Difference between Macintosh and Windows
"Not another Mac and Windows comparison article!" you say? As ubiquitous and long raging as the Mac-Windows debate is on the Internet, few devotees on either side are willing to give up the fight. Everyone loves a good shootout, and the battle for supremacy between the two OS giants remains popular fodder for heated online exchanges. The flames show no signs of dying down and to fan them even more, here is yet another Mac-Windows comparison. Enjoy!
Origins
Macintosh or Mac is the name of a line of personal computers marketed by Apple Inc. Such computers use the company's proprietary hardware and an operating system that is included with all Macs. The operating system comes in two flavors: the older Mac OS, which was included with all Macs up until the release of OS 9, and OS X, which was developed from OS 9.
Windows on the other hand was released in 1985, and it quickly became the operating system of choice for the majority of personal computer users. The development of Windows actually followed two paths, with one going the personal use route and the other targeting the needs of professional market. The two are distinguished by their focuses on multimedia and networking respectively. The current version of the OS is Windows 7, which followed on the heels of Windows Vista and Windows XP further back.
Usage
Windows is based on the DOS language while the Macintosh system is based on Unix. An important usage distinction between the two is that Windows can be used in any PC, and even the newer Intel-based Macs, while the Macintosh OS will only work on Apple computers.
The universal nature of Windows unfortunately means that is a lot more prone to hacking than Macintosh is. The prevailing notion is that Macintosh is quite a bit harder to breach security-wise, and it is a more secure OS all around.
On the other hand, Windows offers far fewer features than Macintosh does, and it doesn't handle resource-intensive programs as well. Macintosh for its part offers a pretty comprehensive set of features right out the box, and it is a lot easier to use. All things being equal it would seem that Macintosh has the edge in terms of graphics and multimedia applications, while the strength of Windows lies in business applications.
Software
The best thing about the Mac is that it pretty much has everything you would need for basic tasks right out of the box. When you purchase a Mac, you get a music player, photo editor, recording software, video editing tools, a browser, and many other useful apps. Windows doesn't offer that many applications, although it does include a basic music and video player, a movie editor, and a few other tools.
Summary
Macintosh
- Current version is Mac OS X
- Better option for graphics work, video editing and music creation/recording
- Offers more features/applications right out of the box
- Less prone to hacking and viruses
- Works only on Apple computers
Windows
- Current version is Windows Vista and Windows 7
- Works well for business and personal applications
- Relatively limited feature set
- Comparatively easy to hack
- More prone to virus attacks
- Works on virtually any computer, even the new Apples
