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The operating system in this story is macOS. How-To Geek writer Sydney Butler says a 2019 MacBook Air purchase for work led them to use a Mac more often and eventually make macOS their main professional computer environment. Their “best of both worlds” is a personal balance—not proof that macOS is objectively better than Windows or Linux.
Why Sydney Butler switched to macOS
Butler had used Windows as a primary operating system since Windows 3.1. In 2019, a job writing for 9to5Mac prompted them to buy a MacBook Air to create Mac-related work and tutorials. The more time they spent using macOS, the more often they reached for the Mac, and professional computer work gradually moved there.
That path matters: the switch began with a work need, not a claim that one operating system wins every comparison. Butler describes macOS as the environment that best fit their priorities after years with Windows and Linux.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhat Windows still does better for Butler
Windows remains useful to Butler for software compatibility and PC gaming. They still use it for work and games, while limiting it to those needs. That is an important part of the balance: switching a primary operating system does not require abandoning the other one when it remains the right tool for a task.
#1 Best Overall
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
Butler’s reservations are rooted in personal experience. They recall Windows 10 update failures, workplace IT problems, and concerns about telemetry and advertising. These are the writer’s reported frustrations, not evidence that all Windows PCs are unreliable or that every Windows user encounters ads.
What Linux still does better for Butler
Butler describes Linux as reliable once correctly set up, and recalls using it at university. The trade-offs for their daily work were hardware compatibility and the technical time some desktop tasks could require. Those costs mattered to Butler’s workflow; they do not establish that Linux is difficult for every user or hardware setup.
Rank #2
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Linux remains part of Butler’s computing life in virtual machines, project systems, self-hosting, and a Raspberry Pi media setup. The choice is therefore not a rejection of Linux, but a decision about which system is most convenient for which job.
Why macOS feels like a middle ground
Butler’s proposed advantage is the combination of a comfortable everyday environment and Apple’s tightly integrated hardware-and-software ecosystem. Apple designs macOS for a limited range of its own hardware, with the operating system and drivers designed around that environment. Butler credits this integration for their own reliability and performance experience; the article does not present controlled tests comparing the three operating systems.
Rank #3
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
The “both worlds” idea is best understood as Butler’s preferred compromise: macOS became the main setting for professional work, while Windows remained available for compatibility and gaming, and Linux continued to serve technical projects and self-hosting. It is a mix of systems and use cases, not a claim that macOS combines every strength of Windows and Linux.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who might find the same trade-off worthwhile?
Butler’s experience is a useful starting point, but a switch makes sense only if the compromises fit your own work. Before moving your main computer to macOS, weigh the following:
Rank #4
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
- Application compatibility: Check whether essential specialist software and games run on macOS, or whether you would still need Windows.
- Hardware support: Consider whether your peripherals and preferred computer hardware fit Apple’s more limited ecosystem.
- Setup and maintenance: Decide how much time you are willing to spend configuring or maintaining a desktop system.
- Reliability needs: Separate your own experience and requirements from another person’s account; Butler’s report is not a measured reliability comparison.
- Privacy and advertising preferences: Identify which concerns matter to you, rather than assuming every Windows user has the same experience Butler describes.
- Apple-specific constraints: Account for the cost and limits of choosing Apple hardware. Butler’s article does not compare Mac models, prices, or configurations.
Butler says they have not lost a minute of productive time to computer trouble in seven years of macOS use. That is the author’s personal report, not a reliability statistic or a controlled comparison. They also make the qualification plain: “I don’t think macOS is perfect, or that it does everything the best.”
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Quick Recap
Best Value
- FAST RUNS IN THE FAMILY — The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip brings next-generation speed and powerful on-device AI to personal, professional, and creative tasks. With all-day battery life, double the starting storage,* and a breathtaking Liquid Retina XDR display, it’s pro in every way.*
- BUCKLE UP — Along with a next-generation CPU, faster unified memory, and up to 2x faster SSD storage,* M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a more powerful GPU with a Neural Accelerator built into each core, delivering faster AI performance and on-device training capabilities. So you can blaze through demanding workloads at mind-bending speeds.
- BUILT FOR AI — Apple silicon, and every major component that powers it, is designed to run demanding on-device AI workloads like LLM inference and training. And Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Pro delivers the same exceptional performance whether it’s running on battery or plugged in.*
- MACOS RUNS APPS FAST — All your go-to apps run lightning fast in macOS, including built-in apps like FaceTime and Messages. Plus, built-in virus protection and free software updates help keep your Mac running smoothly and securely.
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