On one hand, Windows has a huge suite of third-party apps and utilities available online. After many years of refinement, the current-generation 13-Inch MacBook Air is the ideal Mac laptop. Security is no laughing matter when it comes to protecting your computer from possible threats online, so with that in mind, let’s dive in. So, instead, let’s talk about some of the ways to purchase Windows devices, Windows software, and finally, the general prices you can pay for the hardware to build your own desktop. William Sattelberg William has been with TechJunkie since 2017, writing about smartphones, games, streaming media, and anything else that technology touches in our current age. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—it’s just important to understand the market Apple is chasing after here. But looks arenât the only thing that makes people want to pay more for Apple laptops. Of course, both OSes have their own advantages and disadvantages that make it a bit easier to choose between one or the other, but that’s the point. It’s definitely worth checking out if only for the free month trial offered. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. No such complications now. The Windows ecosystem isn’t quite as airtight as what we’ve seen from Apple. We want to hear from you! Some of these platforms have the same apps, and are designed to work with one another. And truthfully, that’s the most important step of an operating system. The Mac App Store has been around for years, but plenty of critics have been vocal about the lack of support and updates for the App Store, the number of fake apps on the platform., and the problem with selling software through the platform instead of independently. Of course, this means that the PC hardware isn’t always as integrated with Windows as Apple’s macOS is with its line of Macs. Overall, if you’re worried about the software carried by each side, you shouldn’t be. With the possible exception of Google, no technology company has built a better ecosystem for customers willing to buy into one product line. Nvidia’s own MaxQ series of graphics cards have become massively popular over the past year, helping to fit near-fully powered GTX 2070s and GTX 2080s in thin and light enclosures about the size of the 16″ MacBook Pro. Still, those security updates are good. Let’s take a deep dive into what’s offered with these two major platforms. That lack of mobile OS, however, has caused Microsoft to fall behind in terms of an ecosystem compared to Apple or even Google. This is the definitive guide to Windows vs. macOS. For decades, Apple has pushed macOS as the secure choice for users looking for simplicity and ease of use in their software. However, currently the imaginary line between Windows PC and Mac is fading, mostly due to Windows computers trying to ⦠PC users still sat in the same place as before. It’s not perfect, but if you’re looking to get a gaming fix, you absolutely can configure things on a Mac. macOS is just as diverse, offering a collection of Mac-friendly apps that tends to drift closer to creativity-based apps. You would need a high-end PC to get the processing power video editing requires. Microsoft has called Windows 10 the “last version of Windows” the company will ever ship. Instead, let’s focus, for now, simply on what each operating system brings to the table in terms of everyday use and visual design. Long gone are the skeuomorphic elements that made up earlier versions of software from the Steve Jobs days of Apple, instead replaced with modern, minimal design appearances. If you know what you’re looking for in your Mac and don’t mind paying for an older model, this can be a great way to add a second computer to your lineup for using Mac applications. PC vs Mac: External applications. Typically, purchasing a refurbished model is a good idea depending on where you’re buying from. This means everything from traditional Microsoft products, like Office, OneDrive, and Outlook, to more consumer-level products like Xbox or Skype, all the way to their niche apps and experiments, like the Microsoft Launcher on Android and their Cortana smart assistant. macOS has continued to be an excellent, modern take on a desktop operating system, with Apple’s own touches making it a great choice for anyone living in the Apple ecosystem. You’re investing in a walled garden that is difficult to leave if you ever want to switch away from Mac, but for some, it’s entirely worth it. Very often it happens to work on different projects that were built in specific music programs (MAC o⦠That means your Mac works seamlessly with an entire platform of hardware, including the Apple TV (with support for Airplay and mirroring), the Apple Watch (if you own one, your Mac automatically unlocks when it detects your watch, similar to Smart Lock on Android), the iPhone and iPad, and more. Notes, iMessages, calendars, photos, and data stored on iCloud Drive are synced between all of your devices through apps built right into those operating systems. Apple is not one of those companies. We recommend either looking up a pre-built guide to purchase parts or using PC Part Picker, which allows you to build a PC in what amounts to a spreadsheet, complete with a compatibility check, premade guides, and price checks, or browse Newegg and Amazon to build a desktop worthy of gaming with. Outside of the Mac Mini, every Mac costs over $1,000 at their entry-level, with the iMac and MacBook Air both priced starting at $1,099 and the MacBook Pro at $1299. The Microsoft Store isn’t much better; in fact, it’s arguably even worse off. Civilization VI and Terraria provide players with deep gameplay and hours on hours of things to do. Don’t get tripped up in the confusion or sales pitches from either company—let the experts at TechJunkie walk you through where each platform succeeds and where they fall short. As you might expect, certified-refurbished models come and go, so you might not always get the device you were looking for. For many confronting the windows mac os issue, it is a specific demand for a shift. The MacBook Air received a spec bump last year, but it too is still using components from years ago, with a low-res display. This spawns from a few primary causes; first, the failure of Windows Phone caused Microsoft to all but pull out of the race to dominate the smartphone market. Gaming on macOS, though still much weaker than Windows, has improved over the last few years, and Windows has gotten better at content creation thanks to the likes of Adobe and Nvidia. It’s difficult to wrap up a guide as large as this one, but here’s our best shot. Ther⦠Anyone who purchases a Windows license can install it on a compatible PC, including one of their own design. Still, here’s a general idea of what you can expect to see along the way: These deals often go quick—in fact, the 13″ MacBook Pro offers sold out while we were preparing this article. The Mac ecosystem also happens to be the Apple ecosystem. Plus, every refurbished Mac has the same 1-year warranty you’d expect with a new product. As you can see, Windows hardware is a very different scene than on the macOS side. While Apple has seven products currently available for consumers to buy, the Windows market is filled with all sorts of laptop models, from ultraportable devices to eight-pound behemoth gaming laptops meant to sit on a desk and be portable only when required. Likewise, the pro community slowly moving to the Windows market over the past several years have left Apple with no choice but to rollback some of their major changes, and it remains to be seen whether the move to in-house processors will push more creators to Microsoft. Instead, Microsoft has decided to make Windows the final version of its operating system to ship, giving the software biannual major updates. In This Article: If you’d like more hardware choices, and want a platform that’s better for gaming, you should get a PC. So, with this in mind, let’s take a look at what each platform is doing to combat security concerns, using the most recent versions of each operating system. Every product sold through Apple’s certified-refurbished store has been tested for additional defects and is ensured to look like new with no markings, scratches, or visual damages. This machine sports one USB-C port, one USB-A port, and Microsoft Surface Connect port, so you can plug in a wide range of accessories without needing an adapter. Microsoft’s Surface 3 Laptop weighs 2.8 pounds, and is .57 inches thick all the way across, so it’s also very backpack-friendly. It’s important to consider the software experiences you’re getting from both platforms, and that comes down to features above everything else. Every single Mac ships with Gatekeeper enabled, and that tech helps to keep numerous security concerns at bay when browsing the web. If you’re in the market for a new laptop for school or work, and have already ruled out getting a Chromebook, you’re left with two choices: Mac, or PC. Visit the Apple site to learn, buy, and get support. Still, macOS remains modern, fast, and smooth, and the new file system has proven to be a wise choice, speeding up computers from ages ago. Hardware might be a major differentiating factor, but macOS and Windows 10 are operating systems, not laptops or desktops. William graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2016 with a degree in Video Production, and lives in Buffalo, NY. The Mac Pro averaged 2.32 seconds. For years, Macs were the king of content creation, seen as the preferred platform of anyone who wanted to spend their time making videos or movies, editing photos, or anything else that required a large percentage of time and creativity. First up: buying Windows devices. Windows 10 PC is the winner. Apple. Appleâs Mac operating system has ⦠Apple and Microsoft are always in this endless battle to provide their customers with the best operating system in the world. I bought a couple of Intel Mac’s cheap and run Windows 10 on them. To add insult to injury, Windows OS runs better on an Apple computer than a PC. In terms of look and feel, MacOS matches the rest of Apple’s post-iOS 7 aesthetic. All Macs and most PCs run on Intel processors, have roughly 8GB (Gigabytes) of memory, 256GB of storage, an integrated graphics chip, WiFi and Bluetooth support, and a built-in webcam. Microsoft has tried to push consumers towards the Microsoft Store for their apps by offering exclusive Xbox Play Anywhere titles (like Sea of Thieves) through their online store, and by selling their laptop, the Surface Laptop, with Windows 10 “in S mode,” which prevents users from installing apps from unknown sources. After all, you aren’t just buying a PC now—you’re buying into an ecosystem. Despite the constant (and, frankly, well-earned) praise that Apple receives for its hardware efforts, it’s worth noting a couple of major takeaways from their product line. Time Machine makes it easy to ensure you never lose another file, and when you’re talking about a computer that likely holds everything from family photos to tax records to video projects, it’s important to keep as much of your data as secure as possible.