Flip Flopping between macOS and Windows

[eltoslightfoot]

It is like everything apple. gives you the basics and a bit of fluff. Just enough to make the faithful go "WOW". But in reality, there are much better options for the specific tasks. But, as I mentioned the information that it targets while working out is fine by us. It comes up on the screen while we are doing it.

As for garmin, it's a great wearable too. I bought one of their first ones, the vivosport. I bought it because it was one of the only wearables back in the day that somewhat connected with my lumia 1020 (best phone ever)! I missed the gift set from garmin where they had all of the Marc series in a collectors box and when purchased you got one of them for "free". I should have gobbled that one up.

A great way to put it. I actually do use my Apple Watch pretty regularly, but not like my younger techie daughter. She does everything on the little thing. She will reply to texts (with the writing thingie where she does one letter at a time), quick calls, media control. But not in public yet, @maflynn…I agree with you on that. Annoying AF lol.

I use it skip forward on podcasts, music, and do track workouts. But along with weather and telling time? That’s about it. I definitely not motivated by “filling the rings.”

 

[Cape Dave]

My dad is constantly pretending that he has not asked me 1000 times if I want an Apple Watch. I do not want one. No watches for me!

 

[transmaster]

If I get more into hiking, which is sort of what I want to do, I my get a garmin. There's a few that last a lot longer then the AW, provides better GPS features and for its design is a better product. Its not a fashion piece and it doesn't try to be a jack of all trades, master of none

Which ever Garmin you get make sure it has InReach. That is the emergency satellite communications radio Garmin has, it uses the same system the iPhone 14 Pro Max has.

 

[bobcomer]

The issue with the Apple watch I have is that the data it collects about training isn't massively useful in terms of seeing trends and improvements around certain activities. Calories burnt and heart rate aren't really that useful in isolation. Garmin does a lot of smarts to show you things like training readiness, body battery, aerobic/anaerobic effect, stress, etc. It can build a nice picture with graphs to see how you are doing, when to push, when to rest.

I don't use it for training at all, or train for that matter...

 

[transmaster]

My dad is constantly pretending that he has not asked me 1000 times if I want an Apple Watch. I do not want one. No watches for me!

I have little interest in an Apple Watch. Not until it has a glucometer built in. I have always had an issue with it's battery life. It has a 18 hour battery. I am used to leaving on watch on my wrist for week or more at a time. I have always thought is would be interesting to have a battery built in a watch band.

 

[maflynn]

Which ever Garmin you get make sure it has InReach

I'm actually going to be getting a InReach Mini, as it offers features that will allow me to be in contact with my family, and has better antennas and battery life.

 

[LiE_]

So my previous Garmin (265) was sent back as I wasn't happy with a) how much it cost (£400) and b) how half baked the addition of a touch screen was.

So gone for a different Garmin, the Forerunner 245 which I picked up new direct for £150. Does everything I need and I prefer the simple no frills watch face.

 

[Expos of 1969]

So my previous Garmin (265) was sent back as I wasn't happy with a) how much it cost (£400) and b) how half baked the addition of a touch screen was.

So gone for a different Garmin, the Forerunner 245 which I picked up new direct for £150. Does everything I need and I prefer the simple no frills watch face.

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Did your wife let you keep the £250 difference to play with or did you have to hand it over immediately?

 

[LiE_]

Did your wife let you keep the £250 difference to play with or did you have to hand it over immediately?

I'm behaving myself so it was used to pay something off

 

[The point and shoot pro]

If I get more into hiking, which is sort of what I want to do, I my get a garmin. There's a few that last a lot longer then the AW, provides better GPS features and for its design is a better product. Its not a fashion piece and it doesn't try to be a jack of all trades, master of none

The Fenix 7 is awesome for that one.

 

[cardfan]

The issue with the Apple watch I have is that the data it collects about training isn't massively useful in terms of seeing trends and improvements around certain activities. Calories burnt and heart rate aren't really that useful in isolation. Garmin does a lot of smarts to show you things like training readiness, body battery, aerobic/anaerobic effect, stress, etc. It can build a nice picture with graphs to see how you are doing, when to push, when to rest.

I manage enough as it is. No desire to collect meaningless info on a watch and most likely lose it all at some point anyways.

I show up to play basketball 2-3 times a week. That’s my health plan.

I wear an Apple Watch for select notifications. Phone is on mute almost always. Watch pays for itself.

 

[LeeW]

I always use the AW, not just for the up-front benefits but the somewhat hidden ones that you hope are never needed.

• Fall Detection has proven itself many times
• Blood Oxygen levels
• Arrhythmia Detection
• Plus all the other health and exercise stats
• I only need my AW and IPP when I run and music, calls and so on are all available
• It replaces the need to have my phone in a pocket or in reach for many things

The health and exercise stats are plenty for me. I don't want to be spending time having to review a mass of stats. Just tell me what's important and the AW does that in my view.

For me, it's a device for permanent use, other than charging. I ended up selling most of my expensive watches as I don't use them.

Each to their own, I love it. Apple Fitness is excellent also. I am 50 though so a lot of things that are important to me are perhaps not as important to you.

 

[Expos of 1969]

I always use the AW, not just for the up-front benefits but the somewhat hidden ones that you hope are never needed.

• Fall Detection has proven itself many times
• Blood Oxygen levels
• Arrhythmia Detection
• Plus all the other health and exercise stats
• I only need my AW and IPP when I run and music, calls and so on are all available
• It replaces the need to have my phone in a pocket or in reach for many things

The health and exercise stats are plenty for me. I don't want to be spending time having to review a mass of stats. Just tell me what's important and the AW does that in my view.

For me, it's a device for permanent use, other than charging. I ended up selling most of my expensive watches as I don't use them.

Each to their own, I love it. Apple Fitness is excellent also. I am 50 though so a lot of things that are important to me are perhaps not as important to you.

You carry your iPhone Pro when you run? Should have got the cell version of the watch so you could leave the phone at home.

 

[LeeW]

You carry your iPhone Pro when you run? Should have got the cell version of the watch so you could leave the phone at home.

I do, that's why I said I only need my AW and IPP when I run. IPP as in IPods Pro. I know, it should be APP but I do my thing with letters

 

[Expos of 1969]

I do, that's why I said I only need my AW and IPP when I run.

What is the IPP? Surely you are not running with the iPad Pro

 

[LeeW]

I know, getting old, APP.

 

[Expos of 1969]

I know, getting old, APP.

50 is far from old

 

[LeeW]

50 is far from old

Not what my Apple Watch stats say 😂

 

[Expos of 1969]

Not what my Apple Watch stats say 😂

I am 64. Maybe that is why I have to-date avoided a smart watch.

 

[Cape Dave]

I have little interest in an Apple Watch. Not until it has a glucometer built in. I have always had an issue with it's battery life. It has a 18 hour battery. I am used to leaving on watch on my wrist for week or more at a time. I have always thought is would be interesting to have a battery built in a watch band.

I should mention that my dad is 95 and looking to start programming an app for the VisionPro so I cut him a little slack

 

[keeper]

I am 64. Maybe that is why I have to-date avoided a smart watch.

I’m 63 and use mine every day, especially ’Work out doors’ app to record my workouts uploaded to Strava, 63 is still young and improvements to fitness still seen.

Anyway best get back on track this is a alternative to Mac space not watch 😀

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Not what my Apple Watch stats say 😂

right behind you at 47. I am going in for an MRI on my knee soon. I cannot walk anymore. It just cracks and crunches and hurts constantly. I was in to see the specialist yesterday, and scheduled the MRI. After that is done and we get the results, I am telling him, I want to be able to Mtn bike, snowboard etc...what is the best course of action to be able to do that.....DO IT!

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I am 64. Maybe that is why I have to-date avoided a smart watch.

Love me some expos too btw! I love Montreal. We go there regularly!

 

[Expos of 1969]

Love me some expos too btw! I love Montreal. We go there regularly!

Great city. My place of birth but have not lived there since the late 70’s. Back on topic, I have not used Windows since retiring and have no interest in going back since the Mac does all I need it to do.

 

[kasakka]

My point? While Apple's mobile devices (Tablets, Notebooks) seem hard to beat, its desktop product line isn't for anyone. Some may not like/prefer Windows (or Microsoft, for that matter) but have hardly any choice (Linux?).
Honestly, the direction Apple (HEDT) is heading really bugs me. I take issue that they force me to use Windows, but that is what they do (using Linux wherever possible). The new MP looks like a totally nonsense-ish product; I am not getting that thing at all. How is it different from the Trashcan? What happened to the "we listened" of 2019? Apple took a U-turn in 2019 after the Trashcan fiasco, just to make another one in 2023? wtf? Did they amend their "we listen" with "but we don't care"? What am I missing?

Agree on the desktop products. To me the price gouging on RAM and disk space is a major issue with Apple's desktop product pricing. Paired with Apple being the only game in town with no upgradeable disk drive, it's just not acceptable in a desktop system for me.

Of course all this is there for the laptops too and for work that pushed me into a more powerful system than I truly needed just so for the next X years it's not going to be problem that the baseline model has a slower SSD etc. But on a work provided machine I can accept those compromises, it's still the best laptop on the market.

I priced the closest equivalent M1 Mac Studio to my 13600K+4090 ITX form factor PC and my PC was cheaper, fully upgradeable and its mainly larger (but not some big ATX box) and of course runs Windows.

As a developer environment MacOS is smooth sailing compared to Windows for me at least, but boy do I loathe the external display handling. Compatibility, scaling issues, the higher end your display the worse it gets whereas even the integrated GPU on my PC is happily handling my 4K 144 Hz display without problems. "It Just Works" certainly does not apply to Apple anymore when you venture beyond their own hardware and accessories.

But for my personal uses, which is what the PC is for, Windows is totally fine. I have no major problem with it. It just has a different set of quirks from MacOS.