iPhone/iPad integration issues: Time to become one?

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Level 1

4 points

iPhone/iPad integration issues: Time to become one?

Honest question… we are a retired couple in our late 60s. Still okay tech savyish (ha ha). Worked all our careers on a PC, still have two laptops. I still do some contract work, mostly on the laptop. We both have iPads and iPhones. Which brings me to my question. More and more working between the two systems, there are so many issues. Like trying to save photos from the phone on to a hard drive (jpeg vs HEIF/HEVC) causing angst). Should we, liking the iPhone and iPad, buy a MAC (Chromebook?) and just become ‘one’ with it? Or will that be just too big of a learning curve at this point? My contract computer isn’t mine, so I can’t convert that, but really wondering if we should just replace the family PC with a Mac. And, if that is the way to go, can we just do a Chromebook or do we need something better? Thanks for your insight and guidance…

iPad, iPadOS 18

Posted on Dec 14, 2025 7:39 AM

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Answer 1

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Servant of Cats

Level 7

34,337 points

Dec 14, 2025 9:50 AM in response to By-town

Re: “Should we, liking the iPhone and iPad, buy a MAC (Chromebook?) and just become ‘one’ with it?”

I would strongly advise against buying a ChromeBook on the basis that you like iPhones and iPads and want a computer that will integrate well with them.

Macs, Windows PCs, and ChromeBooks are three completely different kinds of systems. ChromeBooks do not have as much application support as the other two, and do not integrate well with Apple devices like iPhones and iPads. Windows PCs can integrate to some extent with Apple devices, but not nearly as well as Macs do. Macs - Apple’s computers - integrate nicely with iPhones and iPads, even if the details can be a bit complicated at times.

A ChromeBook isn’t even useful for resetting an iPhone or iPad whose passcode you have forgotten. Doing that with a computer requires a Mac or a Windows PC.

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Answer 2

Carol B.

Level 6

17,789 points

Dec 14, 2025 8:23 AM in response to By-town

If you are already comfortable with your iPhone and iPad, you may want to do what I did ... soup up the iPad. I have an iPad Pro, along with an Apple Pencil, Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard. It is easy to use, nice and compact if I travel and allows me to do almost everything I did on my laptop, including using MS: Office. The only reason I keep my laptop around is because I enjoy making photo books and custom calendars on Shutterfly. And they have not fully switched everything over to work on my iPad. Just a thought.

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