I had a tape recorder similar to that but without the acorn branding. I used it for my ZX81. But it would rarely load, and managing to save a program and then load it again was a faint hope. I later got an Acorn Electron, which was basically a cut down BBC Micro, designed to be a little more affordable for paupers like me who had to save up my wages from washing up in a restaurant kitchen. [does anyone have the smallest violin to play? Or a four Yorkshiremen GIF?]
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And made!
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This is outdated information!
The latest computers (and all phones and iPads since release) are, $ for $, the fastest and most energy efficient computers you can buy.
My new MacBook with an Apple M4 chip cannot be beaten in speed or power efficiency by any other computer of its class and weight, and itās a good price!
Just depends on what you want to do with it. If youāre just scrolling Facebook (or here!) then yeah a cheap Windows computer is fine.
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Ah, but Woz was properly honoured by a cameo on The Big Bang Theory. Jobs never got that kind of recognition.
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I would not accept a Windows computer for my work as a designer. Macs are superior for this kind of work. I have switched between iOS and Android during the last couple of years, but that is mostly to be able to design for both systems. I think that both have pros and cons, but they are getting kind of similar.
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These days, they depreciated OpenGL for their own proprietary standards after leaving it stagnating on an ancient version for a long time, leaving things where gaming on a Mac isnāt in a great state (Linux is better for gaming then Macās these days!), they break compatibility with lots of applications with new OS releases, everythingās in a walled off garden, and they give you tiny SSDs and amounts of memory and solder them on the motherboard so you canāt upgrade.
Donāt get me wrong, Iād love to have one of those M4ās. The M4 chip is a neat piece of tech. And I flirt with Mac hardware occasionally. I do have a huge 2014-ish Mac Mini sitting in a corner unplugged.
Basically, I have a soft spot for them, as someone who loved Escape Velocity Nova, Taskmaker, Oxyd, Crystal Quest, Foolās Errand, 3 in Three, etcā¦
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Fun fact: Linus Torvalds is from my country and I studied political science at university together with his niece!
This is pretty much itāI rarely use a computer outside of work, and when I do, itās usually only to browse the internet or use Word/Excel or something similar (a lot of which I also do on my phone), so I have no need for a very powerful computer. But I do agree that Appleās computers are great for work that requires fast processing power (such as designing work). And Appleās interfaces are very clean, which I like.
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Torvald? Are you sure that this isnāt some CIA plot that Narvin cooked up? 
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My biggest complaint about BlueSky so far is that Firefox doesnāt like the site much. Iām having to resort to Chrome. 
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Glad I wasnāt the only one who thought this!
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Iām using Firefox with it and itās fine.
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Iām using the app on my Mac 
Another good thing about Macs, you can use most iPhone and iPad apps natively on your computer. There are so many apps which are useful to use like this.
(Iāll shut up now)
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Mine doesnāt like posting.
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I have the app on my macBook, but that is more of a work machine, so doesnāt get used day to day.
The iOS app is fine. Basic but works.
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Speaking of old computers, the monitor Iāve had for as long as I can remember has finally kicked the bucket yesterday. Itās an old IBM 3x4, but I canāt tell you exactly how old. I estimate around 15 years.
People have been telling me to replace it for years, but I just canāt! It has so much sentimental value to me. I doubt any repair shop will be willing to work with it, though. Itās probably not even worth scraping except for getting the precious metals from inside.
On the other hand, you have my first laptop, which is also my current laptop, a late 2010 MacBook Air. 14 years old and still kicking, now running Linux.
My opinion on Apple is very much influenced by my experience with this laptop and my old (first and only, still fully functioning) iPod touch. They have great longevity; if you get an old Apple device, itāll last you for many years to come. This is good, because fixing them is close to impossible (I know someone who fixes old iPods, replacing batteries and adding SD cards. Heās constantly complaining about it).
Unfortunately, the software doesnāt hold up the same standard. With the constant updates making older devices less and less useable on purpose to get you to buy new ones. Not to mention, Apple hasnāt made any breakthroughs in the design of their devices for years. They were extremely behind on switching to micro USB, and they havenāt changed the cameras and microphone in any meaningful way since the iPhone 7. This is true for a lot of companies (weāve sort of levelled off with regards to mobile phones), but for the prices Apple is still selling at, I just canāt excuse it.
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Iām just against everything needing an app these days, so this isnāt a draw for me. I want less apps, not more. I want to be able to do everything natively from my browser, where I at least have an ad blocker.
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Yes I get that, Iām a bit like that too, but I do like native notifications etc.
Although you can get a lot of that with browsers nowadays, like you can with this forum! 
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OK Iām going to announce my cool Bluesky thing but it might get lost in this thread so I will post a new topic for it!
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I now have a second Bluesky where I will be writing about Doctor Who in English 
I also made a starter pack with all TG users that I could find
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