Flip Flopping between macOS and Windows

[engbren]

I also tend to keep iCloud services away from my Windows laptop. I do have the Apple Music and Apple TV beta apps installed on Windows laptop but no other Apple software. I haven't tried iCloud software recently but have had issues with it in the past so just use the website or my phone if my Mac is not around.
Conversely, on the Mac, I have had Microsoft Office 365 installed and OneDrive for many years. There were some issues with OneDrive particularly around a MacOS update that broke all cloud drive services at the time. Once an update from Microsoft came out, it was solid again for me. I haven't used OneDrive in the past 12 months or so but thats for work reasons not any issue with the software/service.

 

[LiE_]

So Google I/O, I wasn't impressed. You can sense that Google's consumer facing side of the business isn't their main focus. At a software Keynote Android 14 barely got a mention. The hardware announcements were mediocre as well.

I know WWDC will deliver some meaningful improvements across all Apple products and this is one of the biggest draws for me. I like the size of my Pixel 5 and the photos but after trying the Pixel 7 I'm not convinced the Pixel 8 will work for me. The Pixel 7 felt too big and the scrolling issue left me with that feeling again that Google just cannot get their hardware right. Each generation there's something wrong. Not to mention the chips aren't that amazing being Eyxnos with a different name.

I've also been exploring smart/fitness watches outside of Apple and I just don't think I'm going to find something to compare to Apple. They have a really good product there for my usage. Garmin looks good but there are a number of areas it just just doesn't deliver, for my use case. The Google Watch was terrible compared to the Apple Watch, the setup experience was painful and then the apps on Android were confused and not polished.

So got an iPhone 13 Pro on the way again to tie my over until the iPhone 15s come out. I would go cheaper but I cannot use a phone with 60hz anymore. I'm not planning to go deep into the Apple ecosystem, as I genuinely really like using my PC for work. So I'll be mostly using other apps and services (oneDrive, Google Photos, Chrome for passwords, etc) so it works well with my Windows PC.

Also managed to find a good deal on a refurb series 7 LTE.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

So Google I/O, I wasn't impressed. You can sense that Google's consumer facing side of the business isn't their main focus. At a software Keynote Android 14 barely got a mention. The hardware announcements were mediocre as well.

I know WWDC will deliver some meaningful improvements across all Apple products and this is one of the biggest draws for me. I like the size of my Pixel 5 and the photos but after trying the Pixel 7 I'm not convinced the Pixel 8 will work for me. The Pixel 7 felt too big and the scrolling issue left me with that feeling again that Google just cannot get their hardware right. Each generation there's something wrong. Not to mention the chips aren't that amazing being Eyxnos with a different name.

I've also been exploring smart/fitness watches outside of Apple and I just don't think I'm going to find something to compare to Apple. They have a really good product there for my usage. Garmin looks good but there are a number of areas it just just doesn't deliver, for my use case. The Google Watch was terrible compared to the Apple Watch, the setup experience was painful and then the apps on Android were confused and not polished.

So got an iPhone 13 Pro on the way again to tie my over until the iPhone 15s come out. I would go cheaper but I cannot use a phone with 60hz anymore. I'm not planning to go deep into the Apple ecosystem, as I genuinely really like using my PC for work. So I'll be mostly using other apps and services (oneDrive, Google Photos, Chrome for passwords, etc) so it works well with my Windows PC.

Also managed to find a good deal on a refurb series 7 LTE.

Are you using phone link? It's working really good now. I have my web browser and office suite open on one screen, and my email and phone link opened on the other and I am just productive using this setup. I snap whatever I am using closest to me on the screen.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I also tend to keep iCloud services away from my Windows laptop. I do have the Apple Music and Apple TV beta apps installed on Windows laptop but no other Apple software. I haven't tried iCloud software recently but have had issues with it in the past so just use the website or my phone if my Mac is not around.
Conversely, on the Mac, I have had Microsoft Office 365 installed and OneDrive for many years. There were some issues with OneDrive particularly around a MacOS update that broke all cloud drive services at the time. Once an update from Microsoft came out, it was solid again for me. I haven't used OneDrive in the past 12 months or so but thats for work reasons not any issue with the software/service.

You should try cider for apple music on Windows. It's better than apples own implementation.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

Its a long time since I wrote something on this thread.
Since then I moved the opposite way than the majority of here, from windows to almost exclusively Apple.
The paradox is that I still love more windows than macos when everything works.
I am close to 50 and my tolerance grows thinner and thinner every day and, right now, Apple just works.
I`m certain that if I invest enough time in it, I would be able to troubleshoot my windows machines but time is becoming my most precious asset.
As long as almost every update messes something up with my windows rig I prefer to use Apple.
I`m fortunate enough that my office software needs are perfectly fulfilled by both platforms so, at least, I am free to opt either way.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Updates don't mess anything up with my windows systems here. I have approx. 12 of them working at any time. If anything gets messed up it's my own doing, not Microsoft's.

 

[LeeW]

To be honest I never experience any issues with Windows updates. I find the opposite in that Apple updates more often cause something to change that I wasn't expecting. Nothing major by any means but still happens.

Can't really imagine what issues a Windows update would cause for all but a minority of users who have made non-standard changes.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

I think it is also a matter of luck.
I lost multiple times my file indexing (general search but also outlook) after updates.
Trust me, I would have prefered not have these issues.
As I pointed out from the beginning, I prefer windows when works.

 

[maflynn]

I've had issues from time to time, its not common but they happened. I've also had issues with macOS completely messing up my system requiring a reinstall so no system is immune.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

To be honest I never experience any issues with Windows updates. I find the opposite in that Apple updates more often cause something to change that I wasn't expecting. Nothing major by any means but still happens.

Can't really imagine what issues a Windows update would cause for all but a minority of users who have made non-standard changes.

THIS! Most times, issues come when people try to "de-MS" or do back ended changes to their systems to try to make them "work better".

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

THIS! Most times, issues come when people try to "de-MS" or do back ended changes to their systems to try to make them "work better".

I totally agree. And for this reason I avoided anykind of tinkering with my main work related computer.
It went down the drain nevertheless.
As I already said, I think is very much a question of luck. Many had issues with Macs, others with Windows.
I do not dare to exclude that next years l’ll be back on windows machines after some horrific experience…
Nobody knows.
But right now, for me particularly Macs work out better. YMMV.

 

[maflynn]

THIS! Most times, issues come when people try to "de-MS" or do back ended changes to their systems to try to make them "work better".

I don't think that's entirely accurate. While its true, people tinkering with the system can and does come back to bite them. There's plenty of cases where plain vanilla machines have had issues with MS's updates.

Here's but a few links, one of the biigger issues was the update deleting files, and the SSD slowing down - not to mention the whole AMD debacle

Latest Windows 10 and 11 Update Problems and How to Fix Them
Windows update deleted all files from my desktop.
Windows 10 March 2023 Update is also causing issues (unsurprisingly)
KB5023706: Windows 11 March 2023 update causing major issues for some users
Windows 11 22H2 has gaming performance issues with AMD CPUs
Windows 11 is Causing Performance Issues for Some AMD Ryzen Processors

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I don't think that's entirely accurate. While its true, people tinkering with the system can and does come back to bite them. There's plenty of cases where plain vanilla machines have had issues with MS's updates.

Here's but a few links, one of the biigger issues was the update deleting files, and the SSD slowing down - not to mention the whole AMD debacle

Latest Windows 10 and 11 Update Problems and How to Fix Them
Windows update deleted all files from my desktop.
Windows 10 March 2023 Update is also causing issues (unsurprisingly)
KB5023706: Windows 11 March 2023 update causing major issues for some users
Windows 11 22H2 has gaming performance issues with AMD CPUs
Windows 11 is Causing Performance Issues for Some AMD Ryzen Processors

Plus the first thing I do with my Windows machines is remove all the telemetry. Guess how many issues I have had over the years "de-MSing" my machines. None. Windows is fine. It is also fine if you get rid of all their telemetry. You just have to know what you are doing.

And sometimes, whether Windows or Mac, you just get bit in the behind with a particular device causing an issue--although that hasn't been an issue for years for me.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Plus the first thing I do with my Windows machines is remove all the telemetry. Guess how many issues I have had over the years "de-MSing" my machines. None. Windows is fine. It is also fine if you get rid of all their telemetry. You just have to know what you are doing.

And sometimes, whether Windows or Mac, you just get bit in the behind with a particular device causing an issue--although that hasn't been an issue for years for me.

Here lies the issue for a lot of people. They think they know what they are doing, but alas.... they don't.

As for the AMD issues. That's an amd issue. I never had any issues using intel based systems. No slow downs of SSD etc. NADA.

 

[Silvestru Hosszu]

I have to confess that I was free of issues on intel desktops.
The last one was AMD based.

 

[mi7chy]

Unlike MacOS where it often has to be erased and reinstalled with what seems like every minor 13.x release because it breaks something critical while on Windows 10 it's rarely ever an issue. Plus, MacOS is rebooted or turned off daily due to history with memory leaks whereas with Windows 10 it's left on 24/7 for weeks with no issue and only rebooted for OS updates.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I have to confess that I was free of issues on intel desktops.
The last one was AMD based.

I don't know how long ago that was but my AMD processors run just fine.

 

[WriteNow]

whereas with Windows 10 it's left on 24/7 for weeks with no issue and only rebooted for OS updates.

Funny how times change! I remember when Windows pretty much had to be restarted regularly.

 

[TheOtherAndy]

I don't know how long ago that was but my AMD processors run just fine.

I find AMD to be a crapshoot. The Ryzen 7 6800H in the laptop I'm typing this on has been fine, but I almost never use it. The Ryzen 5 2400G in my desktop should be faster than my old Ivy Bridge Intel system, but often feels much slower. The Ryzen 5 1400 (and its replacement the Ryzen 7 1700) in my old Dell desktop was unstable as all get-out with frequent blue screens.

That's on Windows. Linux is a non-starter. Zen 1 had a flaw that AMD refused to recognize that would totally (and randomly) lock up the entire system. It should have been fixed, but this laptop has experienced similar issues. My Ivy Bridge and Skylake systems (yes, I have far too many computers) are rock solid on Linux and Windows.

Pre-Ryzen systems were far more stable for me, but they were also a joke performance-wise.

 

[TheOtherAndy]

As a fellow flipper who mostly sticks to PCs but constantly has a shiny Mac collecting dust, I think I have figured out my main issue with the Mac: MacOS feels ancient. It's a weird thing to say, as Windows is an absolute dinosaur. But, Windows has added useful features while Apple has seemingly focused on (what I would term) useless trinkets, or even actively removed good things.

A few examples:

• Window snapping (added in Windows 7). By dragging a window to the side (or using win + arrow keys) I can quickly place my windows where I want them. The fact that MacOS doesn't have this is insane
• Windows Subsystem for Linux (added in Windows 10). With Windows I can now have my Linux cake and eat it too. Actual (or near as dammit) Linux. MacOS may be built on Unix, but using the terminal and home brew doesn't feel like Linux.
• Font rendering (clubbed to death in a recent MacOS). As someone using 1080p monitors, fonts in MacOS are horrid fuzzy messes. They're also all over the place in terms of size from one app to another.
• 'Reset this PC' (added in Windows 10). Feel like Nuking your computer from orbit? The button is right in settings. Works great, keeps files if you want. Ka-blam-o!

Now, obviously, Microsoft also uses this as an excuse to push unwanted crap on all of our computers. Oh gosh do they love crapping up our computers. And that sets the example for every software vendor and PC maker to follow. Notifications galore!

Essentially I find Windows more usable and Mac less bothersome.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

Funny how times change! I remember when Windows pretty much had to be restarted regularly.

I don't. I have been using windows since computers were common place. My first pc was a trs 80, and then I moved on to ibm clones, and so on. I never had issues where I had to restart my pcs regularly. Just wasn't something I had to do.

 

[The point and shoot pro]

I find AMD to be a crapshoot. The Ryzen 7 6800H in the laptop I'm typing this on has been fine, but I almost never use it. The Ryzen 5 2400G in my desktop should be faster than my old Ivy Bridge Intel system, but often feels much slower. The Ryzen 5 1400 (and its replacement the Ryzen 7 1700) in my old Dell desktop was unstable as all get-out with frequent blue screens.

That's on Windows. Linux is a non-starter. Zen 1 had a flaw that AMD refused to recognize that would totally (and randomly) lock up the entire system. It should have been fixed, but this laptop has experienced similar issues. My Ivy Bridge and Skylake systems (yes, I have far too many computers) are rock solid on Linux and Windows.

Pre-Ryzen systems were far more stable for me, but they were also a joke performance-wise.

I was a user of XP amd chips back in the early 2000s. Thought they were better, etc. But I will only use intel systems chips now. They are more stable, reliable, faster and create less issues software wise than amd. Plus, the whole "we throttle your entire notebook" to save battery is ridiculous.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I was a user of XP amd chips back in the early 2000s. Thought they were better, etc. But I will only use intel systems chips now. They are more stable, reliable, faster and create less issues software wise than amd. Plus, the whole "we throttle your entire notebook" to save battery is ridiculous.

Eh, like I said, my AMD systems seem to have none of these issues. And the issues with Intel were numerous a few years back (14 nm anyone?). Now that they have their act together, I don’t really care what it is in there. I personally prefer AMD as that ”throttling” you mention is awesome if you have want long battery life on your gaming laptop. Even better, I am in control of the process. So that works.

But again, I think Intel fixed most of these issues (for which we really kind of owe AMD and even Apple Silicon) in the 13th gen so I am really good with either at this point.

 

[Cape Dave]

As a fellow flipper who mostly sticks to PCs but constantly has a shiny Mac collecting dust, I think I have figured out my main issue with the Mac: MacOS feels ancient. It's a weird thing to say, as Windows is an absolute dinosaur. But, Windows has added useful features while Apple has seemingly focused on (what I would term) useless trinkets, or even actively removed good things.

A few examples:

• Window snapping (added in Windows 7). By dragging a window to the side (or using win + arrow keys) I can quickly place my windows where I want them. The fact that MacOS doesn't have this is insane
• Windows Subsystem for Linux (added in Windows 10). With Windows I can now have my Linux cake and eat it too. Actual (or near as dammit) Linux. MacOS may be built on Unix, but using the terminal and home brew doesn't feel like Linux.
• Font rendering (clubbed to death in a recent MacOS). As someone using 1080p monitors, fonts in MacOS are horrid fuzzy messes. They're also all over the place in terms of size from one app to another.
• 'Reset this PC' (added in Windows 10). Feel like Nuking your computer from orbit? The button is right in settings. Works great, keeps files if you want. Ka-blam-o!

Now, obviously, Microsoft also uses this as an excuse to push unwanted crap on all of our computers. Oh gosh do they love crapping up our computers. And that sets the example for every software vendor and PC maker to follow. Notifications galore!

Essentially I find Windows more usable and Mac less bothersome.

MacOS has the same UI/UX as it did 25 years ago. Sad and pathetic. At least Microsoft tries! Windows all the way for me.

 

[LiE_]

I find AMD to be a crapshoot. The Ryzen 7 6800H in the laptop I'm typing this on has been fine, but I almost never use it. The Ryzen 5 2400G in my desktop should be faster than my old Ivy Bridge Intel system, but often feels much slower. The Ryzen 5 1400 (and its replacement the Ryzen 7 1700) in my old Dell desktop was unstable as all get-out with frequent blue screens.

That's on Windows. Linux is a non-starter. Zen 1 had a flaw that AMD refused to recognize that would totally (and randomly) lock up the entire system. It should have been fixed, but this laptop has experienced similar issues. My Ivy Bridge and Skylake systems (yes, I have far too many computers) are rock solid on Linux and Windows.

Pre-Ryzen systems were far more stable for me, but they were also a joke performance-wise.

RAM was a major source of incompatibility in the early days of Ryzen, I think it stills has a few quirks. It's one of the things I like about using Intel, they are less fussy.