Apple macOS: Difference between revisions

Apple macOS (previously '''OS X''' and originally '''Mac OS X''') is a proprietary operating system developed by [[Apple]] and shipped by default on Apple Macintosh computers. It succeeded Mac OS 9.<ref> {{Cite web |last=Pareek |first=Divya |date=23 Jul 2025 |title=What is macOS? |url=https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/operating-systems/what-is-macos/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Geeks for Geeks}}</ref>

Due to its nature of being a proprietary operating system, macOS has full access to a user's personal data and activities that are related to the device it is running on.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jena |first=Satyabrata |date=23 Jul 2025 |title=Difference between Open source Software and Proprietary Software |url=https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering/difference-between-open-source-software-and-proprietary-software/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Geeks for Geeks}}</ref> It is also practically impossible to audit what the system is doing with full access to the user’s system.

There are fewer reports of Apple selling user data than Windows, however Apple’s TOS states that they will share user data with third-parties for various reasons.<ref> {{Cite web |title=Apple Privacy Policy |url=https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Apple}}</ref> Since macOS has an unintentionally less [[Bloatware|bloated]] integration of artificial intelligence compared to [[Windows]], it is more private and secure against both cloud and local model threats and security vulnerabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherback |first=Ty |date=24 Dec 2024 |title=Apple Intelligence is a flop |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/reasons-apple-intelligence-flop/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=XDA Developers}}</ref><ref> {{Cite web |last=Patterson |first=Dan |date=12 Feb 2026 |title=These 4 critical AI vulnerabilities are being exploited faster than defenders can respond |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-security-threats-2026-overview/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=ZDNET}}</ref><ref> {{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Katharine |date=18 Mar 2024 |title=Privacy in an AI Era: How Do We Protect Our Personal Information? |url=https://hai.stanford.edu/news/privacy-ai-era-how-do-we-protect-our-personal-information |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Stanford University}}</ref>

Also due to recent legislation mandating operating system providers to verify user age, Apple will be trusted with high amounts of sensitive user data such as credit cards and government-issued IDs.<ref> {{Cite web |last=Booth |first=Barbara |date=8 Mar 2026 |title=Online age-verification tools spread across U.S. for child safety, but adults are being surveilled |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/08/social-media-child-safety-internet-ai-surveillance.html |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=CNBC}}</ref> Following this legislation, Apple faces the possibility of a data breach similar to social media platforms like [[Discord]], exposing the sensitive information of users.<ref> {{Cite web |last=Chia |first=Osmond |date=9 Oct 2025 |title=ID photos of 70,000 users may have been leaked, Discord says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jmzd972leo |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=BBC}}</ref><ref> {{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Jason |date=26 Jun 2024 |title=Hack of Age Verification Company Shows Privacy Danger of Social Media Laws |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/hack-age-verification-company-shows-privacy-danger-social-media-laws |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=EFF}}</ref>

Due to exclusivity of macOS to Apple hardware, macOS is completely free and included with Apple’s MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Neo, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, iMac, and Mac Pro. While the operating system is free, it can come preinstalled with exclusive paid applications like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. With the addition of the Apple Creator Studio suite, these one-time-purchase applications (along with previously free application, such as pages and keynote) have become a subscription service.<ref> {{Cite web |last= |title=Apple Creator Studio |url=https://www.apple.com/apple-creator-studio/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Apple}}</ref><ref name=":0"> {{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=28 Jan 2026 |title=Seven things to know about how Apple’s Creator Studio subscriptions work |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/seven-things-to-know-about-how-apples-creator-studio-subscriptions-work/ |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Arstechnica}}</ref>