(Credit: Jeffrey Hazelwood/PCMag; Apple; Microsoft)
Microsoft beat Apple to the AI scene with the launch of desktop Copilot AI features in 2023 and Copilot+ PCs in 2024, but it has done little with that advantage. The full release of macOS Golden Gate is still a few weeks away, but the public beta already features polished, practical Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features. Here are the top three ways in which Apple has taken the lead.
1. Siri Lives Inside macOS—Copilot Is Just a Glorified Web App
The AI-powered Siri is a core part of macOS and offers unique capabilities. It can take actions across a wide variety of apps, so you can initiate phone calls, send emails, play podcasts, and more. By contrast, Copilot is merely a web-based app Microsoft includes with Windows 11. You can replace Copilot with other AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Claude, and get a similar experience.
In macOS Golden Gate, context menus also have an Ask Siri option. You can select text in nearly any app, Cmd-click it, select Ask Siri, and ask for a summary. Siri can also help you generate text wherever you come across a text box.
Windows has no comparable system-wide Copilot integration. Copilot+ PCs have a Click to Do feature, but it uses relatively weak local AI models and effectively just saves you the trouble of having to copy and paste images and text into a Copilot chatbot window. The Copilot Vision feature, which lets you conduct real-time voice conversations about what's on your screen, is more intriguing, but it still lacks the depth of Siri's capabilities.
Device control is another major disappointment with Copilot. In 2023, Microsoft promoted Copilot's ability to change system settings, such as activating dark mode. However, it eventually removed these Cortana-like elements and subsequently released several Copilot apps, each with distinct features. The current iteration still lacks the ability to change Windows settings.
When I prompt Copilot to “turn on dark mode,” it informs me that it can't modify settings on my device. Siri, however, immediately turns it on.
2. Siri Search Indexing Beats Windows Recall's Screenshot Gimmick
In macOS Golden Gate, the new AI-powered Siri can pull answers from your data, including your emails, files, messages, and even your browser bookmarks and Safari history. If you’re trying to recall something you recently saw on your Mac, Apple’s AI can likely retrieve it based on a quick natural language request.
For its part, Windows offers Recall, the original (and highly controversial) headline feature for Copilot+ PCs. Recall effectively takes screenshots every five seconds, capturing a recorded history of your PC usage. Then, you can use an on-device language model to ask questions about your activities.
Controversy aside, Recall just doesn’t work well. It searches only the screenshots it takes on your PC, so emails and messages you haven't checked won't appear. And it might not be quick enough to save a web page if you move off it after fewer than five seconds. The AI model that powers Recall’s search feature never felt particularly sophisticated, either.
Recall is the perfect example of Microsoft's failed efforts. Apple’s AI tool can access far more information and works seamlessly with Siri. Recall works just from screenshots and doesn't interact with Copilot at all. Siri AI is available on far more hardware, too. Moreover, Apple representatives readily discuss Siri AI in public, whereas no Microsoft representative I’ve spoken to in the last year has even brought up Recall, either in public or private meetings I've had.
3. Apple Focuses on Daily Utility While Microsoft Chases Overcomplicated Agents
At WWDC, Apple pitched the new Siri as a more useful assistant that first and foremost helps you accomplish tasks, rather than something that delivers bleeding-edge features of dubious utility. Apple demonstrated by asking Siri to find specific photos from an iCloud Photos library.
Microsoft took the opposite approach. At Build, the company focused heavily on OpenClaw during the keynote, announcing a native open-source tool for Windows. In my recent testing of the OpenClaw app, I found it extremely complex. Microsoft employees believe AI agents are the future of the OS, but I'm less sure about that than ever. The Windows team hasn't announced more practical Copilot features as part of its new development approach.
The Desktop AI Revolution Finally Arrived—Just Not on Windows
Of course, Siri AI is only half the story. Apple Intelligence encompasses a staggering number of AI features, too, all without equivalents on Windows. For example, you can build a hotkey app from scratch, confidently vibe code browser extensions in Safari, create complex custom automations in Shortcuts, and reframe or extend photos.
On Windows, you get a handful of minor Copilot features, but they're largely forgettable. A year ago, I asked where the AI revolution Microsoft promised was after extensive testing of Copilot+ PCs. Now, I know the answer: It's arriving on macOS.
About Our Expert
I've been writing about technology for more than 15 years and using it in earnest for over twice as long. As a member of PCMag's software team, I focus on Windows coverage, but also write about other key desktop operating systems and system apps. (I used Windows 3.1 upon its release and have followed every subsequent release closely).
Prior to joining PCMag, I wrote for How-To Geek starting in 2011, and my articles amassed over a billion page views. I went on to run the publication as editor-in-chief for four and a half years. I have also contributed to Computerworld, Fast Company, PCWorld, Reader's Digest, The New York Times, and many other outlets about everything from AI to PC hardware to Windows. I founded and ran my own direct-to-reader Windows-focused newsletters, Windows Intelligence and The Windows ReadMe, working in partnership with Thurrott.com.
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