Do we really need Apple products?

[Bokka]

The question in the title came to me while I was replying to a user on the forum a few days ago. I currently own an iPhone 14, I have had a MacBook Air, an iPhone 11, an old iPad air (1st generation) and for some time I also tried a MacBook PRO M1 and to top it off I currently have an iCloud+ plan.
All very beautiful devices... and expensive, but this is already known from the start.

In this period, however, I had to deal, both at work and at home, with a Motorola Edge 40, a Windows laptop (LG GRAM) and an old Samsung A6 tablet.

Well, I saw a different world, not necessarily better, but certainly very efficient.
I don't use voice commands much and, frankly, the really trivial things I ask SIRI like setting a timer or a reminder always work without problems. But Google Assistant for other things (such as playing a certain video on YouTube) is much further ahead and already integrated into Android smartphones.
I find the Google calendar clearer than the Apple one, given that already on the main screen I not only have the dots on the days when I have a commitment, but I actually see what I have to do written down, perhaps not in extended form but certainly you understand what's going on. 'is written.

As far as photos are concerned, Google is simply another dimension, with the possibility of automatic retouching based on AI and various options, but last but not least I appreciated the possibility of searching for photos based on the description already on the site, which I can do on the iPhone. do only on the device and not on iCloud in the browser. Google Drive and iCloud Drive on the other hand are (at least according to my needs) comparable.

Also using a Windows laptop I found that compared to the past it is possible to synchronize both the Google and Apple calendars without problems, unfortunately I was not able to synchronize the notes and reminders because there is no specific application (but this was to be expected) .

I find Google Keep more practical to use than Apple's Notes, even if the latter has the advantage of being able to directly scan documents and password-protect the most important ones.

Let's now move on to macOS, an operating system that I must say I really like. I would like to point out that with my many years of experience, I have never had incredible problems with Windows (and I am speaking to you as a user of Microsoft products since the days of DOS 5 + Windows 3.1). Obviously there have been some problems, but personally I have always managed to solve them in some way (when I used the PC only for leisure and not for work I formatted it and off I went!).
MacOS is certainly pleasant to use, perhaps in some aspects a little more wooden than Windows, but more pleasant. It's a shame that to write on NTFS partitions you have to use paid tools and that with a Macbook, if I have an old external hard disk or a USB stick I have to use an adapter (which I personally don't find so terrible, given that they are peripherals that I use it once in a while). But we certainly can't say that in a certain sense it is more practical than Windows, because on balance it isn't.
Safari did not save the username and password for the portal of the company where my partner works, forcing her to enter them every time (which on any other browser, for example Edge, works without problems), QuickTime is currently the most useless player I have used had to deal with it and in fact you are forced to install VLC, while Windows Media Player, at least in the latest versions, can read many formats, making the installation of players with VLC useless, at least for my use.

Then of course, I have no doubt that I have never found a panel as beautiful, pleasant to use and defined as that of a MacBook on a Windows laptop, except on models that cost much more than a Macbook, the same thing goes for high autonomy, a field in which I have currently found no competitor.

I find the iOS interface simply wonderful, with always consistent shapes, transparencies and colors, certainly much more pleasant to use than that of Android.

So, can someone with a good heart explain to me at this point why I continue to buy Apple products if they are not intended for purely professional use?

 

[Basic75]

So, can someone with a good heart explain to me at this point why I continue to buy Apple products if they are not intended for purely professional use?

Why? Buy what you want.

 

[fanboy-ish]

My personal experience.

Do I need Apple products? No, I don't.

For my computing needs I could easily switch to Linux and I'd be able to do the same things, the only difference is that now I'm used to the quality of Apple's keyboards and trackpads but, as far as software goes, no, I don't need macOS, or any paid software for that matter.

I'd probably be able to function with a cheaper Android phone, my experience would definitely be worse, but I'd still be able to carry out my daily activities; maybe, considering that, as a side gig I'm a social media manager, a cheaper phone would produce lower quality photos than my iPhone 14 Pro, and I'd lose access to the convenience of AirDrop, which is a godsend for me, so that's probably the only reason I'd need the iPhone.

My iPad is, for me, the least useful device I have, it's just a toy I bought to spoil myself.

My Apple Watch is now basically a glorified sleep tracker, still, extremely valuable for my health condition, also considering the emergency, SOS stuff and fall detection.

I choose to use these products, first of all because I can afford them, secondly to have a better experience (I tried using very recent, flagship Samsung phones, and still hate Android).

As for services, I find Apple Music better than Spotify, in my very personal experience, Apple Music sounds better and - I tried Spotify in the past - it has always given me better suggestions, I use iCloud because it's seamless across my devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch).

 

[floral]

I have had this sort of question in my mind for a while. I mean, the cheapest laptop you can buy from apple, produced 3 years ago and has their worst silicon chip (M1 MacBook Air), still costs $1000. Meaning you're paying $1000 for the Apple equivalent of a core i3, of which you could buy in a laptop for less than $400. Why the big price??

 

[MBAir2010]

OP:

well i sure do!

oh: taken with that ol iPhone 12 mini, blue

 

[antiprotest]

If you are talking yourself out of Apple products, it is not our responsibility to talk you back, and probably most of us have no interest to.

Moreover, you posed the question, "Do WE really need Apple products?" as if asking for all of us, but then you proceeded to describe your highly specific situations and preferences.

So the whole thing seems silly and irrelevant.

 

[QuarterSwede]

For me it’s pretty easy, I use Windows in the work world because of Office integration (and, well, my company buys all the tech) and Apple in my personal life because of its ecosystem and it’s maintenance free. Plus, while the iPad is boring, it flat out works in all situations better than any Android tablet we’ve tried and vehemently hated since it tends to delete media and not work on Airplanes when it’s critical that it does.

I’ve found, that while I like my work issued Ryzen 5000 laptop more than I thought I would, it’s not nearly as quick or stress free as the M series MacBooks. I’d say it’s almost as good as Apple’s last Intel line.

It has a nasty habit of not waking from sleep even while plugged in and takes probably 15 seconds to come back to life. Sounds picky until you’ve delt with it doing that a few times a day when an employee is waiting for information. But that’s part of the x86/Windows laptop world honestly.

So my personal preference comes down to death by a thousand paper cuts. You don’t need Apple anything but it sure is nicer day to day and minute by minute. All that adds up to a much better experience overall.

 

[MisterSavage]

It is possible to use both. I have a Chromebook I travel with as an alternative to lugging around my painfully expensive Macbook when I don't need to get any work done.

 

[MBAir2010]

is there another electronic company

that produces this elegant and visual pleasing products?

 

[Reggaenald]

is there another electronic company View attachment 2322427 that produces this elegant and visual pleasing products?

when you rearrange your desk just to post another photo of your Apple collection in the same thread.

 

[MBAir2010]

yes

when you rearrange your desk just to post another photo of your Apple collection in the same thread.

sireee!

 

[heretiq]

The question in the title came to me while I was replying to a user on the forum a few days ago. I currently own an iPhone 14, I have had a MacBook Air, an iPhone 11, an old iPad air (1st generation) and for some time I also tried a MacBook PRO M1 and to top it off I currently have an iCloud+ plan.
All very beautiful devices... and expensive, but this is already known from the start.

In this period, however, I had to deal, both at work and at home, with a Motorola Edge 40, a Windows laptop (LG GRAM) and an old Samsung A6 tablet.

Well, I saw a different world, not necessarily better, but certainly very efficient.
I don't use voice commands much and, frankly, the really trivial things I ask SIRI like setting a timer or a reminder always work without problems. But Google Assistant for other things (such as playing a certain video on YouTube) is much further ahead and already integrated into Android smartphones.
I find the Google calendar clearer than the Apple one, given that already on the main screen I not only have the dots on the days when I have a commitment, but I actually see what I have to do written down, perhaps not in extended form but certainly you understand what's going on. 'is written.

As far as photos are concerned, Google is simply another dimension, with the possibility of automatic retouching based on AI and various options, but last but not least I appreciated the possibility of searching for photos based on the description already on the site, which I can do on the iPhone. do only on the device and not on iCloud in the browser. Google Drive and iCloud Drive on the other hand are (at least according to my needs) comparable.

Also using a Windows laptop I found that compared to the past it is possible to synchronize both the Google and Apple calendars without problems, unfortunately I was not able to synchronize the notes and reminders because there is no specific application (but this was to be expected) .

I find Google Keep more practical to use than Apple's Notes, even if the latter has the advantage of being able to directly scan documents and password-protect the most important ones.

Let's now move on to macOS, an operating system that I must say I really like. I would like to point out that with my many years of experience, I have never had incredible problems with Windows (and I am speaking to you as a user of Microsoft products since the days of DOS 5 + Windows 3.1). Obviously there have been some problems, but personally I have always managed to solve them in some way (when I used the PC only for leisure and not for work I formatted it and off I went!).
MacOS is certainly pleasant to use, perhaps in some aspects a little more wooden than Windows, but more pleasant. It's a shame that to write on NTFS partitions you have to use paid tools and that with a Macbook, if I have an old external hard disk or a USB stick I have to use an adapter (which I personally don't find so terrible, given that they are peripherals that I use it once in a while). But we certainly can't say that in a certain sense it is more practical than Windows, because on balance it isn't.
Safari did not save the username and password for the portal of the company where my partner works, forcing her to enter them every time (which on any other browser, for example Edge, works without problems), QuickTime is currently the most useless player I have used had to deal with it and in fact you are forced to install VLC, while Windows Media Player, at least in the latest versions, can read many formats, making the installation of players with VLC useless, at least for my use.

Then of course, I have no doubt that I have never found a panel as beautiful, pleasant to use and defined as that of a MacBook on a Windows laptop, except on models that cost much more than a Macbook, the same thing goes for high autonomy, a field in which I have currently found no competitor.

I find the iOS interface simply wonderful, with always consistent shapes, transparencies and colors, certainly much more pleasant to use than that of Android.

So, can someone with a good heart explain to me at this point why I continue to buy Apple products if they are not intended for purely professional use?

Simple answer: Yes, WE need Apple products.

Not because they provide superior functionality or better service (they do in some cases and fall short in others), but because WE need an alternative ecosystem that respects user privacy and sovereignty over OUR digital lives.

Sure, the tech savvy can assure their privacy on their own, but the appropriation of users digital sovereignty is an escalating arms race that the vast majority of the population can not protect themselves against. Apple provides that alternative and safety net for us.

 

[Shanghaichica]

No we don’t. We just buy them because we want them. However a bargain basement smart phone and tablet would suffice. Likewise a low end windows laptop or Chromebook would also suffice for a lot of people to get the basics done. Of course people pay for extra features or polish.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

I don't get the point of this post. We don't "need" most of this stuff, lol. Also I always take the approach of curating the best and using them together. There isn't some written rule you need to use one ecosystem exclusively. And that best can be whatever it is for you personally. Me I use Windows and Mac, for specific purposes. And within those 2 ecosystems I use them across both platform if it's available. For example MSFT 365. I just prefer that over the built in MacOS version of Office type software. Mainly because I can sync them across every single device I have. I don't use them for professional purposes. It's all for my own personal use.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I don't need Apple products. I want them and buy them because they offer (for the most part) a smooth and enjoyable user experience with support and integration that typically can't be found elsewhere.

 

[heretiq]

I don't need Apple products. I want them and buy them because they offer (for the most part) a smooth and enjoyable user experience with support and integration that typically can't be found elsewhere.

I agree with the sentiment of your post @Apple_Robert ; but I personally *need* Apple products -- they're the only practical alternative to surrendering to a corrosive, ad-driven ecosystem for me and I suspect many others. Apple is by no means blemish-free, but if Apple products did not exist the world would be a much darker place.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I agree with the sentiment of your post @Apple_Robert ; but I personally *need* Apple products -- they're the only practical alternative to surrendering to a corrosive, ad-driven ecosystem for me and I suspect many others. Apple is by no means blemish-free, but if Apple products did not exist the world would be a much darker place.

You bring up a very good point. Without Apple, I would go back to the old days as much as I could, which would mean as little time online as possible, which may not be a bad thing in moderation.

 

[Ruggy]

I have had this sort of question in my mind for a while. I mean, the cheapest laptop you can buy from apple, produced 3 years ago and has their worst silicon chip (M1 MacBook Air), still costs $1000. Meaning you're paying $1000 for the Apple equivalent of a core i3, of which you could buy in a laptop for less than $400. Why the big price??

I'm not sure where that comes from. It considerably outperforms quite high ranking i7 chips in tests, and uses way less power. Somewhere around the top 50 of the 1400 or so chips in the database at the moment.

 

[heretiq]

I have had this sort of question in my mind for a while. I mean, the cheapest laptop you can buy from apple, produced 3 years ago and has their worst silicon chip (M1 MacBook Air), still costs $1000. Meaning you're paying $1000 for the Apple equivalent of a core i3, of which you could buy in a laptop for less than $400. Why the big price??

This is absurd. Even three years later the M1 MacBook Air is amongst the leading laptops in terms of build quality, display quality, battery life, and performance for most laptop use cases. Equating the M1 MacBook Air with laptops costing less than $400 is either trolling or worse.