Macs and Windows Computers are Incompatible?

An interesting Myth about Apple & Windows – With all the “Mac versus PC” debates raging on many blogs, message boards and even TV commercials, it’s easy to assume that Macs and Windows PCs are so different as to be utterly incompatible or even friends.

It’s true that Macs and Windows PCs run on different operating systems. Macs use the UNIX-based OS X, while Windows machines use, well, Windows. But that doesn’t mean that the two operating systems speak completely different languages.For starters, just about every common software application runs on both Macs and Windows PCs. That includes Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook), most major Web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari), Adobe Software and even iTunes. This means that Mac and PC users can share almost every type of document or file. What’s more, Macs and PCs can easily run on the same home or business network.

Photo courtesy of Vents du Nord

As far as graphic design is concerned, there is no significant difference in the design software available for both the Mac and PC. The standard, Adobe Creative Suite, is developed for both platforms. The Mac is often considered the designer’s computer. One the other side of the coin, there is more software available for the PC, especially if you are focused on a particular industry, gaming or 3-D renderings (such as for architecture).

For end users, the major differences between the two come down to cosmetics, semantics and overall service. A long-time Windows user might look at a Mac and ask, “Where’s the Start menu? Why don’t applications close when I click the X? What the heck is a Finder?”

Part of the confusion comes from the different ways that the two systems approach the menu system. On a Mac, the main application menu is always on the top of the screen, separate from the active application windows themselves. So even when you close your browser or application windows on a Mac, the application you were using is still running till you have selected “Quit” to close the application completely.

The great thing is you don’t even have to choose between Macs and PCs anymore: Apple offers an application called Boot Camp that lets you run Windows on your Mac. You can enjoy the day-to-day convenience of your shiny Mac with the ability to use those one of a kind PC programs.