Although I use a Windows laptop as my primary workstation, I still use a MacBook when I work away from home. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be my Windows machine. There are several reasons why I find the Windows experience better suited to my daily needs, whether for work or leisure. From the variety of compatible apps to the ease of customization, Windows continues to offer features that make it more attractive to use, even when compared to the high-end MacBook Air. Check out my experience replacing a MacBook with an iPad Pro: The main drawbacks I encountered.
1. Better selection of ports
The number one reason I still prefer my Windows machine over my Apple laptop is that it has a good number of ports. The 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip only gives me two USB-C ports, a MagSafe charging port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. So, if I need to connect a USB-A device and an HDMI display, I need a separate hub to power it.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 gaming laptop, on the other hand, gives me a lot of options. It has a USB-C port, three USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort port, and an Ethernet port. It even has a Kensington security slot to secure the laptop to my desk.
While I could have gotten an additional USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card reader if I had chosen the 16-inch MacBook Pro, I didn't want to spend an extra $1,000 on a spare. More importantly, I'd be stuck with a laptop with only 512GB of storage. For 2TB of storage, Apple charges an additional $600.
There are other ways to expand my MacBook's storage, but they're not as seamless and cost-effective as inserting a cheap SSD into my laptop. Check out our 16-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro review: A comprehensive look inside and out.
2. Easier and cheaper to upgrade
The user cannot upgrade the internal components included on a MacBook with Apple Silicon. So, you should configure it to what you think you will need in the future if you don't want to buy a completely new laptop in a few years. It's also much more expensive to add more storage and memory to the basic configuration as you can only configure it directly from Apple. Check out the best hardware upgrades to choose when buying a new Mac.
On the other hand, when I bought my Windows laptop, it only had a 512GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. Because I needed newer, faster storage, I replaced the 1TB HDD with a 1TB SATA SSD and added an additional 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD in the available, unused slot. This gave me 2.5TB of fast storage on my laptop, and I only spent about $150 to get it (in contrast to Apple's $600 charge).
With user-upgradable Windows laptops, I don't have to replace a perfectly working computer just because I need more storage space. In fact, I'm planning to upgrade my Windows laptop's RAM from 16GB to 32GB soon, which will cost me less than $200.
When I look at current options for the 15-inch MacBook Air with a M3 chip, Apple offers a maximum of 24GB of unified memory, which costs $400 — more than double what I plan to spend — and I have to configure it before purchasing.
3. Lots of apps to choose from
Although you can find Mac apps on the App Store and directly through developer websites, Windows PCs generally have more options. This is expected to be because Windows is more popular than macOS, so programmers have a greater incentive to develop applications for the former.
For example, I use GnuCash as my basic accounting app, which is not available on macOS. So, I can only work on my finances when I'm on my Windows laptop. Technically, I can use App Virtualization to run Windows 11 on my Mac with Apple Silicon, but it's an extra step I have to take, and it's inconvenient. Check out how to play Windows games on your Mac with Apple Silicon using CrossOver.
4. Best for games
While Apple has tried to push more games to macOS lately, Windows is still far ahead in this department. After all, most AAA titles only work on Windows PCs, so if you're a gamer and only have a Mac, your options will be more limited.
Even if you can install your favorite game, running the anti-cheat app required for multiplayer matches can be a bit difficult. While some developers have found a way to make the anti-cheat app work on macOS, you may need to do some configuration to make it work properly.
5. Supports three (or more) monitors natively
This is the main disadvantage my MacBook Air has compared to my Windows laptop. While I can connect two external displays to the 15-inch MacBook Air, I'll have to keep the lid closed for this setup.
My solution was to use the MacBook Air's built-in display, a 15-inch portable external display, and then the 13-inch iPad Air as a third display. However, this can be an expensive solution if you're only buying the iPad to use as another external display for your MacBook Air.
Eventually, I got a distributor DisplayLink For just over $200, it allowed me to run three external monitors and use the built-in one. Sure, I could have bought the MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip, but that would have cost me at least $3,200.
The Acer Predator Helios 300, on the other hand, supports up to two external displays natively — one via HDMI and the other via Mini DisplayPort. I purchased an MST hub for less than $100, and now I can power four external monitors (three via MST and one via HDMI) apart from the one built into my Windows laptop.
My MacBook Air has some advantages, like a thin and light profile, seamless connectivity with iPhone and iPad, and amazing battery life. However, that's still not enough to make me want to replace my Windows laptop as my primary workstation. On the other hand, you can now read: Why do I stick to the MacBook even though there are good alternatives to Windows?
Get IPTV Free Trial Now