You’d think that because Apple designs both the hardware and the software that runs on it, they would work together in perfect harmony. That isn’t the case it seems, as Windows 10 runs better on the new MacBook than OSX does.
According to Alex King, a Computer Science student at Tufts University, the Windows 10 Insider Preview performs better on Apple’s new MacBook. While animations lag on OSX, Windows 10 provides a smoother experience. Only under heavy load will things start to slow down.
“…It’s fast. It’s smooth. It renders at 60FPS unless you have a lot going on. It’s unequivocally better than performance on OS X, further leading me to believe that Apple really needs to overhaul how animations are done. Even when I turn Transparency off in OS X, Mission Control isn’t completely smooth. Here, even after some Aero Glass transparency has been added in, everything is smooth.”
King is running Windows 10 using Apple’s Boot Camp, and even then, battery life hasn’t suffered. Microsoft has made Windows 10 a lot more power efficient in its recent builds, and that translates over to the MacBook as well.
“Battery life seemed very good from the short time I used it. I didn’t fully deplete the battery, but I was on track to get over 9 hours of use with brightness at 40%. Mac battery life is rarely as strong on Windows, but there doesn’t seem to be as enormous of a gap here, which is good.”
Project Spartan and Cortana are also great additions to Windows 10, introducing new conveniences like being able to ask Cortana about the weather from across the room using the “Hey Cortana” command, something not currently possible on OSX.
If you use Windows 10 on your MacBook, let us know what your experience is like with the OS in the comments section below.
Further reading: Apple, MacBook, Microsoft, OSX, Windows 10
