Hi
I currently have a ten year old laptop that little Fatgit uses most days (and has effectively ruined) and I’m looking to buy something that I can keep for myself.

One of the reasons to buy is that I want to put all of my CDs on iTunes so need a disc drive. The rest of its use is just normal household stuff-letters and accounts etc

I like Apple and have an IPad and IPhone 8 and am considering an Apple laptop although I’m slightly put off by the price compared to “normal” laptops.
Do they come with disc drives or not?
Any reason to buy (or not too) an Apple?

Also do they update the OS like iPhones so stay current even though the actual unit may be old?
You seem to be able to get lots of second hand or refurbd items but I’m cautious about this.
The one person who I know who’s bought this says that it’s been no problem and he’s had it 8 years
Any other issues I need to consider?

Cheers
Steve

Get one. For the first time in your life you will experience ‘love’ for a computer.

I could be wrong but I don’t think the laptops come with CD drives anymore, am sure you can get an external one very cheap for ripping CDs from, or just rip them on another device and copy them over is probably the easiest way.

For a Mac you will need an external DVD

You can still get a Laptop with an optical drive

But, yes, they do update the OS yearly (or near enough) for free and support generally goes back to machines that are around 6 or 7 years old.

Apple laptops are great, but bollox to ripping your cds.
just get a streaming service sub instead.

I like Apple stuff but finding the latest laptops a bit on the spendy side. W10 is very good now, suppose it depends what your using it for.

They’re very lovey, but spend the same on a windows machine and they’re lovely too (and generally higher spec for the same money).

Some of the current Dell high-end stuff is lovely.

*IT ‘consultant’ who sees hundreds a week.

Some of the current Dell high-end stuff is lovely

This – I’ve been an Apple fan for ages, but my work laptop is pretty good (Dell E7212) for a business biased laptop.

So good I got an unwarrantied version with a better screen from eBay for home use.

I am an Apple fan but would say don’t by an Apple computer to run Microsoft programs. IMO the mac is better for lots of things except basic office work where it is a pain.

My work machine is a beast and the last w10 machine I bought 3 years ago doesn’t seem to have slowed down.

If the other laptop is effectively ruined how long do you think it will be before the new one is used and destroyed as the old one is too slow?

The rest of its use is just normal household stuff-letters and accounts etc

Well anything over 200 quid will do that.
I spent ages ripping all my music, I haven’t played any of it for years due to Spotify.

I’m an Apple convert but it is getting very, very spendy now and as i’m starting to look up a replacement for my 2009 MacBook, which still works fine and is running the very latest version of the iOS, but is starting to show signs of reaching the end of its useful service life, and i’m despairing a bit at the cost of its replacement. However my re-affirmation that Apple is still better, for me at least, is my recent purchase of a pretty decent Windows HP laptop for my daughter. Wow, after all these years Windows machines are still not much better than I remember. Sooooo Sloooowwwww, always chugging away in the background doing something even when i’m doing nothing. Constant annoying messages and notifications from anti-virus software. So this recent experience has justified the additional few hundred quid for the cost of a basic MacBook for me. Life is too short to accommodate the shortcomings of Windows. Just the time saved in boot up and shut down time over your lifetime is worth a few hundred quid. Even my ageing 2009 MacBook boots up in about 20% – 30% of the time it takes my daughters brand new windows laptop to boot up. OK it’s not SSD, but neither is my MacBook.

I am an Apple fan but would say don’t by an Apple computer to run Microsoft programs.

This might not necessarily be true. I don’t normally buy computer mag’s, but was bored at the airport a few years ago and bought one. They were reviewing the best Windows laptops for within a certain price range, and the winner was…….A MacBook running a windows dual boot. OK this was a few years ago and things may have moved on a bit, but I think you won’t have any problem whatsoever running windows software on a Mac.

This is an argument that will rage on for all time. You’re never going to convert a Windows fanboy to Apple and visa versa.

wobbliscott – Member
….You’re never going to convert a Windows fanboy to Apple and visa versa.

I think it’s more a perspective of once you’ve had your fingers burnt on a Windows OS machine, you’ll never want to go back from a Mac.

That said I’m very reluctant to upgrade any of my Mac computers just now although they are end of life no more OS upgrades possible. Probably sticker shock.

However my re-affirmation that Apple is still better, for me at least, is my recent purchase of a pretty decent Windows HP laptop for my daughter. Wow, after all these years Windows machines are still not much better than I remember. Sooooo Sloooowwwww, always chugging away in the background doing something even when i’m doing nothing. Constant annoying messages and notifications from anti-virus software.

Sounds nothing like any windows machine I use….

….You’re never going to convert a Windows fanboy to Apple and visa versa.

I love my MacBook

Rachel, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Me too – always been a Windows person, but now most stuff is cloud-based that matters less. I can run Fusion 360 on this shiny new MacBook, and it also runs my Apple-only accounts software so all is good.

Though I’ve swapped the Command and Control keys, because that was doing my head in, and installed an app that lets you dock windows the way my Surface can.

Refurbed Store is great if you can’t swing an edu discount or need older kit- it was the best way for me to pick up a high spec. MBP with “normal” USB this Summer.

Use macs and pc’s most days, equally happy on either.

Hi
Thanks for all of the replies. Some of it is way over my head I’m afraid and it seems it could go either way.
I’ll ponder on it some more I think
Cheers
Steve