While I grant there are a lot of things that are a difference in conventions, there are just some conventions are also plain bad in Apple that they hold onto.
For example, there's no reason Apple can't offer modern features like screen pinning or window previews. Running multiple monitors on a Apple product is an embarrassingly bad experience still in 2024. Installing an application is goofy and antiquated.
There is also some ghastly bad UX hidden in OSX, like having to hold down Option to view some hidden settings (shudder).
I would argue that Windows has introduced some pretty stark changes to their conventions over the years, mostly around how to repackage an increasing number of settings and features. Where it feels like Apple just intentionally refuses to add features so it doesn't have to deal with the same types of reorganizations.
I think it’s still largely subjective and depends on the user.
For instance I find the multimonitor situation on Windows entirely unserviceable and far worse than what macOS has going. Its inability to have separate sets of virtual desktops per monitor or to switch desktops on each monitor independently is just embarrassing… macOS has had this since the mid-00s and Linux DEs even earlier. On my Macs I just assign apps to their respective desktops and everything is smooth sailing.
As for app installation, disk images are a bit weird it’s true, but I’ll take copying an app package to /Applications/ over running an install wizard or script that wants admin priveleges and is doing goodness knows what. If I were in Apple’s shoes I’d take that bit further and require binary packages for end-user-facing applications to be entirely self-contained, with an exception made for ~/Library/Application Support/<appname>/ which they can use to downloading plugins, scratch space, etc.
Hiding menu items behind key presses isn’t optimal but between the extremes of overloading menus with less-used items or eliminating menus entirely (The GNOME Way™) I’ll take it.
For example, there's no reason Apple can't offer modern features like screen pinning or window previews. Running multiple monitors on a Apple product is an embarrassingly bad experience still in 2024. Installing an application is goofy and antiquated.
There is also some ghastly bad UX hidden in OSX, like having to hold down Option to view some hidden settings (shudder).
I would argue that Windows has introduced some pretty stark changes to their conventions over the years, mostly around how to repackage an increasing number of settings and features. Where it feels like Apple just intentionally refuses to add features so it doesn't have to deal with the same types of reorganizations.