Mac Os X Leopard Vs. Windows Vista

[Guest Reimar]

Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista

HardwareLogic has partnering up with Newegg to sponsor the User Guide Of The Month.

Each month, the HL staff will choose the best guide/article/product review submitted by a user, and that person will receive a $50 gift certificate from Newegg as well as having their guide published on the site's main page.

Editor's Note: The views expressed in the following article are those of the author, and not necessarily those of myself or the staff. We'll be publishing member articles as part of our HL/Newegg User Article Contest, as well as those we feel will generate good conversation in our forums.

As the world turns to upgrade to the latest and greatest from Microsoft, many let what’s already been available slip their minds. Mac OS X Tiger has been available for quite a while, having many of the same features as Vista currently boasts. But everyone has already talked their way into this and it’s clearly been established. So why not compare what Vista has to offer and what OS X Leopard, the latest release of OS X due out later this year, has to offer?

Time Machine vs. System Restore

Time Machine is probably the most boasted feature of Leopard, an app designed to automatically back up all of your media and personal files. You can use Time Machine to restore your system to any given point, even providing snapshots of how your desktop and such looked like at that current time. You can refresh your system all the way back, even from when you first started her up. Time Machine will back up whenever it clocks a change in the system. You can backup to your current hard drive or an external hard drive as well.

System Restore backs up the system when a new app has been installed, a new driver has been installed, every 24 hours, or when a user chooses. System Restore on Vista also runs on a system like Time Machine, where it takes snapshots of the drive, a feature called Shadow Copy. You are allowed to restore the system at any given point, but lacks the actual visual feature that Time Machine boasts. This feature is enabled by default in Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate versions of Vista. However, Vista can only use up to 15% of the hard drive at max, external hard drives don’t seem to be supported, and older snapshots are removed to make space for new ones.

Verdict

Both apps are well to do and offer virtually the same features, however System Restore lacks the feature to see an actual picture of how your desktop was and how your computer was like Time Machine, as well as the feature to use an external hard drive and the fact that Vista will overwrite past snapshots to make room for new ones. Time Machine wins here.

Next parts: iPhoto vs. Windows Photo Gallery, iChat vs. Windows Live Messenger, Spaces vs. Flip 3D, Dashboard vs. Windows Sidebar, Spotlight vs. Search, iCal vs. Windows Calendar

Final Verdict

From the looks of the results, OS X is the top dog, offering a wider array of features and more matured products than the Vista counterpart. The problem behind the scenes though is that you need a Mac to run OS X, which is the major setback keeping many from going to OS X. Also, support is lacking on OS X compared to Vista in most apps and games. However, with Vista, chances are you need to upgrade to a newer computer anyways to support the new flashy features. So, if you think about it, it’s just the choice of your wallet. You can buy a Mac mini for about $599 now, with Leopard preloaded (of course, in a few months). You just need to use your own peripherals that you would already have. If you want a computer with Vista Home Premium or higher, you’ll have to look at around $800+ for a decent OEM PC. Plus, Vista isn’t really the god of peripheral compatibility at the moment. Prices are about the same.

Another new extension to the gaming aspect is lack of DirectX 10, which all the new games are based off of. So if you want those kickass gaming graphics and gameplay, look another way. As much as OS X excels, it falls face down in the gaming department. To extend this, you can't upgrade as easily as you can in a PC. Say you want to add that new 8800GTS to your system. Pop it straight into your PC, no problem. A Mac... is it compatible?

source: www.hardwarelogic.com

[cdnvic]

I think it's best to wait until Leopard actually is released to developers. Until then it's just speculation.

[Chaichara]

Of course Mac fails in the gaming department - it's a machine and a platform for professionals, not a toy

Nevertheless, the most successful games are often written on Mac before being ported to Windoze.

All versions of Windows will continue to be poor copies of what MacOS can do.

[Guest Reimar]

I think it's best to wait until Leopard actually is released to developers. Until then it's just speculation.

It's right, it's just a speculation right now but there is a lot out there about the "new" Leopard and it's interesting to get that to known!

It would be very interesting if there will be an OS-X86 whcih will be un on an PC as well! I haven't the time yet but I would like to try to check the OS-X x86 10.4 on an PC. The most of the hardware I've already.

Is there someone who has some experiences already?

[cdnvic]

Well, I like both platforms but prefer to have Windows on my desktop. I think that for the casual user without much experience Mac is the way to go because they don't have the security worries that Windows has had. Vista is a big step forward in security but it still requires some knowledge to lock down properly where OSX is quite secure from the beginning.

[Guest Reimar]

It would be very interesting to know if there is someone whos has get the OS-X running on PC (Intel) already and not under VM-Ware!

I started once to setup but was getting Hardware Problems: MB and Sound. The MB which should be OK for the x86 Version, I've now too but the Soundcard still is a problem.

So to know others experiences would be mayby helpfull!

Thanks.

[hughden]

Bought my wife a Vista laptop; took forever to boot, couldn't get it to print and the interface looked like a hooker on a cheap date.

Finally succumbed and told the wife to sell the Vista machine and I bought a Macbook (running Tiger of course). Fast, easy, fun; runs the apps I want to run and has some of its own which look interesting.

Liked it so much I refused to share with the wife and have had to buy a second Mac for her. Still keep an XP machine for playing games though.

"Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you. If not, why embarrass him?"

Tom Clancy

[cdnvic]

"Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you.

Again, and again, and again, and........

[Thaddeus]

Vista is a big step forward in security but it still requires some knowledge to lock down properly where OSX is quite secure from the beginning.

CD you should do the next key-note speech at whatever Apple event is forthcoming.

I was involved in the IT market place for over 20 years, and I get so sick and tired of this Mac vs PC argument......... one I used to run into all the time.

"there are 6,000 applications that run on Windows"

"ah, but 5,800 are crap, 180 are poor copies of something useful, 15 you will never figure out in month of Sundays.... the remaining 5 are happily available on other platforms and most people will still end up just using two" (that they type in to)

Quick question.

You walk into an internet cafe in a strange part of town, you need to get onto your on-line banking system, in one corner is a PC, in the other is a Mac......... which one do you use?

//edit/I like to edit

Edited May 9, 2007 by Thaddeus

[geoffphuket]

Vista is a big step forward in security but it still requires some knowledge to lock down properly where OSX is quite secure from the beginning.

CD you should do the next key-note speech at whatever Apple event is forthcoming.

I was involved in the IT market place for over 20 years, and I get so sick and tired of this Mac vs PC argument......... one I used to run into all the time.

"there are 6,000 applications that run on Windows"

"ah, but 5,800 are crap, 180 are poor copies of something useful, 15 you will never figure out in month of Sundays.... the remaining 5 are happily available on other platforms and most people will still end up just using two" (that they type in to)

Quick question.

You walk into an internet cafe in a strange part of town, you need to get onto your on-line banking system, in one corner is a PC, in the other is a Mac......... which one do you use?

//edit/I like to edit

Neither if they're connected to a TOT ADSL line

[cdnvic]

CD you should do the next key-note speech at whatever Apple event is forthcoming.

On another tech forum I am at this moment being ridiculed for my pro-Windows stance. Go figure.

When it comes to the Mac vs PC thing, I too am sick of the arguments. However when it comes down to what I recommend, I base it upon my honest opinion of what's best, regardless of my own favourites. In this case, I believe a Mac is the best thing for a new user simply for it's security, low maintenance, and it's easier learning curve. It's not the OS for me, but then again, I don't fall into that category.

Edited May 9, 2007 by cdnvic

[waldwolf]

"Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you.

Again, and again, and again, and........

Truer words were never spoken.

waldwolf

[paveet]

How Leopard comes out.. is best to wait until it actually comes out than speculate, I agree. I've tried OSX on my PC too, didn't turn out too well though.

I'm sorry but it's too hard to resist:

<rant>

I don't mean to offend anyone but in my experience Mac OS is just best for the 'less tech insightful'. It's way too hyped up as with most Apple products these days, it's all about exaggoration and trying to get the "woah" out of people. I had a friend who came in and pressed the window button on my keyboard saying "oh look at what windows come up to these days"... right, so your Apple Mighty Mouse retailing for 50ish pounds is innovative? This is the result of Apple's false marketing.. "oh windows crashes all the time", "oh windows get viruses all the time", "oh Windows need patches".

This way of advertising is like trying to sell you CAT6 cables saying they'll make your 100mbps LAN faster, or trying to sell you gold plated M Cable audio cables to your grannies with something slightly better than transistor radios.

Now get the facts right, who just patched the largest hole in Quicktime? Who has the most memory hogging music software you can ever download? Who has the most primitive, restrictive, close-sourced DRM technology? Ever wondered why the Mac ads never says "oh windows can more play games" (or "Macs can play Quake 2 now, order yours today!!") or "oh windows has 500 times the amount of software designed for it?" or even "Windows Vista runs Photoshop CS3 faster than Mac OSX on our new Intel machines!! Oh no!" (yes, it's true, OWNED). Oh most of all, who can live with one mouse button!?!

Apple is just creating enemies with their ever so offending ads. They don't even seem to cite proper sources, you can't just pluck things out of thin air like that. They seem to use young models for all their ads, depicting a false image too. Now now, how many 16 year olds do we see carrying a Macbook Pro given the price? Maybe the models in the Mac adverts should swap roles.

</rant>

I love Vista, I love Exchange, I love Tablet PCs, I love Windows Media Centres. But I will not be bothered to debate in and endless conversation (yes it will be endless!)

Let's respect what other users prefer, but I know what I prefer .

Pavee

Edited May 9, 2007 by paveet

[danone]

How Leopard comes out.. is best to wait until it actually comes out than speculate, I agree. I've tried OSX on my PC too, didn't turn out too well though.

?!

thats a first.

anyway. with mac-products you buy a product being designed, developed, engineered, built and supported by one single company.

knock on wood, but didnt have a single blackout with my ageing mac yet. whereas before, well, i dont want to hurt anybody.

its everyone's own choice.

but once you switched for sure there is no way back. especially now when you can run windows on those amazingly beautiful mac-machines, if you should miss a software from over there that is not supported by mac os x.

but then again, have come across one single piece of software in needed that was not compatible with mac. can live with that! happily!

[paveet]

right, i probably didn't make sense in my first paragraph. What I meant was:

Don't start speculating too much now, just wait till it comes out then do a proper comparison.

There.

Pavee

[danone]

you dont have to speculate, you already know how it will be.

with vista microsoft again copied essentials of the current mac os.

leopard again will be steps ahead, visually, technologically and in its functionality.

have a peek, alone the time machine ...:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/

and we dont know anything yet about the secret features which - as always when apple launches a new os - will be amazing.

[Guest Reimar]

danone Posted Today, 2007-05-10 08:52:15

with mac-products you buy a product being designed, TRUE developed partly true, engineered partly true, , built partly true, and supported by one single company.

Mac is using many 3. party products in it's machines and true is the design of that machines, done by Apple, only!

Buty may take a look at the history from Microsoft just from the Eighties:

1980

June 11. Steve Ballmer joins Microsoft.

1981

June 25. Microsoft reorganizes into a privately held corporation with Bill Gates as president and chairman of the board and Paul Allen as executive vice president. Microsoft becomes Microsoft, Inc., an incorporated business in the State of Washington.

August 12. IBM introduces its Personal Computer, which uses Microsoft's 16-bit operating system, Microsoft® MS-DOS® version 1.0, plus Microsoft BASIC, Microsoft COBOL, Microsoft Pascal, and other Microsoft products.

1982

March 24. Microsoft U.K. Ltd. (United Kingdom) is incorporated.

June 28. Microsoft announces a new corporate logo, new packaging, and a comprehensive set of retail dealer support materials.

1983

February 18. Paul Allen resigns as Microsoft's executive vice president, but remains on the Board of Directors.

May 2. Microsoft introduces the Microsoft Mouse.

September 29. Microsoft introduces Word for MS-DOS 1.00.

November 10. Microsoft unveils Microsoft Windows®, an extension of the MS-DOS operating system that provides a graphical operating environment. The first retail version of Windows would not ship until November 1985.

1984

January 24. Microsoft ships BASIC and Multiplan simultaneously with the introduction of the Macintosh, becoming a leader in developing software for Apple computers.

July 11. Microsoft Press introduces its first two titles: Cary Lu's The Apple Macintosh Book and Peter Norton's Exploring the IBM PCjr Home Computer.

1985

August 12. Microsoft celebrates its 10th anniversary with Fiscal Year 1985 sales figures of $140 million.

September 3. Microsoft selects the Republic of Ireland as the site of its first production facility outside of the United States to produce software products to be sold in the European market.

November 20. Microsoft ships the retail version of Microsoft Windows.

1986

February 26. Microsoft moves to a new corporate campus in Redmond, WA.

March 13. Microsoft stock goes public at $21 per share, rising to $28 per share by the end of the first trading day and raising $61 million.

1987

April 2. Microsoft and IBM announce OS/2. This is the first product to be announced as a result of the Joint Development Agreement between Microsoft and IBM in August 1985.

September 8. Microsoft ships its first CD-ROM application, Microsoft Bookshelf, a collection of 10 of the most popular and useful reference works on a single compact disc.

1988

January 13. Microsoft and Ashton-Tate announce Microsoft SQL Server™, relational database server software for Local Area Networks (LANs) based on a relational database management system licensed from Sybase.

1989

August 1. Microsoft announces Office, the first general business software for Macintosh systems available on CD-ROM.

November 13. Microsoft and IBM broaden the scope of their development agreement by agreeing to jointly develop a consistent, full range of systems software offerings for the 1990s. These software offerings will include enhancements to MS-DOS, Microsoft OS/2, and Microsoft LAN software and are compatible with the Intel 386 and 486 microprocessors.

December 27. Microsoft announces that Jon Shirley will retire as president and chief operating officer on June 30, 1990. Shirley, who has been president since August 1983, will continue to play a role in the management of the company as a member of the Board of Directors and as a consultant for strategic projects.

Interesting??

[Simmo]

secret features which - as always when apple launches a new os - will be amazing.

I got an idea for a cool feature ..

Right mouse button.

[sabaijai]

secret features which - as always when apple launches a new os - will be amazing.

I got an idea for a cool feature ..

Right mouse button.

[cdnvic]

While they're at it a LCD on the Shuffle would be nice.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

"Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you.

Again, and again, and again, and........

Truer words were never spoken.

waldwolf

its the same thing with any quality product. If a person drives a Toyota or BMW then they will rave about how much they love it... A person driving a Proton or Chevrolet is going to be a lot less enthusiastic about their ownership. No big surprise there.

[Thaddeus]

secret features which - as always when apple launches a new os - will be amazing.

I got an idea for a cool feature ..

Right mouse button.

Already got it, have had for ages, but they are touch sensitive so you don't see them....... and scroll wheel......... jeeze.

P.S. and there is a wireless version now http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/ .... have to get me one of them.

[cdnvic]

Definition of smug:

A vegan driving his Prius home from the Apple Store

[paveet]

My instincts tell me that if it wasn't for the iPod, apple wouldn't be there today

The mighty mouse is 40ish pounds, I could get myself a Logitech MX Revolution (the Logitech flagship) there!

you dont have to speculate, you already know how it will be.

with vista microsoft again copied essentials of the current mac os.

System restore existed 8 years ago, Time Machine is just coming...

hmm.. I wonder why the right mouse button was just introduced... and why power PC was replaced by intel x86..

Edited May 10, 2007 by paveet

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Definition of smug:

A vegan driving his Prius home from the Apple Store

There are many objective measures of customer satisfaction such as JD Power, Dataquest, AC Nielson market data. Isn't the essence of being a consumer seeking satisfaction?????

Apple simply gets better ratings from its customers than MS in the same way that Toyota outperforms General Motors. Better products and service translate to brand loyalty performance. The caveat is that MS share is huge and harder to satisfy a larger group of consumers and Apple is a niche or boutique product more able to please a small but growing market segment.

[cdnvic]

Definition of smug:

A vegan driving his Prius home from the Apple Store

There are many objective measures of customer satisfaction such as JD Power, Dataquest, AC Nielson market data. Isn't the essence of being a consumer seeking satisfaction?????

Apple simply gets better ratings from its customers than MS in the same way that Toyota outperforms General Motors. Better products and service translate to brand loyalty performance. The caveat is that MS share is huge and harder to satisfy a larger group of consumers and Apple is a niche or boutique product more able to please a small but growing market segment.

You guys are so easy to wind up

[danone]

anybody into mac bashing? no, i love my mac ...:

What's the difference between a brontosaurus and a Mac?

A brontosaurus runs faster.

Why did the retarded guy buy a Mac?

What do you mean? They're all retarded!

Seriously, why do these people buy Macs?

The boxes PCs come in are too hard for them to open.

What's the difference between a turd and a Mac?

Most turds aren't gray.

Why do so many Mac users continue to use Macs?

They're afraid they'd have to pierce the other ear in order to 'switch teams', if you know what I mean...

What did the Mac hater say when he saw several hundered Macintoshes buried half-way in cement?

Geez, I hope that guy's off getting some more cement...

How do you make your Mac go faster?

Drop it from a higher window.

How can you identify a Mac user at a party?

Ask him to help you word-process on your computer. He'll instinctively pull out a magnifying glass to see the screen.

What's a sure-fire way to piss off the new neighbors?

Eject a floppy from a Mac 1,000 times. ZZerzzit! Zzerzzzit! Zzzerzzzit!...

What's the second-best way?

Restart it 1,000 times so the infamous Mac-start-up-chime blasts forth from the speaker, or until they call the cops.

Why aren't more Mac owners computer literate?

They would be, if they had a computer.

How do you make a Mac run faster?

Smoke some marijuana just before using it, to alter your perception of time. There will be a noticeable speed increase, not only of the Mac but any clocks in the room as well. Now that's performance!

What's the difference between an Apple Lisa (predecessor of MAC) and a Game Boy?

Game boy has more memory and a higher-res screen, and greater color depth: 4 shades of green!

Why don't more Mac users get depressed about owning a Mac and commit suicide?

They don't know how shitty their machine is, because they still haven't figured out how to turn it ON.

How do you recognize a Mac user at a computer store?

When he's asking the salesperson how much it would cost him to upgrade to a 33.6 Kbps transfer speed--and then realize he's referring to the hard drive.

How do you make a Mac disk drive access faster?

Wind it up again

What do you do with an obsolete Mac?

Whatever you do, don't pick it up off the store shelf and buy it!

How many Mac users does it take to change a light bulb?

Four. One to consult the manual that came with it, one to call tech-support, and two to sit and wait for the 'Smiley Face' to appear and say 'Welcome to Macintosh'.

Why aren't there more Macintosh SE's in use out there?

Too hard to find replacement tubes. (see below...)

Edited May 10, 2007 by danone

[cdnvic]

Those were clearly written with OS 9 in mind.

What a difference a generation makes.

[waldwolf]

I seem to recall an old saying:

....build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door...

2006 worldwide personal computer sales:

Apple......< 3%

PC..........>95%

(Most people vote with their pocketbooks.)

waldwolf

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I seem to recall an old saying:

....build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door...

2006 worldwide personal computer sales:

Apple......< 3%

PC..........>95%

(Most people vote with their pocketbooks.)

waldwolf

impeccably faulty logic

Proton or Lada both sell more cars than Lamborghini or Porsche. And sales figures prove what again? A Proton is better than a Porsche? Thanks for educating us on this ;-)

and thousands of other examples with the same logic

Timex is better than Rolex

Holiday Inn is better than Four Seasons

McDonalds is better than Olive Garden or Red Lobster

Sales volume equal perceived value, lack of alternatives or purchase convenience

Sales not equal quality