My opinions are mixed on this, so as my work PC, I used to use a small mini-PC that was absolutely shocking. I changed this more recently for a top of the range iMac and also bought a Lenovo IdeaPad (i5, 1TB).
To put it in perspective, I can essentially do everything on my laptop that I can on my Mac, despite the Mac being about £700 more expensive than the laptop. In all honesty, I prefer the layout of an Apple product, and the fact that I can integrate and share files quickly with my iPhone is great.
But, I don’t really have anything against the laptop either, I do a fair amount of video editing, and both run Premiere Pro and After Effects perfectly.
What are everyone’s opinions? Windows PC or iMac? And, why? Or something else?
I agree with you here, but don’t have anything against either UI after using them Just thought I’d see what the consensus was, because for the most part, I can use both and not really care which one I’m using
I generally despise Windows and the general direction it is headed in.
I do a lot of software related things - so I like to have an OS that is stable, and having the UNIX terminal is always a bonus. So I prefer MacOS or Linux - though due to the price (or lack thereof) and customisability of Linux; I have been running openSUSE for the past few years.
Edit: I am also an advocate for open source software - so I will be sticking with Linux for the foreseeable future!
Makes sense. Never really considered it from a gaming perspective. Unfortunately, I’m not that into it and have Football Manager and Portal…works fine on my laptop, despite it being frowned upon by other games. I’ve never tried it on Mac…there’s a professionalism issue there
I’ve never tried Linux…what are the benefits (I’m not THAT computer savvy) that outweight Apple and Windows?
Get a custom build from a reputable source. Then that way for the same price as an IMac etc you can get a computer that fits your specifications especially if you need if for video editing etc.
Then if you need Mac you can download a VRM and then buy the Apple ISO and then you can have a windows PC and Apple all in one and all capable of delivering what you need to your specification.
P.S i got mine built with Chillblast, great company and very good customer service + they do specific computers for video editing etc.
I would mainly say that due to the fact that it is open source - you can be confident that your device is not sending diagnostic or analytics to the corps without your explicit knowledge.
The price is another benefit as most Linux distros are free!
Most benefits would come to software developers or sys admins or general techy people; as many software tools are designed to use the UNIX system - however there are some distros (such as Ubuntu, Zorin, and ElementaryOS) that are beginner friendly and are very easy to use.
In all fairness, I did consider a custom built PC. That does sound like a great idea to buy the Apple ISO…never considered that part. Too late now though, next time im in the market for a new one
Like a few others have said, it really depends. In all honestly, for most people you don’t need windows, and can get a sturdier system with a chromebook of mac depending on your needs.
Linux is great for a huge variety of things as well. I dont think anyone can really give a specific thing without individual requirements. I use/used Linux, Chromebooks, OSX, Windows, and iOS.
TBH, I didn’t know an Apple ISO image existed till I looked into it. But the way to get is SUPER convoluted and only really works on certain flavours of Apples ISO.
Sync with my Philips Hue to use their ‘Entertainment’ functionality - syncs the lights in your house with music, movies etc
Non-essentials:
Live stream video games (will be playing via PS4, not a PC gamer)
Web design - although these are mostly low function sites for simple family businesses and can mostly be achieved in a browser window
Desirable:
Customisation (big Android fan)
Probably portable - hence I’m thinking laptop/notebook, but with scope for large screen real estate (sync with third party monitors is OK).
Wouldn’t exactly say I’m a ‘power-user’ I’m more just your average Joe. I want a bit more than the basic browser window and MS Office functions, but wouldn’t fully utilise a lot of the options out there.
Since you like android, you might want to consider a chromebook. It will meet all your needs assuming you like google sheets, you just need to look into the web design side, which to be honest, can like you said probably be achieved with browser tools.
They come with Android, and (newer models) Linux container availability so you can run (if the need ever comes up) a number of other tools that are compatible with Linux.
It also supports things like eternal monitors etc. so you can do things like “dock” it into a desk setup.
Chromebooks also have really good hardware and software support, generally supported for 6 years, and security its built in as a front line feature. (the 6 years of support includes hardware. unlike windows where you might have windows 10 supported for 10 years, your hardware will drop support… whenever they feel like, usually after a year or two).
I say this as someone who is using Apple stuff now Chromebooks are really great assuming you dont mind the cloud angle.
Do you mean play video games on your laptop that are running on a PS4, or play live stream videos of games?
I do like a Chromebook (and have one myself), but wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who needs to do any video editing unless they have something else for doing that (I have an iMac for those times).
I mean play on the PS4, but stream my gameplay to an audience on say Facebook, Twitch, Youtube.
A friend of ours recently set up a channel, and he predominantly arranges the stream. On occasion though, it would be cool if one of the rest of us in the group could stream to the channel in his absence.
Thanks for your comments - haven’t really conducted a huge amount of research yet. I’ll be working away from home in the not too distant future, so just starting to think about upgrading.
Edit: I realise I’ll also need some supplementary hardware to do this, and I’ll take my friend’s advice on what is needed. What I’m really trying to consider is, that hardware aside, would a laptop/Chromebook still be feasible or would it be under-powered.
I missed the light video editing there. There are options, but yeah, maybe not if that’s the case.
A laptop is perfectly fine, though maybe not a chromebook (at the moment) for the video editing etc.
a macbook would work nice but you probably wouldn’t get the integration out of it.
On the windows/Linux side, laptops are more about getting something with a decent build quality thats sufficiently lightweight that wont fall apart after a year.