A friend of ours, a lifelong Windows user, switched to the Mac after a bad experience with Windows 8. This causes us to rethink our latest Windows recommendations.
We’ve been pushing Windows over the Mac for at least a few reasons. It’s what most people are used to, it’s much cheaper and it works with a ton of programs.
But we have to admit that buying a Mac is a nicer experience. A friend bought her Mac at an Apple store. A helpful clerk opened the machine, turned away while she put in her password, and made sure email and everything else was set up the way she liked. If they run into a snag during set-up, say with a complicated corporate account, they’ll make you an appointment at the “Genius Bar,” where friendly techies take over. In short, you don’t walk out until you’re satisfied.
Joy’s sister used to bug us all the time for tech support on her Windows machine. Since she bought a Mac seven years ago, we haven’t heard a peep out of her. At least not for tech support. We hear plenty on other topics.
The Macbook Air, however, costs $1000 and you can buy a comparable Windows machine for half that. That sounds like a steal, unless, like many Mac users, you keep your machine for seven years or more.