This post is based on a video I made called “Why I don’t use macOS (as a Linux user)”. I’m basically just repeating those points, but also clarifying some things I feel I could’ve made clearer in the original video.

macOS is a proprietary Operating System

A lot of people use free/libre software because they use Linux, but for me it’s actually the other way round. I use Linux because I use free software. There are practical and pragmatic reasons I prefer GNU/Linux over Windows and macOS, but I’d argue those reasons are heavily tied to it being free software.

A common misconception about free software is that it’s just about having access to the source code, so many people think “I don’t care if a program is proprietary because even if I could read the code, I wouldn’t understand it anyway”. Access to the source code is essential for a program to be considered free software, but what also matters is what you’re allowed to do with the code. The Windows XP source code was leaked on 4chan, but that doesn’t mean Windows XP is free software.

macOS is not only proprietary, there’s a sense in which it’s even more restrictive than Windows because Apple explicitly forbids running macOS on non-Apple hardware, and with the latest macOS 27 Golden Gate being exclusive to Apple Silicon, Hackintoshes will soon cease to be a thing.

Mac and Windows share problems

Many of the things people criticise about Microsoft and Windows also apply to Apple and macOS.

  • Both phone home and collect unnecessary telemetry data
  • Both the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store require an account, even for apps which don’t cost money (and therefore wouldn’t require credit/debit card details)
  • Windows has Copilot, macOS has Apple Intelligence
  • You can’t (under ordinary circumstances) uninstall Microsoft Edge on Windows, you also can’t uninstall Safari on Mac.
  • Mac has bloatware… yes, I consider apps like Apple TV and Apple Music bloatware because they cannot be removed despite not being essential.

I’m not saying Linux is immune to these problems, and maybe there’s a sense in which these problems are not as bad on macOS, but why settle on just having the lesser of two evils? Having a cold may be a “better” alternative to having malaria, but you’re still sick.

Apple’s (Irrepairable) Hardware

My problem with modern Apple Hardware is the lack of serviceability. Notice how I say serviceability rather than upgradability… a while ago, I watched a YouTube video titled “Why I Switched to Mac (as a Linux user)” from a guy called Wolfgang. He made an interesting point that upgrade potential is limited by the generation of the hardware when comparing a ThinkPad T440p to his M1 MacBook Air.

While his point is factually true, “upgradability”/serviceability isn’t just about raw performance. I didn’t buy my ThinkPad X230 because it’s the fastest laptop on the planet, I bought it for a number of reasons (e.g., libreboot support, hardware kill switch, modding potential), and one of those reasons is its durable/modular design.

Are there Windows laptops which can’t be upgraded? Yes, quite a lot of them in fact. The difference is that with Windows, you have a lot more variety when it comes to hardware, whereas with macOS you’re limited to the hardware Apple offers unless you Hackintosh.

Best/Worst of both worlds

Many people go through the cycle of switching from Windows to Linux and then from Linux to Mac. So you may logically conclude that macOS is the best of both worlds.

However, if something is the best of both worlds, often it’s the worst of both worlds too. For instance, macOS can run certain proprietary programs that aren’t available on Linux (not that I use any of that software anyway), but it isn’t a complete substitute for Windows:

  • The major Microsoft apps (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are on Mac, but others (e.g., Power BI, Visual Studio, Access) are exclusive to Windows.
  • Some CAD and engineering tools are exclusive to Windows (AutoCAD runs on Mac, but Solidworks and Revit do not).
  • Most video games are designed for Windows and optimised for PC hardware, I’d argue that even Linux is better for gaming than Mac.

No Operating System is perfect of course, hence why some people dual-boot or having multiple computers, but macOS has its own downsides and isn’t a complete drop-in for either Windows or Linux.

The Price

Admittedly, I think this was my weakest argument when I made the original video because it was very subjective and based on my own circumstances. Are Macs expensive? Yes, they can be, but brand new, high-end computers are expensive in general, especially with the global RAM shortage.

Most Macs are simply way out of my budget (even for the base model). As for the MacBook Neo, I played with a demo machine at an Apple Store for a few minutes… it’s certainly well-built, has a great display, and probably has very good battery life, but even if I overlook the lack of serviceability and having to use macOS (the Neo currently cannot run Asahi Linux), I’d still be paying a lot of money for a laptop that’d mostly just do web browsing and text editing.

Fun fact: Despite being Apple’s cheapest brand new laptop, the MacBook Neo is worth more money than my car.