Why Do You Buy Apple Products?

[Matt Leaf]

Apple computers are very much used in Fine Art and Design departments, which I was educated in. When I was studying I could only afford PC’s, which at the time were kind’ve scoffed at. But still I often found PC’s did cool things Mac’s didn’t (like at the time having a capture card built into your PC laptop).

I actually got started on OS9, but at the time PC’s in general for a creative like me we’re always bogged down by ‘Spyware’. It became a nightmare to keep a PC running, and while I did run PC’s a while longer, I eventually got into Apple with an iBook, and later a 2nd hand 15” PowerBook.

In the end, the Mac experience, and it could be said, the modern Apple smartphone experience are generally pretty hassle free. I don’t spend enough time in personal Windows environments to know whether or not malware is as much of an issue these days to make Windows my main system, likewise for my phone and/or Android ( I know nothing about Android and have never tried it )

In general though the gap has closed on computing, particular in software I used to use that was ‘Mac only’. And I often find myself on Bootcamp to play games, something I’m doing more of lately, which often makes me wonder if it’s worth building a PC again.

But I like Bootcamp, I like having everything in one portable machine I can take anywhere (currently a 15” MBP from 2017), but I do sometimes ponder building a miniITX build for what is ostensibly half the price of MacBook Pro and iMac systems with current graphics performance.

My 2017 does seem to hold enough weight though, I can’t see any real need -outside of extra details- that I might need to upgrade at this point.

And the iPhone in the end belongs to the same universe, and ultimately reflects similar concerns. The adage ‘it just works’ I tend to find rings pretty true with Apple, across performance, reliability, privacy, stability, longevity and resale value on the second hand market. I also own a MacBook Air 2012 which still runs well, basically as good as new. I wonder if PC laptops last 8 years?

People often complain Apple stuff costs more, but Apple gear also has a much higher resale value than competing hardware.

Ultimately, I trust Apple, which is a weird thing to say in this day and age.

 

[Simos.805]

Because they work better than the competition, they have attention to little details that matter for me and they have very good quality overall, they work amazing with each other because of the ecosystem, they are consistent cross every product they way they work and feel, they have the best security possible, they have beautiful designs and lastly because they stay working without problems for the longest time compared to the competition so I don’t have to worry about upgrading my products when I don’t want to!

 

[lkalliance]

(Full disclosure, I only read the first couple of pages of replies, so I might be missing something important.)

I've been using Macs now for thirty years. I'd say that particularly over the last 20 many things have changed, and it's fair to wonder that if I were starting right now if I would end up in the same place. But for thirty years I have almost exclusively had nothing but a positive experience with Apple products, for all the reasons I've seen mentioned here (on the first two pages at least ). For much of the early years in that time frame I was in publication design, and Apple was the very best option.

So these days, for me it's two things:
--Brand loyalty: I've almost always had positive experiences with Apple products, whether that's performance or elegance or however you want to define it.
--Security and privacy: this has become a hot button for me, though it's fair to wonder if I care only because I'm an Apple user or if I'm an Apple user because I care.



But things have changed in interesting ways. At the turn of the century, or perhaps all the way up to the first iPhone, there were far less things a computer/device was being asked to do. We mostly interacted with the Internet via the World Wide Web, and sending data back and forth via other channels was less common for most people. Email, sure, and I would deliver things via FTP, but it's not like today. A computer had to mostly work "within itself". Apple earned its reputation that it "just worked" in those days. They produced both the hardware and the software, as today, and that tight coupling really showed. But now, our computers and especially our phones need to interact with all sorts of non-native data and interfaces. The "surface area" of an OS's world has grown exponentially, now there is SO MUCH that could possibly not work, and if it doesn't work it's usually the OS manufacturer that is blamed, not the service provider. Apple does a pretty good job getting it all to work well under those circumstances.

(The day Phil Schiller announced Mountain Lion and said that Apple would be moving to annual OS releases my heart sank. Give me one every two years or so like before, and make sure it's as rock-solid as possible.)

But perhaps the biggest difference is in the Apple community. Back in the day, with Macs at market shares well below 5%, the user community was much smaller and, compared to Windows, much more tech savvy. That's because Windows was the default choice. If your employer provided you a computer, it was Windows. If you wanted to get a computer for your home, it was Windows (that's what you knew, and it was cheaper!). I don't mean to say that if you were tech-savvy you always chose Apple, a lot of really brilliant people used Windows. But if you WEREN'T tech savvy, you were on Windows, the default choice.

This small, really competent group of computer users was very demanding, very savvy, and that's who Apple had to cater to. Users knew why they chose Apple, and Apple knew they had to follow through.

That is no longer the case, of course. First the iPod came out, then the iPhone, and those were gateway drugs to Macs, and now the Mac user base (not to mention the gigantic iPhone user base) is much more across the spectrum. It's a different market, and a different community. It's really very interesting to watch from a longtime user's perspective.

 

[subi257]

I started computers on an original 512K...when it first came out. Never really liked windows...a stupid, clumsy OS. Love the Apple ecosystem and the closed/protected system, I like the the iOS apps are kind of checked. Most app just work, the computer just works.

 

[hailey bee]

Why: Apple locked me, an iOS developer, to Apple hardware.

I appreciate durability of Apple hardware, with notable exceptions. I appreciate the thought put in UX of software, with notable exceptions. But performance per $$ is laughable. Coming from PCs, this lock-in is a joke, and I would be staying with PC otherwise.

 

[NufSaid]

Ask yourself the question:
I want to buy a PC - a laptop.
Next question...what one....Asus, HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc
What size?
What features?


I hate to think.
My time is valuable.

That is one of the biggest reasons....simplicity.

Buy a Tesla.
4 models
5 colors
2 seat colors
2 wheels options
done

(I might be wrong on the numbers but you get the idea.)

 

[MikeyUnix]

1. Ecosystem - especially with family sharing, iCloud, continuity, backup/restore. Everything just works.
2. Reliability - my 2010 MacBook's still going strong, and doing everything my mother wants it to.
3. Ease of support - Apple stores, warranty repairs are painless (and they went above and beyond during COVID-19 with me)
4. Privacy and security - goes without saying nowadays.
5. Ease of use - people pick stuff up quickly on Apple devices.

I bought my granddad an iPad 9.7 18 months ago, and he loves it. He hardly uses his laptop anymore, and gets access to all of the music he wants via the family sharing Apple Music sub. Also had no support issues, whereas it was weekly with Windows 7 and 10.

End of the day, ecosystem is what does it for me. I don't want out, I'm happy with everything. HomePod is the device that really "completed" it for me, and it's now central to a lot of things I do with my personal Apple bubble.

I bought my first Mac (a mini) in 2009, and I haven't looked back. I'm really excited about the future that Apple will no doubt have in store for us, it's a pretty cool time to be going through.

Without being too dramatic, I brought the first usable Mac to the UK. I also communicated with Steve Jobs and was set up into contacting Chuck Geschke. The first really usable Mac was the Apple Lisa, and I had several shipped over from the USA. Being in newspaper publishing at the time, I could see the writing on the wall for the way newspapers and printed media was produced. Then pictures were made up with tints and patterns, rather than vectored graphics, and although they got the GUI from Xerox who had discarded it virtually, the Lisa in my opinion is the machine that changed the world, and certainly Mac. I was using phototypesetting equipment which was coming from a background where Linotype machines spewed out hot metal slugs for newspaper production, so transition was first to phototypesetting where Agfa Compugraphic and Linotype where the main runners. I was convinced this was not going to be the way, but in late 1983 had the Lisas shipped over and even more convinced. What held them back though was software, and I will still on phototypesetters but set up when someone said I should speak to Chuck, but I'd have to ring late as he was in the US. I'd not heard of him, but I phoned up thinking he was as passionate as I was about the Mac potential and in how publishing would develop. We hit it off straight away, and I really thought 'wow' another nerd like me, passionate about his work.

Now Chuck is often described as a businessmen, which downplays his knowledge in maths and computer science, but his input changed publishing forever, and Steve Jobs recognised how important it was. Chuck was working on a little program called POSTSCRIPT and had been since 1976, but little did I know he was such a high official, but down to earth and so interested in developing this language. It was so buggy when it was first implemented (Sorry), but still amazing. Eventually imagesetters developed from the phototypesetting, so that postscript files could be processed with embedded graphics and pictures, but loads of problems as too many nodes were just overloading the systems, but where in any event, that was never going to be the way to go. Apple developed, postscript developed to become the everyday publishing solution and easily networked. Paste up went by the by, so did phototypesetting. I also worked on early home scanners to produce usable CMYK separations, and this was considered impossible but where eventually loads of offices had their own scanners, but where CMYK was a hard nut to crack for reprographic quality, but it was sorted.

When Steve left Apple and started NeXT he too realised that object oriented was the way to go and Postscript was the way to go and his NeXT computer used display Postscript. A great machine that the market ignored really.

Steve went back to Apple in 1996 where much of his work was incorporated to give us what we have now.

However, its not all good news from me, as I can't say I enjoy the current management or the current philosophy which seems to be moving more and more towards glitz, but where of course the market has changed so it may be I'm just too old.

I went through every Apple machine from the Lisa onwards including the Mac Pro a beast of a machine in its day.

Still use an iMac, and note the comments about Intel/Arm, but well remember the transition to PowerPC, and although it worked, I don't think it was too helpful to consumers. Rosetta meant speeds dropped, software malfunctioned or didn't work at all, and the costs in publishing were hectic either waiting for software to address problems as some was not PowerPC ready, and cost of upgrading, which I can see happening again.

Of course I can understand the wish to move away from Intel, and it will in my opinion result in a far better Mac product if Apple stick with it, which they didn't previously.

But I think the OS whilst very clever doing multiple things, has developed too much towards the glitz rather than the production base it was so great at. I came from a Wintel background where machines bricked frequently, and I rarely had that from Macs, and to their credit still don't have problems, but I'm still not keen on the glitz over usability, where it was the usability of the original Macs GUI that made people leave Wintel platform in droves, and where it seems Windows had to build bigger and bigger software overhead, and where that win.ini file still sticks in my memory.

Look forwards to the 24in. ARM based iMac.

 

[Digital Dude]

Ease of use for the past 38-years

 

[gotluck]

I use iOS for both work and leisure due to patching/ update support and commitment to privacy and security.

I use macOS at home due to its unix base + commercial proprietary application support. It's just so clean. I may switch to debian as my primary OS depending on how ARM pans out. Currently I miss the commercial app support on debian. If I couldn't hackintosh I probably wouldn't use macOS, I want a consumer tower, their product lines have too many compromises for desktop use. If ARM can eliminate the heat concerns with the majority of the macOS hardware line I may bite. At work I must use Windows for essential applications.

 

[ab2c4]

I buy an iphone when I get tired/bored of Android. When I get bored with the iphone I switch back to Android.

Nothing more than that.

 

[Lucid_Icarus]

I think I keep coming back because the eco-system is just so baked in that trying to find alternate solutions in other ecosystems (windows, Linux, Android) just doesn’t blend the way I want it to. When I copy something on my iPhone, it’s in the clipboard on my iPad and Mac, right when I need it. I’ve tried setting up universal clipboard on other ecosystems, and it either doesn’t work 100% of the time, or I have to jump through 9 hoops to get it to work. The hardware is (for the most part) extremely solid, the OS is feature rich but not cluttered, and things seem to work exactly how I need them to.

 

[Mike Duran]

It is an interesting debate between the various platforms (PC / Apple / Android / Linux / etc).

For those who put platform first, no arguments will actually sway anyone.

I personally use all the platforms except Android (don't own any Android platforms).

I have used Apple products since the original Apple II (16kb memory / Floppy Disks). At that time for work, I used a Compaq Lunch-box computer for work and a Motorola Brick Cellphone.
As the technology advanced, I replaced the various platforms. The real reason for owning any of these was for the user software and personal capabilities each platform enabled.

1. Apple was my go to platform for Creative items (Pictures, writing and listening to music).

2. I use the PC Platforms for work related items such as Word Processing, Powerpoint presentations and company email).

3. I've had Nokia, Motorola and Apple iPhones for communication. I gravitated to replacing them with iPhones because of the iTunes infrastructure. I tried Microsoft Windows 7 phone and the ill-fated Zune-music platform, but didn't like the requirement of having to connect once a month to re-enable the music library on the Zune and later Win7 phone.

Eventually, I ended up with a Mac Pro desktop for everything except key business applications. I use it mostly for Music, creating activities, personal email and some games.

I run my own consulting business, so I use the Win 7/10 Laptop platform for all business activities and to be compatible with my clients systems. I also like the "Touch Screen" ability of the convertible Laptop/Tablet mode devices.

As for portable devices, I use primarily iPads and iPhones, simply because the care and feeding for these devices is simple and straight forward.

I'm not a heavy gamer anymore, so the super fast gaming platforms are no longer of interest to me. (Used to be a heavy World of Warcraft gamer).

I advise my clients to pick a platform they are comfortable with and that has the software that they need.

BTW: ON MY SOAPBOX for a moment - I think the industry has saturated the market. End users no longer want their purchased investments to last only 2 years before they becomes obsolete. "Upgrade fatigue" will slow-down most existing customer purchases, and "new" customers are becoming harder to find, as the market is mostly saturated .

 

[oneplane]

While I use multiple hardware and software platforms every day the main reason I keep Apple stuff as my main workhorse because it does exactly what I need, not more and not less, and it does it consistently. I can't get that out of other systems.

Windows always gets in the way, and seems to be so inconsistent and unsure of itself that you can't get to using it without spending a lot of time massaging it. It gets in the way instead of doing the work for you.

Linux has enough of everything to make everything possible, but you often have to make it into reality yourself. While that isn't bad in itself it does mean more work up front to get to a productive state. For tasks that need that, it's the best choice in the world (perhaps together with BSD and FreeRTOS).

 

[AjTee]

I like Apple eco system.

 

[HappyMBAowner]

Quality products, sturdy, reliable, all major software included for free (Pages, numbers, imovie, garageband, etc...). Frequent safety updates. I was on windows/pc products for years until I switched to an iMac in 2007. I have never been disappointed since. My 2007 iMac is still running. I just changed my 2013 macbook air for a brand new 2020 model. Not because my macbook air was not good enough for most tasks, but I wanted to get into heavier video editing and I needed a machine that could handle Final Cut Pro. Tried an android phone a few years ago and only the phone and the camera were ok. The rest of the ecosystem was just garbage and phone had to be put away within less than 2 years of usage. I've been buying used iphones for a few years (because they are, of course, cheaper) and I was changing my phone every 2-3 years, but recently took the decision to buy a brand new iPhone SE which will last me about 5-7 years I guess. All the ecosystem is so well built. Transferring data and parameters from one phone to another (or one iPad to another or one computer to another) is just a breeze. I forgot to mention another very very important point: their client support (by phone within 2 minutes) is fantastic. Stuck with something? You just call Apple and they will do all they can to fix the issue. They are absolutely wonderful. Try to get support from Google or Microsoft... You'll just go crazy.

 

[johnsc3]

Two things for me:
1. They just work.
2. The support, be it software upgrades or the customer service.

I totally agree. There are also moments where in person support (Pre-Covid, of course) makes the difference.

 

[Pugly]

1: I'm a huge fan of Logic Pro. If Logic ever goes away, I'd drop Apple stuff the day after.
2: I like the OS. Since I am using it, I like most aspects of the OS compared to Windows. It's just slightly more polished and clear where to do things for me.
3: All the synced stuff now is a pretty big barrier to cross for me to get out of apple products. It's nice, but I'm always looking around the corner for an exit strategy.
4: Reliability has been great so far. My only Mac problems have been hard drive memory failures on my old white polycarbonate models. Everything else has been awesome. Especially the 11" MBA, I used that daily in all sorts of situations and it worked perfectly. I skipped over the whole butterfly keyboard nonsense.

I started with a Mac to use Logic around 15 years ago (logic express 7 I think). I've stuck around though because I like the OS... once I figured it out everything was just more polished and needed fewer clicks to do similar tasks... more things were in obvious places in the OS. I still used Windows for gaming desktop... but slowly all my stuff switched to Mac.

I used android for a long time, but switched to iPhone because I got one super cheap... and now the integration will keep me on iPhones. All the easy transfer of content is nice. I store lots of pdfs in iBooks and sync them over easily.

I'll switch from Windows if Apple products get way too expensive (though I might just buy used if that happens). It started to look pretty grim for the last 5 years, but they've slowly started to make some great products where the entry model is quite good again. So I feel okay sticking with them.

I'll also switch if Logic goes away or gets weird, but I'm not worried about that. They've provided free upgrades and continued to make it amazing. It has a lot of advanced features I use, while also being well thoughtout with the UI and design.

 

[Haydon Beagley]

For me I got into Apple products with an iPod Nano (3rd Generation) and got hooked on the ease of use. Just plug in, and sync!

A little after that I got an old PowerBook G4 that got me into video editing and more creative aspects of computing which led me into taking up a degree in Media (between then there was a few iPhones, Macs and iPads involved).

But since then I ended up not doing as much creative media work but fell into doing IT Support/Technical roles within IT and being faced with Windows daily and the clunky fragmentation that is PC and Android I always found myself falling back into the Apple Ecosystem.

It's a 50/50 reason for me, part of it is that I'm reluctant to change and the other part of it is that I like how it works.

Though with the transition to Apple Silicon coming it raises questions about what the future of the Mac holds. As frankly I do like MacOS - but with the new CPU I may find myself unable to run Windows VMs/run legacy code - so for now I'll hold out.

 

[Sweet Potato for Easy Poo]

Trapped in the ecosystem with no path to escape.

but it’s. Good place to be trapped
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Sincerely,

I’ve been buying Apple products since I was 16 years old (iPod Touch; iPod Nanos)

Now comes the time where I can actually buy more of Apple, just wondering how others have come here to talk about Apple and why they choose to buy their products.


Cheers 🍻

was a windows person all the way through my40’s until joined Apple. Even then I resisted the iPhone but alas was forced to switch.

once you go Apple you never go back.

1) reliability-every windows computer in the 40 years of my life invariably crashed or hung, even brand new machines. Apple MacBook Air never for the first few years and then only very very rarely in its 7 year life with me.
2) security—owning hardware + software = full control. Too many examples online. No open source platform is safe.
3) ease of use—windows really is dumb and the office suite is just more and more out of sync with average user intuitiveness in my opinion. I hate the latest Excel and Word.
4) value— constant updates that extend the life.
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1: I'm a huge fan of Logic Pro. If Logic ever goes away, I'd drop Apple stuff the day after.
2: I like the OS. Since I am using it, I like most aspects of the OS compared to Windows. It's just slightly more polished and clear where to do things for me.
3: All the synced stuff now is a pretty big barrier to cross for me to get out of apple products. It's nice, but I'm always looking around the corner for an exit strategy.
4: Reliability has been great so far. My only Mac problems have been hard drive memory failures on my old white polycarbonate models. Everything else has been awesome. Especially the 11" MBA, I used that daily in all sorts of situations and it worked perfectly. I skipped over the whole butterfly keyboard nonsense.

I started with a Mac to use Logic around 15 years ago (logic express 7 I think). I've stuck around though because I like the OS... once I figured it out everything was just more polished and needed fewer clicks to do similar tasks... more things were in obvious places in the OS. I still used Windows for gaming desktop... but slowly all my stuff switched to Mac.

I used android for a long time, but switched to iPhone because I got one super cheap... and now the integration will keep me on iPhones. All the easy transfer of content is nice. I store lots of pdfs in iBooks and sync them over easily.

I'll switch from Windows if Apple products get way too expensive (though I might just buy used if that happens). It started to look pretty grim for the last 5 years, but they've slowly started to make some great products where the entry model is quite good again. So I feel okay sticking with them.

I'll also switch if Logic goes away or gets weird, but I'm not worried about that. They've provided free upgrades and continued to make it amazing. It has a lot of advanced features I use, while also being well thoughtout with the UI and design.

would u pls contact me if you ever get rid of your Apple stuff? 😄

 

[Regbial]

Mostly... the designs and UI... (I kno, I feel dirty 😬), the ease of use. The details like say the Activity Rings and their animations... etc.

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

MacOS, becasue it is not windows. Every time I have to use a windows machine I remember what a pain the arse they are. The unintelligible user interface tacked over UI elements that have not changed in 20 years. To say nothing of the registry, the flip a coin "end process", anti-virus software, waves of malware, and intrusive windows updates that seem to do nothing, and the annual, reinstall everything weekend because the computer has ground to a halt.

That being said I couldn't give two hoots about mac hardware, its underpowered and becoming less reliable, and more expensive than ever. If they sold macOS to install on normal modular hardware I would be all over it.

 

[user_xyz]

Because iphones are less Crappy than the Alternative!!

I bought a mac mini because of Logic pro.

I use PC's for everything else!!

 

[magicMac]

I’ve always had the “think different” mentality myself. Even if you go with the status quo after outweighing pros and cons , it should never be left unchallenged. Apple plays a big part in that thinking when it comes to computers. But it’s not just apple, I use Linux as well.

apple also makes products which are enjoyable to use whilst at the same time makes products which are exceptionally good for working on. “Makes work more fun”. Spend an awful lot of our lives working, that it should be enjoyable.

 

[ericwn]

Because iphones are less Crappy than the Alternative!!

I bought a mac mini because of Logic pro.

I use PC's for everything else!!

Less crappy doesn’t sound like a good motivation for any purchases to be honest.

 

[user_xyz]

Less crappy doesn’t sound like a good motivation for any purchases to be honest.

Hehe!!
That's the Truth!!