I Switched From a Windows PC to a MacBook 3 Years Ago: Here's Why I've Stayed

In December of 2021, I switched my personal computer from a Windows PC to a 14-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro. While it was an expensive purchase costing over $3000, I don't regret it in the slightest, especially after becoming accustomed to macOS.

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1 The Apple Ecosystem Is Simply Superior

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One thing that has always intrigued me about macOS is the cohesion of the Apple ecosystem. Apple designs its operating systems in accordance with specific hardware, and each piece of hardware "talks" to each other.

Now that I have an Apple ecosystem consisting of a MacBook, an iPhone, a pair of AirPods, and an iPad, I understand why people enjoy it so much. For instance, since most of my friends use iPhones, I can text them directly from my MacBook. I also often use my iPad as a secondary monitor on the go with the Sidecar feature. I even enjoy switching my AirPods between my devices.

There are other benefits, like copying on one device and pasting on another, which saves many headaches. I no longer have to email something to myself on my iPhone just so I can open it on a Windows PC.

You can enjoy many of these benefits on Windows if you have an Android device with Phone Link. You can also use alternatives like Google Drive and WhatsApp for similar benefits.

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That said, I don't think the Apple ecosystem alone is worth switching from Windows to macOS. However, if you're switching for battery, performance, and portability, you'll be pleasantly surprised by a MacBook.

2 MacBooks Balance Battery, Performance, and Form Better

As a content creator, the main reason I purchased my MacBook Pro was for high-performance video editing on the go, without needing a wall outlet for peak performance. This is what Apple advertised, and it's what I got.

My MacBook Pro weighs a little under 4 lbs, is incredibly slim, and has a small enough form factor to fit into any backpack with minimal burden added. I can edit 4K videos on the go with rare performance hiccups for at least two hours at a time—all without charging it.

Windows laptops have been catching up in these areas, though, especially seen with the "hybrid architecture" of Intel's 12th generation and onward CPUs with efficient and performance cores. That said, if the results are similar, I'd rather have Apple's ecosystem and reliability.

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3 macOS Is More Reliable and Less Prone to Bugs

Many Mac advertisements have used phrases like "it just works" when describing the computer. After three years, I can confirm that these claims are pretty valid. My MacBook has crashed around four times in the three years I've had it, whereas my Windows gaming desktop encountered blue screens that many times every year.

The only consistent issue my MacBook faces is memory pressure, but this is a result of my own poor digital hygiene and leaving too many apps open all at once rather than something I can blame the device for.

Conversely, Windows 11, while not an unreliable OS in the slightest, has its annoying quirks. As Microsoft added features such as Copilot to Windows, it added more advertisements to the OS. Although you can remove most of the bloatware from Windows 11, most users who aren't power users wouldn't bother to figure out how.

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Apple's continued focus on user privacy seems to have prevented many of these issues with OS-native bloatware compared to Windows.

4 Apple Is Overcoming Its Disadvantages

When Apple silicon Macs first came out, macOS relied heavily on Rosetta 2 to translate programs written for older Intel-based Macs. Rosetta didn't require a ton of processing power, but it affected the performance of macOS in Apple silicon's early years.

However, in 2024, as Apple silicon is now Apple's standard chip infrastructure, almost all popular software for macOS is generally written natively for it. This has made Rosetta's performance hit disappear almost entirely, aside from a few outdated apps.

Similarly, macOS has always had a poor reputation for gaming. Though macOS remains far behind Windows in terms of gaming capability and compatibility, the gap has been closing each year.

For example, macOS now supports major titles such as Baldur's Gate 3, Final Fantasy 14, Minecraft, and Hades. macOS also does surprisingly well with emulation. Although performance remains subpar to that of a Windows PC at a comparable price, having the option to play popular titles is quite nice.

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Apple has been trending toward greater flexibility and compatibility with macOS over recent years. Thanks to this, Apple has steadily been overcoming its greatest disadvantage compared to Windows.

As much as macOS has improved over the years, it's not the perfect device for all users. I still mainly play games on a Windows PC, and many apps still don't support macOS. However, thanks to the ecosystem, portability, reliability, and steady improvements Apple made, I truly believe that a MacBook is far better for me as a daily driver.

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