This is a category that really challenges
Apple fans, as Windows is the obvious winner. Designed to run on plenty of
architectures and with support for a wide range of devices, protocols and
technology, OS X can’t beat Windows 8.
Mountain Lion is a highly optimized
operating system, designed to run on Apple’s hardware and only on Apple’s
hardware. Moreover, Apple has never bothered thinking about the support for its
older devices. People know that the company abandoned the support for the Power
PC architecture with OS X 10.5.8. They also know that Lion (10.7) and Mountain
Lion (10.8) won’t be able to run on some Intel Macs. Installation tests will
prevent you from trying to upgrade your Mac mini from before 2009 or Mac Pro
manufactured before 2008.
Mountain
Lion is a highly optimized operating system, designed to run on Apple’s
hardware and only on Apple’s hardware.
On the other hand, Windows 8 doesn’t only
serve older PCs – Intel architecture based computers running at the slow 1GHz –
but it also serves the 32bit version. And it’s the real irony. The 2006 Intel
Mac Mini won’t run Lion? It will dual-boot into Windows 8 in a blink of an eye.
Why is there a significant difference like
that? Apple is in the hardware business. It sells Macs, iPhones và iPads. Microsoft’s
main business is software, and the more computers it runs on, the more it
sells.
Mac: 5/10
Windows: 8/10
Shopping
The App Store in iOS proved to be so great
a success that its model was imitated by Google on Android and by Amazon on its
Kindle Fire. Apple even successfully brought the concept to OS X, with Mac App
Store.
Therefore, there’s no surprise that
Microsoft introduced Windows Store. Unfortunately, it’s a key stone that’s made
of sand.
While we are sure that the navigation will
be more practical on tablets, it proves to be clumsy on desktops or laptops. We
are also wondering where the search box is. Then it turns out that it’s hidden
in the Charm bar.
In the preview version, the store has free
applications; therefore, we can’t test the payment system. We know it uses your
Windows Live login to process the transactions.
Mac: 9/10
Windows: 4/10
Windows
Store is pre-installed in the OS. Unlike Mac App Store, some links lead you to
third parties’ website to shop.
Value for money
Some Apple’s recent upgrades have had
reasonable prices, with Mountain Lion’s retail price at only $22.5. A good buy.
Prior to Mountain Lion, there were separate consumer and server versions. Now,
the server components are available as a separate purchase ($22.5).
The price for Windows 8 is quite confusing,
with four available versions, some variations of these versions and the price
differences of the download and DVD versions. The cheapest way to upgrade is to
download the Pro version at the price of $39.75. The price to buy Windows 8 on DVD
begins at $79.5, and the Pro version is the only widely available one when we
are writing this article.
So oddly, to comply with the European
anti-competition ruling, there is also a version without any built-in media
playback components. Considering some aspects, the “N” option is not as powerful
as the Standard or Pro versions, but it has the retail price of $206.5.
Mac: 10/10
Windows: 7/10
Windows on Mac and OS X on PC
If your Mac is running Mountain Lion, basically,
it’s an Intel PC. That means it can run Windows as well as OS X.With the aid of
Boot Camp, you can dual-boot your computer to run both the operating systems.
If repartitioning your hard drive seems too
terrifying, you can choose to run Windows in a virtual machine, by using tools
such as VMware Fusion 5 ($63.5) or Parallels Desktop 8 ($103).
You want to run Mountain Lion on your PC? It’s
not impossible, but not easy either. There are online communities that are
specialized in cracking this complez task, but even if you can make it run on PC
hardware, problems never leave your side. Moreover, running Mountain Lion on
any other hardware except Apple’s will break OS X’s licensing rules, too.
Mac: 2/10
Windows: 8/10
Running
Windows on your Mac
Running
Windows on your Mac.
There are many reasons for running Windows
8 on Mac through Parallels Desktop, or another virtualization solution like VMware
Fusion is better than running Windows 8 on PC. Parallels John Uppendahl shared
some advantages below of running Windows 8 on Mac istead of on PC:
1.
You have Mountain Lion Gestures which include “pinch
to zoom”, three fingers dragging, swiping between full-screen applications, two
fingers scrolling, and rotating.
2.
You can use the Mountain Lion Dictation tool in
both Windows and̀ Mac environments.
3.
You can add Windows applications (including
Windows 8 Modern/Metro apps) to Mountain Lion Launchpad.
4.
You can choose to open Internet Explorer if a
website doesn’t work well in Safari.
5.
According to Michael Gartenberg, from Gartner
Research, the only way to experience Windows 8 at the highest resolution is to
install it on a Retina MacBook Pro running Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac.
Gartenberg has recently tweeted: “Use Windows 8 with Parallels 8 on MacBook Pro
with Retina dispay. It may be the best way to run Windows 8”.
6.
Mac OS and Metro apps can search in Spotlight and
appear in Launchpad.
7.
Windows 8 apps can be added to Mac Dock.
8.
You can view Mac and Windows documents in
Mission Control
9.
Mountain Lion Notifications integrate Windows 8
Toast Notifications from Windows 8, including Calendar, Games, Internet
Explorer, Mail, Messaging, Music, Store and Video.
10.
You can connect to Windows 8 in a distance from
a Retina iPad running Parallels Mobile at a full Retina resolution.
Conclusion
We won’t badly criticize Windows 8. There
are some interesting and innovative factors in the new operating system. On
touch pads, the interface is so intuitive to use. It smartly integrates with
your online identity and isn’t messy. And the Windows hiding below is still a
flexible and powerful OS with many things to introduce it.
But there’s a feeling that what you are
offered is a Windows for dummies. Windows 8 takes tablet users away from the
fact that they are using a Windows computer. Unfortunately, it takes computer
users away from the fact that they are using a computer.
Apple’s approach, after 8 OS X’s versions, has
been reasonably organized and renovated with each release. From̀ Cheetah to
Mountain Lion, Apple has reduced redundant factors and introduced new features.
It’s become an evolutionary case, not a revolutionary one.
OS X and iOS are approaching each other
closer and closer, but they’re not the same. They are optimized for devices
they run on and for how they are used. One day they will converge. It’s just
not now.
Windows 8 is not too little too late, but
too much too soon.
Mac: 130/180
Windows:
105/180
