As different as Windows 7 and Mac OS X are, the two operating systems also have many similarities as well. Learn more about Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X in terms of actual usability and operating system functionality. Both operating systems are good, but you may prefer the simplicity of OS X over Windows.
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X – Windows 7 Taskbar vs. Mac OS X Dock
Another notable feature of the Windows 7 taskbar is the tray icon area, which is often used by applications to display alerts and other important information. For example, Windows 7 uses a tray icon to alert you whenever there are automatic updates available.
The very right side of the Windows 7 taskbar displays the clock. Just to the right of the clock is a thin, rectangular blank spot that can be used to clear the desktop.
The Windows 7 taskbar can be relocated to the left, right, or top of the desktop.
The Windows 7 taskbar is one of the most commonly used everyday operating system features within Windows 7.
The Mac OS X dock is very much the Mac equivalent to the Windows 7 taskbar. Like the Windows 7 taskbar, the Mac OS X dock is used to launch commonly used programs quickly and easilly. One of the most current versions of Mac OS, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, uses a more featured, visually appealing dock than previous Mac OS versions. Notably, the Mac OS X dock has some unique features as well.
That’s it for part 1. So far, we’ve only covered the slight differences in Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X basic interface. Be sure to continue on to page 2, where we will list even more everyday features that differ between the two operating systems. If you are trying to decide on whether to get a Mac vs. PC, there are several other things to note.
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X – Windows 7 Taskbar vs. Mac OS X Dock (Continued…)
The Mac OS X dock can be repositioned to the bottom, left or right of the screen but not the top, as Mac OS X utilizes a top taskbar for various other functions.
Now that we have covered the basic functionality differences of Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X taskbar and dock, please note some of the following Mac equivalents:
- With Mac OS, the clock is located in the upper taskbar rather then the dock. Thus, the time is at the top of the screen.
- If using a laptop, the battery charge indicator and wireless network utility are located on the upper taskbar as well, vs. Windows 7, where the battery charge indicator and wireless network utility are located in the Windows 7 Taskbar.
- Earlier, we mentioned that the Mac OS dock has a magnification feature. The Windows 7 taskbar has a similar feature if you have a Windows 7 Aero theme enabled, which is an under illumination for each icon that you scroll over.
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X – Windows 7 Start Menu vs. Mac OS X Finder
Since we already covered Windows 7 taskbar vs. Mac OS X dock, it should be noted that the Windows 7 Start Menu is located in the Windows taskbar, and the Mac OS X Finder is located in the Mac dock.
Windows 7′s Start Menu is strongly considered to be the main navigation point in the Windows UI. Just about anything and everything can be found using the Start Menu. Not only that, but you can also run commands. The Windows 7 Start Menu is convenient and well designed, as it has many stationary buttons such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Games, Computer, Control Panel, etc… for easy navigating to certain places. The Windows 7 Start Menu navigation is simple enough, and just about everything can be found by clicking the All Programs listing. Notably, the Windows 7 Start Menu also has an integrated search box, which allows you to search through files on your PC.
Mac OS’s Finder is strongly considered to be the main navigation point in the Mac UI. Like the Start Menu, Finder can be used to access just about anything on your computer. The main difference between the Start Menu and Finder is: The Start Menu operates using a list interface vs. The Finder uses a window interface. Opening up the Mac OS Finder basically opens up a master window, where you can quickly access the Macintosh Hard Drive, shared devices, and specific user files, applications and documents.
We have just reached a mid point in the article, where we can draw a couple of conclusions on Mac OS vs. Windows 7. As far as the equivalents between the Windows 7 taskbar and Start Menu vs. the Mac OS dock and Finder, both are equally capable.
The biggest difference thus far is that Mac OS X constantly uses two elements to control programs, folders and applications, which are the dock and upper taskbar. Windows 7 heavily relies on one element to control most things, which is the Windows 7 taskbar. You will learn more about why on the next page.
Mac vs. PC – Mac OS Taskbar vs. Windows 7 Active Window Controls
On page 2 of our series, we mentioned that Mac OS X utilized both the dock and upper taskbar to manage most operations vs. Windows 7, which mainly utilizes a taskbar only. This section focuses on why.
Mac OS X uses the upper taskbar for many program specific tools and commands. For example, whenever you open up a program in Mac OS X, that program instantly takes control of the Mac OS X upper toolbar. As an example, if you were to open up the Safari web browser, you would notice that when Safari is the active window, the upper Mac OS X toolbar displays Safari properties and tools. The upper toolbar is chameleon like, and adapts to each program, so if you switch from Safari to iTunes, the upper toolbar changes to suite iTunes. Common options for programms, which are displayed in the upper Mac toolbar are: File, Edit, View, Window, and Help.
Windows 7 utilized in-window program specific controls. For example, if you open up Firefox in Windows, the File, Edit, View, Tools, History, etc… options are all located directly at the top of that specific Window.
Mac OS X and Windows 7 are similar in program specific controls, but you should note the location of each, especially if you are considering switching from Mac to PC, or vice versa.
Mac OS iTunes vs. Windows 7 Media Center
Obviously, iTunes can be downloaded free and installed on Window PCs, as iPod users who have PCs need this feature. However, as far as default media players, Mac OS X uses iTunes and Windows 7 uses Media Center.
Although both iTunes and Windows Media Center do many of the same things, such as play MP3s and videos, they are actually quite different.
Mac OS iTunes is basically a music playback tool. However, the vast evolution of the iTunes store has made iTunes into a tool for watching TV shows and movies as well. Also, if you own an iPod or iPad, iTunes serves as the basic control center for adding music and other media. Notably, music and video streaming is also done on Macs via iTunes. One thing that iTunes does not do… play DVD movies. For DVDs, Mac computers use a native application called iDVD.
Windows 7 Media Center is a music, video, and TV show playback tool, similar to iTunes in functionality, but much different in appearance. For the most part, Windows 7 Media Center is actually more of an all-in-one application. Not only can it be used to store your favorite MP3s, TV shows, and movies, but it can also be used to play DVDs as well. In fact, many people use Windows Media Center as the center of their home theater setups, as Windows 7 Media Center’s UI (user interface) is loosely built to be an entertainment program.
Mac computers do have a TV based entertainement app as well, but it is not integrated with iTunes. The app is called Front Row, and is used by many Mac users as a home theater base.
iTunes and Windows Media Center are not equivalent.
iTunes + iDVD + Front Row vs. Windows Media Center is a much better comparison.
Notably, iLife also includes a program called Garage Band.
So far, we’ve covered basic navigation differences between PC vs. Mac, as well as entertainment and media options. Continue on to the next page to learn even more differences in everyday Mac vs. PC use.
Mac vs. PC – Mail and Messaging
Windows 7 PCs, by default, do not come equipped with a solid mail and messaging system. However, Microsoft does provide Windows 7 users with a fully Windows compatible solution in Windows Live. Upon downloading and installing Windows Live (free), you will have Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Messenger installed on your PC. These two programs are very popular, and there is a good chance that you have used Windows Live Messenger before, as it is previously known as MSN Messenger. Windows Live Mail, not to be mistaken for Microsoft Outlook, is a very simple, easy to use desktop mail client that offers a very usable UI.
Macs, by default, do come with mail and messaging applications. The default messaging system of Mac users is a program called iChat. Like many Apple programs, iChat is a bit unorthadox, and is different than traditional messaging platforms. Notably, iChat is heavily based on video chat, where Windows Live Messenger is not. However, iChat can be used for text messaging and voice as well.
Mac’s come with a desktop email client, simply called Mail. Mail is a lot like Windows Live Mail in the fact that it is easy to use and has a simple interface. Both mail apps are pretty straightforward, and uncomplicated to learn.
Mac vs. PC – Photo and Video Editing
More and more, everyday computer users are turning into amateur photographers and video editors. Thus, it may be important to consider what video and photo software each operating system utilizes.
Windows 7 PCs utilize Windows Live Movie Maker as a default video editor. Like Windows Live Mail, Movie Maker does not come installed on Windows 7, so you have to download it as part of the Windows Live pack (free). As far as features, Windows Live Movie Maker is effective, yet user friendly, just like all other elements included in Windows live. It’s not too powerful of a video editor, but can be used for most basic tasks that an everyday video editor would need.
Windows 7 PCs utilize Windows Live Photo Gallery as a default photo editor, and you guessed it, Windows Live Photo Gallery must be downloaded with Windows Live pack. As far as effectiveness, Windows Live Photo Gallery offers only the most basic of photo editing features. It is definitely no Adobe Photoshop, but it does offer some unique features that make it more of a photo organizer than editor.
Macs utilize iMovie as a default movie editor. It comes equipped with every new Mac, or can be purchased seperately in Apple’s iLife set. iMovie is simple, but effective for handling basic movie producing tasks. Although it doesn’t offer a lot of in-depth editing capabilities, it does have the power to piece together a basic amateur movie.
Macs utilize iPhoto as a default photo editor and organizer. iPhoto’s notable feature is geo-tagging and facial recognition, which allows you to tag photos based on where they were taken. This is a cool feature for anyone that travels a lot. Aside from that, iPhoto is fairly basic, and very similar to Windows Live Photo Gallery in nature.
That’s it for page 4. Be sure to check out page 5 where we will cover some more technical operating system differences between Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X.
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X for Everyday Computer Use
If you have not yet read the other pages in the series, it is strongly recommended that you do so. Mainly, everything previous to this page covers the basic differences in Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X operating system use, and also reviews Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X media capabilities. At this point, it’s quite clear that Windows 7 and Mac OS X are quite similar to each other. Each respective operating system offers an alterantive to the competitor, even for photo editing and video editing.
Is one operating system better for everyday use? Not necessarily. Picking a winner between the two operating systems is quickly becoming a controversial topic. To better understand the major differences in the Mac vs. PC battle, be sue to check out the other series articles. There will be links for them at the bottom of this page.
Other than what is already covered, there are some more technical aspects of each operating system, which we will cover next.
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X – Technical Differences
Windows 7 utilizes a major program format of .EXE. For example, if you download and install a new program on your PC, it will almost always be of .EXE format. Aside from the name .EXE, there is not much that else to it.
Mac OS X utilizes a major program format of .App. So, if you download and install a new program on your Mac, it will almost certainly be a .App file. Aside from the file extension name .App, there is not much else to it. .App is a Mac format.
.App’s typically do not work on Windows PCs, and .EXE’s typically do not work on Macs, at least not by default.
Above, it was mentioned that .EXE and .App are the major file formats for installing programs and applications on Macs and PCs. However, Macs and PCs use some common file formats as well. For example, compression formats.
You may download a Zip file or RAR file on a Windows computer, which will need to be extracted to get to the files. Macs are essentially the same, as they use the compressed Zip and RAR format as well.
You can run Windows apps on a Mac using VMware Fusion, other virtualization software, or BootCamp.
Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X – UNIX
Mac OS X is a UNIX based operating system, which to say the most, is a bit more technical than most people would care for. Basically, UNIX involves the platform on which an operating system is built, how it functions, and the coding behind it.
Windows is not UNIX based, and has it’s own unique build. Many people will say that UNIX is a more secure platform, but that is much of an opinion. Microsoft likes to come out with many of it’s own standards. For example, .NET and Silverlight.
However, Apple does the same thing.
Something is very different on OS X.
I like how OS X users like to rub in your fac how they run Windows 7 under OS X and have the best of both world.
Do they think it is technically impossible to run OS X under Windows 7?
It isn’t.
They like to tell you how OS X is similar to, wait for it, BSD-Unix.
It isn’t, the opposite is true.
BSD is the most open OS while the “OS X” OS is the most locked.
I would like to ask MBP owners how much it would cost them to buy a laptop with a true Intel i7 processor, 256Gb SSD, 16Gb Ram, 2xUSB3 + 1xUSB2, Firewire, 5-in-1 card reader, Anti-glare multitouch FHD screen 1980x1080px 16:9, Blu-Ray writer?
It would cost me £600 for a lot less to get a MBP while sponsoring a locked OS.
Honestly, the European Court should look at this issue. I think it is unfair competition. Why could OS X users legally run Windows 7 on their machine and not legally do the opposite? Consumers rights should prevail or both way should be restrited.
Are you serious? The reason that you can Windows 7 is because Microsoft allows this in their license. Heck, their whole business model is based on this. No one forces you to buy Mac OS X. Unfair to who? You who don’t want the best experience in hardware and software working in harmony. You’re complaining about Apple wanting to maintain quality with their OS by having it run on their hardware. Somewhat silly. The fact is Apple’s job of making an OS is easier because of this. Their OS should work better and I get pretty upset when it doesn’t.
By the way, yes, I would like an i7 MBP. We have a bunch of i7 laptops at work. But, I prefer to lug around a MBP. Go figure. Listen, I use Windows 7 desktops daily and like them. MS did a great job getting this OS out the door. I think each OS has it’s place.
The whole “BSD” comments are about stability. Nice Try. Open software has it’s benefits. But, if everything in software was like this, no one makes money. No money, no innovation.
And, oh yeah, Blu-Ray, I love it.
I thought this would be a good reference but I stopped reading after all the grammatical errors became too distracting. Perhaps the author is not writing in his native language, but something on this blog needs fixing.
Examples:
\The chances are good that you have Windows or Windows uses 7th However, not many people actually used a Mac computer, the decision whether to Mac switch makes a confusing task.\ – Huh?
\Windows 7 will start the task bar as a simple way, programs, access to the Start menu, check monitor programs (in shell), or even time.\ – Huh?
\The Windows 7 taskbar is something you use frequently, you probably use every time your computer.\ – Huh?
@Olivier:
Macs can run Windows because Microsoft owns Windows and chooses to allow them to, for the price of purchasing a license. Microsoft does not make hardware. It makes software and does not really care what hardware company runs their OS.
Apple makes its money on hardware, and they provide software (OS X) to distinguish their hardware product from everyone else’s. It would not serve them well to let their software be run on hardware they do not sell. They could conceivably charge a high premium for a non-Mac version of OS X, but it would likely just get pirated and they would make no money. Then there would be no OS X for anybody.
Microsoft and Apple each own their own software and they each have control over how it is to be sold and used. Just because you, as a consumer, want access to someone else’s copyrighted work to use as you wish, does not mean you have the right to that companies’ work. It’s not a consumer right for you to run OS X on a PC, anymore than it is a consumer right for you to be able to get a movie on DVD the day it comes out in theaters. You may want this, but it is a decision of the content creators, not the content consumers.
Hope this answers your question.
Steve