Certain high-end apps for such purposes are macOS only. Macs have been traditionally popular with designers and video editors for a good reason. Elsewhere, you can use the cloud to view your iPad's photos from your laptop or view files that are stored across your devices.Įssentially, once you become part of the Apple ecosystem with one purchase, Apple is keen to keep you coming back for more, so all its devices play very nicely together. Similarly, you can do so with various documents you might be writing. It's possible to browse a website on your iPhone before seamlessly transitioning to your MacBook Pro, for instance. If you already own an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch then macOS works very well with these gadgets. On the plus side, you won't be overwhelmed with choice as each Mac tends to suit a specific purpose. While these systems cater for a variety of different needs and budgets, it's a far cry from the thousands of different Windows systems you can choose from. That limits you to the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Pro or Mac Mini.

That's because unlike Windows, you can only use macOS on Apple products. One of the biggest issues for many people with macOS is that to use it, you only have a very limited choice of systems to buy. Windows also has the biggest library of software out there so no matter what you need to do with your computer, you'll be able to do it with a Windows desktop or laptop. There are thousands of different desktops and laptops that work with Windows which means you can get some very cheap systems as well as some very high-end devices too, all depending on your budget. What does that mean for you? A wider range of options. That means mostly everything is keen to be compatible with Windows and, in particular, Windows 10 as it's the latest version until Windows 11 arrives later this year.

Holding around 77% of it (opens in new tab), it's the most popular OS by far. Microsoft's Windows has the monopoly when it comes to global desktop market share. Windows vs macOS: Popularity and compatibility To help you decide what to do, we've taken a look at the key strengths and weaknesses that both operating systems provide to help you evaluate what's most important to you and your needs. For many users, personal preference will be the key difference here but there are some important factors to take into account before you decide what to go for.

Both operating systems offer considerable advantages but they can also offer some disadvantages too.

Windows vs mac unicode