I finally took the plunge and swapped my MacBook Pro for an HP Spectre x360 as my daily driver. After exploring Office apps on Mac, I wanted to give Windows an honest shot. But just a few weeks in, the honeymoon phase is officially over. From the jarringly inconsistent design language across the OS to the underwhelming selection of third-party apps, I'm starting to realize that Windows just doesn't have the same level of polish and attention to detail as macOS.
Here, I'm not going to talk about usual macOS strengths, like the Apple ecosystem advantages, superior battery life (although the gap is narrow with Intel Lunar Lake CPUs), and accurate trackpad. Instead, I will focus on design, software experience, third-party app support, and execution of built-in features.
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4 Inconsistent design language
While Microsoft has made huge strides with Windows 11 in the UI department, it still leaves a lot to be desired, especially if you are coming from a Mac. On the one hand, you have modern apps like the Settings app or the Microsoft Store, with clean lines, sleek icons, and a generally pleasant aesthetic. But then you open something like Disk Management, the Registry Editor, or even the advanced context menu, and you will suddenly remember the Windows XP era.
The design inconsistency is even worse when you enable dark mode on Windows 11. You will frequently run into instances where Microsoft hasn't implemented a dark shade yet.
Even Microsoft is inconsistent with first-party apps. Office apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote look and feel class-leading and way better than their Mac counterparts. But then you look at something like the new Outlook, which is web-based, and it doesn't follow the same design guidelines as others.
3 Below-average third-party apps
The disparity between macOS and Windows extends to the quality and features of third-party applications. Take the latest web browser Arc, for example. While the Mac version boasts innovative features like Spaces, Easel, and Boosts, the Windows version feels stripped down and basic. It feels as if the developers poured all their love and attention into the macOS version only.
Even Microsoft's own apps seem to get better treatment on macOS. While Mac users enjoy a native, fully-featured Outlook app, Windows users are stuck with a web-based version that lacks responsiveness. Seriously, Outlook on Mac puts its Windows counterpart to shame.
And the discrepancies don't stop there. OneNote on Mac supports beautiful Aptos fonts for a more refined note-taking experience, a feature that's surprisingly absent from the Windows version.
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2 Mac-exclusive apps
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The software gap between macOS and Windows becomes even more apparent when you consider the wealth of exceptional Mac-exclusive apps that simply have no Windows equivalent. Take CleanShot X, for instance. This powerful screenshot and screen recording tool goes above and beyond basic screen capture and offers features like scrolling capture, OCR, annotations, and more.
As a tech writer, screenshots and annotations are essential to my workflow, and CleanShot X blows Snagit and any other Windows screenshot tool out of the water. Or consider MoneyCoach, a beautifully designed and incredibly intuitive expense manager that helps you take control of your finances. While Windows has plenty of web-based finance apps, none offer the same level of polish and native experience as MoneyCoach.
I also want to give a shout-out to Pixelmator Pro. It's a powerful and user-friendly photo editor that rivals Adobe Photoshop in terms of features and capabilities. It's so good, in fact, that Apple itself acquired it. While Windows users have access to Adobe tools, it lacks the intuitive interface and lifetime pricing of Pixelmator Pro. The list of examples would be quite long; these are just a few of the many excellent Mac-exclusive apps that Windows users are missing out on.
1 Finder and Preview are better than Windows counterparts
Finder on Mac is truly a gem. It's something I missed dearly during my short stint on Windows. I found File Explorer laggy, especially when opening large files. It even lacks tags that offer better file organization.
And let's not forget the Quick Look feature, which lets me preview files with a simple spacebar press. This is incredibly handy for quickly viewing images, documents, and even PDFs without opening them in a separate application. Moreover, the built-in Preview app on macOS allows for basic PDF editing and image manipulation.
The grass is always greener (except when it's Windows)
So, here I am, back to the familiar macOS environment. While Windows certainly has its merits (and I'll never deny the joy of playing games without compatibility headaches), it ultimately falls short of offering a truly refined experience. Perhaps, in the future, Microsoft may focus on design consistency and quality of third-party apps, but for now, I will happily stick with my MacBook Pro.
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