I lastly took the plunge and swapped my MacBook Professional for an HP Spectre x360 as my every day driver. After exploring Workplace apps on Mac, I wished to present Home windows an sincere shot. However just some weeks in, the honeymoon part is formally over. From the jarringly inconsistent design language throughout the OS to the underwhelming collection of third-party apps, I am beginning to notice that Home windows simply does not have the identical stage of polish and a focus to element as macOS.
Right here, I’m not going to speak about common macOS strengths, just like the Apple ecosystem benefits, superior battery life (though the hole is slim with Intel Lunar Lake CPUs), and correct trackpad. As an alternative, I’ll give attention to design, software program expertise, third-party app help, and execution of built-in options.
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Inconsistent design language
Whereas Microsoft has made large strides with Home windows 11 within the UI division, it nonetheless leaves so much to be desired, particularly in case you are coming from a Mac. On the one hand, you’ve fashionable apps just like the Settings app or the Microsoft Retailer, with clear strains, smooth icons, and a usually nice aesthetic. However you then open one thing like Disk Administration, the Registry Editor, and even the superior context menu, and you’ll instantly keep in mind the Home windows XP period.
The design inconsistency is even worse while you allow darkish mode on Home windows 11. You’ll often run into cases the place Microsoft hasn’t applied a darkish shade but.
Even Microsoft is inconsistent with first-party apps. Workplace apps like Phrase, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote appear and feel class-leading and method higher than their Mac counterparts. However you then have a look at one thing like the brand new Outlook, which is web-based, and it doesn’t observe the identical design pointers as others.
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Under-average third-party apps
The disparity between macOS and Home windows extends to the standard and options of third-party functions. Take the most recent net browser Arc, for instance. Whereas the Mac model boasts progressive options like Areas, Easel, and Boosts, the Home windows model feels stripped down and fundamental. It feels as if the builders poured all their love and a focus into the macOS model solely.
Even Microsoft’s personal apps appear to get higher remedy on macOS. Whereas Mac customers take pleasure in a local, fully-featured Outlook app, Home windows customers are caught with a web-based model that lacks responsiveness. Critically, Outlook on Mac puts its Windows counterpart to shame.
And the discrepancies do not cease there. OneNote on Mac helps lovely Aptos fonts for a extra refined note-taking expertise, a characteristic that’s surprisingly absent from the Home windows model.
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Mac-exclusive apps
The software program hole between macOS and Home windows turns into much more obvious when you think about the wealth of outstanding Mac-exclusive apps that merely don’t have any Home windows equal. Take CleanShot X, for example. This highly effective screenshot and display screen recording instrument goes above and past fundamental display screen seize and affords options like scrolling seize, OCR, annotations, and extra.
As a tech author, screenshots and annotations are important to my workflow, and CleanShot X blows Snagit and another Home windows screenshot instrument out of the water. Or contemplate MoneyCoach, a fantastically designed and extremely intuitive expense supervisor that helps you are taking management of your funds. Whereas Home windows has loads of web-based finance apps, none supply the identical stage of polish and native expertise as MoneyCoach.
I additionally wish to give a shout-out to Pixelmator Professional. It’s a robust and user-friendly picture editor that rivals Adobe Photoshop by way of options and capabilities. It is so good, in truth, that Apple itself acquired it. Whereas Home windows customers have entry to Adobe instruments, it lacks the intuitive interface and lifelong pricing of Pixelmator Professional. The checklist of examples can be fairly lengthy; these are just some of the various wonderful Mac-exclusive apps that Home windows customers are lacking out on.
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Finder and Preview are higher than Home windows counterparts
Finder on Mac is really a gem. It’s one thing I missed dearly throughout my brief stint on Home windows. I discovered File Explorer laggy, particularly when opening massive recordsdata. It even lacks tags that provide higher file group.
And let’s not overlook the Fast Look characteristic, which lets me preview recordsdata with a easy spacebar press. That is extremely helpful for rapidly viewing photographs, paperwork, and even PDFs with out opening them in a separate software. Furthermore, the built-in Preview app on macOS permits for fundamental PDF modifying and picture manipulation.
The grass is at all times greener (besides when it’s Home windows)
So, right here I’m, again to the acquainted macOS surroundings. Whereas Home windows actually has its deserves (and I will by no means deny the enjoyment of taking part in video games with out compatibility complications), it finally falls wanting providing a very refined expertise. Maybe, sooner or later, Microsoft might give attention to design consistency and high quality of third-party apps, however for now, I’ll fortunately persist with my MacBook Professional.
If in case you have lately switched from Home windows to Mac, listed here are the first things you need to do on your new machine.
