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Calendar and Event Management

This comparison has been updated for Windows Vista and moved to our new website Mac vs. Windows

Overview

Calendaring features include the ability to schedule events, share calendars with other users, and synchronize calendars with mobile devices.

Mac OS X

iCal is the calendaring application that comes with OS X.


iCal's main window

Calendars can be shared across the Internet. Users can receive special calendars from Apple's Calendar Library. Users can publish their calendars to WebDAV servers (or, with a paid .Mac account, to their .Mac site). Calendars can be synched to mobile devices such as Palm or iPod. iCal does not interoperate with Exchange calendars (OS X users who need interoperability with Exchange calendars can purchase GroupCal, $54.95).

Windows XP

There is no built-in calender solution bundled with XP. Microsoft offers free MSN and Hotmail accounts to users and they include the online MSN Calendar tool. Many other freeware, opensource, and commercial options are available as well.

Microsoft also supplies a calendar as part of Microsoft Outlook; Outlook is a component of all versions of MS Office. Outlook is also distributed standalone as part of the Client Access License with Exchange Server or MS Small Business Server (includes Exchange). A calendar is also available in Microsoft Works, which is bundled with many inexpensive to moderately priced consumer PCs.

Conclusion

iCal's features will suffice most average home users. Microsoft offers multiple calendar tools, but none are included as part of Windows XP.

Mac OS X: 8
Windows XP: 1

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