What would make you leave Apple?

[SevenTheGamingKitty]

Nothing, unless they go out of their way to make their older devices exceptionally harder to use.

 

[neuropsychguy]

I've been using Apple products for over 40 years, including during the dark times of the 1990s. There was a time when I didn't have a Mac because my finances were extremely tight, but I had various iPods during that time.

I'm generally OS and hardware agnostic though. I use macOS and Linux daily and Windows at least a few times a week. I use the tool that I works best for a particular job.

I'll leave Apple whenever the value I get from its products and services is worse (for me) than the value I get from other products and services. I like the Apple ecosystem though.

 

[Lynxpoint]

This is a good question.

The simple answer is a service that better meets my needs.

For example, I 'hate' (hate is a a strong word, but lets just say I strongly dislike) how phones grew from hand-sized to purse-sized. I don't want to carry a brick with me, and I don't get any better use functionality from a pro-max compared to a mini - they are, for me, both quick-look on the go interfaces, just the large one is an encumbrance. So... Apple lost me for messaging - I use Garmin Messenger on my watch now. I also have maps on my watch if I need them - but I really don't need maps on the go very much, even in the back country, as I tend to study them before I go. Calls is limited on the watch, but if I have an emergency, it works. I have Garmin Pay - I don't use Apple Pay.... All this is because Garmin provides a portable device that better meets my needs than Apple.

Will it happen with my iPad? That I doubt... but it could.
Will it happen with my MBP... I doubt that as well...

But for online services.... I tried Fitness plus... and ditched it... prefer just doing my own thing, I tried Apple Music (after being a long time iTunes user) and found it horrid... so off to Spotify I went. Tried Arcade... but don't need to pay monthly for mindless games... but still have a Switch. Tried Apple TV, just not enough for me to be into it... so back to Netflix I went. I still use iCloud, and could switch, but not sure what to... I really need to just ditch icloud drive and stop renting storage space... maybe one day.

 

[baconcat_8964]

AppleCare changes their terms, stop offering same day servies or free battery degradation repair.

 

[Yebubbleman]

TL;DR: Apple Maps ads triggered me, a step away from what I liked most about them, no ads and privacy, so time to explore alternatives.

I have been happily living in the "walled garden" for many years, deeply invested in the ecosystem with icloud photos, files and backups, etc. I have been happy to pay extra for Apple devices just because things work so well.

But recently a few of Apple's decisions have are making me second-guess if I should explore alternatives, for example adding ads to the App Store and Maps. Also, whenever I use my Linux computers, the friction of trying to use Apple services from those is very high, sometimes totally impractical (photos from the iCloud web interface kinda suck) or impossible (no AirDrop in Linux).

I am currently testing a few things: using Immich for personal/local cloud photos, got an old cheap pixel phone to try out "degoogling" it as much as I can, using Proton services for calendar+mail+cloud files, KDE Connect and LocalSend for sending files between devices, even testing Asahi linux on one of my macs (those guys are wizards!). The experience so far varies from "OK" to "janky", but usable, and at least I have control moving forward.

So where do you draw the line? What would make you switch?

They all have ads now. If you went full Linux and GrapheneOS, you could probably avoid ads in things, but you'd definitely lose a lot of the ecosystem creature comforts that come with literally any other ecosystem combination.

That being said, I have devices from all ecosystems and platforms. I am a tech worker by trade, so I sort of have to in order to stay current. Escaping for me isn't a matter of leaving Apple. But, rather, it's a matter of de-prioritizing Apple. My Contacts/Calendar/E-mail/Notes ecosystem is driven by Apple. I could 10000% switch that to Outlook.com or Gmail with no problem at all. All of my pictures are in iCloud Photos. I'm not sure that I'd have an easier or better time switching that to Google Photos (I'd also need to subscribe to a similar Google Drive storage plan). These are all manageable; though, it's not a simple weekend project.

The two things, for sure, keeping me tied to Apple are (a) the Apple Card and (b) my ability to answer calls and iMessages on my Mac and iPad mini. Other than a Lenovo Legion branded tablet, there's no real competitor to the iPad mini (and literally no competitor with a cellular option). If there was, or if I was to go with a different cellular Android tablet (likely a 11" Samsung Galaxy Tab S FE or a 12.9" Galaxy Tab S), I could figure out a system that is comparable to this with Android and Windows. Unfortunately, I can't manage my AppleCard without an iPhone. That one has me squarely by the balls.

I haven't gotten an Apple Watch yet. I do have a few AirPods models that would probably serve me less well ditching the ecosystem, but I have Galaxy Buds too.

Sadly, it makes more sense for me to stay begrudgingly than it is to leave. Though, I'm always jealous of those who are able to.

The one ecosystem combination that I'm always jealous of are the people who rock a Windows PC, an Apple iPad, and some form of Android phone, be it a Pixel or a Galaxy S. That combination, ironically, seems to allow for the greatest amount of freedom, while still allowing users to experience the best of those three device platforms.

 

[crobcary]

I have been using Macs since I was five (5!), back in the dawn of the nineties up to today as I am about to enter my 40s. iPod in high school, iPhone in college, then with most of the numbers upward. Apple used to feel like a way of thinking, of using technology to accomplish something, surprise/delight, knowing that a company more or less had your back (once you paid that upfront price).

Now, I just don't feel that way anymore. What used to be decent post-purchase service for free or a small AppleCare fee is now...a monthly subscription...or nothing after a "complimentary" first year. Want to use your device to the fullest? Better pay a...monthly subscription...to get anything beyond the basics and a ****** 5GB, when real essential features are locked behind it. The iTunes Music Store may as well be shot behind the barn for...a monthly subscription...after years of Steve Jobs encouraging you to OWN your music, at an accessible one-time price of the song or album. Hell, they even started upping your quality for free later. Do I think the Apple of today would do that? Absolutely not. I'm shocked that iTunes Match even exists, given it duplicates Apple Music's matching but without the damn DRM.

I just can't help but compare the behavior of "old Apple" (say, pre-Jobs and Jobs era) to now, when it just feels kinda slimy, rent-seeking and always "just one more" payment of some f-cking kind. I would expect that of most of Silicon Valley, but it always felt different on the Apple side. Not anymore. I don't feel my privacy is truly protected given the amount of trackers Wipr or 1Blocker finds, there are ads in PAID SUBSCRIBED FIRST-PARTY APPS (see: News+), and it just ain't the same as it was in 1996, 2006, even 2016.

I found myself refurbishing an iPod classic this year, scouting for the "Pismo" PowerBook I had as a teen, and I thought it was fun nostalgia, but honestly I'm just looking to reclaim some of the simplicity and completeness in the experience that I had back then with, like, OS 9 and the sense of wonder with early OS X. I leave my iPhone behind all the time (because I have a cellular Watch "just in case") because I just...want to unplug. It's not FUN, it's not DELIGHTFUL. I never thought something with the  on the back would feel like a ball and chain.

I guess I just ranted above to say that, well, if there's a manufacturer offering something similar to Apple pre-gimmiegimmiegimmie, I would probably go that way. I mean, Jesus, even macOS is getting fatiguing with the notifications and ads.

 

[1rottenapple]

all the apple executives go on stage and perform the nazi salute while kicking puppies. i'll probably go and get an android and windows laptop after that.