I've used Apple computers intermittently in the past but never as my daily computer. That changed two months ago when my decade-old desktop crashed and burned. I had purchased a MacBook Air earlier this year and since my Windows machine quit working in October I've been using my Mac (with an external monitor and keyboard/mouse setup). I have found using the Mac OS to be interesting. This is mostly meant to be a compliment, though I will admit some aspects of the operating system are pretty goofy.
The reason why I even bought a Mac is because I wanted a laptop. We are way beyond the point where you need a 20 pound laptop if you want it to substitute as a desktop as well. My MacBook Air weighs less than 2 pounds and it easily works as a solid desktop computer for my needs on a day to day basis. I just wanted a simple, traditional laptop. Just like how I don't want a cell phone that is the size of a notepad, I don't want a laptop with a screen that is touch and can be removed. That basically eliminates all Windows laptops as the overwhelming majority of them have these bells and whistles to play to Windows 8's strengths. Plus the MacBook Air gets great ratings for the price so I decided to go with it. (P.S. every time I complain about touchscreens and large cell phones I feel like such an old foggy as I am obviously in the minority about this as the market is clearly already in this direction.)
The Mac OS is simple and sleek to view. It is a UNIX-based OS which is pretty evident in its appearance. It looks and behaves similarly to other UNIX-based Linux systems I've used (most recently Ubuntu). It is quick and stable. It integrates well with the iPhone. You rarely have to navigate file trees to find your files because the spotlight search is amazing. Sometimes when I search for a file it will pull up old emails that I sent years ago. It is actually a little scary if you think about it. Programs and peripherals seem to work immediately and the way you'd think they would - everything is very intuitive.
Most of the complaints that I have with the OS are somewhat petty. The screensaver frequently defaults to the National Geographic screensaver that comes with the computer. No matter how many times you change it, it goes right back. This is a well documented issue on their forums. One time my desktop background changed on its own. The mouse I was using worked fine with the laptop monitor but once I got my external monitor (a 24" monitor I got for $115 on Newegg. I have no idea why I didn't get a bigger monitor years ago) the mouse movement was at times quite jerky. Interestingly, I started using a different mouse and so far it has worked fine. The longer I use the OS the more nit-picky items get added to the list of cons with the OS. So far they are minor, but it is confusing to me how such a polished and largely used OS could have such goofy problems.
One of the reasons why I was able to adapt to the Mac OS so quickly from Windows is that it really is very similar to Ubuntu. The UNIX/Linux heritage seems pretty evident to me. It is like a polished Ubuntu in many aspects. However, Ubuntu never did the goofy things I mentioned above. In some aspects I think Ubuntu might actually be a better OS. The trouble is if you want to do anything outside of the most basic computing tasks it is a major hassle. So here I am with the Mac OS. Maybe the best of both Linux and Windows combined into one system.