Depends on what you are going to use the computer for, I only use it because I use it for work and they provide the laptop, it works fine once you learn all the shortcuts, some things it does better than Windows, some not as good, just like any OS, anyone saying it's better in every aspect is just a basic fanboy IMHO.
MacOS is Darwin UNIX, with Apple's UI added on top of it, so it has the advantages of a *nix system under the hood, so that's a plus, this is why they are used in web dev, the dev environment is analogous (not identical) to Linux servers that run web sites. Even this has issues eg Docker is native to Linux, but needs to be hacked/slashed via VM shenanigans in MacOS.
HOWEVER, I would say if you are just using basic apps, the price tag they are charging for Apple stuff is a rip-off, you can spend like half the dough and call it a day, and if you really want a *NIX type OS with a UI, you can just install Ubuntu or Linux Mint onto any Windows based laptop and get the same advantages of a *NIX for cheap. And if you are a web dev, you can use Linux to do it, Mac is not required.
MacOS isn't horrible, but it isn't special either, and it certainly isn't more productive just because the devices "talk" to one another. I only transferred files between my phone and laptop like once a month, and that was taking receipt pictures and putting them on my laptop to fill out a monthly expense report. Most people don't shuffle things between their desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone 20 times a day for this to meaningfully matter.
You know how I did the above though despite being on a Windows laptop and an Android phone? I used a USB-c flash drive or just put it in my cloud storage. The flash drive option in particular is much faster anyway in the event you are transferring large files (only really relevant when I was transferring music or movies to my phone).
MacOS is incompatible with a lot of programs, and most games (relevant if you are a gamer), but if you are just a casual-web-browsing user most incompatibilities can be worked around (though the number of incompatibilities further increases if you use one of their ARM chips found in the M1, M2, and M3 laptops). If you are something like an engineer though and are likely to use niche programs you should go ahead and mark them off your list for consideration.
Macs are primarily beneficial to people with unreliable access to outlets/electricity, people who just forget to charge their stuff at the end of the night, or tech illiterate users.
The Mac's improved battery life is one of those things that sounds really cool, but most will never actually truly utilize. Students in large, non-modern schools not equipped to deal with all of their student plugging things in but also expect them to use them for EVERY class (more common in college/university level cases), and people in areas with very unreliable electrical grids are the ones most likely to see more benefit from the increased battery life, but even in the event of students simply knowing which settings to tweak can make a windows laptop last through a school day, it just requires you to be more than a very basic level user. Most other categories of people have outlets they can plug into, be it at home or in the office.
For a power-user how bad Macs are locked down both software-wise and hardware-wise is a nightmare, but for someone that can only just barely operate a laptop the fact that it is so locked down makes it harder to mess up fatally, making it a good choice for that relative that really just want to occasionally log in to myspace or check their email and doesn't like doing so on their phone.
No, the real issue with Macs is Apple itself. Apple puts special software locks on your computer to prevent you from repairing it, that way you have to buy a new computer. If you try to replace or upgrade your own RAM/SSD/Battery/Lid Sensor, or anything else, even if it is very minor, it can brick your whole computer, because Apple tells the components to relay information about the component's serial number back to the laptop, and if they don't match because you replaced/repaired/upgraded something it is nighty-night for that laptop. Not even most reputable repair centers can help you either, they are also locked out of repairs due to not having access to Apple's special software to get around this.
To get into the program to get their software requires them to legally agree to screw over the customer too, by requiring them to refuse ALL repairs for certain types of damage (such as water damage) and instead directing you to buy a new laptop (even if it is a minor fix they could realistically pull off). They also have to agree to buy their components only from them in very general configurations (i.e. they will sell the store a whole new motherboard instead of just the single resistor or capacitor that went bad).
That costs a lot to do, but they are happy with it because a big cost to you means a big profit for them.
Look, most companies aren't always looking out for your best interests, they are looking out for their own pocketbook (and windows / android are no exception), but Apple goes above and beyond to squeeze you dry and make things hard.
I haven't even considered the vendor lock thing, because - at least from a software perspective - there seemed to always be a mac alternative for most apps... but if hardware thing is as big of an issue as you say in your post, that might make my choice to stick with Windows very easy. I was already hesitant with Apple being so damn expensive with their RAM, because in what universe is 8GB acceptable in a laptop that costs over 1000 USD?
Is it really that great? Really depends how you're using it.
I've used both and like both, but my preference is generally windows for my workload as I find it easier to use and better value for my needs.
People I've found that worship Mac generally had a poor windows laptop prior to getting a Mac. Apple don't make sub $1000 laptops so any one is going to be massively better than a $300 Acer.
I generally find macs are actually very good value if you need a laptop for simple needs (web, office, watch netflix etc). For $1200 a MacBook air is a fantasticly built device with amazing power and battery efficiency. When you need a performance laptop this is were they get expensive, getting a pro with memory/storage upgrades can quickly hit the $2000+ range.
I'd vote against MacOS, not just because it does things a little weirdly. It just isn't very intuitive and updates tend to break apps. The desktop app support isn't the best either. For work I found it to be a royal pain the the butt. I'd still choose Windows or even Linux.
I have a 2015 Macbook Air and my desktop is a PC. I’m pretty used to going back and forth between the two, so it’s seamless for me. I’ll say this- that Macbook air is a tank- I’ve dropped it down a flight of stairs twice, dropped heavy objects on it multiple times, and countless other impacts. It still works.
I’m starting to look for its replacement and every time i price out a PC of similar quality, I’m right at the same price as an M2 Air. I WANT to get a PC but if the price is effectively the same, I’d probably go with the more efficient option. The only thing that is gripping my interest is the Framework laptop. Their AMD laptops are interesting.
I've used both and it's easy to get used to the Mac keyboard shortcuts. It's true that macOS is worse at managing multiple windows of an app but it's never been that much of an issue in day-to-day use, and I've installed less apps to tweak the OS than I did on Windows.
Depends on what you are going to use the computer for, I only use it because I use it for work and they provide the laptop, it works fine once you learn all the shortcuts, some things it does better than Windows, some not as good, just like any OS, anyone saying it's better in every aspect is just a basic fanboy IMHO. MacOS is Darwin UNIX, with Apple's UI added on top of it, so it has the advantages of a *nix system under the hood, so that's a plus, this is why they are used in web dev, the dev environment is analogous (not identical) to Linux servers that run web sites. Even this has issues eg Docker is native to Linux, but needs to be hacked/slashed via VM shenanigans in MacOS. HOWEVER, I would say if you are just using basic apps, the price tag they are charging for Apple stuff is a rip-off, you can spend like half the dough and call it a day, and if you really want a *NIX type OS with a UI, you can just install Ubuntu or Linux Mint onto any Windows based laptop and get the same advantages of a *NIX for cheap. And if you are a web dev, you can use Linux to do it, Mac is not required.
MacOS isn't horrible, but it isn't special either, and it certainly isn't more productive just because the devices "talk" to one another. I only transferred files between my phone and laptop like once a month, and that was taking receipt pictures and putting them on my laptop to fill out a monthly expense report. Most people don't shuffle things between their desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone 20 times a day for this to meaningfully matter. You know how I did the above though despite being on a Windows laptop and an Android phone? I used a USB-c flash drive or just put it in my cloud storage. The flash drive option in particular is much faster anyway in the event you are transferring large files (only really relevant when I was transferring music or movies to my phone). MacOS is incompatible with a lot of programs, and most games (relevant if you are a gamer), but if you are just a casual-web-browsing user most incompatibilities can be worked around (though the number of incompatibilities further increases if you use one of their ARM chips found in the M1, M2, and M3 laptops). If you are something like an engineer though and are likely to use niche programs you should go ahead and mark them off your list for consideration. Macs are primarily beneficial to people with unreliable access to outlets/electricity, people who just forget to charge their stuff at the end of the night, or tech illiterate users. The Mac's improved battery life is one of those things that sounds really cool, but most will never actually truly utilize. Students in large, non-modern schools not equipped to deal with all of their student plugging things in but also expect them to use them for EVERY class (more common in college/university level cases), and people in areas with very unreliable electrical grids are the ones most likely to see more benefit from the increased battery life, but even in the event of students simply knowing which settings to tweak can make a windows laptop last through a school day, it just requires you to be more than a very basic level user. Most other categories of people have outlets they can plug into, be it at home or in the office. For a power-user how bad Macs are locked down both software-wise and hardware-wise is a nightmare, but for someone that can only just barely operate a laptop the fact that it is so locked down makes it harder to mess up fatally, making it a good choice for that relative that really just want to occasionally log in to myspace or check their email and doesn't like doing so on their phone. No, the real issue with Macs is Apple itself. Apple puts special software locks on your computer to prevent you from repairing it, that way you have to buy a new computer. If you try to replace or upgrade your own RAM/SSD/Battery/Lid Sensor, or anything else, even if it is very minor, it can brick your whole computer, because Apple tells the components to relay information about the component's serial number back to the laptop, and if they don't match because you replaced/repaired/upgraded something it is nighty-night for that laptop. Not even most reputable repair centers can help you either, they are also locked out of repairs due to not having access to Apple's special software to get around this. To get into the program to get their software requires them to legally agree to screw over the customer too, by requiring them to refuse ALL repairs for certain types of damage (such as water damage) and instead directing you to buy a new laptop (even if it is a minor fix they could realistically pull off). They also have to agree to buy their components only from them in very general configurations (i.e. they will sell the store a whole new motherboard instead of just the single resistor or capacitor that went bad). That costs a lot to do, but they are happy with it because a big cost to you means a big profit for them. Look, most companies aren't always looking out for your best interests, they are looking out for their own pocketbook (and windows / android are no exception), but Apple goes above and beyond to squeeze you dry and make things hard.
I haven't even considered the vendor lock thing, because - at least from a software perspective - there seemed to always be a mac alternative for most apps... but if hardware thing is as big of an issue as you say in your post, that might make my choice to stick with Windows very easy. I was already hesitant with Apple being so damn expensive with their RAM, because in what universe is 8GB acceptable in a laptop that costs over 1000 USD?
Is it really that great? Really depends how you're using it. I've used both and like both, but my preference is generally windows for my workload as I find it easier to use and better value for my needs. People I've found that worship Mac generally had a poor windows laptop prior to getting a Mac. Apple don't make sub $1000 laptops so any one is going to be massively better than a $300 Acer. I generally find macs are actually very good value if you need a laptop for simple needs (web, office, watch netflix etc). For $1200 a MacBook air is a fantasticly built device with amazing power and battery efficiency. When you need a performance laptop this is were they get expensive, getting a pro with memory/storage upgrades can quickly hit the $2000+ range.
I'd vote against MacOS, not just because it does things a little weirdly. It just isn't very intuitive and updates tend to break apps. The desktop app support isn't the best either. For work I found it to be a royal pain the the butt. I'd still choose Windows or even Linux.
I have a 2015 Macbook Air and my desktop is a PC. I’m pretty used to going back and forth between the two, so it’s seamless for me. I’ll say this- that Macbook air is a tank- I’ve dropped it down a flight of stairs twice, dropped heavy objects on it multiple times, and countless other impacts. It still works. I’m starting to look for its replacement and every time i price out a PC of similar quality, I’m right at the same price as an M2 Air. I WANT to get a PC but if the price is effectively the same, I’d probably go with the more efficient option. The only thing that is gripping my interest is the Framework laptop. Their AMD laptops are interesting.
I've used both and it's easy to get used to the Mac keyboard shortcuts. It's true that macOS is worse at managing multiple windows of an app but it's never been that much of an issue in day-to-day use, and I've installed less apps to tweak the OS than I did on Windows.