Every so often I get itchy feet. A yearning for something different in my tech life, and I begin to question why I use Apple products. It doesn’t help there are so many interesting Android devices being launched, and that I feel more than a little squeezed by Apple — but what actually is keeping me using Apple products?
Apple Watch
This is my most used device. I love it, always have, and it would be one of the hardest things to give up if I switched to Android. There are two main reasons for this, both of these can be done on Android Wear watches. The first of which is obviously notifications, any new phone I have gets put in silent mode and is never taken out of it. I also love a silent alarm that taps me on the wrist but doesn’t wake my whole household.
Health and fitness is critical to me, both for keeping fit and also monitoring my health issues. The Apple Watch gets lots of stick in running circles, and loads of people will tell you to get a Garmin. However, my Ultra was with me every step of the way for training and running a marathon, including streaming podcasts and tracking all my runs, and I couldn’t ask for anything better. It looks great, feels great, and I have zero need to upgrade to a new one.
Family Quirks
All of us in Team Morris have Apple devices. My wife and son have iPhones and my daughter has her beloved iPad. We share location data, smart home devices and photo libraries that are easier if we are all locked into Apple. This was the biggest reason we got my son an iPhone last year, upgrading from a cheep Android phone which was his first device.
MacBook Pro
Let me be completely frank, there is absolutely no way I would give up working on a Mac. I’ve done it for years now, I have all my workflows down, and Apple would have to stop making computers entirely for me to give it up.
I have nothing bad to say about Windows, I haven’t used it bar Remote Desktop since Windows 8, but my preference for macOS runs much deeper and there is zero need for me to switch. This doesn’t stop me using a non Apple phone though, apart from a slightly worse workflow for transferring files, working with clearer shots and sending messages from my desktop.
Non Issues
The usual thing people point to with switching is iMessage. Which is completely non issue for me, I would simply use WhatsApp. I like being able to send messages from my desktop, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
I am also completely ok with not have an iPhone in a hardware sense. When I first switched it was for a vastly superior camera and there are now numerous Android handsets that have a shooter of at least compatible quality (if not better).
There are only two apps that I use that are not cross-platform. Ulysses, which I tend to use more on my iPad and Mac, and Matter. Neither of which are dealbreakers for switching. Couple with the fact I don’t actually take many photos on my phone anymore, means that both of these are a non issue for me.
I’m still here
If it was cost-effective to try out a full package of Android devices (phone, watch, and accessories) I’d be up for trying it out — but they don’t exist. The Pixel launch offer with heavy discounts on accompanying watch and buds is the closest I have come, but I’d still have to sell up to try it, and this is here I think most people fall down.
It’s too expensive and too much of a learning curve to give up all of these things. The risk doesn’t seem to match the reward anymore, so I’m stuck. There’s nothing wrong with this but something to be aware of.