Looking at computer options

[Slaninar]

Personally I don't see what the worry is with Microsoft ceasing support for XP, all their updates ever used to do was cause things that did work properly to stop working. 

Try googling "conficker". It might change your mind on the updates.

I've a desktop machine that I use for video editing and a laptop that I use for everything else.  Both running XP and I doubt that will change. 

Most new laptops don't have XP compatible drivers. Soon to be the case with motherboards as well. I am an XP fan myself, but the change is forced. Planned obsolescence (what a word in English    ).

I can use the laptop in the living room (as I am now), in the garden and I can put it in my rucksack when I go away and use it wherever I am.  I've never been a great fan of anything with an i in front of it's name as they will only work with something else with an i in front of it's name.  I was once given an iPod but found that to load any music onto it I had to install iTunes on my computer which then took a huge amount of disk space and tried to take over everything to do with music files.  With any other bog standard mp3 player, I can just copy files over from the laptop and they play.

Windows 8 now integrates calendars, email settings and address book online so does nothing that a Mac can.  However, to give the other side of the coin, a friend who is a complete computer numpty went over to a Mac After his son persuaded him that he might find it easier.  Most of the time he does but still has problems with things he used to be able to do on a pc that he can't do or aren't as straightforward.  He's also changed his phone for an iPhone as he had all sorts of problems getting his previous Samsung Galaxy to work with the Mac and hates it.

As said, you'll pay a lot more for a Mac than an equivalent spec Windows machine but as Apple have their own shops you are likely to get better support than from the ignorant box shifters that work in PC World.  It just depends if you need it.  You've obviously got on fine with a Windows machine up until now, so what makes you think you'll need it in the future?

I-phone is a nice, practical thing. I don't have it, but a friend who is always on the road uses it a lot - for business as well as fun.


Like most other things - they have good and bad sides, you need to have your own criteria on which you base your decision - for yourself. 


Oh, and most of it is made to take your money, 90% of things I see ordinary people do on a PC can be done with both software and hardware from 10 years ago. But you can't even buy that (except 2nd hand with no guarantee) now.