Tech

WHAT DO I USE?

James Flynn, Milborne Port Computers

Ithought it was time that I explained what type of computers we use, and the reasons behind this. I often get asked ‘Would you use that type?’, so here goes!

Approx 80% of our customers are Microsoft Windows users and 75% of those customers prefer to use a laptop over a desktop. The rest of our customers are Apple users and of those, I would guess 90% prefer a MacBook (laptop style) over an all-in-one iMac.

Laptops these days are by far the more popular option because they are mobile products and with the right extra equipment you can use them like a desktop, i.e. plug in a bigger screen and have a separate keyboard and mouse. The plus is also that once your work is finished you can pick it up and take it with you. All you need to achieve this is to either plug everything into the side of the laptop, if it has all the correct ports, or buy a docking station/adaptor which is (normally) plugged in with USB-A to give you everything you need. I personally use this at home when remote working. Some customers however love a desktop PC and that is fine. If you have space for it and only want to use it in the same space, it is generally the most reliable and easiest to be repaired.

Kelly, who runs our office, has an all-in-one PC which is basically a motherboard screwed to the back of a screen with a cover on the back. A great space saver, harder to upgrade/repair, but doable. If you’re looking to buy one, make sure you buy the right specification and allow for it to be future-proof.

I am more of an Apple man and once you are in the Apple Eco System (as they call it) it’s basically impossible to get out! I used to use a MacBook Pro because they looked smart and because I needed to know how to fix them if someone brought one in – I could try out all sorts on my own product before jumping into a repair on someone else’s.

Now I rock an iMac with 2 extra screens in the office, a MacBook Pro for home/remote work, an iPad Pro for an extra screen for the MacBook Pro and for holidays, and an iPhone Pro Max for texts and telephone calls. All of these are synced via 2TB of iCloud storage with business and personal emails synced across all of them. One of the main reasons I use Apple and iCloud is for the hundreds of photos that I take. I can take a photo on my iPad or iPhone and within seconds it will be sent to every device and backed up to iCloud. It also means that should I ever lose or break a device I can just restore the data from iCloud.

For most home users a Windows-based computer will do everything you want it to do, and it will cost you a fair price. Having an Apple-based computer will cost you quite a lot more, but still do most things a Windows computer can do and more, but bear in mind most people only use the very basics like browsing the web and email so is it worth the extra money?

This is not a ‘you should buy’ article, this is merely what I use and what I have noticed over the years of being in the computer business. The choice as always is yours, and as ever if you need help you know where to come!