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A new laptop - Smooth transition, possible compatibility with Windows, and number of ports?

So the laptop I'm currently using is a Dell Inspiron 13 5379. I have been using it since 2017 or 2018 but I've been noticing that it has been getting slower over time and that the amount of free space in my OS has now started to drop below 80GB in its "default state" this week, basically where I haven't really downloaded anything major onto it that would take up so much space and even after I've run a bunch of disk cleanups to remove temporary or disposable files that could be slowing things down. I have a feeling that it likely won't be too long until it gets to a point where the amount of free space eventually becomes so small that it will have a hard time just simply functioning.


I've made a comprehensive backup point of my everything on my laptop on my SSD in preparation for when I might need to get a new laptop. However, I've been using Windows nearly all my life. Before I had my Dell, my first laptop was either an HP or a Toshiba that I had for 4-6 years. I don't think I've used a Mac laptop before but I'm keeping an open mind.


However, would an Apple laptop or a Mac laptop be perfectly compatible with a Windows operating system? If so, what would be the best route at migrating everything I have from my Dell Inspiron 13 to the hypothetical Apple laptop effectively without any trouble? I'm hoping for as smooth a transition as possible with very little or no trouble when the time eventually comes later down the line for me to migrate all my stuff to a new laptop.


Although, I hope that not only would it have that compatibility, but I also hope that the laptop would also have 3 available USB ports for me to use, an HDMI port for me to plug in my Wacom Cintiq 16, and an audio jack for my Beats headphones. I think I use almost every port on my laptop.

Posted on Jul 3, 2023 9:29 PM

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Posted on Jul 4, 2023 2:20 AM

arsto_831 wrote:

However, would an Apple laptop or a Mac laptop be perfectly compatible with a Windows operating system? If so, what would be the best route at migrating everything I have from my Dell Inspiron 13 to the hypothetical Apple laptop effectively without any trouble? I'm hoping for as smooth a transition as possible with very little or no trouble when the time eventually comes later down the line for me to migrate all my stuff to a new laptop.


If you mean, will a Mac laptop natively run Wintel applications, the answer is "No."


On the now-discontinued Intel-based Mac notebooks, you could use Boot Camp to help you partition the internal drive and install a separately-purchased copy of Windows. When booted into Windows, the laptop would act as a Wintel clone (because it effectively was). But the main operating system, macOS, ran Macintosh applications, not Windows applications.


Current Apple laptops do not support Boot Camp – and even if you install Parallels Desktop, the version of Windows that it will let you run is Windows 11 for ARM (not Windows 11 for Intel).


There are some applications whose vendors offer versions for several platforms. E.g., Microsoft puts out versions of Word / Excel / PowerPoint for WIndows and for Macs. Adobe puts out Photoshop, Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic for Windows and for Macs. But each platform requires an application binary that was built for its particular combination of CPU architecture and operating system.


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 4, 2023 2:20 AM in response to arsto_831

arsto_831 wrote:

However, would an Apple laptop or a Mac laptop be perfectly compatible with a Windows operating system? If so, what would be the best route at migrating everything I have from my Dell Inspiron 13 to the hypothetical Apple laptop effectively without any trouble? I'm hoping for as smooth a transition as possible with very little or no trouble when the time eventually comes later down the line for me to migrate all my stuff to a new laptop.


If you mean, will a Mac laptop natively run Wintel applications, the answer is "No."


On the now-discontinued Intel-based Mac notebooks, you could use Boot Camp to help you partition the internal drive and install a separately-purchased copy of Windows. When booted into Windows, the laptop would act as a Wintel clone (because it effectively was). But the main operating system, macOS, ran Macintosh applications, not Windows applications.


Current Apple laptops do not support Boot Camp – and even if you install Parallels Desktop, the version of Windows that it will let you run is Windows 11 for ARM (not Windows 11 for Intel).


There are some applications whose vendors offer versions for several platforms. E.g., Microsoft puts out versions of Word / Excel / PowerPoint for WIndows and for Macs. Adobe puts out Photoshop, Lightroom, and Lightroom Classic for Windows and for Macs. But each platform requires an application binary that was built for its particular combination of CPU architecture and operating system.


Jul 4, 2023 2:25 AM in response to arsto_831

arsto_831 wrote:

Although, I hope that not only would it have that compatibility, but I also hope that the laptop would also have 3 available USB ports for me to use, an HDMI port for me to plug in my Wacom Cintiq 16, and an audio jack for my Beats headphones. I think I use almost every port on my laptop.


Of the current crop of Mac laptops, the ones that have the most ports would be the 14" and 16" Apple Silicon MacBook Pros.


MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch - Tech Specs - Apple


A new laptop - Smooth transition, possible compatibility with Windows, and number of ports?

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