Apple this yr launched MacOS 26 Tahoe, with a number of the most compelling visible UI designs from the corporate to this point, extra cross-device compatibility, and Apple Intelligence options that enormously enhance productiveness. Nonetheless, not all the options have been completely new; in truth, a handful of them had already been obtainable in Home windows (some for a few years).
One factor Apple does properly is ship a clear, smooth UI, and the most recent “Liquid Glass” design theme seems to be undeniably good. However Home windows beat Apple to those 4 options, regardless that they’re new to Mac.
1. Window tiling
One factor MacOS might be taught from Home windows is its window administration. Apple launched native enhancements to window snapping comparatively just lately, with MacOS Sequoia final yr getting a complete set of window association choices, and the iPad simply now getting it in iPadOS 26.
In the event you wish to have Slack, for instance, in a separate window tile subsequent to your browser, you are able to do this in MacOS by clicking and dragging the window to a distinct a part of the display screen to snap it into place. There are a handful of different methods to do that, together with merely assigning the place from the Window dropdown menu within the app itself.
Nonetheless, Home windows’ method is arguably higher. Merely dragging a window to the highest of the display screen prompts the grid preview, permitting you to select from a wide range of positions, which has been the case for a few years now.
2. The Sport app
Apple launched Sport Mode with the discharge of MacOS Sonoma in September of 2023, and at WWDC this yr, we received a brand new Video games app for MacOS, iOS, and iPadOS 26. It is form of like a recharged Sport Middle, performing as a unified gaming hub and launcher throughout gadgets.
The Video games app contains a devoted tab for Apple Arcade, in addition to a Library tab that shows all video games downloaded from the App Retailer. The “Play Collectively” tab reveals what your pals are taking part in with mixed scores, and it helps further social options like messaging and invitations.
Nonetheless, Home windows 11 stays the reigning champion on the subject of gaming. Not solely are the overwhelming majority of video games optimized for Home windows, however so are a lot of the apps that avid gamers use each day, like Discord and Steam. Apple’s new Sport app will likely be competing straight with these platforms, which will likely be powerful to do as they’ve accrued years of devoted customers.
3. Reside Translation
Apple introduced some new real-time translation options for MacOS 26, together with within the Messages app and reside captions in FaceTime. These translations are powered by on-device fashions for added safety, which is a good function, however very comparable performance got here out final yr to Home windows’ Copilot+ PCs.
The Home windows model permits for real-time translation into over 40 languages throughout all purposes and video platforms, together with Microsoft Groups, Zoom, Chrome, or Netflix, and works on a tool, so that you might be utterly offline.
4. Personalized folder icons
MacOS 26 comes with all types of visible customization choices, together with the flexibility to vary the looks of folder and file icons in Finder. In the event you’re bored with the blue folder icon that is ever-present throughout your Mac, now you can customise it to be pink, inexperienced, or add emojis to it (I am bracing for the chances, right here).
However that is nothing new to Home windows. In actual fact, most of the customizable icon sprites you’ll be able to set for folder or file icons in Home windows date again a number of many years, to Home windows 3.1. Regardless that this is not one thing a majority of customers have interaction with each day, it is nonetheless an integral a part of Home windows’ performance.
