My parents (mostly my dad) use a 2007 (or 2006, can’t remember) iMac and it is showing it’s age. I’d like to buy them a refurbished Mini. Apple has one right now:
2.6GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5 with 8 GB Ram for $589.
Does this sound good enough?
He mostly just uses Word docs, reads his email and browses the web. Right now he’s getting the spinning beach ball a ton and I think it would blow his mind to have a newer machine. I also want to set up 1Password for him.
Thanks for any tips! I used to occasionally buy refurb Macs from Small Dog Electronics, but seems they barely have any to sell these days.
Second hand are fine. The yer is important as older models can’t get OS updates. I think Mojave was 2012 onwards. Catalina may be later.
The thing that will blow his mind speed wise is running the system from an SSD, so go for an installed SSD (MacBook Air?) or boot from an external drive.
Aside from Apple itself, I have recommended Powermax.com for used/refurb Apple hardware. To my surprise they’re selling now through an Amazon storefront - apparently they closed their West Coast retail location and are now all-virtual. But they’ve been around since 1998. I used them several times (a decade ago) and I know a someone who bought used Mac hardware from them as recently as 2016.
You would think that it would be - I mean it is, they do have one! However my dad likes using a computer/mouse/keyboard. My mom seems to do 95% of her email/browsing, etc on the iPad, but he doesn’t for some reason.
My dad’s old iMac (2010?) was dying so he got a new MacBook Air. He has also been using an iPad. Watching him use the new MBA, he tends to touch the screen like it was an iPad and then realize it won’t work. However, he’s now free to run around the house with the MBA rather than going to the computer room to use the iMac.
I think the old iMac may still work as a display for the MBA. If not, we may eventually choose a new display when the old iMac stops working completely.
It’s for your parents right, you mean those people who took care of you for … a while? Apple just released a tower thingy, I think that’s appropriate for your parents
