First some background. I have been a Windows user since late 90s. And I am incredibly comfortable with Windows. My primary machines -- one at home, one at work -- run on Windows 7 and I believe it is the best operating system in the world right now. It is totally amazing!
Yet, late last year when I required a laptop, I bought Apple's MacBook Air and not a Windows laptop. So why did I do this? After all, if Windows 7 is world's best operating system, shouldn't a Windows laptop would have been better? Well, I had 10 reasons to buy the MacBook Air and most of them have to do with what Windows laptops lack instead of what Apple's machine has.
1- Adware and bloatware: All windows laptops come with a lot of programs pre-installed. Most of these programs are actual adware and they nag you to buy stuff (games, antivirus software, this service, that program). It is also difficult to get rid of them unless you buy a new version of Windows and install that manually.
These bloatware and adware also unnecessarily slow down computers. Even the top Windows laptops feel sluggish due to these unwanted programs.
2- Windows 8: Nowadays all laptops come with Windows 8, which is frankly a terrible operating system, especially on a laptop or on a desktop computer. If there was an option to choose a laptop running Windows 7, I would have considered a Windows laptop. But Microsoft and its partners don't do that. It is either Windows 8 or nothing.
3- Windows laptops have poor designs: Unless you are spending nearly Rs.1 lakh, it is difficult to get a Windows machine that has a good design. Most of the Windows laptops, even those in the price range of MacBook Air, are poorly designed and have not-so-flawless build quality. When compared to the MacBook Air, which is light, sleek and tough with its aluminium body, these laptops look very poor choice.
4- The trackpad experience: This is something that doesn't matter on my main machines. I use mouse on them, which is very precise and the best way to use a computer. But on a laptop, you need to have a great touchpad. And Apple somehow continues to offer a touchpad in its machines that is better than anything Windows laptop makers have managed to come up so far. The touchpad is smooth. All the gestures work well and the response to scrolling is fantastic. It is a bliss using the touchpad in a Mac laptop. In comparison, almost all mainstream Windows laptops come with touchpads that have issues. It is also very strange that no Windows laptop maker has a managed to figure out how to give users a proper, nice touchpad.
5- Battery life: This is another area where the MacBook is ahead of the Windows laptop makers. On this 13-inch MacBook Air that I use, the battery life is phenomenal. It is easily more than 10 hours. That itself makes it a better choice compared to similarly-priced Windows laptops.
6- OS X Yosemite: This is not the world's best operating system. That title belongs to Windows 7. But it is much much better than the Windows 8.
7- Better screen: Just like the touchpad, screens continues to be a component that Windows laptop makers struggle to get right. Now even the screen in the MacBook air is not all that good. But despite having a second-rate screen (by Apple's standards), the Air offers consumers a display that is better than what you will find on most of the similarly-priced Windows laptops. First of all, on the 13-inch MacBook Air you get a screen that has the aspect ratio of 16:10 compared to the ratio of 16:9 that you get on almost all Windows laptops. The screens of Windows laptops show less content due to their aspect ratio and feel little cramped. The 16:10 screens give a better feel. The Air display also shows better colours and is brilliantly bright.
On the screen part, I must add that there are laptops with price similar to that of the Air which have better screens. But overall, as a package, the Air still won it for me.
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