Windows is offensive, insufferable trash. From its CONTINUAL hounding about "your Microsoft account" to its bug-riddled, regressive, and shambolic UI. Things Windows users took for granted 40 years ago are simply gone.
Example: Select three PNGs in Explorer and right-click on them, and look for "Open with..."
When I bought my iPhone 17 the sales associate even tried to pitch signing up for the trial in person as he guided me through the purchase process.
When you cancel the trial it ends it immediately instead of ending it at the end of your trial period, a dark pattern designed to encourage you to forget to end your trial.
Apple devices also nag you about buying AppleCare in the system preferences.
I’ve never been hounded about my Microsoft account. Be specific. When does this happen? Yes, you need one to set up Windows 11 (just like a Mac and especially iOS are basically useless without an Apple account anyway), but after that I’ve never been hounded around anything related to it.
Never had problems figuring out how to open stuff in Windows. No idea what you’re saying.
Most of these extreme claims about Windows seem to come from people who don’t even use the OS regularly and have forgotten about the ways in which macOS does many of the same commercial OS practices.
I cannot install Windows without a Microsoft account unless I apply work-arounds.
It constantly offers Office 365, even adding dummy icons to the start menu.
There are adverts on the login screen.
To be fair I installed Bazzite there, but for a laptop I cannot find an equivalent device at the same price point even ignoring the need for linux drivers.
Sure, you can't install Windows without a Microsoft account, but realistically a Mac is far less useful if you don't do the same thing. If you don't sign in with an Apple ID you've got zero iPhone integration, for example. I would imagine that 95% of Mac users are signed in to their Apple ID.
Signing in to an account to use commercial software doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I'd rather sign in to my account than deal with entering a product license key and needing to keep track of it.
I have not been offered Office 365 since after the first install.
There are not adverts on my login screen, it's completely blank. Change your settings.
These sales tactics are not unique to Windows, Mac subscriptions are upsold in the system settings and via notifications. They do go away and stay away but they are there when you buy the system.
Edit: I even specifically bought the Pro version hoping to be able to shut some of this off.
- When you open the respective apps they ask if you want to try the free trial.
- Apple once abused the Wallet app to send notifications about a theatrical release.
Other than that I'm not sure what the fuss is about.
