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Randy wrote: >When the day comes that she has ?purchased a new Mac, she can use Migration Assistant to move all of her data to a new Mac.??
Migration Assistant would be wonderful. How will I know when I need a new Mac? I'll come back to you then,
I see that the 27" has been discontinued. And new iMacs are very expensive. I don't have that kind of money. My partner bought this iMac for me before he retired and his income dropped. He has no patience with Macs. I'm afraid my next computer will have Windows, and I'll have to learn that.
I started with an Apple IIe. Then an original Mac II with a large display. And Macs ever since. I want to stay with Macs and large screens!
Patsy
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On Mar 23, 2025, at 11:00 PM, Patsy Price via groups.io <beyondwords@...> wrote:
Migration Assistant would be wonderful. How will I know when I need a new Mac? I'll come back to you then, You’ll know that you need a new Mac because it will become impossible to find a browser that is reliably compatible with all the Web sites you visit. You may also find that your Mac is no longer compatible with modern software that you want to run and/or some of your existing software won’t be compatible with the Internet or common file formats. The common term for all this is “technology drift.” It means that your computer is too old to remain compatible with what you want to do.
I see that the 27" has been discontinued.
Apple is rumored to be working on a new large-screen iMac. No way to know when it might be released though. And new iMacs are very expensive. I don't have that kind of money. My partner bought this iMac for me before he retired and his income dropped. He has no patience with Macs. I'm afraid my next computer will have Windows, and I'll have to learn that. There is no reason why you have to purchase a Mac that is brand-new. You can save a bundle of money simply by purchasing a used or refurbished Mac that’s, let’s say only three years old. Such a Mac will probably last another nine or ten years. __________________________________________________ Randy B. Singer Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions) Essential But Hard To Find Macintosh Software and Advice __________________________________________________
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On 24 Mar 2025, at 09:53, Randy B. Singer via groups.io <randy@...> wrote:
There is no reason why you have to purchase a Mac that is brand-new. You can save a bundle of money simply by purchasing a used or refurbished Mac that’s, let’s say only three years old. Such a Mac will probably last another nine or ten years. For many years now I’ve preferred to buy MacBooks (Pro or Air). They are more than powerful enough for anything that we do, and are so much more flexible that a desktop computer. You can, of course, use a laptop/notebook on a desk if you prefer, and if the screen is a little small, you can use an external monitor instead of the built-in one. Ours are 2012 models and we are likely to buy newer (not new but nearly so) ones in the next year or so... Otto
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On the matter of browsers with High Sierra, there is the rare occasion where a site doesn’t like Safari, and in those cases I’ve used Chrome or Firefox. ?I don’t recall how I found Chrome, but it would have been a web search for Chrome on High Sierra.
?
On backups, I’ve had the odd hiccup with Time Machine, and so, now and then, do a straight copy of documents onto an external drive. ? That has worked going back to the Atari 520.
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0Otto Nikolaus wrote: For many years now I’ve preferred to buy MacBooks (Pro or Air). They are more than powerful enough for anything that we do, and are so much more flexible that a desktop computer. You can, of course, use a laptop/notebook on a desk if you prefer, and if the screen is a little small, you can use an external monitor instead of the built-in one.
From 1998 to 2022 I got used to a portable computer with a 13-15” screen. As I aged, I realized I no longer much needed portability, but the laptop ergonomics were getting bothersome.
My first step was to get a good monitor (I got a 24” LG 4K model; at my desk I don’t sit far enough from the monitor to need a 27” one). And a separate keyboard and trackpad.
And I used my last Macbook Pro (2013 model) in clamshell mode.
When it came time to replace the computer, I decided to move to a desktop machine, and chose a Mac Mini.
I have no problem continuing to use the monitor, keyboard, and trackpad long after I’ve decided to upgrade the computer; my next move will be to replace the desktop computer with, likely, a Macbook Air.
Did you realize that an M4 Macbook Air is MORE powerful in most benchmarks than an M1 Max Mac Studio?
jimdoc@...
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Randy wrote:
> There is no reason why you have to purchase a Mac that is brand-new. ?You can save a bundle of money simply by purchasing a used or refurbished Mac that’s, let’s say only three years old. ?Such a Mac will probably last another nine or ten years.
Otto wrote: >For many years now I’ve preferred to buy MacBooks (Pro or Air). They are more than powerful enough for anything that we do, and are so much more flexible that a desktop computer. You can, of course, use a laptop/notebook on a desk if you prefer, and if the screen is a little small, you can use an external monitor instead of the built-in one.
Jim wrote: > When it came time to replace the computer, I decided to move to a desktop machine, and chose a Mac Mini.
When the time comes for a new Mac, I only want to continue to use it on my desk. I want a large screen, a separate full-size extended keyboard, and a mouse. (I hate touchpads! And can barely use the touchscreen on my phone.)? So that's probably another iMac. Or maybe, as Jim chose, a Mac Mini and a good display. I'd be very happy with a refurbished Mac. Of course I'd consult you all beforehand. Patsy
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Randy wrote:
> There is no reason why you have to purchase a Mac that is brand-new. ?You can save a bundle of money simply by purchasing a used or refurbished Mac that’s, let’s say only three years old. ?Such a Mac will probably last another nine or ten years.
Otto wrote: >For many years now I’ve preferred to buy MacBooks (Pro or Air). They are more than powerful enough for anything that we do, and are so much more flexible that a desktop computer. You can, of course, use a laptop/notebook on a desk if you prefer, and if the screen is a little small, you can use an external monitor instead of the built-in one.
Jim wrote: > When it came time to replace the computer, I decided to move to a desktop machine, and chose a Mac Mini.
When the time comes for a new Mac, I only want to continue to use it on my desk. I want a large screen, a separate full-size extended keyboard, and a mouse. (I hate touchpads! And can barely use the touchscreen on my phone.)? So that's probably another iMac. Or maybe, as Jim chose, a Mac Mini and a good display. I'd be very happy with a refurbished Mac. Of course I'd consult you all beforehand.
Perhaps it’s a bad habit but I mostly use my MB Pro on my lap, sitting on the couch. Having it this close also means that the 15” screen is easily large enough. ;-)
Otto
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Everyone has different needs and preferences. I used to travel for work, and a MacBook Pro with the builtin trackpad was my preferred form. I have squeezed out about as much use as I can from a 2008 model, and a second display.
Like Jim S, my needs have changed. I am now retired, disabled, don’t get out of the house much, and broke. I was able to afford a used late 2012 Mac mini. That allowed me to move up to Catalina and have several browsers that are accepted on most web sites. I used Chrome Legacy only long enough to download the installers I needed to upgrade the OS.
I use a trackball, as mice cause me to get repetitive movement pains. YMMV. I would love to use a trackpad, but I have not found one in my current price range. I have several full-sized extended keyboards that I own. I ran an extended computation on 3 Macs for 10 years for cancer research.?
By using your own monitor, rather than the iMac, you can lower your cost, and if anything goes wrong with the display, is much cheaper to replace, if you don’t use an Apple display. One of the things that was failing on my MBP was the keyboard, once again. So a Mac mini makes good sense, especially if you are on a budget.?
Brent ?
On my late 2012 Mac mini running 10.15.7?
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Randy wrote:
> There is no reason why you have to purchase a Mac that is brand-new. ?You can save a bundle of money simply by purchasing a used or refurbished Mac that’s, let’s say only three years old. ?Such a Mac will probably last another nine or ten years.
Otto wrote: >For many years now I’ve preferred to buy MacBooks (Pro or Air). They are more than powerful enough for anything that we do, and are so much more flexible that a desktop computer. You can, of course, use a laptop/notebook on a desk if you prefer, and if the screen is a little small, you can use an external monitor instead of the built-in one.
Jim wrote: > When it came time to replace the computer, I decided to move to a desktop machine, and chose a Mac Mini.
When the time comes for a new Mac, I only want to continue to use it on my desk. I want a large screen, a separate full-size extended keyboard, and a mouse. (I hate touchpads! And can barely use the touchscreen on my phone.)? So that's probably another iMac. Or maybe, as Jim chose, a Mac Mini and a good display. I'd be very happy with a refurbished Mac. Of course I'd consult you all beforehand. Patsy
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Brent wrote: > I am now retired, disabled, don’t get out of the house much, and broke.
Me too! But I'm somehow managing, with occasional help from family.
Brent wrote: > By using your own monitor, rather than the iMac, you can lower your cost, and if anything goes wrong with the display, is much cheaper to replace, if you don’t use an Apple display. One of the things that was failing on my MBP was the keyboard, once again. So a Mac mini makes good sense, especially if you are on a budget.
I've never even seen a Mac Mini. But I just now looked online. Cute! And you've convinced me that's probably the way for me to go. Until my most recent 2 iMacs, I had a desktop Mac and a non-Mac large display. I'll pay more attention now. And definitely consult this group when the time has come for a new computer.
Patsy
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Jim Saklad
Brent