need some feedback for lifetime Windows user--please help

I'm an Apple/Mac neophyte. Other than my iPhone and iPad which I love, I have always used Windows computers. It's time for me to replace them, hopefully in a stepwise fashion. I was using a 14" Lenovo thinkpad (bought I think in 2014) at my office to do my Quickbooks, a proprietory database for medical charting and billing, plus the regular stuff--email, web browsing, photos, music, etc. With the pandemic, I moved my operation home, but I'm now working solely via telehealth, and have found the laptop (that also has some concerning power issues) way too small and not powerful enough to handle all of it. I switched to a seldom used Samsung AIO (bought around 2012) and i LOVE the screen size so much I don't see going back, even if I were to return to the office, I would do my paperwork and billing and database from home on a bigger screen. But the Samsung is already showing difficulty, too much delay, taking a half an hour or more to boot up, not powerful enough to handle all of it--being on a HIPAA compliant platform to do face to face telehealth all day, plus run the patient database and scheduler, and quickbooks plus email etc. I have thought for some time about making a switch to Apple/Mac as I have heard most users love them (?). The security and longevity and quality attracts me. So I'm looking at the new 2020 Mac Mini and a Macbook pro 16. But from what I read now is not the time to get the Macbook pro 16, as they are due for an upgrade, and since I have some time before I return to the office (if ever as I'm nearing retirement), it seems the logical place to start is with the desktop computer. Both my computers have touch screen which is nice for signing documents, but I also have an iPad if I could hook that up in absence of a touch screen on the computer. I have been looking on the "What Notebook Should I Buy" forum, and only one person has responded--mostly pushing the expensive Surface 3 so much so that it is beginning to feel odd. I have a first generation Surface I got around the same time I got the Samsung AIO, and it is OK, but not something I would buy again. Hated the keyboard. And it is way too small. I would love some feedback from Apple/Mac users about these ideas, including the fact that I use MS Office fairly often and have a ton of content I hope would transfer and still be able to use. Am I nuts to consider Apple/Mac now? If so, which direction should I look instead? Warning: I'm a Boomer who does a lot of computing but has a bunch of learning curve holes--like for example I don't know how to screenshot. I know. Don't laugh.

 

What are the specs of the Samsung AIO?

Not everything like back then was shipping with at least small SSD's compared to now so I suspect some of those delays may just be the platter drive and possible a lack of ram.

As for Mac though I'll leave that to those in the know.

 

ok specs on the Samsung AIO:

Intel Core I5-3470T CPU @ 2.90 GHz
6 GB RAM
1 TB HDD
720 P HD camera
23.6 inch touch screen.

It came with a terrible keyboard and mouse, both of which I replaced and they work fine.

I kid you not. I just spent 2 hours getting back on because this thing runs so slow and my apps seem to require so much.

I bought this in 2012. I don't think Samsung made anything like it after. I think it was a Mac-alike. Maybe that's why I am thinking so heavily about a mac. Help.

Edited to add: My Thinkpad 14 is also quirky as can be. I know our internet suffers at times, but not all of this can be due to that. I'm in the midwest and we have had negative temps for a week with about 3 feet of snow on the ground. And I have use Spotify combined with Alexa speakers for my music house wide. I have never gotten into itunes much.

 

I use both ecosystems as I have Dell Latitudes/Precisions and a MBP16. I’d honestly go with what ecosystem you’re comfortable with and both have their quirks. Windows is more versatile in the overall software library and I do prefer the Windows management aspect in W10 better, but Apple has a pretty strong ecosystem where their devices integrate well with each other and battery life is also pretty well managed.

Both can be equally buggy, unlike the nonsense you hear now and then about Windows being slow, crashing etc. My MBP 16 in the early days had numberous crashes and restarts on Catalina till like the 3rd update, worked well since then but all the while not a single or of my Dell W10 laptops had blue screens or crashes.

I like my MBP 16, it’s gotta great screen, audio and build quality and performance is pretty good for a thin and light. Though skeptical of the touchbar at first I’ve found it to be quite useful. Some of the biggest downsides to the MBP16 are mostly serviceability, it’s not a device you can self repair and out of warranty repair costs can be extremely expensive vs my Dells where I can if needed replace or upgrade storage/RAM/WiFi card and other parts such as the battery with ease with parts readily available and Dell even provides service manuals on their support site. Other annoying thing is Apple literally reused the same old WiFi card for like 5-6 years straight and signal quality is worse than my old Latitudes that I upgraded with newer WiFi cards.

If wanting an MBP16 I’d wait till the ARM models come as the Intel ones will become obsolete faster in regards to support, the ARM ones will likely perform better, run cooler and have better wireless plus iOS app support.

 

I believe that is a 35w TDP CPU which make sense since its an all in one. The telling parts here are the mismatched RAM and the HDD. People's usages vary of course but even now with my systems up time of 4 days, and I dont micromanage my app usage currently sitting at 8.5GB. 16GB and a 128GB SSD would do that system wonders assuming it isnt an actual ailment in the system. That is of course if you desire to keep it.

 

I have heard it is good to wait on the MacBook pro 16; but what can you say about the new Mac Mini? I could do this piecemeal since I'm still doing all my work with patients from home and have some time to build up enough to get the new Macbook pro 16 when it comes out if I can get a large screen to go with the Mac Mini (I love this 23.6 inch screen) and work happily till I need or want a laptop that works with it. Given the specs I said above, and that I run a telehealth videoconference that is by the company shored up with extra privacy for medical use all day, plus a proprietary medical records database for billing, scheduling and patient charting, plus QuickBooks and email and needing to use the internet all at once, plus at times hook up my iPad to hopefully use as a signing device as well as to run remote Virtual Sandtray App (a psychotherapeutic interactive app developed partly for telehealth--I remotely hook up to the patient's iPad for the duration of the session, and can watch what they do as we discuss it over the videoconferencing session), I imagine I need something kinda powerful. But like I said somewhere, I'm really clueless about maintenance--I would never be able to fix anything myself anyway; it hate having to any maintenance at all and don't, and need the dummie's version of a very smart computer than will run the stuff I need it to do well, without a lot from me. I imagine that sounds petulant; what I do I do well, and what I don't do well is computers.

 

Thank you, Receiver. I don't think it's possible to upgrade it. No one makes them anymore. I got it in 2012 at Staples.

Edited to add: I would like to pass it to my husband or grandchild, but I don't know the first thing about how to make it right as you describe.

 

The AIO if its the one I have come across online, is perfectly upgradable. Its long before the sealed units took over the market.

 

If upgrading to a newer system however, I personally would lean more towards laptop, aside from the MBP16 possibly maybe even consider an MacBook Pro 13 / Dell XPS 13 / ThinkPad (with at least 16GB RAM and 512GB storage) as it would be more versatile and mobile and you can connect additional monitors if you need.

If you get a Mac Mini I’d say once again make sure to get preferably at least 16GB of RAM and maybe minimum of 512GB for storage as this can’t be upgraded later.

I personally don’t think you need something all that powerful for your workload so no need to max out the CPU and Graphics, especially if going for cost effectiveness for whatever you end up buying.

 

Thanks! Now, where would I go in my small city to do this ? I'm at high risk for Covid.