Hi folks,
My beloved 8 year old iMac 28" is struggling with life now I am running High Sierra (had to upgrade to that because of my banking software) and it doesn't always start up.
Because I prefer to replace something before it completely dies, I would like to buy its replacement nowish as I think its decline is only going to get worse.
What I bought it for back then (Adobe Design Collection 5.5) and what I use now (Internet, emails, basic banking software) means that my requirements from before are different. However, seeing as I paid out for the Adobe Design Collection I might still want to use it occasionally, maybe Photoshopping or InDesigning.
Klaus and I now share a desk. He has a laptop which he can plug in to a docking station (except we have no monitor on this docking station as my iMac takes up all the space). He has a decent monitor elsewhere we could use.
It seems to me that a Mac laptop might make life easier for both of us, as we can use our computers where we want but also dock to the larger screen(s) if we want.
So I started looking at Macs. And realised I don't know what's so important now, especially as my needs for the computer are not that onerous.
I currently use 400GB of my iMac's hard disk which holds all my music, photos and other stuff. So 500GB would be fine, but 1TB better.
I do have a Time Machine backup and wouldn't object to buying another remote hard drive if that was sensible for the music/photos. Because a quick look showed me that laptops now have SSD hard disks and not so much space.
We won't have a CD player after the iMac goes so when I buy CDs (which I still do, as I want a physical copy of my music, plus to burn CDs for the car) we will need to have a USB CD player I guess.
I don't want to spend more than 1000 pounds.
Can anyone suggest what I really need to look for in terms of specification for my very easy-going needs. I do most of my browsing on my iPad and I don't suppose that would change.
Please do not suggest a PC. I hate them, have to use them for work, have everything set up for my Mac/iPhone/iPad. My current iMac, which cost £800 and survived 8 years with no trouble and has only just started being a bit funny, shows that the initial cost of the Mac was well worth it!
And, a small aside, does anyone know if there is a way to use the iMac 28 as just a monitor? I think not, I don't see any inputs, but if this is an option this would of course save buying a new monitor.
And also, is there a docking station for a Mac laptop that would share a windows PC's monitor? Are standards all the same now?