As a fellow fence sitter I am enjoying this thread. I've been 100% Apple since 2007. I was "all in" all the way down to my media purchases and even cloud storage.
2016 was the year I really became disenchanted with Apple. 2017 was my "let's give it one more year". I doubled down and upgraded all my 4+ yr old Apple hardware. I even moved all my files to iCloud, etc. Still, I'm considering getting out.
iOS 11 with it's many bugs and focus on the wrong type of sw developments (IMO) have felt like steps backward (Apple Pay and ARkit are cool but I am referring to the dumbing down of everything, removing power user features and then replacing this with iMessage Apps and p00p emoji's?? This clearly may be my sign to leave). I am honestly just tired of the iOS look. Furthermore, the constant price increases feel like Apple taking advantage of people like me who were "all in" and were traditionally willing to pay. The new laptop is nice but donglemania cost me another $150. If I didn't get it on a major close out pricing, I'd feel gypped. It's beginning to feel like you wait and wait for the next Apple thing, only to be let down. This might be a side effect of years of Apple conditioning and my drug of choice no longer cutting it, but I've started exporting alternates.
Router .... replaced the Airports with Google Wifi. They work fine and was an easy transition. WiFi is faster (Wave 2) and you get a few added parental features which are nice. Tried Ubiquiti as well. Pro set up but overkill for the home user.
Computer .... 2016 rMBP is my main but I have a Surface Pro from work. Overall, it's very nice and feels innovative. It's disappointing to see the inconsistent GUI elements but overall, not a terrible device. It's a great travel companion however, a little less convenient / comfortable to use on the couch than a tablet. I'd have to do a long term test drive but first impressions are good.
Phone .... iPhone X and a Pixel 2. I've had every iPhone and the X truly feels evolutionary. Its a worthy 10 year anniversary device. Period. I love the fact that it has a screen as large as the Plus but in a smaller size. The notch is no big deal. People are reaching on that one. To me, FaceID is the only complaint. Mine seems to have gotten slower over time (could also be me getting more lazy interacting with it). I have a Pixel 2 for a tester and it too is a nice phone and would be fine for a daily driver. The camera is great. I am no photographer so I am not super critical. I just find that I like the look of the photos shot on Pixel over the X. Very sharp. Good low light performance.
My biggest Android complaint and what I find is a barrier to moving is ad-blocking. It is simply infuriating on stock Chrome. Safari is a major plus for the Apple camp. iMessage I can live without. FaceTime has a worthy equal with Duo.
For the Watch - I have a S2 AW. I like the functionality but hate the square look. Always have. I am waiting to see what Garmin shows at CES. A mid-range rumored 645 may do the trick. The Vivoactive 3 has too many complaints right now to consider. Fitibit (not waterproof and no Healthkit) is a non-starter. I think those guys, long term, are done for. If Garmin nails it on their next release, bye bye Apple Watch.
Music & Media .... using Apple Music. I've sampled Google and Amazon. To my ears, Apple Music sound quality seemed better. Still, with all the perks Google Music offers, $ to $ you get a lot and I may still switch. Its small but I really like the lyrics feature in AM. The other hook here is how well Apple Music integrates with their HW. If you are keeping your Apple HW, you should probably just use Apple's SW (applies to music, maps, CarKit, HomeKit.) For Media purchases, I was all iTunes. I am not thrilled about starting over and this is one area where I feel locked in.
Home Automation .... I was all HomeKit and honestly, it works great but you need to have an AppleTV or iPad (again Apple with the up-selling). I wasn't that interested in Google Home or Alexa but received a mini for Christmas. Its ahead of Siri and the list of automations tie in's look great. I can easily transition here.
Car .... None. My car has a proprietary system. One thing I will say is there are more menu items available on it when plugging in an iOS device vs Android. Still, bluetooth sound quality is about the same.
TV .... my TV has Android and Chromecast built in. It works OK but the apps can sometimes freeze up. I got an Apple TV 4K for Christmas and it's been a PITA. HDMI cables and receiver were not compatible and it was largely a DIY process to figure out. Solved that but now I have other issues. The ATV 4k is slower than the ATV4 it replaced. How do you mess this up?? It frequently has weird picture issues, refuses to sleep and takes 2-3 seconds to transition between apps. It feels like the eptiome of Apple these days > good idea but beta quality feel and execution. One cool feature of ATV is some of your iOS games will transfer. Great for little kids and casual games. Also, if you are using HomeKit and iTunes, the ATV is a great home hub. However the experience of upgrading to the 4k took away all the shine and goodwill. Now I am considering ditching the whole system and going Xbox One X for apps and 4k. I can always use the built in Chromecast as fallback.
Tablets .... iPad Pro. Though I feel the Pro isn't necessary. I also have the pencil and it lays in the drawer 99.99% of the time. Could've saved $300 here. Still, I dont see a good alternative to the iPad.
The other Apple product I currently love and can't find a worthy replacement? AirPods.
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Messages and Find My Friends (for my kids) are 2 services that I miss dearly every time I try Android.
Find my Friends is a pretty big draw for me as well. I am all about native apps and dont like 3rd party redundancy. I thought FmF would be a problem until someone else pointed out you can have the same thing native in Google Maps.
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Photos is a joke at this point, but I don't know where else to go. You can't transfer your Photos library to a NAS and continue to use it. Photos does not play well with any other program. This is a great example of Apple locking you into their platform. I would have to export 1000's and 1000's of photos to use other platforms or programs.
I know I'm playing pusher here but Google Photos is a very good alternative. You can do a one-time raw export of Apple Photos and then upload to Google. It does take a while to process but once in, it's a nice app to use. I also have a Synology NAS which has some decent alternatives / clones to Dropbox, One Drive, Google Apps and Photos. They're not flawless but pretty good for a NAS OEM.
