Are you looking for a new laptop but don’t know where to start? The two leading players are Windows and Apple, with their Mac and PC products, but how do you know which one is right for you?
What are you going to use it for?
Generally speaking, Apple Macs are known for being popular with creatives such as designers, video editors, and musicians, whereas Windows makes really powerful gaming computers. Macs no longer have disc drives (or even regular USB ports!), so if you have a load of CD-Roms you know you will want to use, you will be best off with a PC.
The screen quality on a MacBook is so superior that if you are doing photo or video editing, it is a crucial distinction. If you are just going to be using the laptop for researching and writing essays, however, you don’t need to buy anything expensive at all. In fact, in that situation, a Chromebook would be best – but that’s an article for another time!
Do you want synergy with your other devices?
One thing that Apple does incredibly well is ‘hand-off’ between devices, so if you have an iPhone or iPad, this is a real bonus. You can start writing an email on your iPhone and then finish it off on your Mac, without having to sync anything or using a third party app. This is all integrated seamlessly on a Mac, so you don’t have to worry about being particularly tech-minded and setting anything up yourself. It depends how in-sync you want all of your devices to be.
Do you want longevity?
Macbooks usually come with a much heftier price tag than a Windows computer; however, they don’t tend to need replacing as often, as retain a lot of their resale value once you do decide to upgrade. For example, a brand new MacBook will still be going strong after five years, as long as you have looked after it, whereas a Windows computer will be pretty slow at this point. However, if you don’t want to save up, or pay the higher price point of a MacBook, you may prefer to pay for a Windows computer and just replace it after a few years.
Is security important to you?
You very rarely hear of a Mac with a virus, as they are much more secure, even if you have virus protection on a Windows computer. That doesn’t mean you can be entirely complacent on your Mac, especially as hackers are finding new ways to spread malware; however, you are a lot less likely to be struggling with a virus on your computer if you invest in an Apple product.
How confident are you?
There are a vast number of Windows computers and it can be really overwhelming working out which is best for you as they differ so wildly, whereas there are only a handful of Mac computers available and it is much easier to see the difference, as Apple lay it out clearly on the comparison tool on their website.
At the end of the day, it’s an entirely personal choice that has to be right for you and what you want to do with your new computer. Once you have considered these points, you should be a lot clearer on which is right for you – now you just have to decide on a model!
