Mac os x vs windows 8 features

You can, of course, build a hackintosh to work around this problem. You can still use OS X, get more powerful hardware, and pay a lot less. That said, as Stego notes, the hardware isn't officially sanctioned by Apple meaning you handle the repairs and compatibility could break at any point. As reader Chris Vician mentions , Windows has "[t]ons of software. Just tons of it. The Windows Store already has over 50, apps despite its youth whereas the Mac App Store had a little under 14, at the end of its second year.

Of course, the Windows Store is also a store for tablet apps, so those numbers may not be a perfect measurement. Mac users could also make a quality-over-quantity argument, but that's largely a matter of personal opinion. From our standpoint, as bloggers who sift through many downloads on each platforms, you'll find plenty of crappy downloads regardless of your platform. While what software you love and use may matter the most when choosing a platform, Windows unquestionably offers more options, at least when it comes to bigger apps like music players, video players, IM clients, and other things of that nature.

Of course, both Windows and OS X have their own standout apps that aren't available on the other. From a hardware standpoint, most Windows PCs let you upgrade whatever you like whereas Macs do not.

Windows users also have the benefit of everything being made specifically for them. With software, you'll find Apple drops compatibility with old applications far faster. Reader Stego explains:. Windows is the mainstay of PCs everywhere. Windows is flexible in that regard, running everything from the latest games to ancient DOS Payroll software for corporations. You can buy a pre-built PC with Windows from hundreds of vendors, or build your own from scratch with thousands of different parts. Given time, you can build a PC that fits all of your needs perfectly.

That flexibility, though, comes at a price. People used to argue that Macs had no viruses.

Some still do, although that statement is no longer true. Nevertheless, far fewer viruses exist for Mac and most Mac users get by just fine without any antivirus protection. While this may not last forever, and Apple doesn't have the best reputation when handling security issues , fewer viruses is a current and legitimate perk of OS X.

Windows, on the other hand, suffers from more than just a few security exploits as reader Stego explains:. With Windows, you have to stay on top of driver updates, security patches, Anti-Virus software still recommended for the Mac, mind, but it's a particular problem with Windows , etc. Windows is easily bogged down with clutter, bloatware, and memory munchers.

Even though Windows can require a bit of maintenance , not every PC features bloatware such as the ones you build yourself and requires more updates than a Mac. Microsoft also handles security issues better and created Microsoft Security Essentials Windows Defender in Windows 8 to combat viruses easily. While we feel Microsoft's offering fell behind its competition, plenty of free antivirus software exists and works great.

Additionally, viruses don't account for some of our primary security concerns nowadays. As reader Strife Caecus points out , social engineering attacks and browser-based traps largely contribute to the overall problem:. What about social engineering attacks—where people are tricked into clicking on a link to install something malicious?

Or installing extra browser toolbars? Or how about phishing sites? Is it assumed that the average Mac user is less likely to be duped by a social engineering attack? From our standpoint, Mac users aren't more or less likely to fall for social engineering attacks and don't know of an accurate way of measuring that likelihood. While viruses still offer a considerable threat to Windows, security issues may become platform-agnostic in the future and render this argument irrelevant.

Back in the 80s and 90s, Macs had a legitimate reputation as the first choice for designers because the selection of design applications was superior to what you could get on Windows PCs. Nowadays you often see Macs in design firms likely due to their aesthetic or just out of habit. Both Windows and OS X feature plenty of great design apps, and high file compatibility between both platforms. As a result, you'll find more people who prefer designing on Windows despite the stereotype. Reader Scruffy Kitty prefers Windows for design due to its speed, device compatibility, and better multi-monitor support:.

I often find with my Mac that I use at work slow and not fantastic at multitasking. It is an iMac, fairly new, and it chugs through things my similarly priced laptop currently running Windows 8 does with ease. I've lost a lot of time at work waiting for my computer to start working and have learned that if I'm going to work on any hi-res art I should just bring my laptop in and transfer the files over when I'm done. Many designers still prefer Apple hardware and OS X for their workflow.

Because Macs are stereotypically seen more as the choice for artists regardless of whether or not that's actually accurate , software companies often target Macs for design-related tools. Additionally, OS X offers excellent font management out of the box and other built-in tools like Preview for quick conversion and other tasks. Both platforms have their pros and cons, but when it comes to the design argument you won't find a clear winner on either side.

Like with most things, personal preference will dictate your choice here. As mentioned earlier, official Apple hardware offers a paltry selection of graphics cards. While you'll find more and more popular games—including several unique titles—available for OS X, if you want a bleeding edge gaming experience you won't get it from a Mac. Few people elaborated on this argument, likely because it speaks for itself: You'll find fewer gaming options, hardware, and tools to fine-tune performance when using a Mac.

Even if you build a hackintosh and get a powerful GPU, you're still fairly limited in regards to what you can do with it when running OS X. Oftentimes, the same game will just run better in Windows than it will in OS X. Macs have a reputation of being the more intuitive choice. Apple would certainly like us to believe that, but if you ask a handful of Windows users you'll find that they consider the platform more intuitive in many ways. Microsoft lets you install the OS with your voice using Cortana.

Both automatically recognize and install drivers for standard hardware peripherals such as mice , keyboards , and storage. Both systems offer login options that go beyond the traditional act of simply signing in on your desktop. Or you can log in with your iPhone or Apple Watch if they are close enough to the computer. But Windows 10 offers Hello with several biometric login options. Face login is probably the coolest, and is available on most higher-end PCs, including all Surface devices.

Windows Hello also supports fingerprint readers, available on laptops such as the HP Spectre There's nothing similar in macOS, but you can pin frequently used apps to your Dock, or set up your desktop with your most-used programs and files. Apple offers some great computer hardware options, but the selection is dwarfed by the massive availability of a diverse array of Windows PCs.

And that's not to mention nontraditional options like the HoloLens , VR headsets , and the Raspberry Pi , which can all also run Windows There's also a more diverse array of Windows-friendly peripherals available. Windows gives you a lot more leeway in configuring a system with the components you want, and more flexibility to upgrade later. Both operating systems offer a wealth of built-in utilities and apps.

You get decent mail clients, calendars, calculators, photo and video viewers and editors, screenshot tools, voice recorders, and web browsers, and apps for maps, cameras, news, weather, and contacts. But macOS includes a superior video editor, a preview utility, and a streaming music service. It also throws in the awesome GarageBand music composition app and a full productivity suite. Both platforms have had time to develop rich ecosystems of software and services.

Custom business applications are more likely to be supported on Windows, and macOS is prevalent in creative fields. That said, you can find plenty of good general business software for Macs, and Windows actually boasts more options in some creative areas, such as video editing. Both operating systems offer decent leeway for customization, but we are beyond the days of drastic interface overhauls. That said, both OSes offer choices in desktop backgrounds, screen item sizes, and screen savers. Dark modes are the new rage, and both Mac and Windows offer them.

The search box in Windows 10 displays at all times, and typing in it pops up a panel with file, app, and web results. Both search features will do math; show you the weather, stock prices, and sports results; or find nearby Thai restaurants without breaking a sweat. On Windows, the voice and typed searches are a single entity, whereas Siri and the Spotlight search in macOS are not. Windows 10 has always had full touch screen support, and it offers a Tablet mode that lets you switch between using the screen and keyboard for inputs provided, of course, that your laptop is equipped with a touch panel.

I use my Surface Go exclusively as a tablet. Pen input is another win for Windows. The support for styli on touch screens is robust, with incredibly good handwriting-to-text conversion.

You can use a pen anywhere you enter text. You can also use your voice for text input in any app in both OSes. To do this in macOS, you have to specifically enable it. Once voice dictation is turned on, you can access it by double-tapping the Fn key.

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In Windows 10, just hit Windows Key-H for hear and you're off and dictating. Both work in any text field. Cortana arrived on Windows 10 a good year before Siri made it to the Mac, and is still more capable in a few important ways. Both can open apps and web pages, tell you the weather, change system settings, do math, control smart home devices, set reminders, send emails, and search the web. Both can be invoked by voice. Cortana can now even send requests to Amazon's Alexa. Windows has been making great strides in integrating the OS with mobile devices. Android devices in particular are well served by Windows with the Launcher and Your Phone apps, which let you share documents and web pages and conduct SMS messaging across devices.

The macOS Notifications panel lets you send text messages by syncing up to a nearby iPhone, all your photos can be shared across devices in Apple Photos, you can transfer almost anything with AirDrop, and you can even engage in video calling with FaceTime between devices. For example, you can unlock your Mac when your watch is in proximity, and the same notifications flow to both. That's because macOS is more document-based, while Windows is program-based.

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So when you click on an app's icon in the Dock, you may just see its menu at the top, but no program window. In Windows, tapping a taskbar icon always brings up the associated program.

1. The 11 most important differences between Macs and PCs;
2. Related Features.
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The macOS Dock has made strides over the past few years, with its nifty mouse-over magnification and Mojave's new feature that displays the icons of recently used apps. But the Windows taskbar is more functional. Taskbar Jump Lists let you see recent files opened in the app or jump to frequently needed actions in that program.

macOS vs. Windows: Which OS Really Is the Best?

As mentioned in the Taskbar vs. Microsoft's OS makes it easier to arrange windows on the screen. Want an app to take up exactly half the screen? Snap it to the left or right edge. How about have it display on a quarter of the screen? Snap it to any of the screen corners. If you run apps side-by-side, the border between them can be resized. If you want to show or switch to the desktop behind any running apps, click to the very far right of the taskbar.

The conveniences go on. Both operating systems let you create multiple virtual desktops.