Why the change?
Microsoft's domination in the nineties forced Apple to start from scratch with Mac OS X at the turn of the century. Over the last decade, Apple products have arguably crept up and overtaken Windows. When it comes to programs, Microsoft doesn't offer the best. Chrome and Firefox are better than IE.
My respect for Macs increased in 2011, when I reviewed the MacBook Air.
I began to notice the rise of Macs 2009 when I started working as a tech reporter. At press conferences, most journalists would sport Macs and this baffled me. Was it some kind of hipster movement? Were people using Apple machines as a status symbol? They couldn't possibly be better machines, could they?
My respect for Macs increased in 2011, when I reviewed the MacBook Air. It was good, but felt comfortable to using Windows 7 and I saw no need to switch. Plus there was a buzz surrounding Windows 8 and I was looking forward to that.
Then came the Windows 8 launch and I decided it was time to move to Mac. I've been using a Haswell MacBook Pro 13in with a Retina Display since October 2013. It's powered by an Intel Core i5 chip, has 8GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD. Macs start at 1,099 and this configuration costs around 1,500.
Below I've listed the advantages using the Apple machine along with a a few drawbacks, because, let's face it, no company or product is perfect.
8 benefits of using Mac over Windows
1. Superior hardware
The design of Apple products from iPhones and iPads through to its MacBooks and Mac Pro are excellent. Cupertino uses premium materials and this shows throughout its range.
It's not just about looks. Apple has helped push the tech world forward introducing Retina Displays, and discarding spinning disks in favour of faster PCIe-based flash storage.
Windows OEMs are a generation behind when it comes to screens. Lenovo has tried to one-up Apple by using a 3200 x 1800 resolution in its Yoga Pro 2, but Windows 8 isn't able to scale up and use all these pixels - so it can't make full use of apps.
2. Better battery life
Mac OS X provides better battery life than any comparable Windows machine.The MacBook Pro 13in is unbeaten in our Iron Man battery life test - clocking 10 hours and 27 minutes of usage. The closest Windows machine is the Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 and it's three hours short of this figure (7 hrs 10 mins).
I've yet to be caught short at an all-day event with my Mac, and this was a continuous problem when I was using a Windows machine.
You may argue that Windows-machines come with the ability to change out the battery - but the number of people who swap packs on the move is low.
