macOS isn’t perfect – but every day with Windows 11 makes me want to use my MacBook full-time

Windows 11’s latest pop-up ad has me seriously considering going macOS

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

I’ve been using Windows since the days of Windows 3.1, and over the years I’ve learned to love it – despite its numerous idiosyncrasies. I’m so used to the way Windows works, that when things break, or don’t work at all, I can usually overlook those annoyances, and can come up with a fix or a workaround.

This is the main reason why I’ve never been tempted to switch toLinuxormacOS. Even if things break less often with thoseoperating systems(especially macOS), when thingsdogo wrong, it takes me far longer to troubleshoot and fix it. While it’s not a ringing endorsement, I’ve stuck with Windows because I know how it works.

However, withWindows 11,Microsoftis making me seriously consider moving over to macOS as my main operating system. The fact that I kept using Windows through such nadirs as Windows ME andWindows 8proves that I can put up with a lot – but even I have a limit.

Pushy behaviour

So, why has Microsoft gone too far withWindows 11? It’s not becauseWindows 11itself is a bad OS – it runs fine, and is pretty solid for a Windows release. So far, it doesn’t seem to be plagued by as manyfaulty updates as Windows 10 had(in fact,macOS Sonoma seems to be suffering from more troublesome updates).

Instead, it’s Microsoft’s pushy behaviour that has annoyed me. From trying to get me to sign up to various services when I’m installing Windows 11 (or trying to get me to change my default web browser when updating), to rather desperate-feeling pleas for me to give theEdge browsera chance while I’m using it to download Chrome, it feels like Microsoft is becoming rather overbearing – and I’ve had enough.

I wrote a few weeks ago about howMicrosoft’s attempts to get me to sign up to OneDrive actually put me off doing so for quite a long time– and once I did sign up, I found it to be a really good service. But Microsoft’s pushiness made me not want to give it a try.

The same might be true about Edge, the web browser that comes pre-installed with Windows 11. I know a few people who really rate it, and thanks toGoogle Chrome’s propensity to gobble up all my RAM, I could be open to switching.

However, Microsoft is so determined to get me to use Edge by using tactics like pop-ups, windows suggesting I change my default browser, and making websites open in Edge from certain apps despite my default browser being Chrome, that I refuse to use it. It’s not that I’m stubborn (OK, it kind of is), but I don’t want to reward that kind of behavior.

The latest annoyance came today. I was using Windows 11, and a garish new pop-up popped up on my desktop. It was large and ugly, and it blocked a number of other notifications. Worst of all, it didn’t disappear – I had to manually get it to leave my desktop.

The pop-up was about GPT-4, the artificial intelligence technology that powers AI chatbots likeChatGPTandMicrosoft’s own Copilot. We reported on thisnew pop-up last week, but this was the first time I had seen it appear on my PC. Like my colleague, Darren, who wrote about the pop-up, I was not impressed.

Not only was it ugly and obtrusive, but it wasn’t exactly clear what would happen if I clicked the ‘Yes’ button. If I had, the default search engine in Chrome would have been changed to Microsoft’s far less popularBingsearch engine. A Bing plug-in is also installed into Chrome, making a web browser that can already feel bloated even worse.

Needless to say, I was not impressed with this new pop-up. I clicked ‘No, thanks’ and it disappeared, but I fear that won’t be the last I see of it.

Turning to macOS

While Microsoft might argue that Windows 11 is a free update, that doesn’t mean it has free reign to try to force me to use its other products and services. It’s a particularly poor look, as I am finding myself using my13-inch MacBook Proa lot more these days.

As with Windows 11, my MacBook Pro got a free operating system upgrade to macOS Sonoma late last year. Unlike Windows 11, however, I’m rarely made to feel like I am renting or borrowing macOS Sonoma.

Sure, there’s the initial suggestion to keep theSafaribrowser rather than switch to Chrome, or to log into myAppleID to sync my devices, but they are less common and less intrusive. Crucially, it seems like Apple takes no for an answer – it doesn’t feel like it keeps trying to get me to switch back to the defaultSafari browser, unlike Microsoft and Edge.

The end result is a much more enjoyable experience, and fewer pop-ups means my concentration isn’t impacted either. While I still feel Windows does a lot of things better than macOS, and I know Microsoft’s OS inside and out, I am beginning to dread firing up my Windows 11 PC after using my MacBook for a while.

If Microsoft continues to fill Windows 11 with pushy adverts and sneaky pop-ups, I may stop using my PC for anything other than playing games, and use my MacBook instead. And I’m sure I won’t be the only one.

You might also like…

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Matt is TechRadar’s Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there’s no aspect of technology that Matt isn’t passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he’s reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

Alt + Tab trouble: Windows 11’s 24H2 update turns time-saving shortcut into ten-second headache

Windows 11’s Paint and Notepad apps are getting smart new AI features – though one of the best will be for Copilot+ PCs only

Google puts Nvidia on high alert as it showcases Trillium, its rival AI chip, while promising to bring H200 Tensor Core GPUs within days