Windows PCs Crash Three Times As Often As Macs, Report Says (techspot.com)
- Reference: 0181125164
- News link: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/26/03/27/1839246/windows-pcs-crash-three-times-as-often-as-macs-report-says
- Source link: https://www.techspot.com/news/111849-windows-pcs-crash-three-times-often-macs-report.html
> Omnissa's 2026 State of Digital Workspace report [2]outlines the IT challenges that various organizations face from the growing use of AI and the heterogeneous deployment of enterprise devices. The relative instability of Windows and Android is a recurring theme throughout the report. The company gathered telemetry from clients located across the globe in retail, healthcare, finance, education, government, and other sectors throughout 2025. The data suggests that IT administrators face frustrating security gaps due to inconsistent patching across a diverse mosaic of devices and operating systems.
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> Employee workflow disruption, often due to software issues, is one area of concern. The report found that Windows devices were forced to shut down 3.1 times more often than Macs. Windows programs also froze 7.5 times more often than macOS apps and needed to be restarted more than twice as often. Certain industries were also alarmingly lax in securing Windows and Android devices. More than half of Windows and Android devices in healthcare and pharma were five major operating system updates behind, likely leaving them more vulnerable to errors and malware. More than half of the desktops and mobile devices used for education were also unencrypted, putting students' privacy at risk.
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> Macs also last longer, being replaced every five years on average, compared to every three years for Windows PCs. Despite a recent backlash against Windows, driven by a push for digital sovereignty in countries such as Germany, Windows use on government devices actually doubled last year. Meanwhile, Macs using Apple's M-series chips showcase a significant thermal advantage, with an average temperature of 40.1 degrees Celsius, while Intel processors run at 65.2 degrees.
[1] https://www.techspot.com/news/111849-windows-pcs-crash-three-times-often-macs-report.html
[2] https://www.omnissa.com/state-of-digital-workspace/
Only 3 times as much? (Score:2)
Damn, Windows has really improved in the last 25 years. Wouldn't know since my last Windows was Win2k and my computers only run macOS or Linux and have crashed less that 10 times combined in the last 20 years or so. A well, whatever. Good for people still using Windows, I guess.
Re: Only 3 times as much? (Score:2)
25 years ago Apple was still OS9
It was constant crashes that required reboots.
OSX came out almost exactly 25 years ago and within 18 months (as software moved to it) changed the whole story.
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OSX is based on FreeBSD. Of course it changed the whole story.
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Honestly Windows 7 and 10 are fine. Windows 11 is an absolute shit show. I don't care how fast your hardware is it is so painfully slow
Windows is crashing because? (Score:4, Interesting)
Windows is crashing because users are doing things that cause crashes.
This issue needs to be investigated in MUCH more detail.
I don't have crashes.
Re: (Score:2)
> Windows is crashing because users are doing things that cause crashes.
Less this and more that users are using cheap/bad hardware more frequently with Windows then with MacOS.
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I know our corporate machines: it will crash on a loop if you run a Dell machine with 8GiB if you run Copilot... making you want to throw it in the dumpster because it is persistent across reboots until you disable it from running at start up. And people wonder why I prefer *nix over Windows. Speed, stability, security and I can run so much more at once than a Windows OS.
Re: (Score:2)
I suspect Windows supporters will claim Mac users are less intelligent, which would suggest they do MORE stupid things. And if stupid things correlate with crashes, Macs would crash more.
But they don't. So somebody is wrong about something, or there's more missing information.
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Anecdotally, the only crashes I've ever had on MacOS were due to HDMI and cheap USB dongles. Find a combination that works and you're not going to have problems. I've been a consistent MacOS user since 2017.
Haven't had a single issue in years, on Apple Silicon.
Re: (Score:1)
There is also a different kind of audience creating a bias for heavier useage of PCs. Most gaming happens on PCs and not macs. Gaming pushes the speeds / bandwidth to the maximum and generates heat more. There was a lot of audio / video work on Macs, but that happens occasionally. In the past 10 years more developers use Macs, but development generally does not keep CPU at maximum for extended periods of times.
Re: (Score:2)
These things include:
- booting
- rebooting
- using basic high quality hardware (asus/mb/msi boards w/ corsair/crucial memory, nvidia GPUs, seasonic PSUs)
- installing drivers
I've seen crashes on W10/W11 on each of these, sometimes (often) requiring "repair" that fails, and a reinstall (of the OS). Multiple machines.
I just won't do it anymore.
*nix systems are more stable? -- We know.... (Score:1)
Windows is an unstable, insecure cluster bleep of an operating system, we know this! There's a reason you don't use Windows on servers, or IoT, when things have to work. When it comes to the other points, Windows is a cybersecurity nightmare on steroids, for multiple reasons.
1. It's a general use OS meant for idiots who think there is a literal "any" key.
2. It's backwards compatible, which means it supports sloppy, messy, unprofessional, rush, hacked, amateur crap.
3. The design is functionally a m
Re: (Score:2)
Given that Slashdot posted and article about something quite obvious. I am wondering if you are competing with Slashdot editors for the official captain obvious title. /s
Nope. Server hardware runs both very well. (Score:1)
> Windows is an unstable, insecure cluster bleep of an operating system, we know this!
Quite the opposite since the WinNT line of the family came out. I've been dual booting WinNT/Linux since the mid 1990s. Both Windows and Linux ran fine on my DIY PCs where I pick good parts from reputable vendors that directly support both OS.
Crashes are usually 3rd party drivers, both Windows and Linux. Linux dodges some of that disaster by the shittier hardware/drivers from budget hardware vendors not supporting Linux. In the last 30 years my only flaky PC was not DIY, it was a school selected laptop,
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I've posted many times about the issue I constantly face on Windows, not only on my machine, but fleet wide.
I was configuring group policy yesterday, all day, and the number of things that are either active or not restricted, is mind-blowing. Page after page of options that should be "Block - Enabled", or, "Security Enabled", by default, that you need to go in and set enabled, why? The number of options of protocols, encryption, caching, temping files, and so on, that should be blocked by default, again,
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> 1. It's a general use OS meant for idiots who think there is a literal "any" key.
Now, now. Was that really necessary?
A fair number of considerations... (Score:3)
One, how much is owed to dubious hardware vendors that don't even play in the Mac ecosystem.
The "lasts longer" is not necessarily a statement of durability, it's mostly about being a prolific business product and business accounting declaring three year depreciation.
I'm no fan of Windows and don't like using it, but these criteria are kind of off.
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> One, how much is owed to dubious hardware vendors that don't even play in the Mac ecosystem.
Same for Linux, many of these dubious hardware vendors only support Windows, so Linux dodges that bullet too. 3rd party drivers are usually the source of the problems, Windows, Linux, or Mac.
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The only 3rd party driver I can remember ever having used for Linux is nvidia ..
Well, that and some wifi firmware bits and bobs a long time ago.
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Ah, yes, fiddling around with NDISWrapper. Nowadays NDIS is our national disability insurance scheme...
Back in the dialup era, I had a 'soft' modem that only worked with a particular kernel.
But today, I battle with DVI over USB with DisplayLink.
That's a good sign. (Score:2)
There are what, 9-10 times more PCs out there than Macs?
I'm going to call BS on the CPU thermal numbers though. Unless Intel has managed to get it down from 100.
That's not apples to apples (Score:1)
HP and Dell OEM garbage is replaced more often and crashes more often. 100% custom built PCs with no aftermarket garbage installed do not. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
define 'crash' (Score:2)
System crash/panic with reboot? Or just application abnormal termination?
Probably crappy hardware (Score:1)
Out of our latest batch of ten Lenovo Thinkpads for new starters three of them were freezing or crashing multiple times a day. Fresh installs of Windows didn't fix it until they had their motherboards replaced.
Three hundred, they mean? (Score:2)
I have Macs, a Windows laptop, and several Linux laptops and workstations.
I think I remember a few crashes per year in the last 16 years I have been using Macs. Caveat - I reboot them when I see signs.
Linux boxes are more stable than Macs. I do not have to reboot at least once every two months because it's starting to slow down.
Windows has problems every single week.
10 vs 11 (Score:2)
The only issue I recall having with Windows 10 wasn't even the fault of the OS, I didn't have proper ventilation for my new gfx card and it was overheating. Once I resolved that issue, no problems.
Windows 11, on the other hand, probably 1 crash per month on the same hardware.
and you need pro systems apple is not for you! (Score:2)
and you need pro systems apple is not for you!
Is anyone surprised? (Score:2)
Anyone? Anyone?
crickets.
And not to forget how long a MAC lasts either (Score:2)
My Macbookpro is still going strong after 10 years.
My beefed up iMac is 16 years old.
Ok, they were probably 2x as expensive as a PC with similar specs but they are worth every penny.
Especially if you can buy them 2nd hand for a few hundred dollars.
Stability is not the issue (Score:2)
For the last 35 years, I have had a PC at work and a Mac at home. There used to be a huge difference in stability back in the days, but not any more.
However, my personal MacBook Air is still vastly superior to my company-provided HP laptop in all other aspects :
- Screen
- Touchpad
- Keyboard
- Weight
- Time to wake up from sleep
- Fan noise
- Battery life
I suspect that even a MacBook Neo would be much better than the PoS that I have to use for work
Hardware matters (Score:2)
How many different laptops and desktops does Apple need to validate their OS on?
And how many different laptops and desktops does Microsoft needs to validate their OS on?
Or really, how many different hardware companies bother testing last year's hardware with this year's update to Windows? Not just desktops and laptops but also GPUs and any other expansion cards.
Apple has it easy by comparison.
Because OS X... (Score:2)
... is derived from FreeBSD. Microsoft could have saved the world literally trillions of dollars over the same time frame if they had done the same.
Long live BSD.
Revenge? (Score:2)
> Windows devices were forced to shut down 3.1 times more often than Macs.
Maybe it's the ghost of Windows 3.1 haunting Microsoft for giving it such a shitty legacy.
Then again, perhaps it's the essence of MacOS, taunting Windows users.
Hello Capt. Obvious (Score:2)
We've noticed that since the mid 1990s
smug Linux user enters the chat (Score:2)
Crashes you say?
Can't remember the last time I had one of those.
Re: (Score:1)
> Crashes you say?
> Can't remember the last time I had one of those.
That's strange because pop!os crashes during install if your laptop contains hardware developed later than the invention of fire.
Windows and Linux both fine, its 3rd party drivers (Score:2)
> Crashes you say? Can't remember the last time I had one of those.
The same is true for my dual boot Windows / Linux boxes. Neither side crashes. It not the OS, its third party drivers that are typically the source of trouble. My DIY PCs have well chosen parts from reputable manufacturers, with good drivers for both OS. I've been doing this for 30 year. The only PC that had problems was the one I did not build, a school selected laptop. I configured it to dual boot and wifi was always flaky under Linux, crappy Linux drivers for the Dell vendor with the lowest priced compon
Re: Windows and Linux both fine, its 3rd party dri (Score:1)
Back when Boot Camp was a thing, there was a similar trend: MacBooks were one of the mostly stable windows platforms (per soluto, probably gone by now). Apple only had to write drivers for their small number of laptops, and it was mostly power users with clean installs.
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Hey, believe it or not, that is actually the OS crashing.
The crash might occur in the driver, but it's still the OS crashing.
These driver crashes on Windows typically lead to having to reinstall/"repair" Windows. It takes a lot of time, and is a frequent occurrence. It's more common than it used to be in the W7 days by far.
I've been doing this for 30 years as well, and you're full of crap. Even with new, reputable (high end) hardware, it's a common problem.
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That has nothing to do with "Linux" and everything to do with whatever software is managing your network. All the Windows-emulating network managers take away your freedom.
In FreeBSD, network interfaces are initialized at boot time and any configuration changes require re-running the startup scripts ala "service netif restart ". That will flip the interface up and down, but you're going to lose the connection anyway when the dhcp client runs. You can run the client manually, if you want, but you'll still lo
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1 word for you: Sleep =D
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On linux, sleep/hibernation is more like a Polish revolver with one bullet loaded. When it works, it works. When it doesn't, it really doesn't.
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$ uptime
> 22:35:16 up 561 days, 15:16, 1 user, load average: 2,79, 2,96, 3,04