Apple vs Windows: Why Buy Both

I have both Windows and Apple devices.

• Asus Zenbook, the one with touchscreen

• Macbook Pro, the one with 48GB RAM

I want to test our product on both Apple and Windows.

And more importantly, each operating system has it's own marketing channels to piggyback on. So, I can't feel confident working in tech, without having access to both ecosystems.

For example, Apple has a menu bar at the top where apps can live. This doesn't exist on Windows.

So, if I only had a Windows machine, I would never know!

Apple has some limitations too.

For example, Windows has a very powerful clipboard and emoji system. I can copy images, links, text. And it gets stored. I can pin copied items like my email address, calendly link, and GST number.

On Apple, life isn't always easy. Pasting emojis requires so many clicks that people buy a streamdeck device.

On Apple, you can't open two full screen apps on the same desktop. CMD+Tab is terribly inefficient, especially if you have more than 1 chrome window.

So if your app is an overlay, things get harder.

The natural user behavior and what people are accustomed to on both devices is incredibly different.

Trying to change consumer behavior is hard. It would make sense to lean into whatever it is that they're trying to do.

For example, if your product isn't successful with Windows users, it might be good to question why?

Arc, the browser company, was Apple-first. I didn't understand the hype when I was Windows-only.

And it made sense why.

Many of Arc's features were on Windows already. Some even better.

Pinning chrome profiles to the dock is possible in Windows, but not on a Mac

So, it didn't make sense for Arc to offer it to Windows users. Instead, they kept it invite-only for Mac users.

For Loom, I can almost bet that majority of their customers are Apple users.

That's because Slack's video product on Apple laptops is unstable. And Loom on Windows is unstable.

Windows also has their own screen recorder software that is a mix of Veed and Loom. Apple only has Quicktime. It's primitive and can't even mirror a recording.

The audience expectations will be different because the context is different.

One will expect more settings and shortcut keys than the other.

If your product is used by knowledge workers that work on multiple screens, then there are more caveats. Apple often doesn't allow certain apps to be moved to a second screen.

For example, I can't move Todoist to my second monitor. Logitech MX Keyboard/Mouse has an app that can't work well on Apple because Apple doesn't have all shortcut keys that Windows has.

Apple has something Windows doesn't too. They have more indie-developed products like ScreenStudio, Bettertouchtool etc. This is stuff I haven't often seen on Windows. I honestly bought a Mac for ScreenStudio :)

You also get realistic colors on a Mac than you'd get on Windows. The camera quality and speaker volume is better. Mac doesn't heat up or has fans.

So there's a certain aesthetic people are used to, that your product has to fit into.

I could go on and on.... but the bottom line is that if you're working in tech, maybe get both devices.

Why Apple Wins, Even Though...

For me, a Windows machine is more powerful. It helps me be more productive. Everything takes an extra click on Apple to achieve the same thing. And many times, it's just not possible to do things on a Mac.

So objectively, Windows is better across all things I care about.

But Apple still wins on one thing. Their marketing. And how simple it is to buy their product.

Apple doesn't confuse you.

See Apple's webpage.

• Naming is easy - it's Air or Pro.

• Very few options - at most, there are a couple of options to choose from.

Now, let's look at Asus:

• Instead of letting me filter, they categorize laptops into home vs work. Why is this necessary? Can't a laptop be used for work and home, both?

• They have complex naming, like Zenbook vs Vivobook. How can a consumer understand what the difference is between those two at first glance?

• Even if I filter to a specific type like Zenbook, I'm flooded with so many options to choose from. What exactly is the difference between Zenbook 14 vs S14, if pricing is the same? What exactly is NPUs used for?...

Is Dell any better?

• I see many popups. Some that I can't close easily.

• My first decision is to choose between Dell Pro vs Dell Plus vs Dell Pro Plus vs Dell Pro Premium vs Pro Max.. I'm serious. That's the 1st choice 🥲

• There's something like "Alienware", which I don't immediately understand.

• Even when I filter for 'Professional Grade Productivity', I get flooded with 13 options to choose from in a UI that is confusing.

Thought it couldn't get any worse. But it does. This is HP.

• It never loaded. Reloading never fixed it.

• The first choice to make was "Laptops on Sale" vs "Laptops". That's an odd choice to make, because everyone would want a cheaper price. But with a cheaper price, what am I losing?

• I see banners plastered all over the screen. Discounts thrown too early devalue the product.

Lenovo personalizes, but at what cost?

• Yes, I live in Pune. But I'm not ready to buy the second I land.

• They say to order before 5pm. I don't understand why customers need to be told that on the first session. Especially for something that's a thoughtfully purchased item and not an impulse purchase.

If Apple wins, maybe they deserve it.

Asus has a much better product and a far superior service. They send people home to fix things for free, if all I do is write an email.

I don't see Apple shipping features as fast as Windows does, or even to the level of quality that Windows does.

I've had Macbook Air while I was in college, and I don't see many new features in the past 5 years.

But the buying process with Windows is complex.

You'd need an engineering degree to understand what product you need to buy.

The other thing that Apple does is that they have a robust student program. It's the only ad they're running in India (or the only one I see).

Switching costs are so high after a certain age, that it makes sense to bring people early in their journey.

Two lessons for me to take forward:

• Make buying simple (Apple wins)

• Make people productive and be innovative (Microsoft/Asus wins)

Thanks for reading!