What does a computer OS do?
Apple Inc. is, according to Apple's own statements, a hardware
company. The Mac OS (Operating System) is provided by Apple
specifically to run on Apple Hardware including its line of
Desktops, Laptops, iPhones, iPod Music Players, and Tablet
computers to name a few. Mac OS X (currently 10.6 code named Snow
Leopard) is being used on Apple's Desktops and Laptops. There is a
special OS for the iPhone and iPod which is really a very
simplified OS that has much of the look and feel of the Apple
Computers and Laptops. The iPad tablet basically runs the same OS
as the iPhone and iPods except that it has added capabilities
mostly for the larger sized screen on the iPad.
The Mac OS allows humans to interact with programs developed for
Apple Hardware. Many of these programs are developed by Apple
itself but there is also a wide range of third party applications
from what might be mislabeled as competitors such as MicroSoft.
Microsoft is in fact not a competitor since MicroSoft is a Software
company and Apple is a Hardware company. Microsoft has produced
many applications for Apple including Microsoft Office and even the
Windows Operating systems include some considerations by MicroSoft
Developers to enable it to run smoothly on Apple Hardware.
Adobe, another Software company of note, also produces many
exceptional software programs for Apple Hardware. Among these are
inDesign (Publishing), DreamWeaver (Web Design and Publishing),
FireWorks (graphics), Photoshop (graphics), Flash (rich content web
development), and several other invaluable tools.
The arts community including Film Makers, Musicians, and Print
Media regard Apple Hardware highly and there are very few
professional artists today that do not use Apple Hardware and its
Operating System on a daily business for their work.
To summarize, the Mac OS (Operating Systems) provides the
interface by which we humans can interact with a variety of
Software produced by both Apple and third party developers and the
machines that Apple Inc. produces.
In the Mac community, we say it helps us "Think Different" which
is an age old Apple slogan. An insider joke in the Mac user
community implies that the reason Apple computers and Mac Operating
Systems are so good is that they were reverse engineered from the
1950s crashed UFOs at Roswell New Mexico - no one actually believes
that of course but it's part of the fun of being in the Funtastic
Apple community.
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It is just another platform of computers, like Windows PC.
Generally, I believe Mac is better. Some oppose. The two different
platforms look different, have different features and may be faster
than the other. The only problem is that most people run on
Windows, and the two different OS (Operating Systems) do not
understand each other, so buying a game for Windows and running it
on a Mac would not work.