The days of the Microsoft-Apple rivalry are long over.
Still, as the second most valuable company in the world, Apple gets all the attention when it comes to technology.
Here are the 12 things that Microsoft does better than Apple:
As you may guess from its name, Windows handles application windows better than Apple OS X. In Windows 10, just drag an open window to the top of the screen to full-screen it, or to the side to make it fill half the screen. It's handy for multitasking.
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Unlike Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana learns a noticeable amount from your preferences. Even better, Cortana is available from the Windows 10 task bar or on iPhone and Android. Siri is stuck on the iPhone and iPad, without Mac OS X integration.
Microsoft
Apple's OS X hasn't changed much over the last several years. But from Windows 7 to 8 to 10, Microsoft has removed, re-added, and gussied up its Start menu. Now you can find files and apps faster and get key information without opening up the app.
Windows has always been a better place for gaming than the Mac. With Windows 10, Microsoft doubled up on that with a new Xbox app that literally lets you stream games from the Xbox One console to your Windows 10 laptop, tablet, or PC.
Tech Insider/Antonio Villas-Boas
Microsoft is better at cloud services than Apple. With apps like OneNote and OneDrive, you can have your files and notes anywhere at any time — not just on Apple devices.
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Microsoft's hardware business has been pretty great at rethinking what a computer is and who it's for. The Microsoft Surface Book, a combination tablet and laptop, for example, has enough horsepower to play most marquee games.
In fact, Apple more or less copied the Surface Pro 4 tablet with its own iPad Pro. But where the iPad Pro runs a version of Apple iOS, meaning you get only a limited selection of apps, the Surface Pro 4 is all Windows all the time.
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And while Microsoft has all but lost the smartphone market to Apple and Google, don't discount some of the stuff that Windows 10 Mobile has that the iPhone doesn't. First, it has a slick look, with big easy-to-push buttons ...
... plus some nifty, if still a gimmicky, features like Windows Continuum, which lets you use your Windows 10 Mobile phone as something like a full PC. With limited app support, but still.
The Microsoft of the last few years has also been better at experimentation. That includes coming out with lots of experimental apps for Android and iPhone, including the recent Hub Keyboard, which cuts down on the time you have to switch between apps.
That experimentation also applies to advanced scientific research. Microsoft Research contributes findings to everything from speech recognition to artificial intelligence. Plus, it results in cool futuristic technologies like the HoloLens holographic goggles.
In general, Microsoft has been good at playing with others recently. Under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has made more of its apps available on more platforms, while simultaneously striking deals with one-time competitors like Red Hat.
Of course, this is all in fun. The nice part about the two companies playing nicely is that if you want to use an Apple MacBook or a Microsoft Surface Pro, the choice is yours, and there's less overhead than ever to switch. Microsoft is doing some awesome stuff.
