So, I have an iPhone, which I like, but we use Windows and Linux computers in our household. I’d never seen a Mac boot up until the other day after a friend gave me their old Mac Mini. I was excited to check it out, got it all set up and logged in – but it really just seemed like a giant iPhone regarding what it did and could do (meaning, I would just stick with Windows and Linux for our computing needs, rather than swap over to the Mac). I was disappointed.
What am I missing?
Should we first start by explaining what a desktop computer does?
What am I missing?
That you can natively run most linux console app sand development tools on a Mac as it is a unix compatible kernel under the hood since OS X.
Also, Apple treats you like the owner of an OSX device (mostly).
You can install software from any source.
There are no restrictions on what type of browser can exist on it.
You can replace core system functionality with better alternatives.
Got confused at first thinking you were contrasting OSX with Linux. Then I realized you’re contrasting OSX with iOS and your comment made more sense.
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Yes? It’s a full featured desktop OS. It can do most stuff you can do on Linux and most stuff you can do on Windows.
It can also, as an additional benefit, run iPad and iPhone apps unless the developer prevents it (if you have Apple Silicon), but I’m not sure where the idea that it’s less of a desktop OS than the other two comes from.
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Terminal
Xcode
Homebrew
… it is equivalent if not more powerful than Windows and Linux, underneath MacOS is BSD. If you are into iPhone and the ecosystem like Watches, Airpods and stuffs, the integration is seamless.ITerm2 with Oh My Zsh
On the off chance that this isn’t just a troll post, what were you hoping to do that you couldn’t figure out? Macs are incredibly flexible and capable computers that do waaaay more than iOS devices are capable of. The OS and hardware obviously still have their limits, but if you’re running into actual limitations then you’ve likely already far exceeded what your phone can do.
All Apple devices run variants of the same software, so of course they have a consistent UI.
It’s a desktop OS, the same as Windows and Linux.
I’m not sure what you expected, can you elaborate?
While there is cross-pollination between macOS and iOS Macs are general purpose computers. And while it is true you cannot, like most PCs, crack open and customize a Mac and that to date most games are developed for PCs and not Macs as a side-effect of this (game development and hardware/graphics card development are incestuous), Macs are extremely capable computers that can meet demanding needs.
I have used Macs and PCs all my life. At this very moment I am playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in full pretty mode on a PC while my Mac in the other room renders a film and I type this message in an iPhone. I prefer using my Mac over the PC for most things - and certainly the Mac is where my bread is buttered - my PC is a fancy launcher for Steam.
Without being impolite, it sounds like you looked at the Mac, but didn’t bother to actually use it for anything practical, tasks at which it excels.
There’s probably someone who can explain it better than me, but MacOS is a Unix-based operating system that’s been around for decades. iOS was actually built off of it. The reason MacOS looks like a “giant iPhone” these is probably because of iPhone’s popularity and a push to make macOS more approachable to people who are more familiar with the mobile device than computers. Macs are still very capable computers at heart, although they aren’t as straightforward to tinker with as you might have grown to expect after using windows and Linux for do long. You can always watch a YouTube video on MacOS evolution if you’re interested.
Better question: Is an iPhone less than a tiny PC?
If it weren’t for the crippled OS, their ridiculous power would be more obvious. They’re probably faster than any two-generation old, mid range CPUs and GPUs, as well.
That said, remember iPhone Pro phones cost more than most laptops, and by that same token, have more powerful gpus and cpus than most laptops, too.
I’m mostly a hobbiest that does a little bit of professional dev work. For my needs, Macs are great laptops. Great power, battery life, and runs all the apps I would want when not at a desk, integrates with all my Apple devices (Apple TV, HomePod, iPhone, iPad) plus it has a terminal that I can use to SSH into other machines. It’s the best thin client out there.
But for my needs, Macs aren’t good desktops. I can build a more powerful computer/server that has more options for natively run CAD programs, can play all my steam games, and can be upgraded when new GPUs come out.
Reasons I use my M1 MacBook Air:
- Real estate. Thanks to AirPlay and the Thunderbolt port, I can have three desktops going at once with all my open windows.
- Intel binaries still run on it via Rosetta 2.
- Control – I have more access to the OS, the command line, etc.
- Virtualization – Apple Silicon is built on ARM, so I can virtualize any ARM-based Linux distribution using VMware Fusion. (I run Fedora in a VM.)
- Input – despite iPads having the ability to accept keyboard and touchpad input these days, the pointer is still pretty clumsy.
And lots more, but that’s a good start for me.
How were you able to make multiple desktop work since M1 only supports one out of the box?
If one is Thunderbolt and another is AirPlay, it works. I have a 50" AirPlay-capable TV mounted in my office, and a 27" 4K display on my desk. I use a cable for the 27" and AirPlay for the 50".
M1 does only support one display natively; I think you can get around this with a usb hub. You can also airplay to displays/tvs that support it (anything you can plug an apple tv into, and many newer tvs). You can also use an iPad as a separate display if you have one.
There are a lot of nice things you can do, especially if you own multiple apple products (like, you can airplay music or video to your computer from your iPhone, or copy-paste between devices that share an Apple ID)
Some stuff is annoying though. Linux support on M-series chips is still evolving (though very usable), it’s really not super straightforward to record the audio of your Mac (think screen recording that also captures whatever audio is passing through your AV Devices) because of implementation decisions way back.
Generally, I use a Mac though; because I get enough utility out of stuff like AirPlay, AirDrop, iCloud, and other random stuff that you kinda need to “just know about” to make up for the downsides of not being able to completely control my system.
Nix/nixpkgs is pretty well supported on Mac, though, so it’s not like I’m forced to use all the default binaries MacOS ships with.
Also, their displays are really really good on the Macbook Pros and the speaker quality (especially on the 16") is by far the best sound quality I’ve seen come out of a laptop. That doesn’t matter if you have a Mac Mini, though.
Imagine if Linux was supported by all the big names such as Adobe and Microsoft. Heck, those companies tend to (or at least for a good decent while used to) release all of their brand spanking new features first on macOS before bringing them to windows.
Well, less customisation compared to Linux, but if you’re happy with the UI layout then this is essentially what you’re getting.
Actually, when the iPhone was in development, there where 2 teams: one tried to make the MacOS small, the other one tried to make the iPodOS big. The MacOS team succeeded.
So the iPhone is basically a lighter version of the MacOS.
By not using the Mac you’re basically avoiding closing the browser every time you write an email address for the first weeks. Bonus closings when you work with windows.
