Leopard vs. Vista: feature chart showdown

There no doubt, Vista and Leopard are both extremely advanced, feature rich consumer operating systems. But way back in January when Vista launched knew we had little choice but pit the two in a head to head chartngraph Thunderdome competition. We know we're not even going to be able to stop the epic fanboy arguments about break out over this one, so we just ask that you try to keep it fair. Leopard vs. Vista: it's on.NOTE: This chart is only for out of box features, and does not take into account 3rd party software. We realize that with a few choice apps this chart would look completely different -- but that's not what we're after here.
Green indicates a category with more and/or better features, and generally a better user experience.
Red indicates that a category not quite up to snuff. Either it doesn't yet exist in the OS or it just sucks more than the alternative.
† (dagger) indicates a category we think are too subjective or not similar enough to judge. These do not have any clear winner.
‡ (double dagger) indicates a category that is in many ways subjective, but that we feel one category is still ahead. Your own tastes may vary.
Notes help out with a little background, where appropriate.
Leopard
Vista
Comments / notes
UI
Accessibility
Integrated Braille input / output, voice synthesis, high contrast interface, etc.
Voice synthesis, high contrast interface, etc.
Fancy file browsing
Cover Flow, Quick Look
Preview pane, extra large icon view
Find windows
Exposé
Flip 3D
Indexed search †
Spotlight
Instant Search, Search Folders
Shell / window environment †
Aqua ("Illuminous" / unified)
Aero ("Glass")
Tablet and touchscreen
Nope
Yep
We know Apple has Ink, but that doesn't exactly make your Mac a tablet computer
Virtual desktops
Spaces
Nope
Software
Backup
Time Machine
Backup and Restore Center, ShadowCopy, Previous Versions
Whereas Time Machine may be easier to use than Windows Backup and Restore Center, Vista does feature all the same (if not more) backup features
Browser †
Safari 3
Internet Explorer 7
What can we say, we like Opera!
Calendar
iCal
Windows Calendar
Collaboration
Screen sharing from Finder or iChat
Windows Meeting Space
This one's hard to call; Apple has better ease of use, but Windows Meeting Space is more powerful -- so both win
Contacts
Address Book
Windows Contacts
Email ‡
Mail.app
Windows Mail
File manager
Upgraded Finder
Upgraded Explorer
The new finder is great, no doubt, but it lacks the raw power of Explorer
Faxing and scanning
CUPS + location aware printing
Windows Fax and Scan
It's arguable that Windows may have more powerful printing capabilities, but OS X is far better at printer plug-and-play
Legacy app support †
Rosetta
WOW64 (32-bit emulation in 64-bit Windows)
More info on WOW64 here
IM
iChat
Windows Live Messenger
Whether or not you like iChat, you can't deny it supports more protocols.
Preview files
Quick Look
Preview pane
RSS / feed reader
In Safari and Mail.app
In IE7
Speech recognition
Yep
Yep
Text editing
TextEdit
WordPad
Apple included Word 2007 and OpenDocument support in the new TextEdit -- WordPad still doesn't support Word 2007
Transfer
Mac Migration assistant, Back to My Mac (with .Mac)
Windows Easy Transfer
We might have tied this one despite Back to My Mac, but WET just doesn't work very well.
Video calling
Yep
Yep
Widgets †
Dashboard*
Windows Sidebar
*Now with .Mac sync and Dashcode
Media
Media interface
Front Row
Media Center (only in Home Premium or Ultimate Edition)
Media hardware support
Apple TV
Media Center Extenders, Xbox 360
Yeah, the Apple TV's good and all, but MCEs and Xbox 360 have a lot of features that ATV just doesn't have (HDTV streaming, video downloads, etc.)
Record TV
Nope
Yep
NTSC and ATSC tuners
Nope
Yep
CableCARD / DCT tuners
Nope
Yep (x4)
DVD authoring †
iDVD
DVD Maker
DVD playback (out of the box)
Yep (DVD Player)
Some versions of Vista (but not all)
More info on Vista DVD playback.
HD disc playback (out of the box)
Nope
Nope
Macs can play DVD Studio Pro authored HD DVDs, but we're not really counting that
Media player †
iTunes, Quicktime
Windows Media Player 11
Photos ‡
iPhoto
Windows Photo Gallery
Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
Yep
Nope*
*Vista CAN support A2DP, but only via 3rd party drivers
Video editing
iMovie
Windows Movie Maker (with HD)
System tools
Activation
Nope
Windows Activation
Automation (user)
Automator (with UI recording), AppleScript
Nope
Data detection
Address, phone number, etc.
Nope
Remote desktop (host)
Yep (VNC and X)
Available only in Business and Ultimate
Screen capture
Integrated
Snipping Tool application
System registry
Nope
Unfortunately
To-dos (tasks)
Yep (from Mail, iCal, etc.)
Yep (From Windows Calendar)
Networking and connectivity
IPv6
Yep
Yep
Networking tools
Network Setup Assistant, Finder with AutoFS, Bonjour
Network Center (Network Explorer, Map, Setup, Awareness, Projector), DLNA
Both provide tools for different networking needs, and we feel both are strong for different uses
Self-tuning TCP
Yep
Yep
Wireless
WiFi with WPA 2 support
WiFi with WPA 2 support
Vista shows signal strength indicators for its available network list, why the hell can't Leopard? (OS X does organize available networks by signal strength, though.)
Security
Antivirus
Nope
Nope
Encrypted, signed email
Yep
Yep
Email filtering
Spam filter for Mail.app
Junk and phishing filters in Windows Mail
Parental controls
Time quotas, usage schedules, granular application permissions, log viewer, remote access
Windows Family Safety Settings, time quotas, usage schedules, some app permissions, and ESRB game support
Library randomization
Yep
Yep
Malware
Downloaded app tagging, signed applications, sandboxed apps
Windows Defender and Malicious Software Removal Tool, signed applications,
Smart Card support
Yep
Yep
VPN
PPTP and L2TP over IPSec
PPTP and L2TP over IPSec
Gaming
Graphics core
OpenGL, Core Animation
DirectX 10
Game network
None
Xbox Live Anywhere
Performance and hardware
Architecture
32 and 64-bit support
32 and 64-bit support*
Windows in 64-bit may require different drivers to function properly, many of which haven't yet been ported; Leopard supports 64-bit transparently with no differences in drivers or software
Auto-defrag
Yep
Yep
Auxiliary display
Nope
SideShow
Drive encryption
FileVault with AES256 support
EFS and Vista BitLocker
While we're sure neither will be easily cracked, Apple gets extra points for using AES256
Drive partitioning
BootCamp
Disk Management
Both work well, but Apple supports moving files between partitions
Multiple OS support
Yep
Yep
Network projector
Nope
Yep
Network storage
AirPort disk
Windows Home Server
Optimization
The usual multitasking
Windows SuperFetch and Windows ReadyDrive
Sync (device)
iSync
Windows Mobile Device Center
Sync (network)
Nope*
Windows Sync Center
*We're not counting .Mac sync, this is more about machine to machine
Usage profiling
Location awareness (network, power, printing)
Mobility Center (network profiles, sync, battery / power, etc.)
USB caching
Nope
Windows ReadyBoost
Business
Domain support
Workgroup Manager, External Accounts*
Active Domain (Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate only)
*New feature that allows your system account / home directory to be stored on an encrypted USB drive
Integrated web server †
Apache
IIS (Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate)
Presentation mode
Nope
Yep (Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate)
Other
Upgradeable to different version †
N/A
Windows Upgrade Anytime
Final scoreLeopard: 45Vista: 40So, did we forget anything? Let us know, this chart ain't static, and we'll be updating as necessary. (And don't say Ubuntu / Linux / BSD -- we'll save that for another time.)Updated: Yeah, we've been reading the comments and have made some updates to the chart (as we said we would!). Vista's search and preview panes definitely deserve more recognition, which is now reflected. A2DP in Vista, however, is only via 3rd party drivers, so we're not counting that as an out of box thing. And yes, we know, iLife isn't included in Leopard, but it IS bundled with all Macs, so it's fair game.
Tags: apple, leopard, microsoft, os x, OsX, vista, windows

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