I think it really depends on the type of user you are. For some people I think 🍎 Apple is perfect. People who don't like to tinker or adjust anything and like for everything to just work and be simple. Those people who keep their devices for a long time and don't care about features Apple is perfect.
I think like a lot of things Apple does there is more marketing than truth. When it comes to the environment they say how green they are yet they manufacture almost everything in China where they run coal plants to get electricity and where companies there don't have to abide by any environmental standards. The companies that operate in China are at least partly state owned and run. Apple says that the aluminum is recycled and there are no harmful chemicals used in manufacturing but who can verify any of it? Also now with Apple silicon there are basically NO user upgradable or repairable parts. That can't be good for the environment.
Privacy is another issue where they talk a good talk but they almost installed a back door into every Apple product under the guise of scanning for CSAM. The fact remains no matter the reason it was a huge privacy and security hole they were going to implement until they had push back. They have been caught with using information on your app preferences and not just Apple apps even when the user asked not to be tracked.
Google isn't great in terms of privacy but at least they are up front about it and most of the code in Android is open source so it can be audited.
To be honest I am rather disappointed with the Windows as a service model Microsoft has implemented. I would much rather it return to the pay for play model they had in the past. I don't like subscription services for everything. Let me buy the software and be done with it. I feel like Windows is turning into Meta and I don't like it.
It seems we are all being monitored all the time no matter what OS you use. Google seems like the most secure. Privacy seems to be more a marketing ploy and illusion these days.
Apple has consistently become more anti consumer and purposely locks their customers into their ecosystem. They could open their ecosystem up to play nice and be more interoperable but instead they take every opportunity to do the opposite. I get that a lot of people feel it makes sense from a business perspective but it is still a crap thing to do and I don't agree it is good for their business model. Exposure into new markets by software penetration could make not locking customers in a wash or they might even gain more customers than they would lose.
So I don't try to like Apple or buy into their ecosystem. But I am not there typical user. I like to tinker. I like to use multiple platforms just to understand how they work and I loath when a company tries to lock me down. There was a time when I hated Microsoft because of there anti competition antics with Linux. Microsoft has come a long way and plays a lot nicer now. Microsoft still has WAY TOO much telemetry and tracking built into Windows but if you know what to do, you can turn it mostly all off.
I don't buy into any corporation or believe that any of them are on my side. I don't believe that I am a Windows guy or an Apple guy, etc. I don't stand up for Apple or Microsoft or Google, etc. I use what I like because I like using it until I don't and I move on. Anyone who claims one way of doing anything is superior is naive at best and simply wants to justify their choices to make them feel superior to others.
Use what you like. Switch things around every so often. Don't get stuck in any "ecosystem" because as soon as you do, you have lost your freedom. Think for yourself and as Apple would say think differently. Everyone has such a group think and wants to be in the "popular" group.
At the end of the day I love my family and pets. I enjoy using tech but I don't love any tech company. I generally deal with their BS so I can use their stuff competently.
If you love Apple and enjoy their products I have nothing to criticize you for. I am just past the days of loving companies.
What I do appreciate is how I am treated by the company when something goes wrong and how easy or difficult they make it for me to buy and use their products. One of the reasons I like Samsung is the fact that I have had good experiences with them when things went south. I had to fight a bit for it but generally they have been fair and compensated me to a point where I am incentivised to buy their products again. As long as they continue to do so I will continue to be their customer. Apple has been similar for me mostly. Google on the other hand has not been so gracious when you have a problem with their hardware or software. So I tend to prefer Apple and Samsung for their customer service. HP has also been good when pressed.
