For as long as home music production has been a thing, the debate over whether an Apple or Windows studio is better has raged on. Of course, ‘better’ is entirely subjective, which is why there has never been a definitive argument for or against either platform. We all have our opinions, often entrenched and based on personal experience, that no forum post or internet debate will change our mind on. Yet here, in 2024, it is still worth reminding ourselves how fortunate we, as musicians and producers, are to have options with these kinds of things. Neither platform is perfect, yet the goal remains to put the power of a fully-fledged, advanced musical toybox into our hands. And at that, surely, both succeed.
Has the story changed though? The old cliche of Windows being for workers and Mac being for creatives has surely dissipated now. Windows staples like the Surface Laptop and Dell XPS line-up have done much to demonstrate that those staid office machines can be as beautifully designed and run all the same software as their more traditionally attractive Apple counterparts. Yet with its move to take the production of its CPU in-house, Apple has stolen the march on Windows machines thanks to its Macs' now lighting-fast operation and gargantuan battery life.
