The debate never ends as to which major desktop platform is the easiest and best. Both have pluses and minuses.
Windows uses colors to make windows and dialogs stand out, whereas everything is shades of gray on the Mac. As a result, it takes longer to instantly recognize which window or tab is active on a Mac screen. To Windows users, the Mac looks dull.
To Mac users, the Windows file hierarchy appears downright obtuse (C: drive, This PC, Libraries, Favorites, etc.). Worse yet, it may change with the next Windows version. The Mac file manager is more straightforward.
In Windows, there are times when the only way to change a setting is to manually edit the Registry, which can be downright frightening for the average user. See
Registry.
Windows = Inconsistent But Flexible
When the Windows interface and file hierarchy change in a new version, the differences have to be relearned each time. On the other hand, interface features are more customizable for the user.
Windows = Touchscreens
Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft has featured touchscreens, which support on-screen drawing and more usability options. There are no Mac touchscreens, although the 2016 Mac laptops introduced a novel touch toolbar that it later abandoned (see
Touch Bar and
MacBook).
Mac's Best Feature = Consistency
Although there are changes from time to time, the Mac OS is rather consistent from version to version. Over the years, installations, operation and troubleshooting have been easier than Windows primarily because Apple controls both the hardware and operating system.
Mac's Worst Feature = Consistency
It took Apple 20 years to add a second button to the mouse, and it has been more than 40 that every application menu remains stuck in the upper left corner of the screen. In 1984, the Mac displayed one application at a time on a 7" screen. Today, multiple apps are open on monitors 24 to 43 inches wide, yet the menu is upper left no matter where the active app is on screen. Unless savvy users remember keyboard shortcuts, this menu structure results in excessive mouse movement.
Love That Mouse!
From day 1, Macs have favored the mouse over keystrokes. For example, Windows was first to enable the cursor to be programmed to go to the next likely selection so all the user has to do is click most of the time. Although the Mac added similar features, the automatic jump to the next likely selection is still missing in various situations. The concentration on the mouse made the first Macs in the 1980s (then the Macintosh) woefully uncompetitive in a world of keyboard-intensive word processing.
The Best Interface - WinMac
If the best features of Windows and Mac could be merged into one, we would have a much better computer experience. Each platform has worthwhile design elements that the other does not. See
user interface,
Mac computer,
Windows and
how to select a computer.