I've been a long-time Mac user, from my childhood days playing with MacPaint on a Macintosh Plus (the beige and boxy Mac that debuted in 1986) to my current machine, a 13" MacBook Pro. But recently, I've been working more and more with a Windows PC—and I'm loving it.
I grew up on Macs, thanks to having a graphic designer for a dad. I can remember sitting in front of a black-and-white Macintosh Plus as a kid, playing with the spraypaint brush on MacPaint. Thankfully, my folks have upgraded to a modern iMac throughout the years. I have too, using a PowerBook G4 as my main machine in college, and working through my post-grad years on a MacBook Pro. There's a G5 desktop in my home office, and I've been through three iterations of the iPhone. Needless to say, I'm a hopeless Apple addict and I can't be stopped. I just can't put the Kool-Aid down.
That's not to say I've never used a PC before, though. Throughout my education and post-grad career, I've definitely done my share of work on Windows. It was always my perception that PCs can get the job done just fine, but I'd always choose Macs at home. The Apple OS features a few user-friendly features that made it easier for me to navigate, and I definitely preferred the physical design of a Mac machine to any PC I've seen.
Yet recently, I found myself falling in love with Windows.
Not too long ago, I began a new 9-to-5 gig in communications at a new company. I had to get used to a new desk, a new commute and—more fittingly—a new operating system. Windows 7.
Windows 7 has been unlike any version of Windows I've known before. At it's core, it looks the same, sure. But Windows 7 is riddled with a handful of cravable user-friendly features.
The Windows Taskbar, and I hate to make these sorts of comparisons, makes a PC more like a Mac with an adaptable "dock" for your open and "pinned" program icons. Jump lists are great, allowing you to access your most-used "links" by right-clicking program icons—instant access to everything from a webpage or document to a command like "compose a new message," depending on the program. And Snap! Oh, don't get me started on Snap. I use this daily, dragging open windows to opposite corners to watch them snap into perfect, full-screen twins. Snap is a total efficiency booster.
If you've been using Windows 7 for awhile—it was released back in tech-ancient 2009, after all—none of these features are news to you. But this post isn't supposed to be a review of a cool, new product. Instead, it's my hope that I might convince another life-long Mac user (of which I'm sure there are plenty reading Unplggd right now) to step out and give another OS a try, just in the same way that I've suggested my PC friends take a look at Apple's offerings. The Windows of today is not the Windows it was 10 (or even 5) years ago. And the hardware has stepped up considerably as well—just take one trip to a Microsoft Store near you and spend 10 minutes playing with a touchscreen PC.
Of course, Apple users might not decide to switch after all. I didn't.
I love being able to use Windows 7 at work. It does all that I need it to and more (and fast!), thanks in no small part to each of those features I mentioned above. But for now, I'll stick to my Macs at home. The seamless way everything in my life, from my iPhone to my Apple TV, are "wired" to work together is enough to get me to stay.
What about you? Are you a multi-OS person? Which do you like better? Have you made the switch from a life-long Windows user to a modern Mac head? Or are you a Mac baby like me who has made the move to PC? Tell us in the comments!
(Images: Digital Trends, Microsoft)
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if you want the 'snap' of windows on your mac, install this simple little app, it's called cinch:
http://www.irradiatedsoftware.com/cinch/index.html
I feel exactly the same way. I use Windows 7 at work and it's been a pleasant experience. I've been delaying the upgrade of my macbook at home because I can't decide if I can keep justifying the extra expense. Windows 7 feels so much better than any Windows operating system of the past.
Having to use old windows XP at work is a chore for me. Windows 7 is just great. (not a mac user at all, just windows and occasionally ubuntu)
I switched back to windows a while ago for work, and it has been pleasant for the most part. There are, for sure, a lot of annoying aspects of it that make me go "how did you mess this up of all things!" but the day to day experience has been good, and for work I appreciate the flexibility in hardware.
I work off a Windows 7 PC at work and I'm a die-hard mac user at home. The features you speak of such as pinning and snapping are very well implemented and quite productive.
But I still feel that Windows is stuck in file structure paths and command lines. It doesn't feel as 'draggable friendly' as a mac. And the Windows interface puts so much effort on glows and transparencies, while it should spend more time on screen real estate and menu designs.
Don't get me wrong, it's a solid OS - but even using buggy OS X Lion is a treat compared to using Windows 7 for work.
The only feature I miss on my Windows system that I don't have on my mac is being able to quickly delete files with the Delete key instead of dragging to the trash or using a key-combo press.
I got the window snap stuff through HyperDock on OS X. On the flip side, when I use Windows I go crazy without my spotlight and quick-preview. I often find myself pressing the spacebar expecting to peek at a file. DOH!
I have used Windows for years and just recently got Macs for home. I like the ability to escape work by having a different experience at home. I did bootcamp my MBP and added Win7, but I only use it on occasion. It is like having two computers available all the time (I run VMware fusion).
I tend to prefer Macs for home due to design, general ease of most basic tasks, and just flat out reliability. I can count the number of times my MBP has crashed on me in 3 years on one hand.
What makes windows quicker for work, for me, is about one thing: shortcuts! The more I can do without having to touch a mouse the faster I can get stuff done. Not that macs don't have them, but certainly not to the extent of windows and microsoft apps.