To continue my thoughts on why I left the #Apple ecosystem. It's the same reason why I left #Twitter#Facebook for #Mastodon. Why I embraced #IndieWeb and now blog the POSSE/PESOS way.
I realised that Apple products, shiny and high quality as they are, was trapping me in their ecosystem. I hated having to upgrade just because they deemed my device "too old". I hate having to buy a new thingamajic when my old dongle worked just fine - just because Apple removed a port. 1/3
I could see a time when I became so dependent on Apple products that I couldn't break away, so I broke away the first moment I could. I do miss the sleekness and "it just works" feel of my Apple, but I wasn't willing to pay insane prices just to do my work when PC-related products could do it for me just fine.
What most folks in the West do not realise, is that Apple products are EXORBITANT in Asia. People get in debt to "afford" them, just to flash iPhones to look cool.
Then there's the 2/3
Then there's the whole Foxconn #Apple scandal where workers were made to work in horrible ways just to meet their exacting demands.
Too many issues to count, really. So yeah, I left the #Apple ecosystem because I don't want to be pushed around by them anymore.
I guess I'm just damn stubborn! 3/3
@liztai Funny you post this because I was thinking about this the other day. When I was in college, I got a MacBook. When I went to grad school, I realized that I could get a Dell computer with great specs AND a netbook for the same price as the basic MacBook.
I tried out my wife's iPad but really didn't like the software. I ended up going with a Samsung tablet and I'm really happy with it. 1/2
@liztai I was a Windows Phone person but when that failed, I went back and forth about Android versus iPhone. I taught a module on privacy in a class and I got concerned with Android / Google and privacy. I thought that iPhone would be better. It's been fine. My last phone lasted about five years.
Others have commented but there are not really very many varieties in the US. I was so struck by the variety when I lived in India. I'm not married to iPhone and might change my mind later. 2/2
@liztai The prices are exorbitant in Asia but it’s a priority issue if someone chooses to go into debt for the cachet. That’s a societal problem, not an ‘Apple is horrible’ issue.
Like you, I don’t need to keep up with the Jones but I do value my time (no reinstalling Windows annually for performance; responding to texts on any device; etc.) & the security of my data (malware on Android; way more shady apps; iOS data security > handing everything to Google).
I haven’t yet had to replace an iPhone because it was outdated (but unlike Asia I can wait for a deal from my carrier for a low end model). But I do recall the fragmentation from my Android days where iPhones were usable much, much longer than Androids.
I also used to be heavily anti-Apple, and was anti-iPod because it was overpriced and you needed an expensive Mac, yada yada. Then I had kids and my tinkering & time wasting days went out the window.
@liztai
I also hate they way they trick you into thinking that their products care about your privacy, they absolutely do not!
Apple local AI has access to your photos, messages etc.. It sends metadata about everything to apple servers before encryption.
Apple was able to block protesters phones during the pandemic protests in China,
they put backdoors on the OS so the government can access your phone, as seen during the protests in Hong Kong.
And unfortunately there's much more to this
@liztai I’m not so sure other manufacturers who make android phones in china necessarily have better working conditions. It’s just that they aren’t in the spotlight like Apple/Foxconn are…
@liztai I think it's difficult to find a vendor that has a better working environment in production. The only one I can think of is Fairphone. As for the rest I'd rather buy from Apple as I think they have better ethics than others despite these issues, but it's an industry problem along with corruption and lack of laws in production countries.
@cam Yes, they really are sometimes more expensive abroad. It's super annoying when you realise that you can get way cheaper from another brand. It's all prestige pricing and I really hate prestige pricing lol
@cam@liztai Yeah, price differences are absurd. When travelling from Argentina to US, I could buy new iPhone, and then go back to Argentina and sell the old (used) iPhone and still make a profit.
@liztai Uh, Apple has some of the longest and best device support of ANY phone manufacturer. What are you using that's supported (i.e. receiving new OS's or, at a minimum, security patches) for longer?
@liztai More power to you, if that’s your jam. I never had any of these problems but I guess each person experiences technology products in very particular ways. Yay to having options!
@liztai I dig Apple's aesthetics—I don't mind things being sealed up and self-contained, if that's the tradeoff for sleek and simple (provided they do what I need).
I do see the other side, too, though. The most fun I've had with a computer in recent years was a second-hand circa-2015 Dell that I got from someone's old corporate or educational fleet, in which I upgraded every component I could and on which I installed four OSes. And I find things like the Framework laptop really appealing.
@liztai I don’t get the author of the article. They buy a computer without a port they want/need, then complain when the computer doesn’t have it. Then, to top it off, built in Ethernet is available at time of purchase, but the author apparently didn’t get it at time of purchase. I suppose there’s plenty to be critical of, but this isn’t it.
@liztai
Boy, lots of folks getting up in their feelings in the replies here. Gotta love people looking for a debate. Anywho, if you need it, here's the most recent credible study showing how Chinese made phones with international ROMs aren't sending significant data back to remote servers.
And also, if you want it, one of the NUMEROUS reports that after Apple made moves to kill Facebook's advertising model on iOS, they basically just recreated it for their own benefit. Doesn't seem to matter if you disable ad tracking, Apple doesn't follow their own app dev guidelines, and just hoovers up all that personal info for their own ad network.
@liztai And they aren't better. The reasons you gave for switching also nicely illustrate where Apple fails to match its primary competitor. There is value in openness and transparency, let alone general functional value.
@tw In Asia, PC rules. And that's the main reason - it just gives better functional value. And I suspect, Asians being a thrifty lot, cannot fathom paying fancy prices when they can get equal or better at a lower price.
@liztai Apple developed itself as a brand first and foremost. A status symbol. If you ignore that, they just don't differentiate much except in certain sectors (graphic artists, musicians). Folks just want stuff that works. On the desktop side, Microsoft did lose its way for awhile because of Steve Balmer but once they shed that boat anchor Microsoft has progressed rapidly. On the mobile front, Apple had the lead for a few years, but that has long been erased. Etc etc.
@liztai@ajlewis2 When pressed into a corner and forced to pick one laptop line that I think is failsafe and high quality ... it has always been the Thinkpad. Good products. Well designed. Good support.
@liztai@ajlewis2 A buddy of mine has worked at Lenovo for years. He says they are a good company. That brings me comfort. The Thinkpad line seems to have maintained quality.
@liztai I think by now it’s a myth that Macs are more expensive compared to a pc with similar specs. I also doubt you new Huawei phone has a processor that compares to the iPhone.
@anderspuck Thing is, I don't quite care. Also, in Asia we get a lot more models from other brands that don't seem to reach the West. Something I discovered when I lived in Australia. A lot of them are a lot more advanced than Apple. I do miss Apple quality but I do not like being trapped in their ecosystem. And I don't like having to change the damn dongle or get a new thingamajic each time they release new models.
@anderspuck Also to address your point - true, Apple macbooks are about the same price as pc laptops these days. It was one of the factors that got me buying my first macbook. However, with that same price I get better specs, more hard disc space and more free software. I am far too practical to turn away from that 😆
@liztai I don’t think you can get better specs, but maybe specs you care more about. Like getting more disk space in exchange for a worse screen. Many Windows laptops are simply HD screens, and it gets expensive quickly if you want something better.
What free software is there for Windows that you can’t get on a Mac?
@anderspuck I know some people care for screens and all that, but I don't either. To me, the freedom from Apple's ecosystem is worth the price. And if the laptop can help me do what I needed to do, that is good enough.
Apple, despite its high quality, always prevented me from doing what I wanted to do because if its restrictions on space etc.
Also, in Asia, and with Asian currencies, Apple is priced way out of reach for most people. An iPhone is literally 5 months' pay for some people
@anderspuck Mind you, I still have an iPad. I switched to a Samsung tablet and didn't like the experience, so I will get an iPad next despite the higher price tag.
I am just brand agnostic 🤷
@liztai I’m not trying to persuade you to use Apple. I just didn’t think your price argument is valid, because Apple products are in fact not terribly expensive compared to similar products from other companies. But it’s perfectly fair to say you want a budget computer, and Apple doesn’t have anything in that price category.
@liztai It’s fair enough to say you want a cheaper option but that is not charging more for the same. That is just a budget computer. Also, it’s been 11 years since they changed the port on the iPhone. It’s not like they change them all the time.
@liztai@anderspuck Two of my colleagues were happy Android users. One bought an iPhone for the hype and other got one as a gift from her husband. Both of them were utterly disappointed. Even I am sad that my work laptop is a Mac. I feel the pain everyday. I had to buy an external keyboard, a typec to regular usb converter, a usb switcher and bunch of cables to get a setup that works for me. MacOS is also horrible. It has the worst window management. Apple products are not for practical people.
Also, regarding price, the Macbook I got from work costs 5 times the price of my HP laptop. The cheap HP has everything I need and the expensive Macbook is just a good looking trash. I will never buy one.
@abhijith@liztai If you don’t like MacOS, and you don’t care about the features of the machines, then it’s absolutely fair to buy something else. My point was just that it’s a myth that Macs are more expensive than the competition. If you spec an HP with comparable components, you will have a machine that is expensive too.
@anderspuck@liztai It is hard to compare since they come with M1 and M2 chips. However, Macbook Pro with 19 cores processor, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD comes for $2,499.00 but System76 Galago Pro of 20 cores processor, 64GB RAM and 4TB SSD comes under $2000. 500 dollars is a big difference.
@abhijith@liztai But the Galago Pro also just has a 1080p display and five hours of battery life. That’s what I mean that it’s not a similar machine. If you instead take their Serval WS or Bonobo WS line, the System76 ends up at a higher price than the MacBook Pro.
Add comment