We all assume too much, and it is good to remain vigilant. I took you as one of the many trolls throwing shade at Apple, but I was wrong.
Well, every device I have is from Apple - minus some ancient PC's in storage.
And I just dropped $6,000 on a new laptop, $1,500+ on a new iPhone, $1,500 on a new iPad, and more from Apple this summer, so I'd say that I'm pretty loyal to Apple.
At the same time, the quality of products isn't what it used to be. (Have had brand new devices fail or be DOA, and had things like logic boards die in a year.)
I also am not crazy about some of the decisions / directions Apple is taking - and am not alone.
But in the end, Apple is the best show in town, hands down.
And I use Apple mostly for it's "platform" (i.e. OS) more than its hardware. (I could stomach Windows in 2000, but I think it is horrendous in recent years - and I have to deal with it on my work laptop.)
In the end, I like Apple's products, ut also know that Tim Cook's (and the shareholders) interests are not always in my best interest.
And I am rightly so freaked out about privacy - including AI.
So I am cautious and skeptical of all things technology, even though I rely heavily on technology to work.
Apple is just a big tech company, but they did make a bet that privacy is one of there commercial differentiators.
It is a smart investment if they keep it up.
Of course, I have trusted my bank, my health insurance company, my medical providers, my insurance company, my employers, my telephone company, etc and they have all let me down.
If you can't trust the gov't, banks, health industry, tele company, etc to protect your data, how can you trust Apple?
We need major regulation in the U.S. - which even surpasses what the EU has - to protect people's data.
After Nov. 5, that ain't gonna happen anytime soon...
In the mean time, I remain skeptical and vigilant, but understand that I also gave Apple over $10,000 of my personal $$$ this summer, so I'd like to think I've earned the right to complain or at least scrutinize! ;-)
If it ever would come out they sell your info... it would be game over (at least for me). That's why they put out the challenge that independent reviewers can audit them on it.
Fair enough.
Once more: enjoy your iPhones
Oh, I get my mileage out of all of my Apple products!!
Won't say that I beat them, but my old laptop and my iPhone 11 Pro Max certainly show their use! (Both have been to like 48 states with me.)
Hopefully all of these investments will pay off in 2025 and start making me some money!
But for someone who hates smartphones - and smartphone culture - it was a real blessing when my DSLR dies 6 years ago and I got the idea that maybe I could use my never opened iPhone for photography.
That really open doors for me, and has been awesome for street journalism!
