Changing from Apple's ecosystem to, say, Linux and Android

[Forkjulle]

This is mostly a thought experiment, but I'd like to read comments.

Let's say you use all Apple devices and are plugged into Apple's ecosystem, like iCloud and photos etc, using all Apple's native apps such as Maps and Reminders etc. The beauty of Apple is how everything is connected and integrated.

Let's say I decide to go with Ubuntu desktop and Android mobile. My guess is that everything would rely more on Google's ecosystem, and still maintain a fairly slick appearance. Or am I wrong?

Basically, is there a comparable ecosystem (on both desktop and mobile) to Apple's, in terms of design and functionality?

 

[flybub]

You could probably make it work but I don't think it would be the same as apple. As far as continuity goes I don't believe Google can match that. There is always pushbullet which is an app that allows you to send and receive texts from your computer but I don't think it works with group messages. I can start something in Google sheets or Google docs on my phone and continue where I left off with my pc. Not sure if it works offline however. If I had to guess, probably not.

There are always tradeoffs unfortunately. I love the freedom of Google ecosystem but I still think it's a hot mess to be honest. To me it feels as though they get rolling on a project then they find something else interesting to do and leave it unfinished.

 

[Forkjulle]

You could probably make it work but I don't think it would be the same as apple. As far as continuity goes I don't believe Google can match that. There is always pushbullet which is an app that allows you to send and receive texts from your computer but I don't think it works with group messages. I can start something in Google sheets or Google docs on my phone and continue where I left off with my pc. Not sure if it works offline however. If I had to guess, probably not.

There are always tradeoffs unfortunately. I love the freedom of Google ecosystem but I still think it's a hot mess to be honest. To me it feels as though they get rolling on a project then they find something else interesting to do and leave it unfinished.

I get that feeling too. Look at Gmail and Inbox, for example. I just wish Apple Maps were on par with Google Maps. Then I'd be a happy chappy, since I'd rely on no Google products.

 

[youradhere4222]

This is mostly a thought experiment, but I'd like to read comments.

Let's say you use all Apple devices and are plugged into Apple's ecosystem, like iCloud and photos etc, using all Apple's native apps such as Maps and Reminders etc. The beauty of Apple is how everything is connected and integrated.

Let's say I decide to go with Ubuntu desktop and Android mobile. My guess is that everything would rely more on Google's ecosystem, and still maintain a fairly slick appearance. Or am I wrong?

Basically, is there a comparable ecosystem (on both desktop and mobile) to Apple's, in terms of design and functionality?

I own a MBP and iPhone and recently switched to Android. I didn't think it was that difficult because Google makes apps that work on iOS and OS X, like Drive, Gmail, etc.

The only thing that was difficult for me was iMessage.

 

[flybub]

I own a MBP and iPhone and recently switched to Android. I didn't think it was that difficult because Google makes apps that work on iOS and OS X, like Drive, Gmail, etc.

The only thing that was difficult for me was iMessage.

I miss imessage as well. With 3 kids at home my wife will sometimes shoot me a video and with imessage it was great, but once I went to Android it came through mms and was compressed causing the video to look like crap. She doesn't have a Google account so she couldn't send it through hangouts. Contrary to what other people think, I like the look of iOS 8 but where apple screwed up was the specs of the 6 plus. It needed to have a bit more beef to it when it came to internals, but still a great device. I am looking forward to this year's models but I'm content on Android for now.

 

[sracer]

This is mostly a thought experiment, but I'd like to read comments.

Let's say you use all Apple devices and are plugged into Apple's ecosystem, like iCloud and photos etc, using all Apple's native apps such as Maps and Reminders etc. The beauty of Apple is how everything is connected and integrated.

Depending upon your workflow and use cases, Apple's connected and integrated capabilities are not very useful. If you find Apple's ecosystem acceptable, then you'll have no problem with an Android-based solution.

Let's say I decide to go with Ubuntu desktop and Android mobile. My guess is that everything would rely more on Google's ecosystem, and still maintain a fairly slick appearance. Or am I wrong?

Basically, is there a comparable ecosystem (on both desktop and mobile) to Apple's, in terms of design and functionality?

It all depends upon what you do. My desktop/mobile computing consists of an iMac and Macbook Air, but I've migrated my phone from an iPhone to an Android phone (Sharp Aquos Crystal), and migrating my tablet usage from an iPad to Android tablet (Windows tablet in a pinch).

By using cross-platform software and applications that can inter-operate with a common data source, I can easily and smoothly shift my work from the iMac to MBA to Android tablet to Windows.