When it comes to Apple notebooks, opinions are heavily polarized between those that dislike the brand and those who would buy nothing else. In the following analysis, we try to understand if and how Apple is better compared to other brands and what makes it so special.
To do so, we have put together some of the most common macOS myths and did our best to dispel or confirm them. We have not considered any third party software, even when such software comes bundled with the operating system.
- “macOS can’t perform complex tasks”
Status: Debatable
macOS is indeed a lean and reliable operating system for basic tasks like browsing the internet, chatting, and writing documents. Everything is laid out intuitively and easy to access. Rarely do you get lost in unnecessary options or menus.
For more advanced tasks, since it is an UNIX based operating system, macOS can be heavily customized to suite a large variety of needs. However, this requires good knowledge of UNIX terminal commands (bash), which few people have.
Therefore, while you can customize macOS to suit your power user needs, this is not a straightforward process. There is no middle ground with macOS: you either accept what it offers out-of-the-box or turn to computer wizardry. Windows has a much larger degree of configuration and customization, providing an easier to use graphic user interface and several useful standard options. Unlike macOS, Windows is often used for critical enterprise servers, making it more flexible and adaptable for a wider variety of scenarios.
- “macOS is faster than Windows.”
Status: False
This used to be true a few years ago, but right now Windows 10 is just as fast as macOS. Running the same benchmarks with the same hardware on macOS and Windows yields very similar results.
- “macOS is more reliable than other operating systems.”
Status: True
macOS is optimized to work with only a few and very specific hardware components, and for this reason it is fundamentally more stable. Windows on the other hand has to deal with thousands of different vendors and hardware configurations, so chances for something to go wrong are higher. Generally, the systems bought from reputable vendors such as Dell, Lenovo or HP will be just as stable as macOS on Apple hardware.
- “macOS is a very safe and secure operating system.”
Status: False
This used to be true 10-15 years ago, when viruses and malware only roamed on Windows, but unfortunately, today there are many viruses and exploits for macOS. CVEdetails, which independently monitors security and software vulnerabilities, counted over 790 vulnerabilities for macOS between 2015 and 2017 versus Windows 10, which counted only 269, which indicates macOS is a far less secure operating system than Windows.
In addition, ransomware, the most feared type of malware in late years, can work just as “well” on macOS as on Windows.
- “macOS is not for gaming.”
Status: True
There are some games, which are released on multiple platforms including macOS, such as StarCraft 2. There is also Steam for macOS, which has a rather good catalog of games. However, gaming performance is generally worse on macOS than on Windows and the selection of titles is far less impressive.
- “macOS is better for creativity and design.”
Status: Debatable
Most of the tools for creativity and design are third party software, independent of the operating system. Of course, some users may have gotten used to macOS exclusive software, but this is more a matter of preference than superiority. However, macOS has the best scaling and multi-monitor support of any operating system, so in this regard, doing artistic work on a macOS setup will have its pluses.
Conclusion
If you are doing mostly web browsing, writing documents or media production activities such as photo editing, then macOS’ simpler interface and multi-monitor support might suite you better. MacOS might also work very well for you if you are highly knowledgeable with the bash command line.
If you plan on gaming, running virtual machines, or other tasks for which you want flexibility and versatility, then go with Windows.
If you are not sure what you are going to do with your laptop, then, again, we believe it is better to go with Windows since it can adapt to a wider variety of activities.
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