Mac v PC?

GarminDave

Ex-Arkwright
Premier Member
#1
I’m currently considering changing my 12yo PC and wonder if an iMac is the best way to go.
One consideration will be does Garmin Base Camp work on the Mac?
I also want to edit my INNOV K2 V
Any input?
 

Firstpeke

Well-Known Member
#2
Cost wise a new PC, even a reasonably high spec one, will cost a deal less, usually, than an iMac....

I have an iPad for general use, email, web browsing, Kindle reader software, drone first person view control, and other stuff that it does very well....

For a PC I have a high spec Microsoft surface laptop which can double as a tablet if required......

I use this for everything else including MS office, photo management, web browsing and much more..... I have a dual monitor desk setup with wireless keyboard and mouse for when I used to work form home....

If you are familiar with the iMac and don't mind the premium price it can be a better tool if you do desktop publishing etc, but generally I would stick with desktop/laptop solution unless you have very specific requirement and can afford the more flashy iMac solution.

As to Basecamp, I have no idea if it runs on iOS (Apple) based devices.....

Certainly there may well be some good editing software for video but again, the Apple solution may be expensive if that is the main thing you want to use it for.

Not sure if this is helpful.....
This of course is my opinion and there will certainly be many more that may sing the praises of the Apple solution.... you pays your money etc.
 

owl*

Rally Bonus checker
IBA Member
#3
Takes a while to get used to how the Mac works - everything is slightly different to Microsoft. I got there in the end, so if I can, I'm sure you could.
Basecamp works perfectly well on mine. No idea what Innov K2 v is.
 
#5
Basecamp works fine on the Mac, but there are quite a few differences to the PC which can initially be a bit frustrating. Plenty of video editing software available for Mac, some bundled with the machine so I would be surprised if you couldn't edit from the Innov.

I'm a Mac man and think in general they are well built machines, whether that justifies the higher price is quite an individual choice. The Mac OS is similar but different to Windows, whether that will drive you barmy or open your horizons is a matter for you ;)
 

owl*

Rally Bonus checker
IBA Member
#6
I just like being free of the tyranny of the Microsoft philosophy of charging for an operating system that needs constant updates and then they drop support for it after a few years.
The oddities of Apple are worth it for that alone.
 

stevek

Married to the best Cake Maker in the UK
IBA Member
#8
HI Dave
I use a MacBook Pro and have Base Camp on it.
If I can make it work then you should have no problems.
Mind you I can take pictures with a phone now as well so consider myself a technical genius!!
Steve K
 

Auburn

Premier Member
#9
I have been running a MS Surface for years. I have an old Pro3. It has been rock solid for 5 years now. I did see that it won't support the WIN 11 because it has a Intel i5 chipset in it (Needs i7 or higher). I plug the USB into a Dell D3100 dock which has 3 monitors attached and all the peripherals. I just unplug the USB and go.

I do have an ipad (7th Gen) which I use to run google maps and other things. Can't weigh in on the macbook, never used one.
 

Auburn

Premier Member
#11
I would just like to say I have no idea what the last post is about.
Someone mentioned a MS Surface above. It has full computing capabilities and can be docked or used as a tablet.

My response is nothing more than to let you know my experience with a Microsoft Surface, it's durability and how I use it. It has been on my motorcycle every time I do multiday trips including the Artic Circle and all over the US and Canada. Been very reliable computer. It is my rally computer and runs basecamp very well. I was just letting you know other ways to use it (which a Mac may be able to be used that way too).

Computers are like oil and tires...
 
#12
I'm late to this thread (well, I've been away from the IBA forum for quite some time).

I have spent the past 30 years using PCs, however apart from the 3 windows PCs at home (main desktop and a couple of laptops), I have a large amount of Macs (mac mini desktop, MacBook air, 2xmacbook pros, iPad pro, iPhones) - so I can probably give a balanced view.

The issue with the Apple products is that they are addictive, and like any addictive thing, once you are in it's hard to get out. The whole Apple ecosystem is designed to keep you locked in. The reason I have so many apple products is that they just work (99.99% of the time) and that what I do on one device is there on the others: photos, emails, audiobooks, videos, text messages, passwords, hell I can even take phone calls on my computers. Basecamp works fine on the device as does pretty much any website. I always stayed clear of apple products, including the phones, but i had to move to an iPhone for some government work, and now that I am in the ecosystem, I'm addicted and cannot get out easy.

The windows devices *can* do all that the Apple ecosystem does (dropbox to share files and photos, for example) but it requires to be setup correctly. It really depends on what you want to do with your IT: you mention editing videos - very simple on a mac and I do lots of video editing and podcast/audio development work, not so simple on the PC - but can be done.

The final thing on apple products is that they tend to keep their residual values - I just sold a 512MB iPhone XS Max (3 generations older than current) for £500, but then again it costs £1300 to buy in the first place.

You pays your money, you takes your chances.
 

DrNeo

Premier Member
#14
he whole Apple ecosystem is designed to keep you locked in. The reason I have so many apple products is that they just work (99.99% of the time) and that what I do on one device is there on the others: photos, emails, audiobooks, videos, text messages, passwords, hell I can even take phone calls on my computers. Basecamp works fine on the device as does pretty much any website. I always stayed clear of apple products, including the phones, but i had to move to an iPhone for some government work, and now that I am in the ecosystem, I'm addicted and cannot get out easy.

The final thing on apple products is that they tend to keep their residual values - I just sold a 512MB iPhone XS Max (3 generations older than current) for £500, but then again it costs £1300 to buy in the first place.

You pays your money, you takes your chances.
We too are now 100% Apple, and will probably stay that way. Like you stated, their ecosystem just works. My father in law didn't understand how I could send 20 photos from Thanksgiving in 3 seconds to my computer without even hooking anything up.

Sadly, my 2013 laptop was at the end of it's life (try finding a PC that will last that long) and I traded it in using Apple's trade-in program, and wound up with $340 - that's insane.
 
#15
I'm still on a 2013 MacBook pro15, a 2011 MacBook pro13, a 2012 mac mini - cant see the sense in buying new unless you are using it for profit/work. if I were to get an iMac, I would get an iMac 27 around 2013 and get the HDD swapped to an SDD - wang the memory up to 16GB or perhaps more if you edit 4k videos - no sane person needs more.
 

saphena

IBAUK Webmaster
Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
#16
My 2c worth is that all computers whether Apple, Microsoft, Linux or whatever are dogs, from a technician's point of view. They all break, get viruses, frustrate their end users and generally continue to provide employment for IT techs. Having said that, this is the 21st century and basic consumer law now means that all of them "just work" pretty much all the time. If you're an ordinary user then just about any device will cater for your needs.

Those three main classifications above differ from one another in two main ways:-

Functionality: Apple devices are designed to provide specific functionality. They're configured to provide that functionality well but it can be tricky to extend the functionality. Microsoft (Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, etc) are designed to be general computers with some well-configured functionality built in. Linux devices are aimed at people positively interested in extending functionality.

That's a matter of philosophy though, the actual differences between the three are pretty subtle and if you're a "mere end user" you just won't notice or care.

Price: It's much easier to spend a lot of money buying Apple devices than it is buying Microsoft or Linux devices.

One word of caution though, especially for those of advancing years. If you are used to Microsoft products and you switch to Apple or vice-versa, remember what is often said about old dogs and new tricks.
 
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GarminDave

Ex-Arkwright
Premier Member
#17
****UPDATE*****

I really enjoyed reading all this stuff and can report that a bit of a cleanout of all the dust inside the tower and some software I don't use this old PC is running as it should so my decision is deferred 'till the next crisis.

If our choices were easy then we would not ask the questions especially being an old dog I should just stick to doing the tricks I learned years ago, time to ride.

Later