I switched a few years ago to a mac and to me it just feels much nicer which doesn’t sound like much but when you’re spending hours a day doing software it does kind of make a big difference. That said, work the pays the extra, I probably wouldn’t.
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Have to use one for work. Still not used to it. All of the keys are in the wrong place and customising loads of things is a pain in the arse. Loads of normal functions like the ability to snap a window to half of the screen, or changing between programs (got 2 chrome windows open? no alt-tabbing between them for you!) are horribly clunky and very user-unfriendly.
I imagine the track pad is nice if you learn how to use it but being forced to use multiple desktops ain’t for me. Stifled my workflow a lot. HTH
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Had a mac at home for about 17 years, used PCs a lot in jobs:
Mac OS tends to work better on a consistent basis and not have stupid frustrating things go wrong, but it’s not customisable in the same way. Basically Apple made something that works well and looks nice, and you’ll use it as they created it. There’s also stuff hidden away from beginner users- like if you open a menu and then press the alt key, you get extra advanced options in a lot of applications.
It also really depends on the specific apps you use- some are only available for PC, and games vary dramatically. If you like strategy or puzzle games you’ll be fine. 3d shooters? Maybe not.
Macs have a big advantage in the design field on colour consistency and syncing up colour profiles, whereas on PCs it can come out differently on every machine. Of course this is only an advantage/a problem if you actually work in some kind of visual field where precise colour replication is important.
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Also very handy for me- iCloud. I pay Apple a couple of pounds each month, and the files from the big desktop mac are seamlessly synced with my macbook air (which is very light and has very little storage space) and my phone.
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Let me put it this way, if you’re just after the best hardware you can afford and that’s your budget, then yes the Air is probably your pick. There’ll be a learning curve with MacOS, and you won’t be able to use all the same software, but you already know that. Apple will look to hook you further into their ecosystem, but that’s all optional - I barely use any of their software on mine.
If you’re looking for the best machine for what I suspect are your uses, chances are you’ll be able to get a much better value machine for a lot less by getting another PC.
Essentially, do you want something nice to treat yourself? 
Thank you. Really good points here.
It’s the
that worries me. I don’t want Steve Jobs telling me what to do.
I don’t really play games that much but will I suddenly want to when I know I can’t?
I prefer android phones, absolutely can not stand iPhones, but prefer a mac laptop however I took out a loan for a new one last year (replacing my 2012 ish air) my it is nowhere near as good as the older one. The bullt in camera is a joke, the keys stick, a few weeks in and some of the keys have turned white and you can’t see the letters on and it feels slower. Still prefer it to windows but really feels like they’ve cut corners compared to what they were producing ten years ago.
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Was a lifelong Windows boi until 2018 when I bought a Mac because my Windows machine packed in and I was about to start developing iOS apps so got the Mac. I really like it, I use it for everything, it was a bit of getting used to at first but now it just feels really intuitive and I get everything done faster. My work machine is Windows and even though I’ve been using that for way longer and probably spend more time on Windows because I’m at it 8hours per day I still prefer the Mac.
If there’s work I can do on my own machine instead of my company one then I’ll always use the Mac. Maybe a bit developer centric but I find installing packages so much smoother and I get up and running quicker, also my hands just want to default to Mac keyboard shortcuts automatically when I’m on VS Code. And the ability to emulate iPhone easily is a huge boon for me because iOS is a piece of shit that will always find some way to ruin your app.
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It’s really not customisable at all, however you very rarely to never get the problem where you install something and it just breaks everything for no apparent reason.
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Oh god, the keyboards on that era of macs is dreadful. Fortunately they’ve changed the keyboard back to the old style that… y’know… works.
I’m sure you’re right.
I think I was just disappointed to see all the negative points in reviews about these £500 machines out there.
I’m thinking “well, I’m wonderful so my laptop should be too”.
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FWIW, Chocolatey is becoming a decent Windows centric alternative to Homebrew. Not as good/complete yet, but most the stuff I regularly use is updated on there now.
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So true.
swoons
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Since last summer?
Also: Apple use significantly nicer screens than most PC laptop manufacturers (unless you specifically buy a high end model)
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depends on exactly which model, but yeah, they’ve been migrating them over the last year.
FFS. Should’ve waited a bit longer.
If it’s one of these models then you can get the keyboard replaced for free → Keyboard Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro - Apple Support
I’m using this at work, for some reason it was in a list of blocked software so I spent a good month convincing IT bods that it was fine.
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Interesting, thanks.
Still tempted at this point, I think.