FaceTime, iPhone, sms/iMessage integration that works even when phone is not nearby.

T2 chip/Secure Enclave.

Easier to use full disk encryption.

Note’s built in capability to encrypt specific notes with a private, unrecoverable password.

Faster system software updates.

Most apps shipping as DMG rather than installer packages, which allows me to install them without granting admin rights.

Family members who have macs ask me for help far less than those with windows.

The trackpad is vastly superior. I actually prefer thinkpad-style trackpoints, but thinkpads aren’t what they used to be. The Mac trackpad feels good to touch, the taptic full-pad pseudo-clicking is superior to physical button presses, and the multi-pressure level support is occasionally useful. The gestures work well and feel natural.

Find my Mac/iPod/iPhone is implemented in a privacy preserving method. It’s also super useful to be able to simply say to my laptop “hey Siri, where is my phone?” to have it trigger the audio beacon.

The speakers on the new 16” MBP are excellent. I use my headphones much less now.

I love the look of Macbook monitors more than most pc laptop monitors. Of course, some pc laptops have comparable or exactly the same panel, but the price goes up pretty fast.

Photos is an imperfect replacement for Picasa (RIP). However it has some features my family loves, like automatically figuring out groups of related events and generating movies from photos of family trips, then surprising me with a phone notification.

Many of the built in apps feature end-to-end encryption.

I feel like windows 10 is always spying on me. I have to spend hours configuring a fresh windows install to turn off all the garbage. Not signing into a Microsoft account with windows 10 causes all kinds of limitations, like not being able use fingerprint readers.

The microphone array on the new MBP works very well such a shame it wasn’t paired with a better camera.

Access to a terminal. I spend most of my time in vim. WSL just isn’t comparable (yet) in terms of integration and ease of use.

There are also things that are much worse about macs, but that aren’t dealbreakers for me:

Horrible software quality, going back decades, in ways that really matter. The only times I’ve ever lost data due to software is when OSX corrupted a drive. Backups are vital, and they must be stored on non-Apple devices/services. This is a hidden cost no one ever talks about, even though the internet is rife with Mac/time machine data loss anecdotes.

Extremely uncomfortable sharp edges.

Safari is so close to being useful, but falls short. I configure it to wipe out everything on close, and use it as a sort of super-private-mode browser.

QuickTime is garbage.

Application file associations are super finicky.

There is no built in method to set the screen to native resolution, needlessly inflicting blurry screens.

Apple might blow it again with the hardware for years, meaning no upgrade path.

The machines are under-ventilated, under-powered, under-rammed.

Lack of games support.

Horrible battery life if you do anything intensive. Factorio burns through a full battery in about 90 minutes.

I wish they would make a “kids edition” laptop that is cheaper, made of plastic for dent-resistance, and can be locked down in the same way as iOS.

I wish it had a built in hyper visor or allowed me to run apps in something like sandboxie.

I wish I could change the the window manager (I happily used Arch for years and fell in love with the tiling window manager spectrwm).

The lack of a 4K screen on the MBP makes me sad. I had a thinkpad p1 with a 4K screen and it was stunning (but a power hog).