Mac and Windows are very popular among every age group whether it is the age group of 18-30 or the age group between 30-55.
Counting from all the technical experts to kids of this new generation, almost every individual is obsessed rather with the Mac or Windows.
If we talk about Windows, we all know the latest version of Windows is Windows 12 whereas the latest version of Mac is macOS 11.O Big Sur.
Key Takeaways
- Mac is more expensive than Windows, but it provides excellent performance and is highly secure. On the other hand, Windows is less expensive and has a broader user base, but it may be more vulnerable to security breaches.
- The Mac operating system is primarily intended for use with Apple hardware, while Windows is more widely used and can be installed on various hardware devices. Macs are well-suited for design, multimedia editing, and programming, while Windows is more versatile for gaming and office work.
- Macs are typically less customizable than Windows PCs, but they come with various pre-installed software useful for various tasks. On the other hand, Windows requires more customization but can be tailored to suit specific needs.
Mac vs Windows
The difference between Mac and Windows is its interface. Mac has a simple and subtle interface whereas Windows is a feature-rich but complicated interface. You can run Windows on Mac OS but you can’t run macOS on Windows yet.
Want to save this article for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box!
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Developers | Mac or Macintosh is developed and designed by Apple Incorporation. | Windows is developed and designed by Microsoft Incorporation. |
| Launching Year | Macintosh was launched in the year 2001. | Windows was launched in the year 1985 |
| Compatible Devices | Mac is designed to be specifically used only for Apple products. | Windows is designed to be used for every PC in general. |
| Latest Version | The latest version of Macintosh is 11.0 Big Sur. | Windows 10 is known as the latest version of Windows. |
| Type of Kernel | Macintosh has a Hybrid type of Kernel. | Windows also has the Hybrid type of Kernel. |
| Package Installer | The package installer for Macintosh is MacOS. | The package installer for Windows is MSI (Medium Scale Integration )or any other custom package installer. |
| Software Update | The software update package for Macintosh is Software Update. | The software update package for Windows is Windows update. |
| Native APIs | Macintosh deals with Java, Cocoa, Carbon BSD-POSIX as the Native APIs. | Windows deals with Win32 and NT API as the Native APIs. |
| Supported Files | Macintosh supports APFS, HFS, and HFS+, UFS, AFP, ISSO 9660, UDF,NFS,FAT, SMBFS,NTFS, FTP, WebDAV and ZFS etc. | Windows supports NTFS, APFS, ISO 9660, UDF, HFS+, FATX, and HFS. |
What is Mac?
Mac is developed by Apple Inc and its OS family is Unix, Macintosh. macOS is written in c, c++, c-objective, and swift assembly language. Mac is available in 39 languages currently.
Mac has a hybrid kernel and Aqua (Graphic) User Interface. Earlier macOS was also known as Mac OS X.
The initial release of Mac was on March 24th of the year 2001 which is approximately 19 years ago. The latest release of Mac was on November 19th of the year 2020 which is macOS 11.0 known as Big Sur.
The latest beta release of Mac was on 17th November of the year 2020 which was a beta version of Big Sur.
The older updates of Mac are:
- 10.15 – Catalina
- 10.14 – Mojave
- 10.13 – High Sierra
- 10.12 – Sierra
- 10.11 – El Captain
- 10.10 – Yosemite
- 10.9 – Mavericks
- 10.8 – Mountain Lion
- 10.7 – Lion
- 10.6 – Snow Leopard
- 10.5 – Leopard
- 10.4 – Tiger
- 10.3 – Panther
- 10.2 – Jaguar
- 10.1 – Puma
- 10.0 – Cheetah, etc.
What is Windows?
Windows is designed, developed, and created by Microsoft, Inc. The initial release of Windows was released on 20th November of the year 1985 which is approximately 35 years ago.
The latest release of Windows (20H2) is Windows 10 which was released on 30th November of the year 2020.
Windows is available in 138 languages which comparatively more than that of Mac availability in languages.
Windows family comprises of Windows IoT and Windows NT and earlier it also included members like Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone which are not in use currently.
Windows is mostly used for personal computers as well as business criteria and more seen in offices.
Earlier versions of Windows are:
- Windows XP
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows 8.1
Main Differences Between Mac and Windows
- Mac is created by Apple Inc. whereas Windows is created by Microsoft Inc.
- Mac has its security system which is an inbuilt feature whereas for Windows we need to buy separately.
- Mac is mostly used for graphics and multimedia whereas as Windows is for business purposes approximately.
- Macs are costlier than Windows.
- Applications are more in Mac than in Windows.
- Mac is a long-term investment, where Windows may cost you a penny after some years.
- Windows is available in more languages than Mac.
- Troubleshooting in Macs is an easy process compare to Windows.
- The updates of Windows are less compared to the updates of Macintosh.
- Windows stand first in the most used operating system whereas Mac stands second in the most used operating system.
References
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4302-3343-5_6
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098300402000389
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️
Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
