Why to use OS X

This is a great article, although old by web standards.  It still applies.  It still describes why OS X is a great platform.

My additional comments?  First, even OS X isn't totally bombproof.  I have had network problems on OS X that have driven me bonkers, for instance.  It is a matter of degree -- I have had many more of those on Windows than on OS X over the years.

Second, I would offer the real reason I use OS X.  The best "power users" (dumb term, but you know what I mean) that I can turn to for help use it.   My friends and relations (you know who you are) that know the most about computers are OS X and linux users.  And I like OS X better than linux (so far).

Why do they use it?  There are two choices in computing.  One is that the software designers anticipate what you want, and build it into the software.  Apple does this much more accurately than Microsoft (ever had Word do things it thought you wanted? It was wrong, wasn't it?).  The other choice is that you go "under the hood" and write programs or scripts that tell it exactly what you want.  Because it is built on Unix, OS X also does this better than Windows, again according to the folks I ask about such things. I am not good at that part, yet.

If you really can't live without Windows, an Apple computer can do that, too.  Quite well, if one is to believe the benchmarks.

What has changed in the years since Marco Arment wrote the above post?  iOS, running on the iPad, iPhone, and other gadgets.  I would say that in terms of "just working", it is even better than OS X.  Particularly because the other barrier -- learning to use it -- is so low.  If you just want your computer to work, to do the every day stuff (email, watching movies, surfing the web, playing games, making music, editing photos), go take a hard look at an iPad.  I think it passes the "just works" test better than android, which isn't even out on a tablet yet, and on phones isn't as stable and reliable.

Yes, windows and android will do what you want, and you can be happy using them.  But they don't do as well at the "just works" test.