UGH! I need a new computer!

[rosiesmom]

My husband was thinking of taking me to buy a new computer. I take all these surveys and I have only ever used IE. My daughter uses Safari for her Mac laptop. Is Safari compatible with these surveys that we take? I am at a total loss here folks, not computer savvy. I barely got the surveys done.

[seven]

I'd get a laptop.

As far as safari, I've only used it on an iPhone I had once. Didn't care for it. I use Chrome.

[rosiesmom]

I ventured into Best Buy today and spoke with the young man there. He said that I could run IE but it would be like a 3rd party thing. IE is full of viruses and Macs are protected, so it would be like running something that wasn't compatible. ugh! So need to buy a cheap computer just to do surveys.

[ksedwar]

I'm not an Apple fan or a Best Buy fan so I'm a little biased on this topic. Honestly though if you buy a Mac and you mainly use it for surveys, emails, games and/or social stuff then you are spending a LOT of money unnecessarily. I have always had good luck with HP laptops and desktops and never spent over $450.00 for one. I have a HP Pavilion g7 (17 inch) now running Windows 8 and I like it. I know a lot of people don't like Walmart but you pay less at Walmart for the same computer that you find at Best Buy. If you don't mind buying a laptop on Amazon.com you can find really good deals there as well.

Edit: To answer your original question on survey compatibility and Apple products.

Java will run on a Mac. How do I install Java for my Mac?

Flash will also run on a Mac. You may have to find it on your own depending on what version of and what browser you are using. You can download it here. http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/

There is a browser for Apple computers and tablets called Puffin Browser. It runs Flash with no extra downloading but it's not free. It doesn't cost much. $4.99 or something close to that.

I know there are a few Mac users here at SurveyPolice. Maybe they will pop in soon and give more information.

[rosiesmom]

I'm not an Apple fan or a Best Buy fan so I'm a little biased on this topic. Honestly though if you buy a Mac and you mainly use it for surveys, emails, games and/or social stuff then you are spending a LOT of money unnecessarily. I have always had good luck with HP laptops and desktops and never spent over $450.00 for one. I have a HP Pavilion g7 (17 inch) now running Windows 8 and I like it. I know a lot of people don't like Walmart but you pay less at Walmart for the same computer that you find at Best Buy. If you don't mind buying a laptop on Amazon.com you can find really good deals there as well.

Edit: To answer your original question on survey compatibility and Apple products.

Java will run on a Mac. How do I install Java for my Mac?

Flash will also run on a Mac. You may have to find it on your own depending on what version of and what browser you are using. You can download it here. http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/

There is a browser for Apple computers and tablets called Puffin Browser. It runs Flash with no extra downloading but it's not free. It doesn't cost much. $4.99 or something close to that.

I know there are a few Mac users here at SurveyPolice. Maybe they will pop in soon and give more information.

Thanks so much ksedwa! We are going to all Apple here because the spouse thinks it is cheaper in the long run. No virus protection payment. My HP is not even 2 years old and I am getting thermal shutdowns. I am actually afraid of this thing gong up in flames. My daughter has one and hers wasn't even a year old and was doing the same thing. I thought HP's were pretty darned good up until this point. But the keys are sticking, breaking, the mouse pointer is jumping all over. It has to go! My Gateway lasted 4 years until the battery gave up and I couldn't find a replacement. I do agree, the Macs are expensive. We all have Apple phones ,plus an iPad, a Mac desk top, and a Mac laptop. The spouse thinks it would be simpler, but I hate to spend that much money.

[ksedwar]

The best advice I can give if you are going to buy a Mac is to check some of the reliable retailers for discounts and sales. That is as long as you don't mind shopping online.

www.newegg.com

www.amazon.com

You might also check Apple’s online clearance store for good deals on refurbished systems. Manufacturer refurbished items usually have the same warranty as a brand new item. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... /clearance

[JD]

Ask me anything about MAC. I do all my surveys on a late? 2013 MacBook Air. I usually use FireFox but also have used Chrome and Safari for surveys on my MAC. IF you get a MacBook try and get one with 8 GB of memory. I cannot run those virtual grocery surveys on my Mac. Think it is memory constrained. Not sure. I used to be able to run them on my Windows XP machine which had even less memory than my MAC. No memory issues with any other surveys I can remember. They don't load. Only survey issue I can think of except for very few surveys that want you to use IE. Maybe a couple a year if that. IE browser no longer is supported on a MAC.

Good time to buy a MAC as there should be some educational discounts if you have a college or HS son/daughter. If not now then soon.

My household is turning into an all Apple one mainly due to my son being a graphics art major. I really prefer OS X over Windows 8.1.

ETA: Of course I bought my MacBook Air using survey money:-) If it was a Windows machine I'd pick a Lenovo. They seem to hold up better than most.

ETA2: SInce you already have a desktop MAC and a laptop MAC, try some surveys using those computers using Safari to get a feel for doing surveys on a MAC.

[rosiesmom]

Thank you so much JD! I am having an issue pulling the trigger on it. The spouse wants me to get the darned Mac. I do want a lot of memory. My daughter and I have an iTunes account, she is 15, so we have a gazillion songs that I have paid for. I did check with Pinecone and they said they were set up to be done on IE. But she told me to try downloading Google, which I am not partial to at all.

[JD]

Thank you so much JD! I am having an issue pulling the trigger on it. The spouse wants me to get the darned Mac. I do want a lot of memory. My daughter and I have an iTunes account, she is 15, so we have a gazillion songs that I have paid for. I did check with Pinecone and they said they were set up to be done on IE. But she told me to try downloading Google, which I am not partial to at all.

I do all my Pinecone surveys using Safari and have never had an issue. Google is Chrome browser. Mozilla is Firefox browser. I run all 3 at the same time on my MAC for different purposes. As said before I do all my surveys for Opinion Outpost, MyView, JDPowerPanel, Tellwut and iSay using FireFox. Just tabs open to each survey site on FireFox. I do Bing on Safari.

[ksedwar]

I do all my PineCone surveys using Safari and have never had an issue. Google is Chrome browser.

Most surveys that work with Google Chrome should work with Safari. They were both originally developed using the same rendering engine. WebKit.

[1957horses]

I just love seeing how there are people like you ksedwar and JD and my friend rosiesmom are there to help each other and all others that are in need......................

[rosiesmom]

I just love seeing how there are people like you ksedwar and JD and my friend rosiesmom are there to help each other and all others that are in need......................

I know! He may take me tomorrow. fingers crossed.

[rosiesmom]

Finally got the new computer, a Mac, and I am having issues with some of the sites, so I am keeping the old computer up and running until I get the bugs worked out. Way excited because this one is FAST! Maybe I can take more surveys now.