Windows or Macbook Air?

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SheriffNZ

671 posts

Ultimate Geek

#295649 12-Apr-2022 11:24

Hi all - I'm probably getting to be in the market for a "family" new computer and am looking for some advice from you fine people.

Our current one is some form of HP which we were given for free by my wife's work when they upgraded. Tbh, we probably overpaid.... It's currently so slow as to be practically unusable but iPad's/work computers have been able to full the gap since I last bought a computer in around 2010(!).

A bit of background on the use case:

we use Microsoft Onedrive and use the Microsoft Office products;
Email is via gmail;
Intend to do some light video editing from my Gopro going forward;
Work computers are Windows (previously only ever used Windows);
Other than computers, the house is very Apple Centric with ipads, iphone's and apple tvs.
My kids would probably like to do some light gaming on the machine (Roblox/Minecraft etc).

We just bought my daughter a HP Probook X360 435 G8 Convertible for school. It was one of the recommended devices and fit the budget. The school is in the "Windows" world so my son will eventually get something similar when he gets to the same age in a couple of years.

Historically, with Windows machines I've had they've slowed down significantly over time. Admittedly, I've never really spent much money on them but I do keep reading about people with old Macbook's still going strong after a number of years. Do Macbooks last longer than comparable Windows machines?

Given the integration with the rest of our (primarily my (as I'll be setting it up)) Apple household I'm also considering a macbook air. It's roughly the same price as the computer we got my daughter, which is probably what I'd get if I went the windows route. I'm not too worried about Macbooks not being touch screen. I have a touch screen on my work computer and hardly ever use it.

I've always wondered what Apple Computers are like so that's a curiosity itch I'd like to scratch at some point.

I'm probably leaning towards a Macbook Air, unless you good folks can see any major issues with my use case that just won't work on a Macbook?

Is there anything else I should factor into my decision making?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cheers

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209 posts

Master Geek

#2900331 12-Apr-2022 12:10

If I was you, avoid anything retail market for Windows. Probook, Pavilions from HP etc are all not so great.

Try and find an Elitebook or Zbook. Some good examples can be found on TM for ok prices.

or the Mac book pro, I remember that the mac book air had cooling issues for a few years, not sure if this is still the case.

But if you are used to Windows, stay with it. Windows 11 is excellent.

DrownedWombat

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2900336 12-Apr-2022 12:22

The M1 Macbook Airs are beasts and you can't really go wrong. The only issue is if there's an app that needs an intel chip for whatever reason, but I believe this is quite rare.

jarledb

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#2900400 12-Apr-2022 14:48

I have a MacBook Air M1 and really love it. It is relatively fast, have zero fans and great battery life. Probably the best value MacBook you can buy right now. Would recommend going with 16GB of RAM if your budget allows.

Not sure about games, but would think that games that don't require a beefy GPU will be fine on it, provided they are available for MacOS.

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BenTM

21 posts

Geek

#2900413 12-Apr-2022 15:06

I use an M1 Macbook Air for my daily driver and if you want to do anything to do with video editing, I would highly recommend it. The M1 chip is a revelation for usability – everything opens quickly, closes quickly and loads quickly. I am a 'million tabs across two browsers' kind of person and rarely does this thing stutter with 20+ Chrome tabs and a dozen Safari tabs all open at the same time. Plus Teams, photoshop, acrobat and whatever else I forgot to close.

Interoperability with other Apple devices is also fantastic.

Minecraft and Roblox both work on Mac just fine.

I have had no issues with anything I've wanted to do at all.

When I first switched to Mac the OS took a little getting used to but since I did, every time I've used Windows I've found it to be a wild place of unruliness and disorder.

That being said! If something does go wrong, repair is a nightmare and some people really just don't like Mac OS.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Lias

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#2900513 12-Apr-2022 16:26

SheriffNZ:

Admittedly, I've never really spent much money on them but I do keep reading about people with old Macbook's still going strong after a number of years. Do Macbooks last longer than comparable Windows machines?

Do I expect a $500 laptop from even a more reputable name to last long? No, not at all. But invest in quality PC hardware and yes, they can last for a very long time. HP business grade stuff is very good, especially the EliteBook's.

My primary personal laptop is a 10 year old 6560b, I upgraded it with 16gb of RAM and an SSD when I purchased it ex lease in 2015 and it's never missed a beat, even still has battery life. I've also got a 15 year old HP 8510p that still runs ok most of the time. Windows itself can slow down over time, particularly if you uninstall/reinstall or upgrade lots of software, but a clean install easily cures that.

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Handle9

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#2900528 12-Apr-2022 16:47

Lias:

SheriffNZ:

Admittedly, I've never really spent much money on them but I do keep reading about people with old Macbook's still going strong after a number of years. Do Macbooks last longer than comparable Windows machines?

Do I expect a $500 laptop from even a more reputable name to last long? No, not at all. But invest in quality PC hardware and yes, they can last for a very long time. HP business grade stuff is very good, especially the EliteBook's.

My primary personal laptop is a 10 year old 6560b, I upgraded it with 16gb of RAM and an SSD when I purchased it ex lease in 2015 and it's never missed a beat, even still has battery life. I've also got a 15 year old HP 8510p that still runs ok most of the time. Windows itself can slow down over time, particularly if you uninstall/reinstall or upgrade lots of software, but a clean install easily cures that.

Pretty much this. Buy cheap, get junk. There are a variety of comparable hardware offerings at the MacBook Air price point.

Saying that the MacBook Air is a great combination of battery life, very good performance/screen and no fan noise.

My work Windows laptop drives me nuts with fan noise compared to my basically silent M1 Mac mini. If I was buying again I would have bought the MacBook Air instead of the mini, just for the versatility of having a laptop.

SheriffNZ

671 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2900531 12-Apr-2022 16:57

Lias:

SheriffNZ:

Admittedly, I've never really spent much money on them but I do keep reading about people with old Macbook's still going strong after a number of years. Do Macbooks last longer than comparable Windows machines?

Do I expect a $500 laptop from even a more reputable name to last long? No, not at all. But invest in quality PC hardware and yes, they can last for a very long time. HP business grade stuff is very good, especially the EliteBook's.

Yes, that's why I asked the question around comparable Window's machines. I appreciate there is a "you get what you pay for" scenario with some of my previous purchases.

My work computer, which I'm writing this on, is an Elitebook and seems pretty good. The work computer we picked up from my wife's work was an elitebook too, but I'm not sure off hand what vintage and specs.

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SheriffNZ

671 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2900532 12-Apr-2022 17:01

Appreciate the feedback everyone! Sounds like I have a macbook in my future (assuming I can get it passed The Boss).

Any other tips/comments, please add them in.

Thanks again!

shk292

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#2900534 12-Apr-2022 17:05

The big plus with the Macbook is the included video editing software - with Windows, you'll need to buy separate software and in my experience none of it is quite at the sweet spot of usability and functionality that Apple provides.

We bought my kid the cheapest Macbook Air a few months ago and no complaints so far. I've always used Windows myself

BenTM

21 posts

Geek

#2900544 12-Apr-2022 17:21

SheriffNZ:
Appreciate the feedback everyone! Sounds like I have a macbook in my future (assuming I can get it passed The Boss).

Any other tips/comments, please add them in.

Thanks again!

Great choice. My biggest tip is that cmd+space opens the search bar and it will be your new best friend.

JaseNZ

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#2900546 12-Apr-2022 17:22

You can always look to see what they has as refurbished, a lot of people overlook this.

I got my macbook pro 2 years ago doing this and saved pretty much a grand.

This is an example.

https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/product/FGN63X/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-air-apple-m1-chip-with-8%E2%80%91core-cpu-and-7%E2%80%91core-gpu-space-grey?fnode=cff1aa04b4b429224884defbbc9b9115bd32bbff3b7bef1a58c0272f0ca242f1fa59927c6791f53a6ff7745bb36bfa48d0ddc719160895fc5100e11760797db3b08cfd997e4f5071a460b86f873184b6

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Behodar

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#2900548 12-Apr-2022 17:35

Bear in mind that Apple uses 'integrated everything' in terms of hardware, and it's effectively impossible to upgrade RAM or storage after purchase. Also, the current OS is in dire straits with bugs all over the place.

Despite that, I think it's currently the best of a bad bunch. Hopefully now that the Arm transition is almost over, Apple will focus on fixing the software.

andrew75

145 posts

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#2900551 12-Apr-2022 17:39

Apple.... Do you want to support a company that deliberately goes out of its way to design its products to not be repairable... Mac book air has soldered on ram and a soldered on ssd. Not up-gradable. Not repairable. Have a look at some of the Louis Rossman videos....

GSManiac

488 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2900603 12-Apr-2022 18:02

Apple are currently selling refurbished M1 MBA on their website. There is also educational discount too which there is no need to verify.

You can’t got wrong with the M1 Air. I previously had a 2011 MacBook Pro which is still going strong, and only had to get the new Air for work last year otherwise I’d still be rocking it. They give a lot of mileage.

If I was going to windows I’d be looking at a Dell personally.

Zal

209 posts

Master Geek

#2900604 12-Apr-2022 18:24

andrew75:

Apple.... Do you want to support a company that deliberately goes out of its way to design its products to not be repairable... Mac book air has soldered on ram and a soldered on ssd. Not up-gradable. Not repairable. Have a look at some of the Louis Rossman videos....

I hear you man. Its crap, but some of their stuff is really nice and often just works.

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