Why should we stick with Mac Os/Macs?

[rgeneral]

I'm not trying to start a war here, I'd only like to have a pretty open conversation about the benefits of using mac os instead of windows and yes I don't count Linux because in my opinion sometimes you really really need paid apps and the free alternatives are not up to the task.

I've been trying windows 10 for the last few days and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed, it looks good and microsoft keeps improving it by the day (they need to desperately update the icons ) , the final product may end up being really nice, and I think to my self , what does Apple / Mac Os have over windows? Better security? I love not having to use an antivirus on mac, but is it really that easy to get a virus on windows?

The hardware side has really caught up on windows, the new dell xps 13 looks amazing, that screen easily rivals apple's (LG's) displays, the samsung ultrabooks look quite nice too.

Trackpad and keyboards, yes I think apple is still the king, but again the new windows keyboards and trackpad have really improved.

You can pretty much get every major program on windows, I'm studying to become a designer and I see some of my classmates using the same programs I do without issues.

And don't forget the price, apple products are considerably more expensive.

What about optimization, I think it was a bigger deal before, but if I get a laptop from a big manufacturer the drivers function properly.

Again, I'm not trying to say hey let's all dump apple, I just wanna why do you stick with apple? What makes you say Mac Os is so superior?

Are you looking for permission to leave Mac OS? if you like windows, use windows. What is there to discuss. At the end of the day, I always say the same thing. on the mac, i can have the best of both worlds. on a win laptop, i cannot run OS X efficiently.

btw, i use both all the time.

 

[interstella]

I've been running Windows 10 using Parallels for a week or so now and I have to say it just reminds me of why I switched to Apple a couple of years ago. I'm still not impressed with Yosemite (I appear to have at least 3 problems that nobody on this forum can solve) and I know Windows 10 is still beta but OS X still wins by a mile!

I need to run Windows for a couple of programs that have no decent OS X alternative (Microsoft Money and a rather specialist app called SkyDemon) but I can't see that Windows 10 is anything special at all. The entire user interface is rather messy, not very intuitive and apart from the return of the "start" button, it feels very little different to Windows 8, which is what made me change to OS X in the first place. If Lego made an OS, it would be Windows 10! I hope they make it free for everyone as I can't see people rushing out to buy it.

I was never very impressed with Windows 7. Within a few weeks of installing it, my boot time was up to about 4 minutes, coupled with furious disk activity. It also looked very boring. The last really decent version of Windows was XP. Interesting to note that I work in an environment that requires a lot of sophisticated applications (dynamic positioning and engineroom automation on ships). Even today, these almost always use Windows XP, with a bit of Linux here and there.

I bought a 27" iMac and a 13" MacBook Pro and, despite the Yosemite problems, I don't think I could go back to being a full-time Windows user.

 

[campyguy]

Oh, yeah - one more add for keeping MS Windows around...

Over the holiday season, MS had serious deals on digital albums via their XBOX Music Deals app. I scored on about 60 digital albums that I wanted that were either free or 99 cents - there were dozens more available but most of the extras didn't suit me.

I exported the albums from my Win 8.1 VM and added them to my iTunes account. So, there's one reason to keep MS around...

----------

the last really decent version of windows was xp.

+1

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

I moved from Windows (XP) on a solid Dell laptop to a MacBook Air three years ago. That Dell wasn't my first. For each of the last couple, when purchased, I spent hours removing the crapware that Dell (and I'd guess every other Windows licensee) attaches to make up for the cheap price.

Anti-Virus software is a necessity with Windows, even if you're careful.

Unless things have changed recently, Windows scatters portions of files all over the disk, so plan on defragging it about once a month.

Macs boot in seconds, Window machines take minutes — sometimes a lot of them.

I would not willingly go back to Windows. However, that's just me. It does have some things going for it and I think the new management at Microsoft recognizes they could be better. So it comes down to a matter of personal choice. If you want to use Windows, go for it.

 

[Egally08]

I just switched from windows a little less than a month ago. I've spent all my life using windows - In the IT field, programming, designing, and finally full time working from home. I had only used a mac for a couple months in college when I took an objective C programming course. The use was strictly in and out of Xcode so I still wasn't familiarized with OSX at all.

I've been working from home for the past 2 years, and I'm very demanding on my system. 5-8 programs, 3 different browsers each running 15+ tabs, and 20+ VPS's at the same time.

My lenovo I've been running was getting a big bogged down, so I was thinking about upgrading. Two of my firm's partners had been telling me I need to buy a macbook pro, that it'd make my life much easier. I purchased a new XPS 13, and week later a 15" i7/16gb Macbook pro.

After getting acquainted with OSX, I'm completely blown away. I love the clean look, and the easy multitasking is excellent. I'm literally 40% more efficient as I was on my windows machine. Being able to cycle through programs and desktops so quickly is huge. It's cut 12 hours of work down to 8, sometimes less. Most weeks, I'll work 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, I can do that same amount in 5 days. The wife and kids are happy to say the least.

 

[chad.petree]

That's the thing aside from Mac Os I've been pretty os agnostic so far, yes I've had an iphone, but right now I have a nexus 6, I don't have an ipod or an ipad ( or a tablet for that matter) , for tv I use roku or chromecast, I've been using google drive lately since my friends who have windows are actually able to edit documents and share them with me, you kinda see where I'm going

There is no way anyone could ever get me to dump Apple. I have an iPhone 6, iPad mini, iPod Nano, Apple TV and a Mac.. no other company makes this variety of products that work together so seamlessly (iCloud, Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, AirPlay, etc.).

[*]Hidden settings menus everywhere, Windows 10 even added a Settings application next to the old Control Panel (I hope that they ditch one for the other before the beta ends), whereas on OS X you only have System Preferences and application preferences.
[/LIST]
Bottom line is: OS X still has that straightforwardness that lets me focus on my work and activities, rather than managing the system itself. Organising your files is easy, installing programs is easy, changing the settings is easy. When you set up a new Mac, it will be quick to change it to your liking; you don’t have to spend hours doing it. OS X gives me a distinct feeling of control, it never overwhelms me.

I feel you on that one, I don't know why, but microsoft doesn't trust its users and think we're gonna break the computer and hides the settings and menus

Cheap Windows laptops are completely crap. Good laptops are as expensive as MacBooks. And don't forget about subscription based Office, future Windows and not cheap software. Then why not just buy Apple?

Sorry, but in my opinion that's not really true, I've never seen a windows high end machine that costs 2250 euros (like the macbook pro 15" does) and includes no dedicated GPU and only a 256 gb SSD, yes windows laptops can be expensive but they're always at least 300-400 euros cheaper than a macbook and offer better specs

 

[VMukhtarov]

Sorry, but in my opinion that's not really true, I've never seen a windows high end machine that costs 2250 euros (like the macbook pro 15" does) and includes no dedicated GPU and only a 256 gb SSD, yes windows laptops can be expensive but they're always at least 300-400 euros cheaper as a macbook and offer better specs

I worked in Apple reseller, sold Windows laptops too. They were plastic **** with many problems for high price. Good ultrabooks like Dell XPS and Sony were nice, but not much cheaper than MacBooks. And for Apple price you could buy big and heavy 17" HP laptop from plastic with nice specs, but people who can afford them didn't buy them.

 

[ron7624]

This is a bit off topic as I'm a new Mac user, but thanks for this thread. It has helped me. I am not struggling with the switch over, but there is a lot of useful info from power users that I absorbed from reading all the replies.
Although Win 7 is what I use at work, and have used at home since it came out, OS X has won me over. I have one windows program that I must continue to use and am setting up Parallels for it.

Originally Posted by interstella
the last really decent version of windows was xp.
+1

 

[grahamperrin]

… Mac Os/Macs? … benefits of using mac os instead of windows …

To avoid repetition: there's discussion under 'Microsoft Launches Site to Lure MacBook Switchers to Surface Pro 3' –
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20515671#post20515671
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20517684#post20517684 https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20519171#post20519171 and so on.

Also under Switching from Mac to PC, what made you do it?

… I don't count Linux …

A focused/exclusive topic would be good.

 

[mojolicious]

Investment, familiarity, and inertia.

 

[Freyqq]

If you spend the same as you would on a mac for a pc, you will get quality parts. PC is awful on the low end, as they use substandard parts that cause driver issues, bad build quality, etc. Dell XPS 13 looks good, and the reviewers have been impressed.

Windows has also gotten a lot better. It's missing some of the nice continuity integration that's so nice with OSX, but it is far more optimized than OSX. The speed is amazing, and it runs on much lower-end hardware than OSX. Apple needs to catch up in the optimization department, unfortunately. Windows 10 even copied mission control, which is a major benefit that OSX enjoyed.

To summarize, I would buy computers based on the build quality and parts, not based on the OS anymore. Windows 10 and OSX are both great OS, and it's hard to favor one over the other anymore, as they both have strengths and weaknesses.

 

[FumbleDuck]

If you spend the same as you would on a mac for a pc, you will get quality parts. PC is awful on the low end, as they use substandard parts that cause driver issues, bad build quality, etc. Dell XPS 13 looks good, and the reviewers have been impressed.

Windows has also gotten a lot better. It's missing some of the nice continuity integration that's so nice with OSX, but it is far more optimized than OSX. The speed is amazing, and it runs on much lower-end hardware than OSX. Apple needs to catch up in the optimization department, unfortunately. Windows 10 even copied mission control, which is a major benefit that OSX enjoyed.

To summarize, I would buy computers based on the build quality and parts, not based on the OS anymore. Windows 10 and OSX are both great OS, and it's hard to favor one over the other anymore, as they both have strengths and weaknesses.

Agreed. Computing is beginning to mature now and users expect a certain level of user-interface intuitiveness and reliability. These were advantages that OS X and the hardware integration enjoyed for quite a while but Microsoft and Linux are now in the same park as well.
Personally I went for OS X because of the ability to write apps for IOS, have an OS that is similar to Linux under the hood (terminal familiarity etc), Logic Pro X and the retina screen (I'm sorry but Windows can't touch Apple when it comes to having the OS and apps deal with hi-dpi displays properly).
However Windows is excellent (I thought Windows 8 once you bypassed Metro was an improved Windows 7 and just the same - I don't know anything about Windows 10 yet) and is used by the vast majority and will always universally accepted.

In the end just use the tool that best suits you for the job you want to do - computers are just tools - and I consider the ability to easily swap between various OSes a necessary life-skill.

 

[maflynn]

I think both platforms have evolved and improved over the years to the point that you cannot go wrong with either one.

I like the direction MS is taking Windows, and windows 10 (though I dislike the icons) is a solid OS with a lot of potential.

With Yosemite, I'm less positive about, I don't care to extend the iOS/OSX integration, i.e., continuity. On paper I like what it can do, but in practice its not something I find useful, at least for how I use my iPhone and Mac.

I also think Microsoft has done a better job at rolling out solid updates/upgrades over Apple at this point. Apple seems intent in an aggressive schedule for their upgrades that doesn't give their software developers time to expunge the bugs before they roll it out to us consumers. I think its better to produce a solid product then one that has some great features but is unstable or slow.

 

[chad.petree]

If you spend the same as you would on a mac for a pc, you will get quality parts. PC is awful on the low end, as they use substandard parts that cause driver issues, bad build quality, etc. Dell XPS 13 looks good, and the reviewers have been impressed.

Windows has also gotten a lot better. It's missing some of the nice continuity integration that's so nice with OSX, but it is far more optimized than OSX. The speed is amazing, and it runs on much lower-end hardware than OSX. Apple needs to catch up in the optimization department, unfortunately. Windows 10 even copied mission control, which is a major benefit that OSX enjoyed.

To summarize, I would buy computers based on the build quality and parts, not based on the OS anymore. Windows 10 and OSX are both great OS, and it's hard to favor one over the other anymore, as they both have strengths and weaknesses.

I don't know, do you mean building a computer yourself ? Isnt' that a nightmare when it comes to drivers?

 

[Paulk]

I don't think that's what Chad is trying to say, rather that both Mac and MS have become more similar but that on balance he still prefers Mac. I agree with him there.

 

[cynics]

I don't know, do you mean building a computer yourself ? Isnt' that a nightmare when it comes to drivers?

What are those?

 

[Freyqq]

I don't know, do you mean building a computer yourself ? Isnt' that a nightmare when it comes to drivers?

Not necessarily. I mean, if you're buying a PC, expect to spend Apple prices for a high-level of build quality and driver support.

 

[orioncrystalice]

Apple may eventually choke on iPhone, they may at some point fragment iOS, the Watch may crash and burn (I don't believe these things will happen), but they would have to have a comically epic string of bad OSX decisions for me to get rid of my Mac. To me, the Mac running OSX is the crown jewel of Apple and of desktop computing. I believe OSX is appropriate for what desktop computing should be in 2015 - that is, not still having a hard time outclassing and improving on a system released 14 years ago, which is what Windows has been mired in. OSX makes logical sense to me. The organization and unification and Apple ecosystem makes logical sense to me. The finger gestures make sense to me. The layout of the icons and those options make sense to me. The design makes sense to me. You've also got the App Store with a lot of native and third party apps a click away. I connect with the overall mentality that technology should benefit the artist as well as the business person. And the space saving of the hardware doesn't hurt either. As for being too simple, I would guess that not a lot of critics who point that out: 1. understand why computing should continue to be simpler 2. ever take a nice deep look into OSX and all the real options and possibilities it does offer for an advanced user in terms of maintenance, security, and so forth.

 

[Paulk]

It may be that widows and Mac are converging to fill the demand of mobile phones, I would not know about that as I don't have a mobile phone. But I still won't install Yosemite. So many complain about the washed out look, and eye problems. I am happy with my pro retina with its terrific image quality that I would not want to replace it with an inferior imaging alternative.

 

[ron7624]

It may be that widows and Mac are converging to fill the demand of mobile phones, I would not know about that as I don't have a mobile phone. But I still won't install Yosemite. So many complain about the washed out look, and eye problems. I am happy with my pro retina with its terrific image quality that I would not want to replace it with an inferior imaging alternative.

I was looking at the apple site on my new MacMini with Yosemite last night, and could not see detail in the white small accessories. I didn't realize that Yosemite was the reason it appeared washed out. I've never used any other Mac OS

 

[crashoverride77]

There is no way anyone could ever get me to dump Apple. I have an iPhone 6, iPad mini, iPod Nano, Apple TV and a Mac.. no other company makes this variety of products that work together so seamlessly (iCloud, Continuity, Handoff, AirDrop, AirPlay, etc.).

Tell me about. It has been months since release but the novelty of phone calls, SMS forwarding and handoff has not worn off one bit for me.
It's also good way to deal with Android fans that want to show me their costum launchers, split screen etc. A phone call from my iPad/Mac or A text message/email that I start off with "this is pretty" and than hand off to another device to finish off with "damn sweet" lets the jaws of even my most die hard android friends drop ever so slightly. I like it

 

[F1Mac]

I didn't realize that Yosemite was the reason it appeared washed out. I've never used any other Mac OS

But that's Apple's web site, not Yosemite. It would look the same under Mavericks, no?

 

[ardchoille50]

Tell me about. It has been months since release but the novelty of phone calls, SMS forwarding and handoff has not worn off one bit for me.
It's also good way to deal with Android fans that want to show me their costum launchers, split screen etc. A phone call from my iPad/Mac or A text message/email that I start off with "this is pretty" and than hand off to another device to finish off with "damn sweet" lets the jaws of even my most die hard android friends drop ever so slightly. I like it

This! 100x THIS!

 

[Paulk]

I was looking at the apple site on my new MacMini with Yosemite last night, and could not see detail in the white small accessories. I didn't realize that Yosemite was the reason it appeared washed out. I've never used any other Mac OS

You do seem to have a lot of different devices, 2 i-phones, a mini-mac, you need to check the quality of the monitor you use. How many pixels etc.

 

[simonsi]

I was looking at the apple site on my new MacMini with Yosemite last night, and could not see detail in the white small accessories. I didn't realize that Yosemite was the reason it appeared washed out. I've never used any other Mac OS

LOL - Sounds more like your monitor needs adjusting...