Your sarcasm means nothing, Donna. It is ignorance on parade from someone who doesn't know what she is talking about. I am a cross platform consultant and do know what I am talking about. I use my Mac in supporting my clients who use multiple platforms.
Try using an Apple product before you criticize that which you know nothing about except what you hear from others who also do not use the products and know nothing about them repeating their ignorance. You just create an echo chamber of ignorance.
Apple computers are certified and trademarked UNIX™ computers, and every user is a couple of keystrokes away from a UNIX™ terminal which gives them far more control of their computers than the vast majority of Windows computer users have of their computers.
Those Apple computers can run FAR more software than Windows computers can run. My Apple Mac runs SEVEN operating systems, and in fact can run them simultaneously. I currently run UNIX™, Mac OS X.10.10, Windows XP, Windows 7, and Window 8,1, and two versions of Linux. Apple computers can access and use industry standard peripherals. I can also run all the software for those operating systems plus more. I have several more boots sectors set up for Windows DOS, THEOS, Amiga, and even Commodore 64/128 if I should need to run them to support my clients, and the Mac will run them. That is NOT proprietary, Donna. . . nor locked down as you seem to think.
As for hardware, contrary to your claims, there is nothing "proprietary" about the peripherals Apple Macs use. Apple's have a far better "plug and play" than you can find on any other platform, most often never requiring a manufacturers' drivers for installation of printers, cameras, etc. With a Mac, you do simply just plug the vast majority of peripherals in and they really do just work.
The whole point of Apple's philosophy of their equipment and OS is that users can work WITH their computers and devices and not be perpetually working ON their computers and devices, merely to get them to work properly at all. . . that the OS gets out of the way and assists them only when necessary and does not obtrusively insert itself into the process.
The best description I have ever seen of the differences between Windows and OS X is this:
Microsoft Windows is a frenetic boy scout, doing good deeds, but insisting on telling you when ever he's done one and demanding appreciation; Apple Mac OS X is an English Butler, who silently appears at your side, providing exactly what you need, exactly when you need it, and then disappears, until you need him again.
Therein lies all the difference.
That wasn’t sarcasm, it was obedience.
What version of Windows are the small minority of users that do have that kind of control running?