Windows or iOS?

maby said:
It's easy for iPads and iPhones to "just work" - they don't do very much and what they do do is only because Apple says that they can do it.
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I'm interested to hear what things you ask any other operating system and apps to do that iOS doesn't do? The computer/laptop/phone is a tool. Unless you're a software engineer actually designing apps or building software solutions for some esoteric problem (all the ordinary ones for most everyday users have a multiple solutions already program written) the only thing one is interested in is whether the device is reliable and easy to use.

maby said:
:)

OK, seriously, Apple products do tend to be more reliable than either Windows or Android, but that comes at a price - lock-in. Windows and Android are far more open than Apple products - you often have a wider choice of both hardware and software to run with your Windows or Android tablet, PC or phone. How much that matters to you depends entirely on your pattern of usage. Personally, I want the freedom to be able to run a wide range of applications and develop my own using a wide range of technologies.
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I have a theory that a significant body of people who dislike Apple is because Apple products and iOS castrates their geekiness and love of fiddling with the ‘system’.
 
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SteveGorst said:
I suppose it depends on what I am analysing. The operating systems and hardware no preference. As for apps I can only talk about the ones I have. Ios Navionics used to be king and is still great for planning at hone with the tides etc. But you can also get it on Android. Tides, I have used the Imray app for years and love it, another point for IOS. AIS I have used open cpn but I can see that some might find loading the charts a bit of a faff. The other one I use is iboating. Charts are easily loaded and unlike Navionics it supports AIS so this is the one I use at sea. A point for Android. I believe there is a IOS equivalent though. All in all I think they are 6 of one and half a dozen of the other and I use both equally.
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Thank you.

I find it interesting that you have no preference for the hardware or OS. I think we have Apple to thank for our current user interfaces; it seems to me they set the standard. The applications (boat related anyway) are all from third party developers; so given the similarity of the hardware and OSs we shouldn't be surprised with similar offerings for both. There is a choice to be made when a software vendor only makes their product available on 1 platform such as Imray Tide Planner.
 
I use a Dell / Windows PC, a Lenovo Tablet with VMH/Raster charts for back-up navigation and an iPhone.

I much prefer W7 to W10. I regularly use word/excel/powerpoint and for these there's nothing to beat Microsoft, imho.

The Lenovo has simply incredible battery life. I admit that I don't like Apple products simply because, as someone earlier put it, "the Apple tax".

My view is that Tablets and Phones are "toys", something to play with, and a Windows PC is a "tool", something to use.

I once lost almost a day of my life trying to make the Tablet print. I eventually managed it but the next time I used the Tab it seemed to have lost the settings. Far too difficult.

Windows remains my choice by a big margin.
 
john_morris_uk said:
I'm interested to hear what things you ask any other operating system and apps to do that iOS doesn't do? The computer/laptop/phone is a tool. Unless you're a software engineer actually designing apps or building software solutions for some esoteric problem (all the ordinary ones for most everyday users have a multiple solutions already program written) the only thing one is interested in is whether the device is reliable and easy to use.



I have a theory that a significant body of people who dislike Apple is because Apple products and iOS castrates their geekiness and love of fiddling with the ‘system’.
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Many of us would of started using this level of technology outside of boating and so our prejudices begin there. As an electronics and software design engineer I have been using tools which run on MS operating systems since the late 80s. There has never been a significant and useful set of engineering tools developed in my area of expertise for an OS other than Windows (or DOS before it). There have been some but never mainstream with long term support and development. I wonder for instance, if iPhone or iPad hardware could be designed on a MAC? Either the enclosure or the PCBs?

Engineers are a subset of the general population, are we a small enough group to claim esoteric knowledge?

I suspect your theory on geekiness has some truth to it and the opposite puts-off a different group.
 
Having been around Windows all my working life, a few years ago I would have said Windows all the way. But in recent years I have slowly moved to Amazon Fire Pads, iPads, iPhones and a Macbook at work and the reality is that the apple products just work. I have now bought newmorous Apple products from the Apple refurbished site and generally the kits has been a few hundred pounds cheaper than the very latest models, been fully gaurenteed and look like new to me. They also benefit from far less user intervention being required to keep them safe from Virus and other malicious code, they are not perfect, but far easier to defend than a Windows based product in my view. To Answer your direct question I would say.

If you want to browse the web, send emails and use various sailing related apps, get an iPad.

If you want a bit more power and to use things like word, excel, write longer documents or mail and do the things above get a Macbook

If you are a power user who understands how to keep a PC running and want to have full control of the kit and maximum flexibility then a Windows based machine might be for you.

and in all of the above I would not fit a Sim for 4G conectivity, I would buy a MiFi where a single Data sim could serve any and all devices you have on board.
 
Godfather68 said:
Having been around Windows all my working life, a few years ago I would have said Windows all the way. But in recent years I have slowly moved to Amazon Fire Pads, iPads, iPhones and a Macbook at work and the reality is that the apple products just work. I have now bought newmorous Apple products from the Apple refurbished site and generally the kits has been a few hundred pounds cheaper than the very latest models, been fully gaurenteed and look like new to me. They also benefit from far less user intervention being required to keep them safe from Virus and other malicious code, they are not perfect, but far easier to defend than a Windows based product in my view. To Answer your direct question I would say.

If you want to browse the web, send emails and use various sailing related apps, get an iPad.

If you want a bit more power and to use things like word, excel, write longer documents or mail and do the things above get a Macbook

If you are a power user who understands how to keep a PC running and want to have full control of the kit and maximum flexibility then a Windows based machine might be for you.

and in all of the above I would not fit a Sim for 4G conectivity, I would buy a MiFi where a single Data sim could serve any and all devices you have on board.
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I will repeat, "they just work" FOR A WHILE! 5 years down the line and this mini Ipad crashes, continually! Ive done the Google bit and tried the fixes, the bottom line, I suspect not enough ram.
My desk top, an old Celeron which I have upgraded with 4 gb ram, fastish hard drive, serious video card and Win7 smokes!
I know which I prefer to use!
Stu
 
Windows is arguably perhaps less 'user friendly' than IOS, but I've found by keeping my Dell Win 10 tablet solely dedicated to openCPN it boots and opens as a chartplotter with no intervention on my part and I had no problems throughout last years 3 month cruise around France. I would say in my view having used both there's little to choose in usability between Android and iOS tablets other than price.
I've got no axe to grind on Windows, having been in IT for 50 years I just want to use technology now and not play with it but I'm still budget conscious and my home i7 processor laptop cost half a refurbished Macbook but certainly doesn't look as nice
 
5 years for modern tech is not bad! We can argue that it should be more, but it is what it is. The point is that I took the OP was looking for simple, I like you have upgraded many PCs and I personally really like/liked Windows 7. But I have learnt from personal experience of being the "IT Guy" in the family that the non-technical family members who have adopted iPads vs anything else are more self sufficient, have less issues and are generally better protected from Virus and other malicious content than virtually every other form of tech. But to stress again, I am not saying, Windows, Linux or Android are bad and I am certainly not saying Apple is cheap or that they last forever, they don't.
 
Well....lots of good points, but I'm still undecided. I was almost set on Windows until Gf68's first post. The idea of not having to do too much tinkering is certainly attractive and that seems to be one of the positive attributes of iOS gear. Although the refurb option still seems expensive. Having looked at various Windows kit there doesn't seem to be much price difference between a good example and a useable iPad. Bearing in mind what I have planned for the eventual winner I'm not in need of especially high spec.
One other concern, valid or not, has been raised whilst researching the subject. This was the apparent decline in the number of Windows tablets coming to market, the reason given being the proliferation of Android kit.
All things considered, the path of least resistance is currently looking like an iPad. All I have to decide now is whether to Pro or not to Pro.
 
skipper_stu said:
I will repeat, "they just work" FOR A WHILE! 5 years down the line and this mini Ipad crashes, continually! Ive done the Google bit and tried the fixes, the bottom line, I suspect not enough ram.
My desk top, an old Celeron which I have upgraded with 4 gb ram, fastish hard drive, serious video card and Win7 smokes!
I know which I prefer to use!
Stu
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Something’s wrong. Our IMac is ten years old and still going strong. I had to fit a replacement switched mode psu a few years ago, but that was the fault of several leaky capacitors finally giving up the ghost.

We’ve just got another iMac. Lightening fast and stunning graphics. The old one still works but Mrs M had to give her MacBook Pro in when she left her previous school and the iMac was half the price of a new Mac book pro.
 
elton said:
No they didn't. Sun produced one of the first "windowed" operating system. In fact Xerox produced one even earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System#History
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Oh yes the did! Sorry couldn't resist.

What I am referring to here is the refinement of the interface which occurred when iPods and iPads appeared. Not the invention of graphical user interfaces. Just prior to iPads etc we had PDAs. They where Windows CE platforms with low resolution screens and resistive touch screens. Apple didn't invent any of the underlying technology which enables modern devices, they used it really well and everyone else followed.

Thanks for the link. I was aware of some of this history but not all of it. I particularly like the email announcing X as a development of W and the open source nature of the collaboration.

John
 
Pauly said:
Well....lots of good points, but I'm still undecided. I was almost set on Windows until Gf68's first post. The idea of not having to do too much tinkering is certainly attractive and that seems to be one of the positive attributes of iOS gear. Although the refurb option still seems expensive. Having looked at various Windows kit there doesn't seem to be much price difference between a good example and a useable iPad. Bearing in mind what I have planned for the eventual winner I'm not in need of especially high spec.
One other concern, valid or not, has been raised whilst researching the subject. This was the apparent decline in the number of Windows tablets coming to market, the reason given being the proliferation of Android kit.
All things considered, the path of least resistance is currently looking like an iPad. All I have to decide now is whether to Pro or not to Pro.
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You might want to check what I’m about to say. Most iPads require the Sim version to have GPS on it. However I think (and this is the bit to check) that all the Pro’s have the GPS chip and you don’t need to get the sim version.
 
Pauly said:
I did have a Samsung Tab that died suddenly without so much as a by your leave. When I confronted the knob in the Oxford street Samsung store he told me it wasn't worth fixing. So that eventually found its way to the bin.
I must admit, I was angling towards an iPad, but I'm put off by the cost and the seemingly short service life which seems limited by planned obsolescence.
Neither am I a fan of windows, having suffered with an XP laptop for more years than I deserve. However, the example offered by Muddy Boat will definitely get a look into.
I am intrigued to know why a sim card would be important? I have Android phones should I require network access and would have thought Wi-Fi and blue tooth would be sufficient in a tab.
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If Android, Windows and Apple are not preferred you're fast running out of options.. Ubuntu??
 
Fantasie 19 said:
If Android, Windows and Apple are not preferred you're fast running out of options.. Ubuntu??
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Linux is certainly very good these days. I have a little old laptop running Debian that I use for testing purposes. A few months ago, I accidentally left my big Windows laptop on the boat and was faced with a choice between wasting a lot of a day going to retrieve it or using the Linux machine for the rest of the week - I chose the latter and was pleasantly surprised to find that I could work perfectly well on it for everything - I now often use it in preference to my other laptops.

I need to do some software development for iOS tomorrow and will need to work on a well specified Macbook - I'm not looking forward to it. It is a horrible environment for serious work.
 
I switched from Windows to Apple seven years ago, and have never looked back.

I understood how to fix Windows issues fully, having run 8 PC's at my company, and two at home, but haven't yet got a clue how to fix a Mac, having never needed to.

Additionally, a £1000 high end PC is worthless after a few years, while a four year old Mac holds around 50% of it's original value if you bought the right one at the right time.

I say this because I keep boxes, and upgrade every few years, and have been very pleased at the residual value of Macs, iPads and iPhones, making it cost effective when you consider the original purchase price.

Consider that Macs also come with the full MS office stuff, they are actually good value, regardless of the aesthetic advantage which is huge.

It's a no brainer.
 
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