Is Mac now officially better than Windows?

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  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    Given it's high price tag and people willing to pay it especially for Mac book laptops if Mac was cheaper would it easily over take Windows?

    Depends how many sheep, (sorry people) there are in the world. Many Apple products are purchased especially by younger people due to peer pressure i.e. their friends have one. They also like the feel good factor of perceived exclusivity. Make them cheaper and that bubble would quickly burst.

    Declaration of interest - I am a Mac owner (and Windows too). I do however think a lot of buyers have lost the plot when it comes to Apple. It never ceases to amaze me how many people buy an iMac, load it up to the hilt then buy another one 12 to 18 months later citing they need the extra power for things like photo editing. The photo editing often turns out to be nothing more than a few pictures taken on their phone camera following a day at the seaside. :o
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Considering a file browser is a fundamental part of an OS and finder is shite, i kind of find OSX a mickey mouse operating systems. Thats my personal experience from the past 5 years.
  • MaxatoriaMaxatoria Posts: 17,980
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    Lets stop comparing Windows and OSX as they are two completely separate entities designed for totally different things, Windows is designed as much for the business end of the market as it is for the home market and as such suffers from both sides, where as apple is mainly a home market company and as such doesn't have the problems that MS has in legacy support as I can run a windows program from the mid 1990's quite easily on a windows machine normally but apples dropped support for the ppc code since 2009 on the SL version and lets not talk about support for the 68k code base
  • MartinPickeringMartinPickering Posts: 3,711
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    Thine Wonk wrote: »
    You can't select files and press the delete button, you've got to mess about going 'right click' 'move to trash'.

    Try this: open a Finder window and right-click on its own toolbar.
    Select "Customize Toolbar...".
    Now drag the trash can labelled "Delete" to the toolbar.
    Click [Done].

    Now, you can select a file (or group of files) and simply click the trash can icon in the toolbar.
    TheBigM wrote: »
    The idea of OS X and iOS having no security bugs, flaws and holes is a myth. Here are some that have finally been fixed, often long after they have been fixed in Linux and Windows.]
    That's a moot point. If we are going to look at historical bug fixes, take a look at Windows 7:-

    http://www.cvedetails.com/vendor/26/Microsoft.html

    In 27 years of Mac usage, I have never been affected by an actual or theoretical vulnerability, so I'm not very concerned by Apple's apparent sluggishness. I think they concentrate on the important things.

    Nor am I plagued by updates, as others feel. Since installing "Mavericks" at 10.9.2 (I'm not an "early adopter") I've had just two updates to install. Both required a few clicks of the mouse and my password.

    I will say that I've had two annoying problems with Mavericks: the first was excessive CPU usage (fans running at max speed) that I traced to the need to install the latest version of "Dropbox". The second was "no Application memory left" (wtf, I've got 16GB installed!) that I traced to the need to install the latest version of "TeamViewer".

    This was down to my own carelessness in not ensuring that I had the latest versions that were compatible.
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    Maxatoria wrote: »
    Lets stop comparing Windows and OSX as they are two completely separate entities designed for totally different things, Windows is designed as much for the business end of the market as it is for the home market and as such suffers from both sides, where as apple is mainly a home market company and as such doesn't have the problems that MS has in legacy support as I can run a windows program from the mid 1990's quite easily on a windows machine normally but apples dropped support for the ppc code since 2009 on the SL version and lets not talk about support for the 68k code base

    There's nothing wrong with comparing operating systems. I'm not sure Windows 'suffers' I find Windows great - I'm using it now. I slightly prefer it to the Mac I use for 8 hours every day at work, but only personal preference, they are both very good operating systems that are generally, reliable, stable, full featured etc.

    Who cares about code bases, a top end Windows machine with an SSD boots in about 20 seconds, runs just fine from a usability point of view and has much wider game support. Yeah if you buy a cheap £280 grey slab then Windows probably sucks on it, but probably OSX would too! The Mac snobs tend to compare a very cheap crappy laptop against a £1300 Macbook pro. Spend £700 on a Windows machine and you get great performance.
  • misarmisar Posts: 3,015
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    Maxatoria wrote: »
    ... apple is mainly a home market company and as such doesn't have the problems that MS has in legacy support ...

    I am not convinced that comment is correct. To my knowledge, large numbers of business users are wedded to Apple and it has been regarded as THE PC system by "creatives" for as long as I can remember. I also see at least as many Apple laptops as Windows ones at business meetings. Also worth pointing out that Apple (MAC) OS X was (is) a GUI running on Unix and you can't get much more business oriented than Unix. As far as lack of legacy support goes, that has little to do with the user base and historically more to do with Steve Jobs' attitude towards his customers.
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
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    That's a moot point. If we are going to look at historical bug fixes, take a look at Windows 7:-

    http://www.cvedetails.com/vendor/26/Microsoft.html

    In 27 years of Mac usage, I have never been affected by an actual or theoretical vulnerability, so I'm not very concerned by Apple's apparent sluggishness. I think they concentrate on the important things.

    Nor am I plagued by updates, as others feel. Since installing "Mavericks" at 10.9.2 (I'm not an "early adopter") I've had just two updates to install. Both required a few clicks of the mouse and my password.

    I will say that I've had two annoying problems with Mavericks: the first was excessive CPU usage (fans running at max speed) that I traced to the need to install the latest version of "Dropbox". The second was "no Application memory left" (wtf, I've got 16GB installed!) that I traced to the need to install the latest version of "TeamViewer".

    This was down to my own carelessness in not ensuring that I had the latest versions that were compatible.

    1) It's not simply a list of bug fixes. One of them was a seriously embarrassing flaw that doesn't happen on other platforms and shows a poor level of code review inside Apple (the "goto" fail ). The second one was a very important SSL flaw that could affect a lot of people especially all the Starbucks-going type Mac users which could compromise information sent over the web e.g. credit card details. These were things that Windows fixed quickly and OS X ignored for two years until the tech press rightly made a brouhaha about it. But hey, if you want to be blind, then go ahead.

    With both of those bugs, it's not about malware finding its way onto your system but your information being compromised. I've never had a problem on Windows in all my years of using it but that's pretty poor anecdotal yardstick to use. Especially as you can't know if you've been affected or not.

    Either way, lauding the Mac as an uber-secure system compared to Windows is laughable. It's just that people who don't know about computers will generally buy cheap and therefore buy Windows and these users are the ones who get themselves into trouble installing browser toolbars etc.

    2) By your own admission, Apple are releasing OSes that when first released are not great - hence your wait for a later version of Mavericks. I updated our iMac to Mavericks much earlier and for six months suffered many annoying issues around windows suddenly getting smaller and attaching themselves to the top-left of the screen and having to force quit the application etc. Faced issues where if you switched users, when you switched back all your windows were gone even if the application was still in memory. It all shows a serious lack of quality control, perhaps a reason why they've opened Yosemite to public beta this time around to outsource testing to their users. You would never find Windows released with that level of bugginess.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    The iTurd :)

    Yep :D
  • TelevisionUserTelevisionUser Posts: 41,395
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    Is Mac now officially better than Windows?

    I'm not too keen on subjective questions like that. All l can really say is to go with the Windows, Mac or Linux operating system that meets your specific requirements and that works best for you.
  • standinmanstandinman Posts: 191
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    Its a bit like betamax , definitely better ,but everyone adopted inferior vhs windows !
  • anthony davidanthony david Posts: 14,461
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    Many people, including me, switched to Mac when windows 8 came out. I've never met anyone who has reverted to windows. Yes Macs are not perfect and they are very expensive but after using one since february the idea of going back to windows is quite frankly ridiculous. For most people, doing normal everyday things, Macs do what window promises but never achieves.
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    Many people, including me, switched to Mac when windows 8 came out. I've never met anyone who has reverted to windows. Yes Macs are not perfect and they are very expensive but after using one since february the idea of going back to windows is quite frankly ridiculous. For most people, doing normal everyday things, Macs do what window promises but never achieves.

    That sounds very biassed, as a 50/50 Mac and Windows user. Going back to Windows ridiculous? Windows promises but never achieves? give me a break.

    Normal everyday things like playing a wide variety top game titles??

    As of June 2014 the Mac OS laptop and desktop market share was 6.73%. Windows 8 overtook the entire Mac OSX user base in less than 12 months of it's launch.
  • anthony davidanthony david Posts: 14,461
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    Thine Wonk wrote: »
    That sounds very biassed, as a 50/50 Mac and Windows user. Going back to Windows ridiculous? Windows promises but never achieves? give me a break.

    Normal everyday things like playing a wide variety top game titles??

    As of June 2014 the Mac OS laptop and desktop market share was 6.73%. Windows 8 overtook the entire Mac OSX user base in less than 12 months of it's launch.

    Playing games isn't a priority for many people, of course they sell more windows machines, they cost considerably less. You wouldn't give a child a Mac book to go to school with would you? It would be stolen in no time.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    standinman wrote: »
    Its a bit like betamax , definitely better ,but everyone adopted inferior vhs windows !

    Really, have a read in this thread about OSX quality. If they can't get the basic functionality right it makes me wonder how they deal with more intricate things. Quality management are just fancy words for them.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Try this: open a Finder window and right-click on its own toolbar.
    Select "Customize Toolbar...".
    Now drag the trash can labelled "Delete" to the toolbar.
    Click [Done].

    Now, you can select a file (or group of files) and simply click the trash can icon in the toolbar.

    So you have to use the mouse entirely to do the operation? Thats mickey mouse.
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    standinman wrote: »
    Its a bit like betamax , definitely better ,but everyone adopted inferior vhs windows !

    Except on the whole it wasn't, it's a bit of a myth. If you read this whole article you'll see why. If you judged it purely on picture quality then yes in the early days, but only when they had the 60 minute tapes - not long enough to record a movie. So later they lowered the quality to increase the run time, but by then it was too late as VHS had the longer run time and suitable quality for most viewers, even ignoring super VHS.

    http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/jan/25/comment.comment
  • MartinPickeringMartinPickering Posts: 3,711
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    So you have to use the mouse entirely to do the operation? Thats mickey mouse.

    I don't have to use the mouse but I choose to because I'm already holding it to click (select) the file(s) to be deleted, so it's by far the fastest method for me.

    Macs generally offer several ways to carry out operations. You choose whichever suits you. Another way is simply to drag the unwanted item to the trash can.

    I use all methods interchangeably, dependent on the relative locations of the objects in question and my hands.
  • MartinPickeringMartinPickering Posts: 3,711
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    TheBigM wrote: »
    You would never find Windows released with that level of bugginess.

    I'm sure you are right. I hear that Vista was perfect. ;)
  • pfgpowellpfgpowell Posts: 5,347
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    Given it's high price tag and people willing to pay it especially for Mac book laptops if Mac was cheaper would it easily over take Windows?

    'Better' is so subjective. I have both Macs and a Windows (W7) and both do the job. My preference is for the Macs, but only because it seems a lot more straightforward and no so round the houses as Windows. But at the end of the day, for everyday us, get either.
  • pfgpowellpfgpowell Posts: 5,347
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    I'm sure you are right. I hear that Vista was perfect. ;)

    My brother had a laptop with Vista and it was pretty manky, in as far as it demanded so much of the machine it was on. I think Microsoft realised that, because Windows 7 came out pretty soon afterwards, looked the same, but loaded far quicker etc. Anyway, now there is Windows 8, so ...
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    I'm sure you are right. I hear that Vista was perfect. ;)

    Vista was pants! In fact it was so crap it was banned in this house. Dad hates it so he banned it and he hates it if anyone he knows is using it.
  • zx50zx50 Posts: 91,227
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    Vista was pants! In fact it was so crap it was banned in this house. Dad hates it so he banned it and he hates it if anyone he knows is using it.

    That doesn't mean to say that it was crap, just that you and your family didn't like it.
  • nafanny29nafanny29 Posts: 1,322
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    Ive never seen the MAC operating system, but it has to be better than W8.

    An abacus and a pen and paper are better than W8!!!
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    ^^^ not fanny :p
  • zx50zx50 Posts: 91,227
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    nafanny29 wrote: »
    Ive never seen the MAC operating system, but it has to be better than W8.

    An abacus and a pen and paper are better than W8!!!

    I don't think there's that much wrong with Windows 8. I think a lot out there are jumping on the I hate Windows 8 bandwagon.
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