Mac or PC, Apple or Microsoft, we swing both ways Whether your problem is with an Apple Mac or a PC or laptop running Microsoft Windows or even a Linux server, the IT Guys have the experience in configuring, troubleshooting and repairing individual devices or hybrid networks. The IT guys can advise, consult and even purchase Apple or Windows devices and computers and help you set them up for home or office use (or both) but if you would rather do this yourself, here is a guide on what you need to consider before making any further purchases. What is best? Apple or Microsoft? How do I choose? The million dollar question 🙂 When you buy Apple you are purchasing the hardware (Macbook, iMac, iPhone, iPad) plus the operating system (iOS) which are designed to work perfectly together. Up until the introduction of the Microsoft Surface, Microsoft was a software designer and Operating System provider (Windows XP, Vista, 7,8,10, Office, Server) designed to work on all major hardware (IBM, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Asus etc), they even design and sell software for Apple devices (Office for Mac) but with the supply of their own hardware, Microsoft are moving ever closer to the Apple concept. As to which product is better or represents the best value for money, the answer is complete conjecture. Apple products may appear to be more expensive on initial purchase but as Apple supply and update their operating systems for FREE over a 10 year period there would be little difference in price if you had to upgrade your Windows OS, once or twice. However, with the launch of the New Apple iPhone 6S at over a thousand dollars, commentators are speculating that Apple are deliberately putting prices up to make their products more “elitist” to cater for the burgeoning Chinese Middle Class market. Not only are Apple products well made but no they have also become a status-symbol. How do I choose between Apple and Microsoft The simplest advice is to stick with what you know. If you have always used Microsoft products on a PC, then stick with Windows and Android devices. Unless you are prepared for a certain amount of self-training and angst we would advise against Windows user moving to Apple or Apple users moving to Windows devices. Q1. What kind of Smartphone do you have? As we become more and more mobile-centric, the choice of our smartphones or hand-held devices becomes  a decisive factor when choosing a brand or operating system of our laptop or desktop devices. Having an Android smartphone restricts you to using other devices using either Android, Chrome or Windows. iPhones and iPads will happily work with Apple iOS devices or Windows computers.     Q2.  Do you have other devices and computers you wish to share data with or information between It’s rare these days that we only own one computing device. It is not uncommon that we have a laptop or PC plus a smartphone and/or tablet device such as an iPad. Once you start using more than one device and wish to share an address book, music or files between devices and possible in the cloud, life becomes more complicated and choices have to be made.   iTunes does not work natively with Android Devices Although Apple iTunes is available for iOS and Windows platforms, you cannot easily play your itunes music on an Android phone or device. Apple have said this will be available in the future but as of September 2015 it is only available via exporting/importing and/or a number of Android apps.     Sharepoint & Onedrive If you are a user of Microsoft’s cloud sharing products SharePoint and Onedrive be wary of using them on Apple devices as doing so is not straightforward and does not work in the same way as on Microsoft platform’s. Outlook for Mac 2011 supported Sharepoint as a drive such as in iCloud, Google Drive or Dropbox but this was removed in Office for Mac 2016 much to our dismay.   Microsoft Outlook & Apple Calendaring Although these work well together on a Windows PC, they don’t work so well together on an Apple especially if you use iOS/iCloud calender apps which are iCal compliant. Adding Calendar entries on Outlook for the Mac using an Apple device does not sync with iCloud!! However, if you use Outlook on a Windows PC, syncing to iCloud is seamless and works very well. Another example of Apple and Microsoft’s petty rivalries.   Printing from Tablet’s and Smartphones Printing from iPhone or iPad In the early days the only printers an iPad or iPhone could print to were those labeled as AirPrint, your old faithful printer may not be able to be printed directly to from one of these devices. AirPrint is an Apple technology that helps you create full-quality printed output without the need to download or install drivers. To use an AirPrint printer with your Wi-Fi network, make sure your printer is connected to the same network as your iOS device or Mac. Then select the AirPrint printer from your favorite app and you’re ready to print. Apple authorised AirPrint Printers Many printer manufacturers are also bring out their own Apps (these can be found on the Apple App store) Printing from Android smartphones. To print from an Android smartphone is slightly different by installing and launching  on your Android phone or tablet after downloading it from the Android App store. It uses Google Cloud Print which works with most printers. But, for the best experience, a Cloud Ready printer is recommended. These types of printers can directly connect to the Internet and don’t need a computer for it to work. Google keeps a growing list of Cloud Ready printers here.   Cost of Repair, Maintenance & Resale Value,  Apple v Windows Where Apple and Windows/Android Computers and devices really shows their differences is the cost of maintenance and repair of their respective products. Apple Computers, devices and phones tend to hold their resale value […]