iPhone 8/Plus Should I buy an iPhone for better integration with Macbook?

[Suszec]

Hi there, it is my first thread here, so welcome everyone!

I have been using Macbooks at my work for some time and I absolutely enjoyed the experience, so I decided to buy Macbook Pro 2018 for myself and now I wonder if buying an iPhone is a good idea.

I never had an iPhone. Currently I have OnePlus 3 phone and I can't say that I am disappointed. Phone is extremely fast and responsive despite being over two years old. However I feel that using an iPhone would make the Macbook even more useful with tight integration between devices, inside the Apple ecosystem. Is this integration worth the investment? I don't really like the iPhone X and the new iPhones, so I am thinking about buying iPhone 8 Plus, but is it still a viable option? For this money I could get new OnePlus 6 or even 6T, which are really advanced and I like the design (matt glass is beautiful). New iPhones are horrendously expensive and in my opinion they don't offer really anything that would justify the price. Maybe I should wait until next iPhone is released and go with OnePlus for now?

What are your thoughts?

 

[Deguello]

I don’t really do much that involves both my MacBook and my iPhone. I have a couple of apps that have versions for both devices and the iCloud Keychain is nice. There’s something to be said for being able to see and respond to texts in both places and I have answered the phone on my MacBook a couple of times, but that’s about it for me.

 

[smoking monkey]

Absolutely.

The integration is pretty tight within Apple's own apps.
Messages, Keychain, Safari and Notes are the things I use the most in terms of syncing across devices.
I've taken plenty of calls on my mac as well.

 

[jpn]

The entire reason and fun of Macs and iPhones separately, is magnified 10x by using them together.

Here is a short list of the key attributes that the tight integration gives me daily:

- I copy something like a word or phrase on my phone and paste it into my Mac immediately

- the Files app on my phone allows me to access all my files on my Mac

- I do last minute edits from my phone while on the morning train commute on Keynote presentations that my colleagues and I collaborate on

- with 2 factor authentication you would know instantly if anyone is trying to access yr account

It's all really delightful and user friendly.

iCloud is a must.
Photos is a great iPhone app.
And Music syncs perfectly ( mostly ).

Never been a better time to buy an iPhone than now.
Price range is the most broad ever.

Go for it.

 

[Lyn2012]

The ability to 2 way sync over USB, use iMessage and FaceTime on both devices is for me invaluable. It is the reason I stay with an iPhone, I’ve found no other way of keeping my calendars, contacts etc in sync without using cloud storage. It is so convenient to be able to pick up calls and messages on my iMac, iPad or iPhone depending on which device is handy.

 

[1050792]

If you use your MacBook a lot, then yes it's worth it, copying and pasting between devices, AirDrop, Messages in iCloud, those are totally worth it in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[maflynn]

What are your thoughts?

My thoughts? You're asking if you should buy an iPhone on an apple fan site. You do realize the majority of answers will be heavily biased toward you buying it.

I'm not against the iPhone, I have one, but you need to decide if iOS and the apps apple offers meets your needs. Using macOS along side iOS does offers some advantages, but only if you leverage the integration. If you don't, its no better then windows/android

 

[Deguello]

My thoughts? You're asking if you should buy an iPhone on an apple fan site. You do realize the majority of answers will be heavily biased toward you buying it.

I'm not against the iPhone, I have one, but you need to decide if iOS and the apps apple offers meets your needs. Using macOS along side iOS does offers some advantages, but only if you leverage the integration. If you don't, its no better then windows/android

All the more so if you’re happy with your current phone.

To me, it’s a big stretch to dump a suitable phone simply to gain some bit of integration. Now, when it comes time to replace that phone...

 

[andyp350]

I would say there were a lot of benefits. I love macs and OS X and can’t see myself going to another platform in the foreseeable future.
I love the integration with my phone and the whole Apple ecosystem. If it wasn’t for that I would probably have switched to android recently due to the horrendous price increases in the U.K.

My love for having a mac, and my love for the Apple Watch is what ties me to having an iPhone.

 

[Steve121178]

Absolutely yes

 

[Ortiz83]

Hi there, it is my first thread here, so welcome everyone!

I have been using Macbooks at my work for some time and I absolutely enjoyed the experience, so I decided to buy Macbook Pro 2018 for myself and now I wonder if buying an iPhone is a good idea.

I never had an iPhone. Currently I have OnePlus 3 phone and I can't say that I am disappointed. Phone is extremely fast and responsive despite being over two years old. However I feel that using an iPhone would make the Macbook even more useful with tight integration between devices, inside the Apple ecosystem. Is this integration worth the investment? I don't really like the iPhone X and the new iPhones, so I am thinking about buying iPhone 8 Plus, but is it still a viable option? For this money I could get new OnePlus 6 or even 6T, which are really advanced and I like the design (matt glass is beautiful). New iPhones are horrendously expensive and in my opinion they don't offer really anything that would justify the price. Maybe I should wait until next iPhone is released and go with OnePlus for now?

What are your thoughts?

Why would the next iPhone be any less? If it has more features, then it may even be a tad more.

 

[Suszec]

Yeah, but maybe it will have features that justify the high price. Imho FaceID is extremely inconvenient compared to fingerprint scanners and the notch is just too big, so I would rather wait until Apple figure out how to implement fingerprint scanner into the screen and make the notch smaller. Also the fact that you can't use the same charger and cable for both iPhone and Macbook, is simply idiotic. Somehow Macbooks needs new USB-C ports and iPhones don't?!

The only two things that make new iPhones appealing to me are: top-tier camera and the mentioned integration.

 

[ftaok]

The only two things that make new iPhones appealing to me are: top-tier camera and the mentioned integration.

If that's all that you would benefit from, then don't bother. There are Android phones with cameras that are just as good or better. As for integration, you're probably using Google for your contacts/calendars, so the main benefit of integration would require you to switch over to iCloud. Not sure if that would be worth it.

 

[penajmz]

I love continuity between my MacBook, iPad and iPhone not to mention all the other features iCloud brings.

I’d say go for it. If anything you can always return it within 14 days for a full, no questions asked refund.

 

[sevimli]

First thing first, apple has usb c only ports in their top of the line macbooks for 3 years now.

if you go an apple store and buy their latest greatest iPhone and MacBook pro, you will not able to connect them “as is”.

 

[Minorite]

I agree with @maflynn, not the best place to ask this question.

Regarding my thoughts, it really depends on the workflow. You can use it 100% of the time or it can be like with Apple Watch for some people - crazy for 2-4 weeks then put it in the closet and never use again.

Check the specs and try to understand if you need the cloud integration provided with iCloud or Google Docs will be enough for you. Try to understand if you are ready for the iOS security and limitations that will prevent you from doing a lot of stuff like easy local music, ringtones and books management. After this, make a decision.

 

[mrex]

What are your thoughts?

integration of what? dont expect magically something happen when you own iphone and macbook. what are you expecting or moreover, what do you do that you need to connect iphone+macbook together.

i have iphone, ipad, macbook - and i really dont do anything with them that needs for example to connect my iphone with my macbook.

 

[3rdiguy]

Buy a Mac and do full backups of your iPhone to it. Make sure to check Encrypt backup. Way better than doing iCloud backup especially when restoring.

 

[dermike]

Using a Note 9 while waiting for the XS and I really miss AirDropping files to my Macs from the phone... and iCloud Keychain for passwords. And be able to type messages on the Mac.

 

[Broadus]

I’ve had an iPhone since 2011 (4S then and 6s now), added a refurbished iPad 3 in 2013 (10.5 iPad Pro now) and a refurbished mid-2012 retina MacBook Pro later in 2013, still using that same rMBP as my main computer. I’ve thought seriously about switching to a mid-tier Android phone simply because of price, but when I weigh all the considerations, I still haven’t been able to do make the switch. The integration of the Apple devices, especially since folders were added to iOS, is the main reason. Also, the devices just keep working. My wife uses my old 4S and is perfectly happy with it.

So this year I will probably upgrade my phone to the XR and my wife will take my 6s. She really couldn’t care less but will enjoy the better camera and larger screen. And we’ll stay in the Apple ecosystem because the devices have been relatively worry free for us and the integration is a great bonus.

 

[smoking monkey]

My thoughts? You're asking if you should buy an iPhone on an apple fan site. You do realize the majority of answers will be heavily biased toward you buying it.

Of course you ask the question on an Apple site. Where else you gonna find people who have this use case?

Personally, the imessage integration alone is worth it in my book.

 

[EugW]

The integration is nice but not necessarily critical. If you were in need of a new phone I’d say yeah, get an iPhone. The integration I like the most is with iMessage on the Mac.

However if your current phone is fine I’d suggest keeping it for another year or so and then upgrade to an iPhone then.