The new versions of Windows and macOS, the two basic software that runs our computers, arrived this week, within a few hours of each other. And the whole – historic – battle between PC and Mac is starting again with a vengeance.
Face to face, the new Windows 11 and the 14th version of macOS, nicknamed Sonoma. Two launches on the same day: it’s surely a coincidence, even if Microsoft only announced it last Friday. For its part, Apple had released the date of September 26, two weeks earlier, during the event dedicated to the iPhone 15.
chatGPT at the heart of Windows 11
On my left: the new major version of Windows 11. No change in number, but 150 new features all the same, including one major new feature which dominates all the others: the integration of artificial intelligence, not just in the engine. Bing search, or in the Office office suite, but at the heart of Windows, that is to say the system.
This AI, we have already talked about it. Microsoft calls it Copilot. It is a derivative of chatGPT, in which the Redmond publisher has already invested 11 billion dollars: a personal assistant always ready to answer your questions and guide you. Copilot can write an email for you, or modify the system settings, preventing you from getting lost in the menus. At the risk of giving the impression of not missing any of your actions.
On my right: Sonoma, otherwise known as macOS 14, the new version of the operating system for Mac. A free update, like every year. The major difference now, you guessed it, is that AI is not present at the Mac system level. In any case, not yet. Apple, in a way, is letting Microsoft dry up with the first version of its embedded AI.
Until artificial intelligence benefits the Mac system, the pleasure of using macOS, its reliability and the protection of privacy remain priorities for Apple. First new feature which illustrates this attention: the automatic cleaning of URLs, these long-winded addresses of commercial sites, full of pieces of computer code, which tell the story of how each Internet user gets there. Another example: securely sharing the passwords of your choice with your trusted contacts: it’s very practical, with family or as part of a professional project.
+10% for the Mac in one year, unlike the PC market
Will these new systems change the balance of power between PC and Mac? Without a doubt, the event is the arrival of AI in Windows. Everyone only talks about chatGPT, everyone wants to benefit from it. So, will the AI effect stop the fall in PC sales: -13% overall over one year?
A counter-example is the opposite of the trend: the Mac which has grown by 10%. By what miracle? First of all, there is the success of the iPhone, and the halo effect that Steve Jobs spoke of. And then, the Mac benefits from the power of the processors that Apple has been designing for two years. This power surprised everyone: from PC manufacturers to Intel, which hopes, at best, to catch up with Apple…next year.