it is expensive if you want to buy a better version.Apple is easier to use.

I'm surprised you're still not banned from Tom's. Astonishing how mods don't notice your troll posts and new threads about "what hardware manufacturer makes <insert_part> for Mac" or "would you go for <insert_model> Mac" and constant bull$h!t about how Windows stinks without ANY reasonable arguments.

 

[musical marv]

I'm surprised you're still not banned from Tom's. Astonishing how mods don't notice your troll posts and new threads about "what hardware manufacturer makes <insert_part> for Mac" or "would you go for <insert_model> Mac" and constant bull$h!t about how Windows stinks without ANY reasonable arguments.

Hey big man freedom of speech we have in this country. Remember this!

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Hey big man freedom of speech we have in this country. Remember this!

Too bad when freedom of speech turns into freedom of trolling. Besides, I don't even live in your country, whichever you meant