Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

Mac OS X Leopard vs. Windows Vista
Sameer Surampalli

As the world turns to upgrade to the latest and greatest from Microsoft, many let what’s already been available slip their minds. Mac OS X Tiger has been available for quite a while, having many of the same features as Vista currently boasts. But everyone has already talked their way into this and it’s clearly been established. So why not compare what Vista has to offer and what OS X Leopard, the latest release of OS X due out later this year, has to offer?


Time Machine vs. System Restore
Time Machine is probably the most boasted feature of Leopard, an app designed to automatically back up all of your media and personal files. You can use Time Machine to restore your system to any given point, even providing snapshots of how your desktop and such looked like at that current time. You can refresh your system all the way back, even from when you first started her up. Time Machine will back up whenever it clocks a change in the system. You can backup to your current hard drive or an external hard drive as well.



System Restore backs up the system when a new app has been installed, a new driver has been installed, every 24 hours, or when a user chooses. System Restore on Vista also runs on a system like Time Machine, where it takes snapshots of the drive, a feature called Shadow Copy. You are allowed to restore the system at any given point, but lacks the actual visual feature that Time Machine boasts. This feature is enabled by default in Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate versions of Vista. However, Vista can only use up to 15% of the hard drive at max, external hard drives don’t seem to be supported, and older snapshots are removed to make space for new ones. The Business and Ultimate versions of Vista allow further usage of System Restore, allowing you to create full hard drive images and more, but comparison was focused more on Home Premium.

Verdict: Both apps are well to do and offer virtually the same features, however System Restore lacks the feature to see an actual picture of how your desktop was and how your computer was like Time Machine, as well as the feature to use an external hard drive and the fact that Vista will overwrite past snapshots to make room for new ones. Time Machine wins here.


iPhoto vs. Windows Photo Gallery
iPhoto automatically searches your computer when you first open it up for pictures to add to the library. You can easily search for your pictures via the search bar and the iTunes-like playlist bar. It also boasts the same editing features of Windows Photo Gallery, but goes even further, allowing you to edit much more. The interface is easier to use, as the app fills up the screen and everything is easily at hand, and much sleeker than its Vista counterpart. iPhoto 6 also boasts other features such Photocasts, which allow friends and family to have their libraries automatically update when you add/remove pictures to your library. You get full access to high-res pictures of your buddies. Another nice feature of iPhoto is the fact you can create calendars, scrapbooks, and even greeting cards.



Windows Photo Gallery is completely new feature to the Windows line. It’s a new program to easily organize your pictures and movies as well as having basic editing features, such as resizing, changing color/exposure, and removing red eye. This also has the feature of creating nice looking slideshows with themes, so it’s not just your normal full-screen picture, but something you’d see in a scrapbook. You can easily browse through your pictures via the Explorer-like interface or the Instant Search feature.

Verdict: Windows Photo Gallery is a nice feature for basic users, but iPhoto adds so much more to your photos, allowing you to do many more things with the click of a button. Also, on version 6, iPhoto has had a lot more time to mature and Photo Gallery just can’t keep up. iPhoto wins hands down.


Mail vs. Windows Mail
Yes, catchy titles. The new version of Mail comes preloaded with 30+ templates to send your mail with. Each template has its own fonts and colors to match as well. Mail even integrates a sticky notes feature, allowing you to make notes at any time and place them into a Notes folder, accessible anywhere. Mail also includes a built-in RSS feeder so you can keep up to date with your articles.



Windows Mail kills the Outlook Express moniker and adds a bunch of features. The real time Instant Search is added, a junk-mail filter, a phishing filter, and just some stability improvements. Windows Mail seems to just be matching the features of Mozilla Thunderbird.

Verdict: Mail has had the features added to Windows Mail for a while. It’s nothing new for OS X. The notes feature is also really handed and the stationary is a nice addition. Mail has the advantage here.


iChat vs. Windows Live Messenger
iChat allows the user to connect and talk to people on their own .Mac network, as well as the widespread AIM network and Jabber network.. You can do the same in iChat as you can with the AIM client, which is a great feature. iChat boasts it’s video chat ability, adding some new features such as video backdrops, to make it seem you are somewhere where you aren’t. Photo Booth, included in Leopard, allows you to even add comic book like effects to your chat. You can even control and view computers remotely using iChat!



Windows Live Messenger goes for a different approach than iChat. The major feature they boast is phone calling. You are able to call PC to phone or PC to PC. You can call locally and even internationally. And best of all, it’s totally free (PC to PC of course, not to phones). To add to the phone love, you can even text message your buddies with the click of a button! Windows Live Messenger has also improved the video chat system, allowing you to easily view your buddy in a 640x480 resolution. Another cool feature is Sharing Folders, where you can just drop a file over a username and create this folder that either user can access at any time, regardless if they’re online or not. With Windows Live Messenger, you can only talk to Live members or Yahoo! Members.

Verdict: Windows Live Messenger is a great improvement over its predecessor and contains more useful features than its Mac counterpart. Seriously, when are you going to a use a comic book effect? iChat was completely based off of video chat this round, which isn’t that commonplace and useful as PC calling. The major con of the Windows app is that you can only talk to people in Yahoo! or Live, which has a much smaller user base than AIM. Windows Live Messenger wins here.


Spaces vs. Flip 3D
Spaces is the new feature for getting organized in OS X. Press a button and your screen splits up into spaces. You can organize your screen into different part. Put all iMovie related stuff here, all chat stuff there, etc. You can easily scroll through the different spaces as well. You can configure the number of rows and columns you want as well.



Flip 3D is part of the new Aero interface included in Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate editions. By pressing Windows key + tab, you are graced with a quick and smooth rearrangement of all the open windows, making it easy to choose the window you want to get to. You can also easily scroll through the windows. The problem here though is that Aero requires a certain level of video card performance to run. Otherwise, it’s disabled and can’t be easily enabled until you get a video card capable of running.

Verdict: Flip 3D is a really good idea, along with Spaces, but you require enhanced hardware to run Flip 3D where Spaces can easily be run on any card. Spaces is the winner.


Dashboard vs. Windows Sidebar
Dashboard has been a feature included in Apple OSes for a while where Windows Sidebar has just been introduced. With the tap of your finger, you can view a page full of widgets of any type. There is a wide variety of widgets available for Dashboard, so you can find just about anything with ease.

Windows Sidebar is a new feature, but excels at its job. It allows you to place widgets at the side of your screen, fading in and out when focus is on/off them. You can add widgets by searching the database online, but it lacks a wide array of widgets like Dashboard. The benefit is that you just need to glance over to see the widget rather than pressing a button.



Verdict: Windows Sidebar is a useful addition to Vista, but Dashboard has just had much more time to mature and has a large database of widgets to add to your page. Dashboard comes out top here with ease.


Spotlight vs. Search
Spotlight has also been available in Mac OS for a good time, allowing you to search the computer quickly and easily, with the search updating in real time with each letter you type. It’s available in just about every window in OS X. Not much else to say about it.

The search feature has been vastly improved in Vista. It too updates in real time with each letter you type, allowing a quick search. The search bar is integrated into the Start Menu and a few other places.



Verdict: There’s really not much comparison here. They both perform equally and don’t have any better features over the other. It’s a tie.


iCal vs. Windows Calendar
iCal adds some new features, including one where you can compare your calendar to your colleagues to be able to schedule something that works for everyone. You can arrange a meeting without having to ask everyone if they’re available. As available in past versions, you can export to other versions too for maximum compatibility. Otherwise, there’s not much else added to this version of iCal.

Windows Calendar was available in Windows XP, but it was seldom heard of, it lacked many features, and sported interface as exciting as watching grass grow. The latest gen of Windows Calendar is much flashier than before. Windows Calendar can now alert you when an appointment is coming closer. You can also set up recurring appointments to remind you to, say, pay your electric bill every month. Windows Calendar also adds the feature to share your calendar with your colleagues, allowing you to see what date works for everyone. Lastly, its format is compatible with most apps, even iCal, for widespread usage.



Verdict: This is a definite hard choice. Both apps offer basically the same features. If there was a choice, iCal would receive it due to experience, but really nothing else. I’m calling it a tie.


Clearly, there are other features that Vista has added, but there’s basically an OS X counterpart already that hasn’t really been updated. As this article is meant to show the updates between the two, OS X already has most of the apps and features that Vista is trying to add… No point in beating the same dead horse again and again.


Final Verdict:

From the looks of the results, OS X pulls out as the top dog, offering a wider array of features and more matured products than the Vista counterpart. The problem behind the scenes though is that you need a Mac to run OS X, which is the major setback keeping many from going to OS X. Also, support is lacking on OS X compared to Vista in most apps and games. However, with Vista, chances are you need to upgrade to a newer computer anyways to support the new flashy features. So, if you think about it, it’s just the choice of your wallet. You can buy a Mac mini for about $599 now, with Leopard preloaded (of course, in a few months). You just need to use your own peripherals that you would already have. If you want a computer with Vista Home Premium or higher, you’ll have to look at around $800+ for a decent OEM PC. Plus, Vista isn’t really the god of peripheral compatibility at the moment. Prices are about the same.

Another new extension to the gaming aspect is lack of DirectX 10, which all the new games are based off of. So if you want those kickass gaming graphics and gameplay, look another way. As much as OS X excels, it falls face down in the gaming department. To extend this, you can't upgrade as easily as you can in a PC. Say you want to add that new 8800GTS to your system. Pop it straight into your PC, no problem. A Mac... is it compatible?

So, clearly, a Mac is not for gaming. If you want gaming, run for a PC. But for the multimedia junkies, look no further than Mac OS X.

[Computer-Ed]

Nice comparision but I am curious what version of Vista you used for the comparision. The reason I asked is Business and Ultimate take the system restore a lot farther allowing full hd images to be created which surpasses the base restore features by a ton.

Also when comparing the search does OSX support the anywhere folder system that is Vista? What I mean is say your Aunt Sally writes a LOT of letters to her friend Betty. Rather than her having to remember where each letter is stored she can let Windows worry about it but still find them with a simple folder open.

Do a search for all docs with "Dear Betty", you can refine more but this is a quick example. Now save this search and drag a copy of the save to the desktop. On her desktop she can now have a folder that says Letters to Betty, double clicking it and brings up all the letters including new ones as they are added. No need to worry about where they are saved since they all appear here.

I am curious if the OSX search has support for this.

[simple_inhibition]

im sticking with XP until a majority of games start supporting DX10, most of the system incompatibilities are worked out, and peripheral support improves. until that time, ill stick with the trusty ole' Windows XP

[Panda Man]

How about nothing I have works on OSX? That may be the reason :P

Oh, and I got you beat SI, even windows 98 hasn't had enough time to mature IMO.




:P

[Jokerswild]

When your a gamer then nothing compares to XP at this time but if your not then why not just go with Linux and save some money.

[[Dr. V]]

Originally Posted by Jokerswild

When your a gamer then nothing compares to XP at this time but if your not then why not just go with Linux and save some money.

is that the grey talking?

SORRY MAN you we love you joker...

im definitely not a gamer, dont know if i ever will be. BUT, windows xp right now, is most definitely the GAMER'S OS...mac just isnt meant for that; its all for the media buffs; movies, pics, all the jazzy stuff that YES, WINDOWS DOES SUPPORT, just doesnt do nearly well enough to strongly compete with mac.

thats the reason why i can never own a mac; gaming.

sorry joker

[Panda Man]

Originally Posted by ST!X

im definitely not a gammer, dont know if i ever will be. BUT, windows xp right now, is most definitely the GAMER'S OS...mac just isnt meant for that; its all for the media buffs; movies, pics, all the jazzy stuff that YES, WINDOWS DOES SUPPORT, just doesnt do nearly well enough to strongly compete with mac.

thats the reason why i can never own a mac; gaming.

sorry joker

Out of box yes, but when it comes to 3rd party apps :D

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

Originally Posted by Computer-Ed

Nice comparision but I am curious what version of Vista you used for the comparision. The reason I asked is Business and Ultimate take the system restore a lot farther allowing full hd images to be created which surpasses the base restore features by a ton.

Also when comparing the search does OSX support the anywhere folder system that is Vista? What I mean is say your Aunt Sally writes a LOT of letters to her friend Betty. Rather than her having to remember where each letter is stored she can let Windows worry about it but still find them with a simple folder open.

Do a search for all docs with "Dear Betty", you can refine more but this is a quick example. Now save this search and drag a copy of the save to the desktop. On her desktop she can now have a folder that says Letters to Betty, double clicking it and brings up all the letters including new ones as they are added. No need to worry about where they are saved since they all appear here.

I am curious if the OSX search has support for this.

Most of this I wrote without OS X and Vista on hand, but mostly direct from memory. I don't have OS X installed on my PC anymore. Same for Vista. I'm running XP right now. I'll check at school sometime though. I do believe the search thing is possible however. If not, I'm dead sure it's available in Leopard.

I wasn't quite aware of the restore features were enhanced in Business and Ultimate. I was using Home Premium earlier.

As for the gaming deal, duh, no one who games really uses Macs. It's meant for video/audio/photo usage... basically, your basic PC user that just wants to get their little needs done. OS X's apps makes it easier and has more options/features just to get that there.

I also know I'm a fanboy of Apple, but regardless, OS X had the better features.

[Hitman]

Correct me if I am wrong but don't you need a Mac to run OS X? So to switch over to OS X you have to buy a whole new computer. To switch to Linux you have to spend some time downloading it for free.

The people that need Macs already own them. While they have their place in the grand scheme of things, I would never consider buying one. Unless of course I got a job working for Disney.

[PrOLifIC_onE]

Originally Posted by Hitman

Correct me if I am wrong but don't you need a Mac to run OS X? So to switch over to OS X you have to buy a whole new computer.

correct. This is exactly why OS X doesn't win hands down unles you are a mac fanboi.