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So I spent an hour at Best Buy playing on an imac to see if I would like to make the jump from life-long PC/windows usage. I had never touched an apple computer since maybe kindergarten in the 80’s.
Being that windows has pretty much morphed into a half-baked copy of apple’s operating system with windows 10, I didn’t really feel like it was that much different. We love the simplicity, reliability, and ease of upgrade to new (used) devices of our iphones and I’d really like to have that simplicity, reliability and transferability in a computer as well.So…are there any Apple experts here that could help me navigate the world of used imac’s? What is considered good specs for an older system? I see people selling 2011 models on ebay that are “upgraded” to current specs and OS and allegedly come with warranties. Are these too good to be true or are the aftermarket upgraded older macs worth it?
Are there any pitfalls where I could end up buying a brick like there are with iphones?
Are there any specific make/models I should avoid?How about software? Is the built in office suite plenty good enough for most people?
My wife will mainly use this for homeschooling. If all goes well I will get the kids some macs as well. From what I am understanding they can all be linked together in a way that any document or file can easily be shared among any of the computers. Is that correct?
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real quick from me and then i’ll get more detailed when i have a sec or if you have questions.
i use my 2011 imac daily for ebay and for serious HD video editing (i supped up the specs when i bought it, core i7 processor, 16gb of RAM, so it has lasted this long, processors are as good as my new-ish 2015 laptop). so, i LOVE it. and it still is a workhorse of a computer.-
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i upgraded when i bought it in 2011 (refirb on apple.com, but got the highest specs i could at the time). this is the same specs imac i have, these are for sale on ebay: https://goo.gl/1Gou5v core i7, 16gb of ram, 27″ screen.
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While I am not a mac user and never have been, some of the general concepts I can comment on.
If your wife will be using the computer for homeschooling, you will want to make sure your specs match with those of the school district as far as the websites and software they use. Some websites and software for education are compatible with older models of computers while the advancement of technology has made some older computers simply unusable because they do not have the memory and/or processing speed required to run the websites and/or software programs. In addition, if you buy a used computer, you will want to make sure that you know how to clean it (install and run a compatible antivirus/malware program) before doing anything else in order to make sure you and your family do not start off with viruses. On another note, if you plan for your children to have these computers for more than a year or two while being homeschooled, you may want to consider investing in new computers in order to make sure the computers will be compatible with new technologies as they come out. Some websites and software programs are specifically designed around the most current technological features.As for the warranties on older previously owned computers, I would not rely on them. It is my understanding that they cannot be transferred once they have been registered by the original owner.
As for linking computers together, yes, that can be done within your home network. I have never used a mac, so I am not sure how it is done with a mac, but I imagine it is probably done in a similar way as with a PC – in Settings. YouTube would be a great resource for learning about setting up an home network in order to have all computers synced. This would allow you and your wife the greatest control over the computers while also providing ease of use especially if there is a need to print from one printer.
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