In computing and digital photography, the term platform refers to the specific type of computer system and operating environment on which software applications, hardware drivers, and peripheral devices operate. The two dominant computing platforms encountered in photographic practice are the Apple Macintosh platform, running the macOS operating system, and the Windows PC platform, running Microsoft's Windows operating system. While both platforms are capable of running professional photographic software and connecting to the full range of photographic peripherals, they are fundamentally different in their underlying architecture, operating systems, file systems, and software ecosystems, and software and hardware designed for one platform cannot generally be used on the other without specific compatibility provisions.
The distinction between platforms has historically been an important practical consideration for photographers, as the software applications, device drivers, and hardware accessories required to operate cameras, scanners, printers, and other photographic peripherals must be specifically written or compiled for the target platform to function correctly. A driver or software application written for the Windows platform will not run on a Mac, and vice versa, meaning that manufacturers of photographic peripherals must develop and maintain separate versions of their software for each platform they wish to support.
Recognising the need to support photographers working on both major platforms, most manufacturers of photographic peripherals including cameras, scanners, and printers supply their products with dual platform installation media - typically a CD-ROM or download package containing separate software installers and drivers for both Mac and Windows - allowing the same physical hardware product to be used with either type of computer by installing the appropriate platform specific software. This dual platform support has become a standard expectation for consumer and professional photographic hardware, and products that support only a single platform are increasingly rare in the mainstream market.
The advent and widespread adoption of the USB interface has further simplified cross-platform compatibility for many photographic devices, as USB is a hardware standard supported natively by both Mac and Windows operating systems at the hardware level. Many basic USB devices including cameras used in mass storage mode, card readers, and certain printers can be connected and used on either platform without the need for separate platform specific drivers, relying instead on the built in USB support of the operating system. More complex devices requiring advanced functionality, specific image transfer protocols, or proprietary control software continue to require platform specific driver and software installation, but the growing native USB compatibility of both platforms has significantly reduced the platform dependency of photographic hardware connectivity in practice.