As a Long-Term Windows User

I think it’s fair to say that I have been a Windows user ever since I remember, and whilst I have owned a few Mac devices over the years, my primary device was always a Windows device.

I think it’s mainly because of my Windows-based career in IT and the way I was brought up using Windows both at home and at school.

It could also be due to the fact that I built my last 3 computers, that feeling of building your own computer and turning it on for the first time never gets old!

But with Apple’s introduction of the new M2 Mac Mini, that’s all about to change!

Here’s why…

I Feel That Microsoft Is Going In The Wrong Direction With Windows

Microsoft has gone a long way since the days of Windows XP, they created two pretty solid operating systems including Windows 7 and 10. But here’s the thing, I feel that since Windows 8, Microsoft has been going in the wrong direction with its operating systems.

I remember Windows 7 being the workhorse operating system, everything was in one place and it just worked well, even on older hardware.

Windows 10 is a huge improvement from Windows 8 and 8.1, but I feel that the operating system is a bit dated now, especially the interface. I mean I don’t think they made any major improvements to it since its release in 2015.

That being said, it still is a solid operating system, that works really well on all sorts of hardware and I’m saying that as someone who supports the system in my 9 to 5 job. 

Windows 11

In October 2021, Microsoft released Windows 11 and as someone who was using it before the release as part of the Insider Preview, I was very excited about the operating system, but now that I’m using it I feel that drastic improvements need to be made as it seems they simplified the system too much.

One of my biggest annoyances with Windows 11 is when you right-click a file in Windows Explorer, it brings up a simplified menu which is missing a lot of options by default, you have to press a second button to get the full menu up.

But one of Microsoft’s biggest mistakes with Windows 11 is the stringent hardware requirements. I mean, at the time of release, even my relatively new custom-built computer couldn’t even run it! I had to upgrade my processor and motherboard to be able to install it without any workarounds. 

Working in the IT industry, I know my computers pretty well and I tend to notice things that others don’t. One of these things is the hardware organisations use and let me tell you, the majority of organisations in the surrounding areas use computers that won’t run Windows 11. Some of them use hardware that barely runs Windows 10 correctly!

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on the 14th of October 2025, which means that any device left running on Windows 10 will be left vulnerable to security threats and software vendors will eventually stop allowing their software to run on the system.

That will lead to all people and organisations either upgrading their computers or installing a newer version of Windows. I don’t think organisations will be willing to replace that much hardware, especially if it’s still relatively new or in working conditions. 

This will make Linux a promising option for organisations and Mac for home use and small businesses. Well unless the organisation is willing to invest in Apple.

The Problem I Have With Windows

Why I’m Considering Mac

After graduating from University, my life changed, I started getting more serious about my career and growing my side hustle, meaning that I have less time for gaming and messing around with my computer. 

In fact, over the last two years, the only game I played was a bit of War Zone and Euro Truck Simulator 2. That’s why I came to the decision that I no longer need a gaming PC.

In the past, I had several Mac devices and I still own two of them, I have an iMac from 2011 and a Mac Mini from 2012 which I’m using to run a server. 

Over the last couple of months, I had my eyes set on the M1 Mac Mini, it’s small and will support two monitors which is a must for me, but now that Apple has released the M2 Mac Mini, I’m definitely thinking the Mac Mini is the correct way forward.

However, I’m now faced with a dilemma. I don’t know what specs I should take for basic video editing and work. The basic M2 Mac Mini has a 256 GB SSD, which isn’t a huge problem as I work off external SSDs, the problem is the RAM. I’m not sure whether it’s enough for my needs.

My current PC has 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage in total. However, I don’t really use that storage and all of that RAM, so I need to really think about the final decision, especially as I don’t think I can upgrade RAM or storage on the new Mac Mini.

I tend to be more productive on macOS

I don’t know what it is about macOS, but ever since I can remember, I was more productive on Mac devices. I guess the system is built with productivity and simplicity in mind.  

The fact that I’m more productive on a Mac, may be beneficial to my side hustle. It’s one of the reasons I decided to invest in a second-hand Mac Mini while studying towards my master’s degree.

Investing in a Mac means that I will be able to use some of my favourite apps such as Ulysses which I currently heavily use on my iPad for writing blog posts.

The Verdict

I still haven’t made a decision on which version of the Mac Mini I will be buying or whether Mac Mini is still the best way to go. I want this to be an investment that lasts me for at least 5 years. But one thing I do know is that I want my next computer to be a Mac. 

I mean at present I would say that my iPad Pro is my main computer, it’s the device I use most often when it comes to writing blog posts and other tasks that I wouldn’t want to do on a smartphone. I use my ageing gaming PC, for the more demanding tasks, but I don’t use it anywhere near as often as I use my iPad.

How My iPad Pro Became My Primary Computer

I know that I’ve built several really good computers over the years, but now I just want something that works well for me and doesn’t take up much space, that’s where the Mac Mini comes in. On top of that, I can keep my current matching monitors until I decide to invest in something better.