Introduction
Computer users have to make a selection of the best operating systems to run in their computers. Two of the most commonly used operating systems are Microsoft Windows and Mac Operating System. There are differences that come from a wide range of perspectives regarding the mode of operation of the two operating systems. In this review, the major differences between Mac Operating System and Windows Operating Systems are discussed, with specific illustrations where necessary.
Windows vs. Mac operating Systems
The first difference comes in the form of the devices in which these operating systems are designed to run on. In the case of Windows, the O/S is designed to run on personal computers that could come in the form of desktop machines or laptops (Parallels, 2011). However, the latest versions of windows, i.e. windows 8 and 8.1 have been customized to operate on mobile phones. Mac operating system, on the other hand is designed to run on iPhones, iPods, or iPads and other selected products of Apple Company.
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"Mac versus Windows O/S".
In choosing the right operating system to install, a user has to question the number of applications that can be installed and run on the operating systems. Generally, most of the applications are designed to run on windows operating system (Cyberpatriot, undated). Therefore, in selecting the best operating system to install, the number of applications to be installed on each operating system has to be taken into consideration. In the event that a user is anticipating installing many features on the devices, the best option would be to install windows operating systems.
Price differences are major points of focus for the selection of the best operating system to run. Generally, windows operating system can be installed in variety of computers, with flexible prices. The devices on which Mac Operating System is installed are relatively more expensive compared to those that run windows. Cost differences are major limitations to the users of Mac Operating Systems since the products manufactured by Apple Company are priceless.
The fact that the prices vary implies that there are a number of software options available for Windows O/S. The implication of this is that there are more windows-specific malware and viruses. Mac O/S has fewer software options, implying that the level of security is higher when running Mac O/S apps compared to running Windows O/S apps.
Could storage is one of the major milestones in the world of computing. In Windows 8 and 8.1, a user is required to have a Microsoft account that is directly synced to One-Drive account. One-Drive is a critical tool when it comes to creating data backups within the internet. In the case of Mac O/S, iCloud is similar tool, but operates quite differently. It is much easier to create backups on Windows O/S compared to Mac.
In terms of backup and restore, the two operating systems operate with slight differences. In the case of Mac OS X, the TimeMachine feature automatically or manually backs up as often as chosen by the user. In addition, the feature has the capability of rolling back the system back to earlier set dates, as specified by the user. Different versions of Windows come with updated versions of system back-up and restore options. In the case of Windows 7, system restore can reset the computer to an earlier stage, and system backup can create backups for the whole system (Galvin & Gane, 2010). For the case of Windows 8 and 8.1, file history automatically creates backups for all the files.
Initially, Mac OS was appraised for its quick start-up and shutdown procedure. However, with the development of Windows 8 and later versions of Windows operating system, Microsoft Windows shares in the same benefits as in the case of Mac OS X.
Running Mac operating systems does not actively support disk fragmentation. With Mac OS X, disk fragmentation may take place, but on rare cases (Apple Computer Inc., 2002). However, in the case of Windows O/S, frequent defragmentation is required for versions like XP and below (Stallings, 2009). In the case of Vista and later versions, defragmentation has been automatically set to run on occasional conditions.
There has been a heated debate over the value of user experience with respect of User Interface (UI) between Windows 8.1 and OS X Mountain Lion (Pogue, 2011). The graphics that are put use in either operating system have received mixed appraisals from users. The classic tiles that have been used in the case of Windows 8.1 have been presumed to be the best by some of the users in taking into account the experience of the users.
In terms of updates and maintenance of the system, later versions of Windows such as windows 7 and 8 update more regularly and frequently (Kellogg, 2012) compared to their predecessors. In the case of Mac operating systems, the frequency of running the system updates is much lower compared to the case of Windows. This means it is a bit expensive to maintain running Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 in terms of system updates compared to versions of Mac OS.
Conclusion
In summary, therefore, Windows operating system is still more popular among computer users due to its ability to install in a wider range of devices. In selecting the most recommended operating system to use for a computer, a user has to take into consideration all the differences that come with these systems. Benefits that are associated with Windows OS such as costs, reliability and variety of software choice makes it preferable to Mac O/S among users.
- Apple Computer Inc. (2002). Inside Mac OS X: System Overview. Apple Computer, Inc. retrieved from http://www.macpublic.ldc.lu.se
- Cyberpatriot (undated). Windows Operating Systems: Basic Security. Cyber-Patriot. Retrieved from http://web.calstatela.edu/
- Galvin, S. & Gane, R. (2010). Operating Systems Concepts Essentials (8th ed): Chapter 16- Windows 7. Retrieved from http://codex.cs.yale.edu/
- Kellogg (2012). Windows & Mac Comparisons. North-western University. Retrieved from https://kis.kellogg.northwestern.edu/
- Parallels (2011). Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac. Parallels. Retrieved from http://download.parallels.com
- Pogue, D. (2011).�MAC OS X Lion: The missing manual. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.
- Stallings, W. (2009). The Windows Operating Systems. Prentice Hall. Retrieved from http://avellano.fis.usal.es
