Windows / Mac Applications Cross Comparison
I am now a Mac/Windows crossover. (In other words, I am going from a Windows OS to Mac OS.) A week ago I purchased my first Mac, a Macbook. While I think I am going to like it a lot, it is very different from what I am used to. I mentioned in a twitter post that it feels like I am driving from the right side passenger seat when I am used to driving from the left side driver’s seat. Everything is different.
One of the most obvious involves the software that I run my life on. Obviously, with almost 20 years of Windows experience, I have an extensive library of Windows-based software. Some of it transitions to the Mac nicely, but at a cost. Other titles simply are not available for the Mac.
(I will add, that while I do understand why software companies need to charge for both Mac versions and Windows version of the same software, it does seem unreasonable to charge full price if my desire is to transfer a license from Windows to Mac. A good balance, I think is Logos Bible Software. They charge a small fee for the Mac engine that drives their system, but all of the resources I have work in either a Mac or Windows environment. That’s reasonable. Adobe, on the other hand, appears to charge full price for one of their applications if I want to use it on my Mac rather than on Windows. That’s unreasonable.)
Here is a listen of the software I currently have installed on my Windows laptop and a comparison to what is available in the Mac OS. Note: If a program is unavailable for the Mac, this does not mean there are not alternative apps I can use instead of the Windows app, it just indicates there is not an windows-to-apple equal.
| Windows OS | Max OS | Note |
| AceReader Pro | Available for Purchase | |
| Acronis True Image Home | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Adobe Air | Available – Free Download | |
| Adobe Audition 3.0 | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Adobe Fireworks CS4 | Available for Purchase | |
| Adobe Flash Player | Available – Free Download | |
| Adobe InDesign CS3 | Available for Purchase | |
| Adobe Media Player | Available – Free Download | |
| Adobe Reader 8.1.3 | Available – Free Download | |
| Adobe Shockwave Player | Available – Free Download | |
| AI Roboform | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Allway Sync | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Apple Mobile Device | Available – Free Download | |
| Audible Download Manager | Available – Free Download | |
| AVG Antivirus Free 8.0 | Not Applicable | |
| Bluebeam PDF Revu | ||
| Bonjour | ||
| Camtasia Studio 6 | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| CCleaner | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| CyperLink DVD Suite | ||
| Diskeeper 2008 Pro | ||
| Dragon Naturally Speaking | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| eBook Library by Sony | ||
| Evernote | Available – Free Download | |
| FileZilla FTP Client | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Flock 2.0 | ||
| FranklinCovey PlanPlus | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Google Chrome | ||
| ISO Recorder | ||
| iTunes | Available – Free Download | |
| Java 6 | ||
| Journal Sync | ||
| Logos Bible Software | Available for Purchase | |
| Livescribe Desktop | ||
| Logitech QuickCam | ||
| Microsoft OneNote 2007 | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Microsoft Office Pro 2007 | Available for Purchase | |
| Microsoft Silverlight | ||
| Microsoft Visual C++ | ||
| Mindjet MindManager 8 | Available for Purchase | |
| MobileMe Control Panel | ||
| Mozilla Firefox | Available – Free Download | |
| Mozilla Thunderbird | Available – Free Download | |
| MyScript for Livescribe | ||
| Netflix Movie Viewer | ||
| NetObjects Fusion 11.0 | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| PhatNotes for Outlook | ||
| Picasa 3 | ||
| Quicken 2008 | Available for Purchase | |
| QuickTime | Available – Free Download | |
| ScanSoft OmniPage Pro | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| ScanSoft PaperPort 11 | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| ScanSoft PDF Create | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| SecondLife | Available – Free Download | |
| Skype | Available – Free Download | |
| SlingPlayer | ||
| SmartDraw 2009 | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| SnagIt | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Sony DVD Architect | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Sony Vegas Movie Studio | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| SugarSync Manager | Available – Free Download | |
| TreeSize Free | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| TweetDeck | Available – Free Download | |
| Wildform Flair | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Windows Live Essentials | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| Windows Live Writer | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| WMDC | Not Available for Mac OS | |
| WORDsearch 8 | Available for Purchase | |
| World in Conflict |