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Brad asked: “I have an old PC and am trying to decide whether to upgrade to another PC or an Apple product and looking for the pros and cons of each.”
Well, Brad, it all depends on what you’re looking for.
PCs will offer you a wider range of prices, so if you’re looking for an inexpensive machine PC is your option. All Macs are relatively expensive.
Macs on average last two years longer than PCs, but make sure you’re comparing computers that are comparable. Macs are high end, expensive computers, if you compare a Mac to a high end PC, they tend to last about the same.
If you’re a gamer, or are thinking of a desktop and would like more upgradable hardware, you probably want a PC.
Apple computers run Mac OS, which is a pretty intuitive operating system, but you’re already used to Windows, so keep in mind that there will be some adjustment.
Macs tend to age pretty well for a computer, sooner or later they stop being able to handle modern software, but they’re not as prone to the gradual slowing down that Windows machines can experience.
One big point against a new Mac is that they’re switching to all USB Type-C ports, which is wonderful in theory, but it also means that if you want to charge your Apple iPhone with your Apple MacBook, you need to buy an adapter. There’s nowhere to plug in the cable that came with the phone. No one wants to walk around with a computer they can’t plug a flash drive into.
Either choice will probably serve you well, but it all depends on what you’re after. Just keep in mind that there’s no cheap entry into the Mac world, and that there will be a learning curve if you’re coming from Windows, but it won’t be anything you can’t handle.