As any Windows 7 user can tell you, Microsoft is removing some-more and some-more assertive in pulling upgrades to Windows 10 from within Windows 7. Some of we competence take advantage of a giveaway upgrade, and some of we competence be regulating on machines that don’t support Windows 10 — so we competence opt to stay with Windows 7.
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But what about those users for whom it’s time to get a new machine? With a disproportion of some existent contracts or aged inventory, you’re flattering many faced with a choice of not usually a new machine, yet a new OS — Windows 10. Given that you’re going to make a large handling complement jump, should we hang with Windows, or pierce over to a Mac?
From a pricing indicate of view, this isn’t as fantastic as it competence primarily seem. High finish Windows-based ultrabooks are labelled nearby (or even above) likewise versed MacBooks and MacBook Pro machines.
Take, for example, a spiffy new Microsoft Surface Book. With a Core i5 (Microsoft doesn’t mention processor speed!), 256GB storage, and 8GB of RAM, you’re articulate $1,899. A MacBook Pro with a 2.7Ghz i5 with a same storage and RAM is $1,499.
Sure, there are cheaper Windows machines, yet if we emporium for brand-name suppliers, a dollar disproportion isn’t many (or competence even give Apple an advantage). For a purpose of a contention in this article, then, we’ll skip any some-more contention of appurtenance cost and pierce on to a other factors that should cause into your decision-making.
UI differences
A Windows 7 user jumping from Windows 7 to Windows 8 would be distant some-more confused than that same user relocating to a Mac. That’s given Windows 8 was a totally confusing change yet any manifest cues about how a OS worked — or where a things everybody was used to left to.
While a Mac didn’t have a Start menu in a reduce left of a screen, a menu is manifest and prominent, and so Windows 7 users stood a improved possibility of removing something finished compared to those same users relocating to Windows 8.
After a few years of screaming outrage, Microsoft has bound many of that in Windows 10. A Windows 7 user will not be mislaid in Windows 10 — during slightest mostly. There’s a Start menu, it’s transparent how to launch applications, and while a UI looks a bit different, it’s now serviceable by traditional, gifted Windows users.
As a result, a Microsoft waste has flattering many left away. Yes, settings are opposite and a tiny reduction clear, yet zero a good Windows user can’t handle. And sure, there are windowed applications and full-screen Metro-style apps, yet it’s now transparent how to get in and out of those apps.
Decision: Microsoft. If we use Windows 7, we won’t find Windows 10 foreign. By contrast, if we pierce to Mac OS X, a Finder is weird, we can’t right-click to emanate a new file, and there are no regulating app previews unless we buy some appendage software.
Application selection
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There are still some-more Windows applications than Mac applications. That said, given we can run Windows in a practical appurtenance on a Mac, yet we can’t run OS X in a practical appurtenance on Windows (at slightest yet a Hackintosh hack), we can run a wider accumulation of module on a Mac.
That’s precisely why we changed my categorical machines from Windows to Mac. we actively use a lot of Mac module as good as Windows software, and with Parallels, we can simply use both corresponding on a same machine.
The large customary applications work good on both platforms. Microsoft’s Office applications have been updated on a Mac and they’re flattering many during relation with a Windows version. I now generally use a Mac chronicle of Office with tiny difficulty — nonetheless some of my 2,000-slide files pile-up on a Mac side, yet open ideally in a Windows VM.
Other customary applications, trimming from Adobe’s Creative Cloud to Dropbox and Evernote to Chrome are substantially matching on both machines, so there’s really tiny adjustment.
Decision: Mac, yet usually if we need to run both Mac and Windows applications. Otherwise, both platforms have a far-reaching preference of applications with a low story of plain support.
Reliability
I’ve started meditative a lot about Windows trustworthiness given Microsoft has been screwing with my formerly rock-solid Windows 7 environments. But that’s mostly given Redmond is obsessively pitching people to pierce to Windows 10.
By many reports, Windows 10 is pretty solid, during slightest on good hardware with good support. Because Windows 10 runs on a outrageous accumulation of hardware, you’re going to see some systems that are some-more arguable and some that are less. But that’s a inlet of a outrageous Windows hardware ecosystem not Windows 10 itself.
On a Mac side, my knowledge with OS X was glorious — except when it wasn’t. When Apple rolled out a latest El Capitan update, they pennyless a few pivotal facilities on my machine. An refurbish to a refurbish rolled out a month later, and now all is behind to normal. But there was a month of profanity, worry, and squandered time contrariety and diagnosing a problem that wasn’t mine.
Decision: Draw. You need to take caring to review reviews of a Windows 10 device you’re buying, given they’re not identical, yet Windows 10 itself isn’t any some-more or reduction plain than OS X.
Mobile ecosystem compatibility
Let’s face it. Everything works with iOS. Given how outrageous a Apple mobile marketplace is, no businessman can means to omit it. Microsoft is even famous for releasing their possess products on iOS before their Windows mobile offerings. Android, too, has clever support in both a Windows and OS X environments.
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There are some factors, though. If we stay all Windows, all a approach down to your phone, Microsoft has some glorious harmony features, including a ability to wharf your phone and get a normal Windows desktop UI.
Likewise, if you’re all Apple, we get a ability to uniformly use your iOS inclination with your Mac in a scarcely seamless way.
Android doesn’t have utterly as seamless an formation with possibly desktop environment, yet there’s also no transparent desktop leader for Android users.
Decision: Mac. If we use Windows phones, you’re a really tiny minority. By contrast, so many people use iPhones that a iPhone’s well-spoken formation with OS X is a transparent advantage — yet usually if you’re an iPhone user. If we occur to be one of those few Windows phone users, afterwards Windows will clearly yield we with an advantage.
Security
There will always be some-more confidence risks on Windows than on a Mac, simply given of Windows’ marketplace share advantage. Windows, as they say, is a target-rich environment. That said, Microsoft has finished wonders with complement confidence given a days of Windows XP, and even a days of Windows 7. Windows 10 is a many some-more secure OS than Windows 7,
There are fewer exploits and hacks into Macs, yet that doesn’t meant a Mac is ideally safe. Most Mac users can get divided yet regulating an antivirus program, while Windows users would be suicidal to do so. But a Mac has seen a share of exploits and it can’t be deliberate bulletproof.
Decision: Mac. There are simply reduction confidence hassles on a Mac side, nonetheless Windows has gotten many better.
Upgrade cost
Apple recently enacted a process of giveaway OS upgrades. Period. You won’t have to compensate for an ascent when a new OS comes out.
By contrast, Microsoft has finished Windows 10 upgrades free, yet usually for a initial year after release. After that point, Microsoft says you’ll have to compensate to upgrade, that will expected run we from about $20 to over $200 per machine. That can supplement adult quickly.
Decision: Mac. Granted, Apple creates many of a income from hardware and Microsoft has historically been a module usually company, we won’t ever have a doubt of how many you’ll have to compensate to ascent your OS when you’re regulating Apple products. Not so with Microsoft products.
Licensing and switching costs
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We talked about a fact that high-quality PCs are as costly as Macs, and we talked about a cost of upgrades. But what we haven’t talked about is chartering or switching costs, that tumble into dual categories: your existent chartering agreements, and a cost of applications on a new OS.
If we have existent chartering agreements or contracts, we competence or competence not compensate by a chair vs. a platform. For example, both Adobe and Microsoft assign by a seat. Microsoft doesn’t caring that platforms we use Office 365 on, usually that we keep it inside your chair limit. Same with Adobe and Creative Cloud. we have one Mac and one PC on my 2-license Creative Cloud comment and it works usually excellent (other than we consider two licenses is unnecessarily miserly on Adobe’s part).
But some permit agreements competence outline platform. If so, we competence find switching to a Mac extremely some-more expensive.
This also relates to module where we don’t have existent agreements. When we changed to a Mac, we bought a whole raise of new software — mostly utilities — and while not terribly expensive, it did supplement to my switching costs noticeably
Decision: Windows. You competence run into additional chartering or switching costs when relocating to a Mac.
Configuration variety
When it comes to a tangible devices, Apple offers some options. You can squeeze one of 4 laptop form factors (ranging from a MacBook Air to a 15-inch MacBook Pro), a cylindrical Mac Pro, a all-in-one iMac, and a tiny Mac mini.
But Windows… oh, boy. You can do laptops or we can do tablets or we can do detachable laptops that spin into tablets. You can do building PC or we can do HDMI stick. There are an roughly uncountable series of pattern varieties out there for Windows users looking for solutions.
But all sorcery comes with a price, and a cost of a accumulation in Windows machines is there is also utterly a operation in trustworthiness and motorist quality. Some machines are going to be stone plain and others, well, not so much. Choosing a plain appurtenance involves some-more than reading specs, we will mostly need to rest on reviews by other users and IT professionals to get a feel for what sorts of problems we competence confront down a line.
Decision: Windows by a mile, yet with a caution: we takes your chances with some machines.
Stylus and touch
This one is a no brainer. While a iPad Pro with a Apple Pencil is conjectural to be sublime, a Mac height does not offer hold or a stylus. So if we wish to use Photoshop with a stylus, you’re possibly going to have to step off a Mac ecosystem or go with a Windows 10 machine.
Decision: Windows. Unlike Macs, scarcely all Windows machines are touch-capable.
Gaming
Gaming has gotten improved on Macs and, yet a doubt a gaming marketplace for iOS inclination is huge. But let’s be transparent here — when you’re deliberation Macs vs. Windows machines, you’re substantially not looking towards iOS. So don’t upset what we can do on an iPad with what we can do on a Mac.
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Mac gaming, while not bad on some machines, is still zero like PC gaming. When you’re looking for a ultimate gaming experience, you’re going PC. There’s usually no doubt about it.
There are some challenges, though. While Windows has improved gaming support from a diversion vendors, and many improved joystick and gamepad support if you’re into such things, some PCs with graphics cards support really peculiar configurations and drivers.
My final Windows appurtenance was a high-end gaming laptop that came with both an ATI graphics processor and a unchanging Intel video processor (for non-3D applications). The drivers on that appurtenance were usually never utterly right — and, in fact, a reason I’m not upgrading that appurtenance to Windows 10 is a businessman says any attempted ascent would usually nuke a machine. The drivers usually can’t hoop a upgrade.
Decision: Windows, yet with a now-usual premonition that your mileage competence vary.
Training
As discussed earlier, a new Windows 10 UI won’t be scarcely as differing to your Windows 7 users as a Windows 8 UI was.
As a result, many simple users won’t need too many training to make a burst to Windows 10, where they competence need some-more training to get used to OS X.
At a admin level, that’s a bit different. Each handling complement rider has a possess quirks, and Microsoft has fiddled with settings and pattern options, so Windows 10 will take some removing used to. But if we make use of a hunt (and of a Google), we should be fine.
Decision: Windows. Moving to OS X will need some-more of a training bucket for your users than relocating to Windows 10. For admins, both will have irritating behaviors and changes, yet there’s zero that some good out-of-date hunt engine jujitsu can’t solve.
Directory integration
If your emporium is regulating Active Directory, we are not singular to Windows only. There are utterly a few add-on Active Directory products that entirely enroll Macs into an AD environment. That said, local AD is local AD, and we won’t have to catch chartering costs with Windows devices.
Decision: Windows. It’s probable with Macs, yet it will supplement to your costs.
The bottom line
We’ve looked during a lot of factors and attempted to answer a question, “If you’re a Windows 7 user removing a new machine, should we ascent to Windows 10… or pierce to a Mac?” While there are many nuances to that decision, here is a preference tree to take to management:
If you’re disturbed about cost, there are positively cheaper Windows devices, yet peculiarity PCs and peculiarity Macs cost about a same. So that’s a draw.
If you’re really heavily invested in a iOS ecosystem, formation with Macs competence clear relocating to a Mac. Likewise, if you’re one of a few organizations regulating Windows phone devices, afterwards a mobile formation justifies staying on a Windows side.
If, like me, we need to run both PC and Mac applications, afterwards a well-configured Mac is a best choice (and really beats carrying dual machines, generally given we can cut and pulp between OS X and a VM regulating Windows).
If we wish a far-reaching accumulation of form factors, afterwards Windows is clearly your choice.
If we wish a detachable screen, touch, or a stylus (and you’re not going a iPad Pro route), afterwards Windows is your choice.
If we wish top-notch gaming performance, compatibility, and availability, Windows is your choice.
If your primary regard is security, Macs competence be a improved choice, yet not definitively. Macs are routinely left open and exposed given they don’t run anti-malware software. On a other hand, they tend to be strike a lot reduction than Windows machines.
If you’re endangered about trustworthiness and complement performance, afterwards you’ll do excellent on both environments, yet collect delicately and review reviews and customer comments before shopping a Windows machine. Quality varies distant some-more among machines on a Windows side than those sole by Apple.
The genuine bottom line is this: you’re excellent staying with Windows, yet a Mac is also a viable option. Microsoft has finished a many improved pursuit with Windows 10 than with Windows 8 and so if you’re shopping a new machine, select formed on what we need. Neither OS is vastly improved or worse than a other.
By a way, I’m doing some-more updates on Twitter and Facebook than ever before. Be certain to follow me on Twitter during @DavidGewirtz and on Facebook during Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz.