Old and mildly excited.

[islandman]

I don't think I've announced this to the world,( lots of laughter)

 

[twerppoet]

In general, apps tend to be faster and have better interfaces than the websites. There are exceptions, of course.

Mac is a generic term for an Apple Computer. Apple makes and sells three lines of laptops at this time: the MacBook, the MacBook Pro, and the MacBook Air.

The Air line is on the way out, being slowly replaced by the MacBook line; which is lighter, and a better screen. The MacBook Pro, as the name suggests, is the more powerful laptop. Think of it as the iPad Pro of Apple laptops. A bit bigger, and with more stuff. There are a few variations of each.

Hold in mind that while Apple Laptops offer better integration with iOS devices than Windows laptops, they do not run iOS. OS X (soon to be renamed macOS) is a full desktop operating system with the same complexity and depth as Windows or Linux; just Apple flavored. Your iOS apps won't run on a MacBook.

Other Apple computers include:

iMac - an all-in-one desktop comuter
Mac Mini - a really small desktop computer
Mac Pro - a professionall (and expensive) tower computer.

 

[islandman]

Thanks for your quick and informative reply, the content of which I found to be most helpful.

My current laptop is an Acer Aspire, running vista ultimate and I use slimjet operating system. (having tried many of the others which at the time, served their purpose. I only change from chrome because of the constant notices informing me that vista would not be supported etc. Anyway, were I to replace this laptop, I would not need anything major, just a simple easy model which need not be high in specifications as I don't do gaming,or download films/music, no need for spreadsheets etc (office stuff), just general surfing much as I do on ipad, but larger screen and keyboard. With that in mind, where would you go?. It was as a result of asking someone many years ago, that I selected this model.

 

[Mickey330]

Thanks for your quick and informative reply, the content of which I found to be most helpful.

My current laptop is an Acer Aspire, running vista ultimate and I use slimjet operating system. (having tried many of the others which at the time, served their purpose. I only change from chrome because of the constant notices informing me that vista would not be supported etc. Anyway, were I to replace this laptop, I would not need anything major, just a simple easy model which need not be high in specifications as I don't do gaming,or download films/music, no need for spreadsheets etc (office stuff), just general surfing much as I do on ipad, but larger screen and keyboard. With that in mind, where would you go?. It was as a result of asking someone many years ago, that I selected this model.

Congratulations on getting an iPhone! I got my first one back in 2011. The ipad was my introduction (read: gateway drug! [emoji4]) to Apple and I am still tickled pink to have an iPhone. Imagine, carrying around what is, essentially, a full-size computer, in your pocket!

I, too, use apps for most everything I do on the phone (and iPad, also). I just find it more convenient and, as twerppoet says, faster. Of course, YMMV.

I'm gonna chime in on the laptop discussion by asking the question: do you need a laptop (e.g. a portable device) or "just" a computer? As in, could you use a desktop?

I ask because new Apple laptops aren't cheap and, for me, the iPad or iPhone work great as portable computers. When I need more computing "ooomph," I use my Mac Mini. I bought it (again, iPads are Apple's gateway drug!) because it's w-a-y cheap[er] than other Apple products and is just as capable of running OS X as any of Apple's laptop.

And, given your looking for "just" a larger screen and keyboard, maybe the Mac Mini will work? Heck, you can connect any monitor to it. I have a wired Apple keyboard (need the number keys) and a generic 24" HDMI monitor connected to my Mac Mini and it's great!

Just another thought to add to your consideration. Enjoy that phone... [emoji2]

Marilyn

 

[islandman]

"Do I need a laptop?" is a good question especially as I've been asking myself that all day. I love my ipad . I bought my iphone a few days before we went to Cyprus (250 mins, unlimited texts and 250mb of data), yes I know that isn't much, but I think it will be sufficient as I can use hot spots and only switch data on when really necessary, remember Brits ten to be careful with their cash) whilst in Cyprus I used my daughters home wifi and hotspots when out and about. I will google mac mini to see what it says, thanks.

 

[islandman]

twerpoet, ref apps. I had cause to visit my iphone shop earlier today to sort something out and he flicked through what seemed to be pages and flicking some away (sideways). I mentioned that I was aware they were there and what purpose were they and did they do any good or should they be removed. He said, whilst they are there, the apps could be using data, well I think that's what he said. Maybe you would explain and advise please. I know that if I double click the home button on my ipad, the pages are there and every few days, I flick them away. Why do I do that?, good question.

 

[J. A.]

Some of the apps, such as Facebook are using data while they are in the background. It's certainly better to force close them.

Most of the apps are just waiting in the background, not doing anything at all, and they start using data again when they are opened. Apple calls their state standby mode. When you open these apps again, they don't need to start afresh, but can continue, and start faster.

Except for perhaps Facebook, it's not recommended to force close apps. This should only be done when they are unresponsive.

 

[twerppoet]

FaceBook seems to have fixed most of their app's background shinanigans.

 

[twerppoet]

twerpoet, ref apps. I had cause to visit my iphone shop earlier today to sort something out and he flicked through what seemed to be pages and flicking some away (sideways). I mentioned that I was aware they were there and what purpose were they and did they do any good or should they be removed. He said, whilst they are there, the apps could be using data, well I think that's what he said. Maybe you would explain and advise please. I know that if I double click the home button on my ipad, the pages are there and every few days, I flick them away. Why do I do that?, good question.

I agree with Johanna's reply. For the most part you can just ignore them, unless you are having battery issues or an app is locking up. If you want to clear all apps from RAM, it is easier to restart or reset the iPad. It is important to remember that the list you see when double tapping the Home button is a list of recently run apps. While restarting does not clear the list, it does remove all apps from RAM.

 

[islandman]

OMG! one almost broken laptop. Who would have thought this could happen?. I was only tipping my tow into the water to ask about a replacement laptop is and when mine broke and guess what?.

But first, I use my laptop on my desk. It is never used anywhere else. I hide it in a case when we go away. When I log off, I pull the lid forward slightly to prevent any dust (should there be any) from dropping onto the keyboard and never close it fully. Today it felt resistive when I started to close the lid so stopped. I turned off power ect, and tipped it on it's side and fragments of plastic fell out. We allowed a tiny amount of WD40 to the hinge and left it. Some hours later we thought we would remove the screws that holds the screen to lid, but couldn't remove the frame so replaced them.

When I attempt to close the lid, the bottom right corner appears to separate from the main part of lid. I can only assume there is more debris inside preventing closure. Over the weekend will try to find a solution re google/youtube. My gut feeling is that after years of closing the lid, I will forget and close it and cause further problems.