Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/10/12/did-i-really-just-switch-from-mac-to-windows.html
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in earlier versions of Windows, it was easy to get lost in nightmarishly arcane, deeply-nested configuration menus. Now it’s a snap.
Wait, what? I thought you said you got a Windows computer. There’s at least two control panels, and each controls different things with some overlap between them. The only thing that doesn’t make it nightmarish is there’s a search that hits both places.
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First home computer was a Terak 8510. When you wanted to have 80-columns in the screen you inserted a card and turned the monitor sideways. lol
Got an Apple //e in 1983 and have used Macs every since. I was an editor at one job that required a PC in the workplace, which kinda sucked. But I endeavored to persevere.
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I appreciate this article, including the info, the history, and the self-reflection. I’ve just always been confused by the concept of brand loyalty. I understand it for small, local, or niche brands, which are more vulnerable to outside forces (and conversely, more open to the influence of individual customers), but for large corporations it makes no sense to me. I’ve always felt that way, but it got cemented a bit more in my head when I was required to use a Mac in grad school (b/c the department head loved Macs) even though in several cases the Windows versions of software were easier to use or more available to students for free.
Also now I’m thinking about those “Mac Book says to get a Surface” ads, which I thought were brilliant.
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Ubuntu. Go open source or go home.
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Welcome t the other side. I watched last year when I built a small form factor gaming rig.
I still love Mac OS and win 10 is not really better but absolutely on par. The issue is Mac hardware. The locked down non upgradeable choice they made BLOWS AND SUCKS. Worst decision ever. The over priced hardware is problematic as well but not being able to just add more ram or replace a hard drive is the real killer.
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It’s safe to come over to the other side. And we have cookies.
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Came straight to the comments to say this! Windows 10 is grand in a lot of ways, but any time I have to change settings I am completely lost.
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Probably safe to say that they’ve put enough layers of wallpaper over the underpinnings in Win10 to hide the ugliest bits.
Certainly many of Apple’s hardware decisions are not consumer friendly. Then again, I swapped a logic board in a 27" imac last week and was also delving into terminal to SUDO myself a USB installer to get the machine back up and running - so there’s still plenty of technical crap hidden underneath any modern OS that one may need to get into from time to time. As far as Apple and hardware goes, it is possible to customize after the fact, but they do put a bunch of extra hurdles in the way.
Ultimately, I live in both worlds and there are features I like about each OS.
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I’m not one that believes the total cost of ownership is higher on a Mac than a Windows machine. My personal laptops tend to last 7 or so years and I’ve always found that the windows laptops I’ve been given for work tend to need replacement at 2-3 years. There’s also, at least in the case of the Dell’s I’ve been given, the issue of build quality.
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Seems like they should know of the Command+Space Bar shortcut, which is an instant Spotlight search and much faster than moving the mouse to the corner of the screen and then typing.
Also, the Windows update process is stupid annoying. Sometimes it’ll randomly reboot for an update, sometimes it says “click here to download and install the Feature Update”. And driver updates are still awkward, some show up through Windows and some show up through the device manufacturer.
FYI, some Gateway computers are just a rebranding of a random Chinese brand (Acer doesn’t make them all). https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/we-found-out-who-makes-walmarts-new-gateway-laptops-and-its-bad-news/
Macs certainly have their issues now, but Windows is still much less friendly. I look forward to the author’s update six months from now.
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My experience with windows in the 2000’s pushed me to mac, but then my MacBook pro died after about 5 years, souring my experience with Apple computers. I don’t know if it’s just me, but a laptop that cost over $2000 should last longer than that.
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Two things keep me on Windows.
- Games.
- I understand how to tell Windows “no”. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort. Sometimes it requires registry hacks. Sometimes it requires setting up scheduled tasks. But I can do it. I have no idea how to tell a Mac “no”. This loaner Mac has been hounding me to update the OS for months, and I can’t shut it up even though I’ve disabled update reminders. Couldn’t update if I wanted to since I don’t have an Apple ID.
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I’ve been a Mac user my entire adult life, but my work life has been entirely Windows. So I have effectively decades of experience on both platforms. For me Macs have always just worked better, felt nicer, and been immune to most problems with drivers, viruses, and all the other garbage that plagues Windows. One exception was XP- I liked XP!
However, I am currently clinging for dear life to what might be the last good MacBook Pro- the one before they went USB-C. I want ports! I need an SD card slot! The Touch Bar is really annoying! My current work-issued laptop is a brand new MBP, and it has had the keyboard replaced three times and the USB-C ports don’t hold video sync reliably, causing my external monitor to flicker once every hour or so. The ports have been replaced twice as have all the video cables, but it still happens. This is with all Apple products in the loop. It’s absolutely crazy-making. This MBP is the first Mac I have ever used that is making me say “I don’t want to use this”.
I worry about what I will do when the time comes to replace my beloved port-having USB-C-free last gen MBP. 
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I’ve seldomly dabbled with Mac desktops and i’ve never really liked them. There were a few features here and there i appreciated but the overall experience was never to my liking. That and how expensive the hardware is makes it an easy choice to go with Windows, i am in fact building a new gaming rig and will be giving my current one to my older brother. If i were to try to get something comparable on the Mac side of the specs of my new computer i’d probably spend 30% more if not higher, and the ease of upgrading components as needed is a huge benefit for PC.
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Hackintosh! Best of both worlds.
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I just retired an ASUS after 7 years. It was still running great, but one of the hinges was wonky. Decided to replace it before it became a problem. I switched over to another ASUS we’ve had here at work for 4 years (newer model). Not sure what our secret is other than we buy gamer laptops in the $1000 price range at Microcenter. Good enough for me to do engineering work such as Solidworks.
But I’m jealous of my wife’s laptop: an MSI gaming laptop that is lighter and faster than anything I’ve used. 9th gen I7, solid state, midrange NVIDIA. And for $750 on sale!
That laptop demonstrates the real weakness of Apple. Computing is a cheap commodity anymore. She’s got more power than anyone needs to use Google docs at a price far lower than Apple. Apple doesn’t have any additional value that would support paying more. And yet this laptop will probably be quite capable for a decade.
Except for those of us with niche uses that require Windows or OSX, the brand really doesn’t matter. That leaves cost as the deciding factor.
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Long time dual user here. Moving back and forth is pretty easy, much better now than its ever been. I would ditch Apple for Windows forever, save for these three things:
- Airdrop
- Messages
- Preview
The first two are Apple ecosystem things. I know there will never be native Windows support for those, so I’d need to swap my iPhone out for Android. But has anyone found a true Windows equivalent for Preview? Edge is Win10’s default pdf reader, but it can’t reorder/markup pdf pages. Windows’ Photos app can open images, but once again no true markup/resize options. What are you all using to do these tasks in WIndows?
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Next do Linux.
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windows computers cost less to buy, but I’ve typically used a Mac laptop for 6-8 years. A windows laptop rarely lasts that long, and the per year cost of my Macs has always been less.
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