My aunt uses Windows. And by "uses" I mean she barely functions. She is always calling me with the or that problem and I try to step through a possible solution. Usually I end up doing a not so quick TeamViewer session to clear things up. Last night I showed her how to open two File Explorer windows AT THE SAME TIME. The world almost ended.

But a friend of hers. And equally adept Windows user. Recently switched to a Mac and was extolling the virtues of that switch. Well now my aunt is thinking of switching. I don't usually try to make people switch, and this is no different. I figured I'm signing up for more phone calls. But I guess this way, if she is on a Mac, at least I can possibly solve her problems.

She's bought laptops almost exclusively (for some reason) even though she never moves it from her desk. So I was thinking an iMac. The cost might be more palatable and remove the agitation of wondering if her old screen will work with the new Mac laptop. Will she need a dock? Will she need a new screen? A mouse? OMG! I can hear the world ending already. So I was thinking iMac. If she decided to go that way.

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For for an M1 iMac and she’ll never look back.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

iMac for sure.
Having been the geriatric tech support person for my MIL for many years before she died, the all-in-one is definitely the only way to go.
A laptop will also be fine, if she doesn’t want to change from what she is used to, since it is just a portable all-in-one.

Good luck. That type of tech support can be “fun.”
Dock locker was my friend, after my MiL kept disappearing icons from the dock.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

iMac seems great if you have the budget?

If she already has a screen and mouse, how about mini. add a new keyboard with a command key in the right spot. maybe half as much?

And if she likes laptops why not a MBA? Would have to know more about how she uses it, if she uses the keyboard and trackpad, or clamshel mode, etc. But like $850? Maybe she never moved the old laptop cause it was a boat anchor?

Since we are throwing out her "use" being nothing... 12.9" iPad pro? Very capable. Again, might depend on how much typing she does. integrated keyboard cover could solve that.

Just thinking out loud

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

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jdc
iMac seems great if you have the budget?

I think she could swing an iMac

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jdc
If she already has a screen and mouse, how about mini. add a new keyboard with a command key in the right spot. maybe half as much?

Mmmm...maybe. I'm more concerned about the physical setup. She's not very handy. And anything can go wrong when there are more connections involved.

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jdc
And if she likes laptops why not a MBA? Would have to know more about how she uses it, if she uses the keyboard and trackpad, or clamshel mode, etc. But like $850? Maybe she never moved the old laptop cause it was a boat anchor?

I thought about it. But she uses her PC in clamshell mode. I'm not sure why she buys laptops. Of course its a boat anchor. Its a PC laptop. But thats not why she doesn't move it. She has such and such a place for things, and those things need to stay there.

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jdc
Since we are throwing out her "use" being nothing... 12.9" iPad pro? Very capable. Again, might depend on how much typing she does. integrated keyboard cover could solve that.

I applaud the thought. But knowing her, there's NO way she would survive such a transition.

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jdc
Just thinking out loud

Much appreciated.

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bazooka,

How far away do you live form her? You're going to be doing tech support. It's tough enough doing support for WIndows and doing it via Teamviewer. Now you're talking about switching her to an entirely unfamiliar platform. Not an issue for you as a Mac user but could be tremendously problematic for your Aunt.

I've helped people switch from Windows to a Mac and it can be a tough transition even for someone who is semi-computer literate. Likely, she's going to need hand holding and not the kind you can do via phone. If I was in your position, I wouldn't relish the idea of having to be the one doing the hand holding. Been there, done that and it's one of the reasons I generally just fix machines these days rather than teach people how to use them or transition from platform to platform.

If what she has is overall doing the job for her, it might not necessarily be in her or your best interest to make the switch. It really depends on if she has the money to spend, the willingness to learn how to use a Mac and your willingness to work with her on it during and after the transition.

Robert

Robert. The bad news is she is very computer illiterate. The good news is she is very computer illiterate. So Mac or PC, I feel like I'm teaching a new user to do something every time I talk to her. So at least this way, I would be more familiar with what I'm teaching her.

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Does she like her current display? A mini or an MBA would swap right in.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

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bazookaman
Robert. The bad news is she is very computer illiterate. The good news is she is very computer illiterate. So Mac or PC, I feel like I'm teaching a new user to do something every time I talk to her. So at least this way, I would be more familiar with what I'm teaching her.

I know you already poo-pooed it, but an iPad sounds ideal. There is nothing to learn. Maybe gift her a standard one to start. minimal $.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I will 2nd the iPad.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

Have her visit an Apple Store.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Just as an aside, once you have her Apple ID, you can do screen sharing without any additional software. The screen share app is hidden, but the search icon in the menu bar can find it.

Extremely useful with my (very old) Mother.

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Embarassing myself on the Internet since 1978.

jdc,

I disagree. An iPad has an entirely different interface and his Aunt has to be the one to contend with the differences. In many respects, it's vastly easier. In other respects, it will be more difficult. This is not to say someone can't transition from a Windows laptop to an iPad. Definitely doable. It goes back to what I said in my post... the willingness to learn how to use a Mac (or iPad) and Bazooka's willingness to work with her on it during and after the transition.

Robert

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bazookaman
Robert. The bad news is she is very computer illiterate. The good news is she is very computer illiterate. So Mac or PC, I feel like I'm teaching a new user to do something every time I talk to her. So at least this way, I would be more familiar with what I'm teaching her.

Can she just go down to the Apple store and get the to show her how to get up and running? The Store also has classes for newbies, I think. I'd try to get the store to put Teamviewer.app on it before she takes it home.

The biggest stumbling block I've found is the terminology....menu bar, Desktop, Finder window. browser...what they do for you.

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Ed (modelamac)

I think I will just put an OUT OF ORDER
sticker on my head and call it a day.

Factor in the cost of any software she will need and learning to use the replacement software. Plus who is going to install the new stuff?

I'm in the MacMini camp if her monitor is remotely new. As far as cabling goes it is just one extra video cable vs an iMac.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Get her a cheap used iMac.

JPK

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Ombligo
Factor in the cost of any software she will need and learning to use the replacement software. Plus who is going to install the new stuff?

I'm in the MacMini camp if her monitor is remotely new. As far as cabling goes it is just one extra video cable vs an iMac.

Normally I would agree. But I would look at this as a "scorched earth" event. As in out with the old, in with the new. An iMac accomplishes that. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, computer. Done. No futzing with this keyboard or that mouse or that monitor. Will it work? Who knows. But we KNOW the iMac WILL work.

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