Which MAC do you buy?

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.

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.

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.

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

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).

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!

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.

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.

http://lxde.org/sites/default/file [...] review.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.

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.

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.

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.

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