There are two negatives (i) no USB-A ports so you cannot connect a usb stick without a separate usb hub and (ii) the power button is in a really awkward place.
There is some software that only runs on Mac and that is why I have one.
In this day and age I would only be using cloud based office software e.g. Google Docs unless there is a good reason not to.
I like NUC/1L small form factor Intel/AMD PCs and use them for most of my computing needs/wants (running Windows (10), Linux, Proxmox etc.) these days. Mostly bought second hand on Adverts or simply pulled from the WEEE recycling cages while the corpo guy turns a blind eye.I really like that Mac mini, the internal power supply is much more compact and reduces cable clutter. I'd like one. But I use my windows more than I do my MacBook. I may be too old to change habits. I fear I wouldn't use a mini if I bought one.
A lot of it is from 3rd or 4th tier manufacturers which can't keep pace with Microsft's software upgrades, ergo cheap and nasty a lot of it. You can't sell bargain basement-priced computers using leading edge components. Does that make my meaning clearer?Nothing wrong with the hardware Microsoft are obsoleting it's not all cheap hardware either. No idea where you got that from.
Not all the time. If you don't see any difference(s) between Apple and Microsoft then this interaction becomes almost obsoleteApple obsolete stuff all the time. They are no different. Probably worse since they make things unrepairable with no upgrades possible.
Interestingly that new Mac mini is an extrusion not milled from a block. Which is clever manufacturering.
Most hardware is commodity stuff these days. But companies try to "innovate" to make it seem like constant upgrading is a necessity even when it's not for what most people need to do on a computer.A lot of it is from 3rd or 4th tier manufacturers which can't keep pace with Microsft's soft upgrades, ergo cheap and nasty a lot of it. You can't sell bargain basement-priced computers using leading edge components. Does that make my meaning clearer?
I like NUC/1L small form factor Intel/AMD PCs and use them for most of my computing needs/wants (running Windows (10), Linux, Proxmox etc.) these days. Mostly bought second hand on Adverts or simply pulled from the WEEE recycling cages while the corpo guy turns a blind eye.It's amazing/shocking what people throw out. So far I've repurposed a few small form factor PCs, a laptop, a BNIB front/rear car dashcam kit, two Android TV boxes, and miscellaneous other bits and pieces...
...on line banking letters etc and will my office 97 still work
Thanks for your reply. I thought a desktop would be Easier to upgrade or repair, I previously had a laptop that couldn't be repaired .
If I was to purchase a later version of Office, would it be backward compatible for old Office files
It's reached a stage now where your posts are beginning to read as obtuse. Tell me what it is you don't understand about the bolded section of my prior post and I'll try to help you understand and explain more clearly.What can you buy from OWC that will internally upgrade any recent Mac Mini?
The Macmini is a brilliant implementation of the "system on a chip" concept. Upgradability gets binned at an early stage in this process in order to support overall size & heat reduction & speed improvements.,
After over 30 years I switched from Wintel to Apple in 2017 and have never regretted the decision. The last straw for me was late one night when Windows did an unannounced spontaneous reboot to install some random update and I lost 4 hours work that was needed for a presentation at 7am the following morning. I bought an Intel based iMac and a Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription and I have never looked back. The hardware and OS are so incredibly reliable, upgrades have been painless, integrated backup (Time Machine) works without fail, and the general integration with phone, contacts, photos etc etc are seamless. Plus all my files are stored in the cloud, version controlled, available from anywhere and I have my own Exchange (e-mail) server. The biggest surprise is that Microsoft's Office software operates at least as well if not better on the Mac.
The iMac is now end of life (hardware still perfect but no longer receiving OS updates) so I bit the bullet last month and ordered a fully speced Mac mini (M4 Pro). It's a really incredible piece of hardware - the performance is stunning. I fully endorse the move to USB-C, even if there is a bit of initial pain having to jettison older peripherals/cables. I expect to get at least 6/7 years from this hardware, hence my decision to order the best possible spec.
The solution I describe isn't the cheapest, but it's been highly beneficial and I have no regrets. Any time I see friends struggling with Windows PCs I just tell them to get get a life and get a Mac.
Keep the iMac as a standby machine, you never know! By the time you de-personalise it, advertise it, etc. it might be more cost-effective to keep it. If Apple "obsoletes", to coin a phrase, your printer, scanner, DSLR software, etc, having the networked iMac as part of your setup could pay dividends, at least saving the cost of new cables or connectors.The iMac is now end of life (hardware still perfect but no longer receiving OS updates) so I bit the bullet last month and ordered a fully speced Mac mini (M4 Pro).
Microsoft has poured cold water on any hopes of lower hardware requirements for Windows 11. With Windows 10 end of support approaching in October 2025, the software giant now says that its Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 requirement for Windows 11 is “non-negotiable.”
In a blog post entitled “TPM 2.0 – a necessity for a secure and future-proof Windows 11,” Microsoft makes it very clear that it won’t lower Windows 11’s strict hardware requirements to encourage people to upgrade from Windows 10.
I'm well aware of what you can and can't do on this and have always taken time to configure stuff like Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, Automatic Backup, OS Updates etc carefully. At the time Microsoft were trying to salvage/rebuild their reputation and implemented "unstoppable" "we know better than you" stuff in relation to OS updates. They got terrible flack for it. The only way around it was using Group Policy Editor, hardly appropriate to a home environment. For me it was more a case of the final straw, Windows was just too much hard work. An OS should be like good plumbing; unseen, unheard, reliable, invisible. Windows was unreliable, troublesome, meddlesome, shouty and high maintenance. And having gone through so many major versions (Vista, 7, 8 and 10) in less than a decade, with all the related inconsistencies, incompatibilities and hardware issues I'd had enough. It was time to go a different route. Mac OS, all though not without some shortcomings, is in an altogether different league. It's like comparing a Trabant and a Bentley.FYI you can turn off automatic updates in windows or set the schedule.
Out of curiosity. What upgrades did you do on your Intel iMac.
I'm mad to know what spec of M4 Pro you ordered.
The iMac is still alive. I'm holding back on buying a 5k display for the Mac mini (waiting to see what Apple might release to replace the Studio display) and so I am using the iMac as the display for the Mac mini. Once I have a new display the iMac is gone: I've had multiple machines in the past and I don't like it. Happy to replace cables and will sort out any issues with peripheral compatibility as they arise. I have a NAS for stuff like sharing, Time Machine etc.Keep the iMac as a standby machine, you never know! By the time you de-personalise it, advertise it, etc. it might be more cost-effective to keep it. If Apple "obsoletes", to coin a phrase, your printer, scanner, DSLR software, etc, having the networked iMac as part of your setup could pay dividends, at least saving the cost of new cables or connectors.
I'm well aware of what you can and can't do on this and have always taken time to configure stuff like Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, Automatic Backup, OS Updates etc carefully. At the time Microsoft were trying to salvage/rebuild their reputation and implemented "unstoppable" "we know better than you" stuff in relation to OS updates. They got terrible flack for it. The only way around it was using Group Policy Editor, hardly appropriate to a home environment. For me it was more a case of the final straw, Windows was just too much hard work. An OS should be like good plumbing; unseen, unheard, reliable, invisible. Windows was unreliable, troublesome, meddlesome, shouty and high maintenance. And having gone through so many major versions (Vista, 7, 8 and 10) in less than a decade, with all the related inconsistencies, incompatibilities and hardware issues I'd had enough. It was time to go a different route. Mac OS, all though not without some shortcomings, is in an altogether different league. It's like comparing a Trabant and a Bentley.
Day 1 I maxed out the processor (4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7) and the same day I ordered 64GB 3rd party 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM (I think the machine came with 8GB, but the cost of the upgrade to 64GB from apple was prohibitive and it was user installable). The HD was a 3Tb Fusion Drive. The config remained unchanged for the seven and a half years I've had the machine. It wasn't cheap, but spread over the best part of 8 years it was excellent value, and the approach of maxing out the spec on day one paid off.
The generalisation is untrue - you can't upgrade components on any of the SOC computers.Note you can't upgrade Apple computers like that anymore not even the Mac Mini.
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