Apple and Microsoft have pushed the desktop into sharply different directions this year: macOS Tahoe bets on a curated, privacy‑first, design‑led desktop infused with on‑device AI, while Windows 11 continues to trade on hardware variety, backward compatibility, and a rapidly expanding set of cloud‑enabled AI services. The PCMag Australia comparison lays out this split cleanly across hardware, multitasking, input methods, AI assistants, and gaming — and the practical takeaway is the same one users have faced for years: pick the platform that matches your devices, apps, and tolerance for vendor lock‑in.
macOS Tahoe (macOS 26) is Apple’s most visually ambitious desktop update in years, rolling a new visual material called Liquid Glass and a system‑level AI layer branded Apple Intelligence into the Finder, Spotlight, Mail, Photos, and other core apps. Early reviews and the WWDC notes present Tahoe as a push to make the Mac feel more consistent with iPhone and iPad developments while leaning into local model inference and contextual automation.
Windows 11 has matured incrementally since its 2021 debut, but Microsoft’s recent work has accelerated around AI: Copilot now lives in the taskbar and in many Microsoft 365 apps, while a new Copilot+ hardware tier delivers on‑device neural processing and features such as Recall and Click‑to‑Do. Microsoft’s strategy is reaching for scale — wide OEM choice, enterprise management, and gaming ecosystems — while folding AI into the platform as both an assistant and a new set of administrative considerations.
Windows’ hardware advantage is simple and durable: hundreds of OEMs, custom builds, convertible tablets, touch displays, handheld gaming PCs, and an aftermarket of GPUs and storage make Windows the platform of form‑factor choice and upgradeability. If you need a convertible, a detachable, or an upgradable desktop, Windows is the practical, often cheaper route.
Biometric reality: Touch ID on MacBooks is seamless for many flows, but macOS still sometimes asks for a password in edge cases; Windows Hello facial recognition and fingerprint readers have broad hardware availability across OEMs and in practice deliver consistent success for users on compatible hardware.
Practical note: both OSes let you skip an account, but many features — app roaming, message sync, on‑device assistants — are gated by vendor sign‑in.
Third‑party compatibility is a deeper differentiation. Windows remains the default for legacy enterprise apps and the largest subset of creative tools and games; macOS has a strong foothold in creative industries but still faces occasional compatibility friction — Apple’s annual updates can lock out old binaries and force virtualization or re‑engineering. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and store experiences are better integrated on Windows; Apple’s ecosystem favors direct downloads and app bundles outside the Mac App Store.
Windows 11 offers flexible color and dark/light toggles and has fleshed out HDR wallpaper and accent color support; its Custom mode (deciding dark or light for system vs apps independently) is a powerful option for mixed workflows. Ultimately, macOS Tahoe aims for a coherent, system‑wide aesthetic; Windows opts for granular user control and broader compatibility across diverse hardware.
Apple introduced Stage Manager and (in Tahoe) more context‑aware workspace behaviors called Dynamic Spaces. These attempt to infer the user’s intent — grouping windows, prioritizing notifications, and composing “spaces” based on calendar or app context. For some creatives the automation is liberating; for others it’s an unpredictable rearrangement that interferes with a deterministic workflow.
File managers: Finder has long had features Mac users love (tagging, column view, consistent keyboard commands), but Tahoe brings improved folder color customizations and richer Spotlight integrations for file actions. Windows File Explorer has made aggressive strides: a Gallery photo view for images, richer previews, and — in Insider channels — tabbed windows and AI actions being tested for right‑click context menus. These Gallery and tab improvements have been rolled out to Insiders and documented by multiple outlets.
Practical comparison:
Windows puts persistent search in the Taskbar and has been baking Copilot into system search, adding natural language and multimodal capabilities. Microsoft has also been expanding AI into File Explorer (Ask Copilot and AI actions), making search contextual and action‑oriented in a Windows way. These moves emphasize doing rather than only finding: search becomes a springboard for AI‑driven edits and summarization.
Dictation: both OSes provide system‑level dictation. macOS requires enabling the feature and has integrated it with shortcuts; Windows Dictation (Win+H) is broad and accessible across apps. For on‑device offline dictation and NPU acceleration, Copilot+ PCs are bringing new local options to Windows text generation and recognition.
Microsoft has closed the gap significantly for Android via Phone Link and for iPhones (calls, messages, and notifications), and Windows now supports iPhone camera use and Android app streaming on some OEMs. But the cross‑device experience is inevitably less consistent because of platform diversity. If you already live inside Apple’s hardware lines, Tahoe amplifies that investment; if you live across many device brands, Windows’ openness may be preferable.
Practical note: Mac users who need PC‑grade VR often use a dual‑machine workflow or specialized capture pipelines, but native, seamless VR remains a Windows advantage.
Conclusion
This isn’t a one‑size‑fits‑all contest. macOS Tahoe sharpens Apple’s long game — a tightly integrated ecosystem, richer on‑device intelligence, and a visually consistent desktop for users who prize seamless continuity and creative tools. Windows 11 doubles down on what it’s always done best: flexibility, scale, and a pragmatic line to gaming and legacy software, now augmented with powerful cloud and on‑device AI via Copilot. Both platforms pushed the desktop forward in meaningful, divergent ways — the right choice is the one that best matches your hardware portfolio, the apps you depend on, and your privacy posture.
Key references used in verification and reporting: Apple’s Mac product pages confirming Mac Pro pricing; Apple and major press coverage of macOS Tahoe features; Microsoft blogposts and reporting on Copilot and Copilot+ features including Recall and Click‑to‑Do; Microsoft and Windows Central documentation of File Explorer Gallery and tabs; and Microsoft/Meta documentation on Mixed Reality Link and Quest 3 PC connections.
Source: PCMag Australia macOS Tahoe vs. Windows 11: Deciding the Ultimate Desktop OS
macOS Tahoe (macOS 26) is Apple’s most visually ambitious desktop update in years, rolling a new visual material called Liquid Glass and a system‑level AI layer branded Apple Intelligence into the Finder, Spotlight, Mail, Photos, and other core apps. Early reviews and the WWDC notes present Tahoe as a push to make the Mac feel more consistent with iPhone and iPad developments while leaning into local model inference and contextual automation. Windows 11 has matured incrementally since its 2021 debut, but Microsoft’s recent work has accelerated around AI: Copilot now lives in the taskbar and in many Microsoft 365 apps, while a new Copilot+ hardware tier delivers on‑device neural processing and features such as Recall and Click‑to‑Do. Microsoft’s strategy is reaching for scale — wide OEM choice, enterprise management, and gaming ecosystems — while folding AI into the platform as both an assistant and a new set of administrative considerations.
Hardware options: variety vs vertical integration
Apple’s hardware stack remains a high‑bar experience: MacBook Air/Pro, iMac, Mac Studio, and the Mac Pro family show industrial polish, excellent displays, and Apple Silicon energy efficiency. The Mac Pro, for those who need extreme expandability, still starts in the seven‑thousand‑dollar neighborhood on Apple’s official pages — Apple’s product listing shows base Mac Pro pricing at $6,999 for some configurations.Windows’ hardware advantage is simple and durable: hundreds of OEMs, custom builds, convertible tablets, touch displays, handheld gaming PCs, and an aftermarket of GPUs and storage make Windows the platform of form‑factor choice and upgradeability. If you need a convertible, a detachable, or an upgradable desktop, Windows is the practical, often cheaper route.
- macOS strengths: tight hardware/software integration, long battery life on Apple Silicon, consistent driver stack.
- Windows strengths: broader price range, custom GPUs and cooling options, touch and pen‑first hardware, large second‑hand/upgradable ecosystem.
Setup and login experience
Both platforms now heavily nudge users to sign in with vendor accounts to unlock roaming, backup, and AI benefits. Apple’s ecosystem users almost always sign into iCloud during setup, which quickly ties Photos, Messages, and device continuity into the Mac. Windows offers a cleaner path for enterprise deployment (local account vs Microsoft account vs Azure AD), with Windows Hello providing a robust biometric layer and the device‑specific PIN model for convenience and security. Microsoft’s documentation and deployments have also emphasized admin controls for Copilot and account management.Biometric reality: Touch ID on MacBooks is seamless for many flows, but macOS still sometimes asks for a password in edge cases; Windows Hello facial recognition and fingerprint readers have broad hardware availability across OEMs and in practice deliver consistent success for users on compatible hardware.
Practical note: both OSes let you skip an account, but many features — app roaming, message sync, on‑device assistants — are gated by vendor sign‑in.
Included apps and app ecosystems
Apple still bundles creative tools that matter to many users: iMovie, GarageBand, Preview, and a tightly integrated Apple Music and Photos experience. Windows bundles workhorse utilities, Sticky Notes, the Xbox app, and built‑in gaming overlays that plug directly into Microsoft’s ecosystem. The PCMag comparison highlights these differences: macOS excels at creative-first, polished first‑party tools; Windows wins on breadth and specialized third‑party compatibility.Third‑party compatibility is a deeper differentiation. Windows remains the default for legacy enterprise apps and the largest subset of creative tools and games; macOS has a strong foothold in creative industries but still faces occasional compatibility friction — Apple’s annual updates can lock out old binaries and force virtualization or re‑engineering. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and store experiences are better integrated on Windows; Apple’s ecosystem favors direct downloads and app bundles outside the Mac App Store.
Interface customization and visuals
Tahoe’s Liquid Glass is more than eye candy: it changes icon treatments, translucency, and theming, and introduces a new theming system that lets users tint icons and folders, and choose a Clear or Tinted icon style. Multiple outlets tested and documented Tahoe’s new theming controls and folder color options; the Finder now supports faster folder recoloring and icon tints that were previously awkward on macOS.Windows 11 offers flexible color and dark/light toggles and has fleshed out HDR wallpaper and accent color support; its Custom mode (deciding dark or light for system vs apps independently) is a powerful option for mixed workflows. Ultimately, macOS Tahoe aims for a coherent, system‑wide aesthetic; Windows opts for granular user control and broader compatibility across diverse hardware.
- Strength: Tahoe’s crisp, consistent aesthetic.
- Risk: tighter visual decisions on macOS can feel restrictive to users who prefer radical customization.
Desktop and window management
This is a functional battleground. Windows’ Snap Layouts, Snap Groups, and the ability to tile windows quickly remain the standard for explicit, reliable multi‑window control. Windows continues adding refinements (and insiders testing tabs and AI actions in Explorer), and power users will find predictable tiling and snap persistence invaluable across monitors.Apple introduced Stage Manager and (in Tahoe) more context‑aware workspace behaviors called Dynamic Spaces. These attempt to infer the user’s intent — grouping windows, prioritizing notifications, and composing “spaces” based on calendar or app context. For some creatives the automation is liberating; for others it’s an unpredictable rearrangement that interferes with a deterministic workflow.
- If you want the OS to manage context for you: macOS’ new space tools are promising.
- If you want explicit control and recoverable layouts: Windows’ Snap system remains more reliable.
Dock vs Taskbar, Finder vs File Explorer
The Dock is elegant and predictable for app launching and quick switching, but macOS’ document‑focused model sometimes leaves users puzzled when clicking an app reveals no windows (document apps can be running with no window). The Windows taskbar is more explicit — hovering shows thumbnails, and Jump Lists expose recent files and tasks. Both interfaces have matured; preference is personal.File managers: Finder has long had features Mac users love (tagging, column view, consistent keyboard commands), but Tahoe brings improved folder color customizations and richer Spotlight integrations for file actions. Windows File Explorer has made aggressive strides: a Gallery photo view for images, richer previews, and — in Insider channels — tabbed windows and AI actions being tested for right‑click context menus. These Gallery and tab improvements have been rolled out to Insiders and documented by multiple outlets.
Practical comparison:
- For power file‑managers and enterprise use, Windows offers more tooling and easier navigation between nested folder trees.
- For integrated previews, Quick Look, and creative workflows, Finder remains competitive — Tahoe’s colorized folders and improved Spotlight Actions are meaningful quality‑of‑life wins.
System search and productivity helpers
Spotlight in Tahoe is more than search: it now offers Actions — “Create Folder,” “Send Email,” “Start Timer” — and tighter quick‑launch capabilities that explicitly aim to replace some utility of third‑party launchers. Early hands‑on reviews found the new Spotlight competitive with utilities like Raycast for many workflows while remaining more limited for power plugin ecosystems.Windows puts persistent search in the Taskbar and has been baking Copilot into system search, adding natural language and multimodal capabilities. Microsoft has also been expanding AI into File Explorer (Ask Copilot and AI actions), making search contextual and action‑oriented in a Windows way. These moves emphasize doing rather than only finding: search becomes a springboard for AI‑driven edits and summarization.
Touch, pen, and dictation
Windows is the clear winner for touch and pen input. Microsoft and OEM partners build convertibles and tablets with mature touch interfaces and excellent stylus support (pressure, tilt, handwriting‑to‑text). Windows also has long supported pen input across the OS. Apple’s Macs remain non‑touch devices; input parity for iPad and Mac remains through continuity features but not touch on the laptop/desktop. If your workflow depends on pen or touch, Windows hardware wins by default.Dictation: both OSes provide system‑level dictation. macOS requires enabling the feature and has integrated it with shortcuts; Windows Dictation (Win+H) is broad and accessible across apps. For on‑device offline dictation and NPU acceleration, Copilot+ PCs are bringing new local options to Windows text generation and recognition.
Apple Intelligence vs Copilot: different philosophies
This is the heart of the comparison.- Apple Intelligence focuses on on‑device assistance where possible, privacy‑aware defaults, and tightly integrated actions inside Apple apps. Tahoe surfaces image generation (Image Playground), writing assistance, page summarization in Mail, and Photos tools — and Apple frames these as privacy‑aware, running locally when feasible. Early coverage and Apple notes map Apple Intelligence across Photos, Mail, Safari, and Shortcuts.
- Microsoft’s Copilot is broader, cloud‑backed, and designed to sit everywhere: Windows, Microsoft 365, Edge, and Xbox. It was publicly announced and rolled into Windows in 2023, and since then Microsoft has extended Copilot with features like Recall (local snapshots, searchable timeline kept on device until opted in) and Click‑to‑Do overlays that let Copilot act on screen content. Those features have been tested in Insider channels and rolled out to Copilot+ hardware configurations with careful opt‑in privacy controls.
- Apple: strong privacy story, local models where possible, seamless Apple app integration — but the power of the assistant is tightly coupled to Apple hardware and the Apple services model.
- Microsoft: broad reach, strong integrations across productivity and gaming, advanced multi‑modal features — but a cloud integration model that raises legitimate privacy, compliance, and administrative questions for enterprises.
Mobile device integration
Apple’s Continuity remains the benchmark: AirDrop, Universal Clipboard, iPhone Mirroring, iPad Sidecar, unlocking with Apple Watch, and deep FaceTime/Message handoffs make the Mac the center of an integrated Apple device experience. Tahoe deepens those ties with a Phone app and enhanced continuity features.Microsoft has closed the gap significantly for Android via Phone Link and for iPhones (calls, messages, and notifications), and Windows now supports iPhone camera use and Android app streaming on some OEMs. But the cross‑device experience is inevitably less consistent because of platform diversity. If you already live inside Apple’s hardware lines, Tahoe amplifies that investment; if you live across many device brands, Windows’ openness may be preferable.
3D/VR/AR support
If VR/AR and headset integration matter, Windows is the practical platform today. Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Link and ecosystem work have opened direct support for Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S for connecting to Windows PCs; Microsoft’s support pages and public previews document those capabilities and minimum PC requirements. Meta’s tooling and SteamVR also center Windows for PC VR workflows. macOS can handle some 360 editing and tooling in Final Cut Pro, and Apple’s ARKit focuses on iPhone/iPad AR, but mainstream VR (Quest/SteamVR) remains Windows‑first.Practical note: Mac users who need PC‑grade VR often use a dual‑machine workflow or specialized capture pipelines, but native, seamless VR remains a Windows advantage.
Accessibility
Both companies have expanded accessibility features. Microsoft has been particularly aggressive with options like eye‑tracking, Voice Access, Seeing AI, Live Captions, and Copilot‑integrated Live Captions on Copilot+ hardware; Microsoft also maintains a Disability Answer Desk and a set of adaptive accessories. Apple continues to add features like Personal Voice and Live Captions and refines built‑in tools for users with disabilities. For sheer breadth of specialized accessibility tooling and third‑party ecosystem support, Windows holds an edge; for a consistent, well‑designed base set of tools that “just work” across devices, Apple is strong.Security, stability, and patching
Historically, Windows has been the more frequent target for malware due to its ubiquity, and Microsoft has responded with Defender, hardware requirements like TPM and Secure Boot, and fast updates. Apple’s vertical stack tends to produce fewer driver‑caused crashes and a smoother update experience, and macOS’ record for large‑scale exploits has been better on average — but macOS is not immune and has seen significant vulnerabilities. Stability for mission‑critical desktops often tilts toward macOS because Apple controls hardware and drivers; Windows gives security controls at scale for enterprises but requires active management.Gaming
This is the clearest practical advantage for Windows: far more AAA titles, GPU options, DirectStorage, Auto HDR, and a mature driver ecosystem make Windows the platform of choice for gamers and performance‑intensive workflows. Microsoft’s Xbox integration, Game Mode, Game Bar, and emerging Gaming Copilot add functionality around streaming, overlays, and in‑game help. Apple has been improving its Metal and Game Porting Toolkit and has seeded some AAA ports, but Apple’s catalog and hardware constraints keep gaming as a secondary priority for most serious players.Practical buying guidance (short and actionable)
- If you are embedded in the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro) and value privacy, design coherence, and on‑device AI: macOS Tahoe on Apple Silicon is the most productive, pleasing choice.
- If you need hardware variety, upgradability, the largest game library, or legacy enterprise apps: Windows 11 is the pragmatic, flexible option.
- If your work requires both, use virtualization (Parallels or Cloud PCs) with staged testing and a strict app lifecycle plan — but expect edge cases and maintenance overhead.
Notable strengths and risks — final analysis
- macOS Tahoe strengths: cohesive visual design (Liquid Glass), deeper Spotlight actions and Apple Intelligence, strong Apple app suite, consistently smooth updates and stability on Apple hardware. Risks: tighter hardware lock‑in, occasional removal of features power users rely on (Launchpad became Apps in Tahoe), and automation that can misclassify context unless Apple provides fine‑grained controls.
- Windows 11 strengths: hardware diversity, unmatched gaming and legacy app support, enterprise management tooling, and a broad set of AI capabilities via Copilot and Copilot+. Risks: fragmentation across OEMs, driver‑related instability potential, more complex privacy/compliance choices with cloud‑backed AI, and an administrative burden for large fleets.
Conclusion
This isn’t a one‑size‑fits‑all contest. macOS Tahoe sharpens Apple’s long game — a tightly integrated ecosystem, richer on‑device intelligence, and a visually consistent desktop for users who prize seamless continuity and creative tools. Windows 11 doubles down on what it’s always done best: flexibility, scale, and a pragmatic line to gaming and legacy software, now augmented with powerful cloud and on‑device AI via Copilot. Both platforms pushed the desktop forward in meaningful, divergent ways — the right choice is the one that best matches your hardware portfolio, the apps you depend on, and your privacy posture.
Key references used in verification and reporting: Apple’s Mac product pages confirming Mac Pro pricing; Apple and major press coverage of macOS Tahoe features; Microsoft blogposts and reporting on Copilot and Copilot+ features including Recall and Click‑to‑Do; Microsoft and Windows Central documentation of File Explorer Gallery and tabs; and Microsoft/Meta documentation on Mixed Reality Link and Quest 3 PC connections.
Source: PCMag Australia macOS Tahoe vs. Windows 11: Deciding the Ultimate Desktop OS