Mac OSX Snow Leopard vs. Windows 7 Ping!
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Posted on 08/24/2009 12:50:28 AM PDT by Swordmaker
5 Reasons Macs Can't Claim They're Better than Windows 7
By Mitchell Ashley
Apple's heyday of picking on Windows is over
August 19, 2009
I regularly use both Windows and Mac PCs, so any comments that I've never used a Mac are bunk. I've been using Windows 7 since before its public beta release at the first of this year. I use my Mac for video editing, iPhone development, etc. I love all of my computers equally -- my Windows PC, my Mac and my Linux servers. They all do what I ask them to do very well, and I have things about each that I like and things I don't.
But frankly, the differences in the Windows 7 and Mac OS X platforms from a usability standpoint are pretty much nil. Windows 7 has simplified much of the complexity introduced in Vista and made Windows a very clean and easy-to-use OS. I would even go so far as to predict that the days of Apple trampling all over Windows in the "I'm a Mac" commercials are pretty much over. Not to say Apple won't go after Windows 7 as soon as Windows 7 has some vulnerability or issue Apple can exploit in a TV commercial. I'll grant, too, that Apple still has its "cool" factor and Windows isn't like to encroach on that. But Windows 7 is not only a "good enough" operating system, it is so much better an OS and user experience that Apple will have to think hard before using the same advertising tactics that worked so well on Vista.
Here are the five reasons Apple fears Windows 7:
Clean and Simple User Experience. There is now very little difference between the easy user experience on Windows 7 and Mac OS X. Gone from Windows 7 are Vista's loads of unnecessary bloatware applications, confusing and poorly designed configuration dialog boxes, and moronic UAC popups that impeded a user's productivity at every turn. The new task bar is more simple and straightforward than Mac OS X's crowded icon bar. Windows also has very good screen configuration settings that make switching between monitor configurations extremely easy. And the Control Panel has been redesigned to the basics of what end users need to manage Windows 7. Like it or not, we're now down to personal preference when it comes to usability and ease of use.
Mac Crashes More. Fact is, my Windows 7 systems don't crash... ever. Those days of frequent Windows Explorer crashes went away when I installed the Windows 7 RC. My Mac now crashes more often (about once a month or so) than Windows 7, and my Mac isn't over laden with junk on it.
Flexibility and Lower Cost. Microsoft has updated its "PC hunter" commercials but they still show how easy it is to find a better value when buying a Windows PC over a Mac. You have to use some pretty convoluted math to come to the conclusion Macs don't cost more than PCs for the equivalent devices. If you buy a Mac it's going to be because you consciously have decided you want a Mac instead of a PC, you hate Microsoft, you prefer the Mac user interface, etc.
Performance. We may not have side-by-side Windows 7 and Mac OS X performance comparisons yet (I'm sure we will soon) but Windows 7 isn't the performance hog Vista was. The experience is great. Windows 7 tools are fast, applications don't freeze up waiting for resources, disk I/O performance is great, memory utilization is much more efficient. Startup, shutdown and sleep are fast. Outlook still has its issues with not responding but overall we're talking a speedy experience on Windows 7. Now add that to the fact that Windows has access to the latest hardware advances -- you can crack the core on the latest Intel i7 or other hardware advances.
Mac Security Is NOT Better Than Windows 7. Many still live with the myth that Mac OS X doesn't have any security issues while Windows does. That myth ignores the facts. For example, Apple just released 18 security patches (the smallest collection of patches this year) for Mac OS X on August 5th. Many try to argue that not all the fixes are for Mac OS X, but rather for other software that might be included with it. To compare apples-to-apples (pun intended) you have to stack up the software each vendor ships with their products, not selective parts of it. While it is true that Windows is still a much larger security target because of it's market share, it isn't true that the Mac doesn't have plenty of security issues of its own.
Okay, when you comment... please disclose if you use both Windows 7 and Mac OS X?
by Kate MacKenzie
August 21, 2009
Mac users tend to have a mildly smug attitude when it comes to comparing Macs and OS X to PCs and Windows. Based on Windows reputation vs. OS X, it’s understandable. Mitchell Ashley, who does not like to be called a Microsoft shill, claims there are 5 Reasons Macs Can’t Claim They’re Better Than Windows 7. Why is his list full of baloney and how do I know?
Along with the Mac, I’ve used Windows since NT, which I really liked. That was back before the public internet security was less of a problem for Microsoft. There hasn’t been much to like about Windows since.
Windows 95 almost killed the Mac, but not because it was so good. The Mac had plenty of problems. Remember Windows 98 and 2000? Windows ME? And who can forget the dreaded Windows XP, the Swiss cheese of major operating systems? It amazed me how many people hated XP until they tried to use Vista.
My recent affair with Windows didn’t end with Vista. My significant other, Wil Gomez, is an IT guy who toils away in the Windows world. Despite that, he’s a truly nice guy, and provides me with inside reports and keyboard time with Windows 7. I contend, and Wil agrees, the 5 Reasons Macs Can’t Claim They’re Better Than Windows 7 are baloney. Or, worse.
First, we need to understand that Macs do not claim anything. Mac users claim their experience on a Mac is better than their experience with Windows PCs, whatever the flavor. Apple makes similar claims, but they’re biased. Note that Microsoft seldom talks about user experience.
Second, Mitchell starts off with phrases such as, “Apple’s heyday of picking on Windows is over,” and the equally silly, “Here are the five reasons Apple fears Windows 7.” He has no clue what Apple will or won’t do regarding Windows 7, but Apple has picked Microsoft apart for a couple of generations, and through various Windows versions. Windows 7 won’t stop that. Any charge that Apple is fearful of Windows 7 is equally ludicrous. Windows 7 may be an improvement over previous versions, but it is not OS X Snow Leopard (yes, I’ve had some sneak peaks; thank you, Wil). It’s not even Leopard.
Any comparison of Windows 7 should be made with OS X Snow Leopard, neither of which are shipping today. So, we must rely on beta versions of each. Wil has given me plenty of face time with Snow Leopard, and some quality time with Windows 7. Both are performance improvements over predecessors.
Clean and Simple User Experience. There is now very little difference between the easy user experience on Windows 7 and Mac OS X. The new task bar is more simple and straightforward than Mac OS X’s crowded icon bar.
Uh, except for certain basics like the Finder vs. Explorer. Mitchell would have you believe the Windows Task Bar never gets crowded, but doesn’t know enough about Macs to know that the counterpart is called the Dock, not an icon bar.
Mac Crashes More. Fact is, my Windows 7 systems don’t crash… ever. Those days of frequent Windows Explorer crashes went away when I installed the Windows 7 RC. My Mac now crashes more often.
I suppose your mileage may vary, but the last time my latest MacBook Pro crashed, was, well, never. Hardware issues aside, the last ‘crash just because’ was an early version of Tiger. Windows Vista was not so kind. I’ve seen Wil’s Windows 7 crash or lock up regularly the past six months. YMMV, yes, but to say that Mac Crashes More is just looney.
Flexibility and Lower Cost. Microsoft has updated its “PC hunter” commercials but they still show how easy it is to find a better value when buying a Windows PC over a Mac. You have to use some pretty convoluted math to come to the conclusion Macs don’t cost more than PCs for the equivalent devices.
This silly argument is so old and so discredited that I’m surprised NetworkWorld let him print it, other than their being Windows Wanks™ and all. Where’s the example comparison, Mitch? Sure, you can find a cheaper Windows PC, but not a brand name with a similar configuration to a Mac, an “equivalent device” for a similar price.
Performance. Windows 7 isn’t the performance hog Vista was. The experience is great. Windows 7 tools are fast, applications don’t freeze up waiting for resources, disk I/O performance is great, memory utilization is much more efficient. Startup, shutdown and sleep are fast.
Without a comparison from Mitch, lets use my comparison. My MacBook, running Leopard, starts up faster, sleeps faster, shuts down faster, and basically screams bloody murder on every comparable application on Windows 7. Since my Mac can also run Windows 7, there certainly isn’t much for the Microsoft crowd to crow about.
Mac Security Is NOT Better Than Windows 7. Many still live with the myth that Mac OS X doesn’t have any security issues while Windows does. That myth ignores the facts.
And the facts are, ‘Apple patches Leopard?’ Where is the malware for Mac OS X? Count them. You’ll have fingers left over on one hand. Then compare the count to malware for Windows. That will tell you something about the security of each platform. If OS X has twenty eleven security problems but there are no exploits, and Windows has 10 security problems with 10 exploits for each, which one is more secure?
While it is true that Windows is still a much larger security target because of it’s market share, it isn’t true that the Mac doesn’t have plenty of security issues of its own.
This is known as the security through obscurity myth. The Windows PC market is larger so malware writers ignore the Mac entirely for the larger target. Uh huh. Right. To count Mac malware you need only the fingers on one hand. To count Windows malware you need, well, a lot of time, and a spreadsheet. Maybe the reason for the Mac’s superior security has something to do with a superior permissions architecture.
What’s the real reason for this baloney article from NetworkWorld? It helps to comfort Microsoft’s diminishing customer base, the IT wonks like Mitchell and friends who sleep in Microsoft’s pockets, to feel good about themselves. Their editors know that such articles always result in an increase in readership, which means more web page ads get displayed, which means more revenue.
The real comparisons between Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7 will begin later this year, once both versions have hit the marketplace, and actually get used. That’s when the fun begins. For now, ignore the shills and their shrill claims.
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I’ll take a Mac any day of the week. I’m no longer a beta tester for Bill Gates.
Naw, I’ve been using Win7 since pre-beta, and was running it as my production OS on six household machines beginning at RC2.
I’d agree for the most part with the Windows guy.
When Intel chips began surpassing AMD again and when ATi began to eclipse nVidia, it would have been easy to blindly stick to product loyalty and spend my money on less effective hardware, but the benchmarks are there, and I’d have only been cheating myself.
Leopard’s a great OS. Windows 7 is at least equivalent from the user experience perspective, and probably pulls away when the things running under the hood, as it were, are taken into account.
I grudging but sincere “atta boy” to Microsoft on this one.
Apple’s will have big problems jousting with Windows7 and acting superior.
Compared to Vista:
- Windows7 is more idiot proof
- More user friendly
- Visually very nice and clean. It feels light and easy
- Not a resource hog. Will run quite well on 2gb memory
- Security is simplified and made idiot proof
I have Windows7 on two computers and have no complaints. Can’t remember any crashes.
Windows7 + Firefox is a great combination for the internet. They work great together. I ignore the Explorer 8 built into Windows7. I use Chrome sometimes
That wasn’t a very convincing rebuttal. I still have no Mac, but I have two W7 machines, one 32 bit and one 64 bit. Neither have crashed or had any problems whatsoever. Vista was a hog on my 64 bit gaming machine, but the hardware was able to overcome it. Now on W7, it’s running much better.
Malware? Exploits? Security threats? See my tagline.
Do they have the same people writing their software that wrote the Star Trek movies?
Re: your tag line
My OSX Macs have been running bare naked for over 8 years and no infections at all...
I am one who went from W/98 to Vista HE, and even with a 3ghz CPU and 3gb ram (Dell E520) the W/98 PC (320 mb ram, 650mhz) was faster in booting and basic navigation and loading small apps than Vista, even after tweaking. After that of course, most any other superiority ends. So i dual booted with a copy of XP retail which i had, which was noticeably faster. Aside from Vista’s better Disk and power Management and slightly better stability, i saw little advantage for using Vista. (The PC was used extensively on the Internet, and i had no problems with viruses, etc. on either, than God.)
Now W/7 is coming out, and though i do not plan to but that, what i wold like to know is if it has some of the improvements i would like to see.
Speech recognition is even offered on Vista HE, but despite training, it leaves much to be desired as far as recognizing words. This has MUCH potential, and is needed for some people, and i wonder how much this has been improved. In addition to needed dictation improvements, if one could program Speech Rec. to respond to custom commands that would be even easier.
As i usually run multiple apps together (though i would rather not load them at boot) and want speed, I use AutoHotKey (freeware) which enables you to write scripts to launch apps, including simultaneously, by hot keys (like Windows key and F1). Without that, rather than drilling down to change things like Power configuration, or looking for detailed info, why not make a source to quickly get to such. Think of how many minutes Tech Support could save each year by this, rather than telling people to go to Start>Settings>etc. I know there are many default hot keys like Windows key and Pause/Break, but built in hot keys for commands like powercfg.cpl, ncpa.cpl, diskmgmt.msc, msconfig, DxDiag, etc. (which can be executed by the Run command) would be faster.
Windows should also provide more detailed info on Internet traffic, rather than having to use 3rd party tools.
Can you now move the Task Bar buttons around, and change their colors, and save sessions, like you can do with tabs in Firefox (thru extensions for the latter two)?
While offering a myriad of folder detail settings, is there now an option to list the size of sub folders, or organize them by such. Free ware (FolderSize, etc.) that did this in W/9x and XP failed to work in Vista. (In my opinion Details should also be the default view in Folders, but no bother).
Vista (at least Home Edition) does not allow you to change file (like .doc) icons. Is this now possible?
Despite claims to the contrary, with the Navigation Pane turned off (for space), the lack of the Up arrow in Vista would make navigating slower in Vista. Is this back in W/7?
I have more suggestions, but thanks for any info.
There’s a lot of little things, like making a printing to pdf, a faster interface, but the number one advantage for Mac is the greater time spent working on your work versus working on your computer.
I really never had a MAC, and though this thread is about the contest btwn that and W7, i thought i would ask about the latter.
There is a ringing endorsement. "But wait! When we said Vista was really good, we didn't really mean it! Now we mean it when we say Windows 7 is really, really good!"
Sheesh. Just use your computers if you like them. If you don't, buy another brand and try it or don't use it.
For the record, I don't have any experience with Windows 7, though I imagine it must be better than Vista (of which I have had little experience-most corporate environments I have been exposed to are not yet Vista friendly, never mind Windows 7 friendly.)
I’ve been running a series Mac computers naked since 1987 and had no infections except for that Word macro virus I got about 10 years ago.
And who can forget the dreaded Windows XP, the Swiss cheese of major operating systems? It amazed me how many people hated XP until they tried to use Vista.
"Dreaded"? "Hated"?
I work in a computer-heavy industry, and I have seen such reactions to XP only from Mac thralls.
The remainder of the "rebuttal" screed also strikes me as willfully hateful and ignorant. Perhaps Mac shills would fare better in their writing if they were less filled with invective.
As a final note - I have not used a Mac, and I must admit to associating the Mac with my obnoxious brother-in-law, who seems to think his affinity for Apple products makes him morally superior. Ergo, I may be slightly less than objective.
many of you are forgetting one important thing...
Buying a Mac also means you have bought a PC. You can load Win 7 on Bootcamp or virtually on a mac. You have the best of both worlds. You can’t do the same on a PC.
In 2+ years of use, my Macbook as never crashed. Not a single time. Have to wonder what the writer is doing to make his crash once a month.
I went to MacBook Pro 3 years ago and just bought a second one for my daughter heading off to college.
I like working "with" my computer not "on" my computer.
I haven't had it crash once and it just seems to work easier. I'm actually reluctant to put Windows on my machine because of the crappy experience I had with the prior 15 years of windows. I've only got 6 computers in my house now (kids, wife and mine) but as each one fades I'm going Mac with Windows installed only if someone can show me a program that doesn't run on Macs that they need..... gaming doesn't count.
As far as Mac people being smug.... I'm sorry that some people are that way, but I've found most of the customer relations people to be great. I've had them help me with Windows conversion, rebooting Itouch and other little things. They're friendly and solved every "problem" I've had. If Windows 7 has this great review.... good. Just because Windows has a good product doesn't take away from my satisfaction with my Mac. In fact it makes for a happier world cause now Windows users will experience what Mac users have had for a long time. The ability to use a computer without big hassles... it's all good.
LOLOLOL
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