Microsoft's Windows latest operating system (OS) only really has one major competitor and that's Apple's OS X. Granted OS X is usually only found on Apple computers whereas Windows is found on, well, nearly every other computer on the planet; the two are still competitors nonetheless. With Windows 8 failing to make the impact on consumers that Microsoft wanted the company has turned its sights to Windows 10, the newest iteration of the operating system. With Windows 10 being in direct competition with Apple's OS X 10.10 Yosemite, it's interesting to see how similar the two operating systems are to each other.

Desktop-Dedicated OS

Microsoft released a preview version of Windows 10 and a lot of the reviews are in. Interestingly enough, a lot of reviews are saying how similar Windows 10 looks to OS X Yosemite! One of the big changes and perhaps major faults Microsoft made with Windows 8 was trying to combine their desktop OS and mobile OS. Apple has always done a nice job of keeping iOS, their mobile operating system, and OS X separate. Windows 10 looks to change that and get back to being a truly desktop-dedicated operating system.

Task View

Windows 10 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite do look very similar, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. One feature that the two operating systems seem to share originated with Apple: OS X's Mission Control (Bottom Image). Mission Control allows you to see every running program window in an organized, heads-up way. In addition to that, it also allows you to view multiple desktops and add additional desktops with a click of a button. Windows 10 has a nearly identical feature known as Task View (Top).

Clicking or tapping on the Task View button on the Start menu brings up each and every app window in the heads-up mode in a grid. From here you can view other virtual desktops or create your own which means virtual desktops are back. What's even more interesting is the gesture shortcut for bringing up Task View is identical on Windows 10 to that of OS X. Simply swipe three fingers up on a trackpad and the mode is exposed. Sure this is a complete rip-off from Apple's OS X, but also a very smart decision by Microsoft.

Start Menu Back & Better

One of the biggest things users didn't like with Windows 8 was that the Start menu was essentially gone, replaced by the Metro Live Tiles. The good news is that the Start menu is back and not at the expense of the tiles, essentially making everyone happy. The tiles are now able to be attached to the Start menu and can also show updates in real-time. This is also similar to what OS X Yosemite is doing with its Notification Center. OS X Yosemite offers customizable widgets on the Today screen like it did in iOS 8.

SEE ALSO: HP Unveils "The Machine", Ousts Microsoft

OneDrive

However, Microsoft can take the credit for the similarities between OS X Yosemite and Windows 10 in terms of OneDrive and iCloud Drive. In both operating systems, user login accounts can be tied to the respective drives. When this happens, iCloud and One Drive integrate seamlessly with the desktop experience, making it easy to access files and folders from the cloud or to save files that are then synced with the cloud. Apple users have been after a more Dropbox or OneDrive approach to cloud services and now they are getting their wish.



The fact that Microsoft is borrowing from Apple and vice versa is most definitely a good thing. Sure being unique sets you apart from the competition but for the user, having more cohesive desktops allows for more seamless transitions between devices. At least this way users have the opportunity to have the best of both worlds when it comes to features of Windows 10 and OS X Yosemite.

BONUS: How to use Windows Technical Preview