Do You Use It? The Apple Ecosystem
My old running buddy David Rossiter posed an interesting question in TidBITS Talk earlier this week. I had commented in TidBITS that most TidBITS readers probably use iPhones, but David says he uses a Mac mainly because it’s a supported Unix platform, but he’s too cheap to use an iPhone or an Apple Watch. He asks:
Am I one of the few loyal TidBITSers that is not completely in the Apple ecosystem?
I’m certainly aware that many readers venture outside the Apple ecosystem for certain devices, but I’ve always assumed that most people would opt for Apple’s device in any given category. TidBITS does focus on Apple, after all, and Apple works hard to provide an integrated experience for those who go all-in on Apple. That integration disappears if you use a Mac along with a Samsung Galaxy phone and an Amazon Echo smart speaker.
Let’s put my assumption to the test! Or rather, to the poll. This week’s Do You Use It? poll asks, “How invested in the Apple ecosystem are you?” Many people will have multiple devices in some categories—I’m interested in your primary device. If there’s a distinction between home and work, respond with the device that you chose for yourself. If you answer Other for any of the questions, please describe what you use in the comments.
Is somebody who does stream video but directly to a Mac where it is also viewed (no TV, no Roku, etc.), somebody who “doesn’t stream” or somebody with “other streaming device”?
There is no option for multiple devices used with roughly equal frequency. I have AirPods Pro 2 and a Bose over-the-ear headphones which I purchased when it was heavily discounted. The Bose has far better noise cancellation than the AirPods but the latter are more convenient. The APP pass the fit test.
Otherwise, I am completely in the Apple ecosystem
and not likely to stray. Apple products tend to have much better build quality even if they have other shortcomings. Even more important, I refuse to be the product for other ad-based companies.
Decades back I used VMS, Ultrix, SunOS, Solaris for work alongside Macs. Later I used Windows as needed alongside Macs. Call Apple Mac my digital hub, just like Steve Jobs said in 2001. I’ve gotten other devices over time as adjuncts.
My digital watch is a Casio CFX-200. It looks like
except, unfortunately, mine has a crack in the crystal.
If you look closely you’ll see that this is no ordinary calculator watch. It is a scientific calculator: trigonometry, logarithms, exponents/roots, metric conversions, and more. It does scientific notation. Multiple memories. And more.
It only cost me $50 in 1983. They’re selling for a lot more than that on eBay.
I frequently get comments from people when I wear it. Because, Apple Watches are not uncommon, but shiny calculator watches are rare.
Adjusted for inflation, assuming $US, that’s $162 today.
I put “Other” for computer, because I have a Mac Mini I use about 60% of the time, plus an LG Gram I use about 38-39% of the time AND a Raspberry Pi (or two, actually) that I use the rest of the time, mostly just to tinker with, but my browser is set up the same across all platforms (Firefox) and even my Pis do a good job with Youtube videos.
Awesome! For many years in my working life I used a simpler Casio variation, Data Bank it might have been called. Had a smooth, flat keyboard (no raised buttons) that was, to me, surprisingly effective.Simply a fingernail point would do it.
I use Apple wired earbuds, both analog and Lightning connector cable types, with adapters as needed.
I’m only partially connected to the Apple ecosystem these days — a 2024 M3 MacBook Air and a 2022 iPhone SE, both refurbished. I was an iPad owner & user for over a decade, but sold my old iPad Mini 4 a few years ago.
I’ve looked at some of Apple’s other offerings, but I just don’t feel the need for any of them. I bought a cheap Casio F-91W wristwatch a few years ago, and a Omron step counter last year, and I now have a Pure Elan Connect+ Internet/DAB/FM/Bluetooth radio on my bedside cabinet — those are the only other gadgets I own now.
The one thing I might consider at some point in the future would be a refurbished & upgraded iPod Classic to carry music around with me. I had two iPods back in the 2000s and loved them for their simplicity and ease of use. I’ve kept a local music library, but at the moment it’s just on the MacBook Air.
I tried Apple Music several years ago after getting fed up with Spotify’s Mac app — it was okay, but I soon found that its song-matching and synching were very hit-and-miss, so much so that I ended up having to rebuild my music library once I’d transferred it to Swinsian. (Incidentally, I consider Swinsian a spiritual successor to the old iTunes, turned up to 11!) That experience has made me reconsider relying on any Apple services, including iCloud — aside from one or two app subscriptions and occasional app purchases, that’s my only interaction with that side now.
I don’t know if I’ll buy any more Apple hardware in the future, and will seriously consider other options when the time comes.
I’d have also put iCloud services subscription if that was in the survey.
For the smart speaker category I put other, as we use Sonos speakers, almost exclusively playing Apple Music playlists of our own music, though sometimes using AirPlay from our devices, and one Sonos Amp plays sound from the Apple TV attached to it.
I keep MacOS current even if on older 2020 Mac’s.
I keep ipadOS current with latest iPad mini and older iPad Pro.
I avoid Bluetooth headsets hence, I have the last phone with a mini jack and an Apple Watch 3 to go with it.
I avoid the rest of Apple’s overpriced social engineering products.
I also use Linux, Raspberry Pi’s, Fire HD, a LightPhone. I’d dump my iPhone (vending machine in my pocket) if I could sync my watch to my iPad and probably get a much newer Apple Watch.
Computers - all Apple except for a Windows laptop only for QuickBooks (trying to install a VM right now)
Headphones - I use Apple Wired EarPods, not AirPods
Display - laptop, Apple Cinema Display and a Dell
Stream from a computer typically but have used the Vizio
No watch, I use a Garmin Edge for tracking bike miles. The Fitness app is STILL miserably inaccurate
I do have BT and wifi speakers but have no desire for a smart speaker. The BT ones are attached to an iMac in the office for streaming off an old version of iTunes. The wifi speaker is for the deck (to the iMac) since BT can’t handle exiting the house despite being within range. A very imperfect system quite honestly
I’m truly Apple based:
Computers: 27 in iMac and older MacBookAir that I almost never use
Tablets: iPad Mini and 11 inch iPad Air
Phone: iPhone 15
Watch: Apple Watch series 9
TV Apple TV connected to my older tv which isn’t a smart tv
Email: both macMail and yahoo mail and occasionally gmail
Backup: iCloud for iOS devices, Backblaze and iDrive for computers
Earbuds: I have both the old wired ones and the wireless ones from Apple but I rarely use either.
iTunes Match (I still subscribe to this.)
I’m pretty much Apple to the core, though I haven’t jumped on AirPods nor VR headsets. The exception is my display; Apple displays are tad pricey these days. I bought a USB-C equipped Philips Ultrawide display that has become the heart of my home workstation with the MacBook on a stand alongside.
The keyboard, mouse, and backup drives all attach to the monitor, and when I plug it in to the laptop the monitor charges the MacBook. All I have to do is remember to unmount my Time Machine drive before pulling the single USB-C out of the Mac when I go on the road.
No support in the poll for owning multiple items (Apple and non-Apple), nor for what Apple (or non-Apple) services you use. I have quite a few Macs and several iPads (of various sizes and generations).
I’m pretty much all Apple since 1989, but I do have a few non-Apple gadgets that I never or rarely use (i.e. a cheap Chome tablet, lots of Kindles). I used to like to experiment with other hardware, but now I can run other OSes via emulation so that’s not really necessary.
From the very first line of @ace’s Google doc:
Note his emphasis.
Sorry, neither is primary. They both have an equal footing.
So flip a coin or roll a die. This isn’t a record of your inventory. The purpose is to obtain a rough estimate of Apple’s penetration in each sphere and gather some statistics on cross-ownership.
Apple’s projection in “as a service by subscription in perpetuity” is likely my gripe.
I have a Mac Studio, iPhone, Apple Watch, Timecapsule (soon to be replaced with Synology NAS), Homepods (paired for stereo and Siri integration into house lighting, iTunes) and AppleTV. And an old iPad Air that’s just for weather and news.
My primary home computer is the Mac Studio. I do use a MacbookPro for work, and WFH. But I mostly use a PC at work, and for gaming, have a Win11 PC I built. Lastly, I have an Android phone as I would like to move off most of my dependence on Apple’s Ecosystem. It will be tedious to get new apps to duplicate iOS apps, along with converting much of my music that I sync and play on Carplay (another Ecosystem of Apple).
I use ISOtune ear protection, Sony earbuds and Sony Headphones (all bluetooth). All paired to iOS.
I also have a RaspPi (pihole) and plan on getting a used Dell to convert to a linux box to manage my home NAS (future).
If I had to give a percentage, its 80% Apple and 20% Windows/other.
I think that mechanically they are the same: a sheet with membrane switches. The buttons on mine are just pressing on the membrane at that spot.
…but I could be wrong.
I am mostly firmly in the Apple ecosystem. One miss in the survey is “Homekit vs Amazon vs Google” for home automation. I won’t buy devices that don’t work with Homekit, because I have no desire to have multiple ecosystems (and I really dislike the individual manufacturer ecosystems like Eufy, et al). I have EufyCam 2.0 devices because they actually worked with Homekit Secure Video (it’s difficult to find HKSV devices, which frustrates me). I wanted to upgrade, then found out that the newer devices didn’t support Apple and canceled my order.
I have non-Apple displays for the two Mac Minis (and my work MBP) only because I can’t justify the cost of the Apple displays - I don’t work with color to the point where an Apple display makes financial sense. The ASUS XG49WCR is wonderful (it makes my work day so much better) and the Dell S3220DGF works reasonably well for the M4 mini until I can get a new widescreen curved monitor (at which point the Dell moves to the M1 mini that’s currently on a 24" (it’s probably an LG). I have a Sonos Beam soundbar for the main Apple TV because the 1st gen Homepods just weren’t reliable as a stereo pair (they were great for the first few years, but they started having significant difficulties staying synced). I still have them, but they’re no longer a stereo pair and are mostly for using Siri to do “stuff” or occasionally playing music (one in the living room, one in the dining room). I have a homepod mini in the office that works well for music when I’m working.
As devices start to support Matter, I’m hopeful that we’ll have more options to “add on” to the Apple Ecosystem because the vendors won’t have to explicitly add HomeKit support anymore.
Many of the extra devices I have are either Eve (switches, outlets), Airversa (humidifiers, air purifier), Ecobee (thermostats with remote sensors), Nanoleaf (lights). I bought a new Aqara doorbell with Matter hub to replace the Logitech CircleView doorbell that now “sleeps with the fishes” (it worked for a few years and then just died - but it always had challenges staying connected). The only thing that isn’t directly Homekit compatible is the Simplisafe security system, because as far as I can tell there’s no reasonable security system that offers Homekit compatibility and still allows for professional monitoring.
The current poll was Apple hardware, but an argument can be made that there should be a companion poll for Apple services. I, for one, have a lot of Apple hardware but use no paid Apple services.
Paid services would include, I think:
Other:
The App Store seems like a given, but you can still make the distinction: given a choice, is the App Store your primary source of Mac apps? Or do you prefer to get apps elsewhere, such as direct from developer or Steam?
I’d agree in a lot of respects. For the most part, I get my Mac software external to the Mac App Store - but it really depends on the software. I will buy Mac software through the App Store, but it’s not my first choice. Then again, I was a big fan of MacHeist back in the day before they cratered, back when it was a great way for independent developers to find a new audience. That predated the App Store, so when the App Store showed up I wasn’t really impressed. It’s OK, but there are definite structural issues.
I use Apple Books extensively because it works really well at allowing me to import ePubs from external sources (I buy a lot of my books direct from publishers, preferably DRM-free, then import them into Apple Books to read them). The Kindle app does not work as well for ePubs sourced from outside of the Amazon ecosystem - although you can import books, they’re second class citizens. In Apple Books, as far as I can tell, imported ePubs are treated as first class citizens.
I use Apple Pay extensively (i.e., whenever possible), although not often with my Apple credit card - I get better rebates from a couple of other cards, so I use them via Apple Pay. I like the fact that Apple Pay uses a device specific card with additional security protections (similar to some of the credit cards that offered the virtual card numbers to use online). I don’t use Apple Cash much, especially since they added the ability to automatically move the Apple Cash into the Apple Savings account). There was a point where I did use it at point of sale, before I started working from home, primarily to buy lunch.
Of the other offerings, I have an Apple One Premier subscription, so I “get” most of the rest of the subscription services. It’s primarily because my wife and my son use Apple Music heavily and enjoy not having to buy new music (particularly my son) - I was good with importing my extensive CD collection and then occasionally buying a new album if I liked something. The other reason was to get iCloud+ to support multiple HomeKit Secure Video cameras - I have four at the moment (three cameras, one doorbell) and will almost certainly add more. We have watched some of the Apple TV+ shows, and they’re certainly not bad, but they weren’t a reason to subscribe (for us). We don’t use Arcade or Fitness+ much (if any), and News+ is only useful if I want to look up a specific story behind a paywall - I don’t really use it as a primary news source.
First computer Apple IIe
Current computer M4 Mac Mini
Never owned a smart phone, never will.
Primary Apple Devices:
Desktop: Mid-2011 iMac maxed out at MacOS 10.13.6
Laptop: Mid-2015 MacBook Pro maxed out at MacOS 12.7.6
Phone: iPhone 12 iOS 18.6
Tablets: iMac Mini 5 iPadOS 14.4.2; iPad Mini 6 iPadOS 18.6; iPad Mini 7 iPadOS 18.6 All used interchangeably, and all have Pencils
Watch: Watch 5 WatchOS 10.6.1
TV: TV 4K 1st gen; TV 4K 3rd gen
Other Apple products:
Apple IIc (first Apple product bought Fall 1984)
Newton Message Pad 2100
iMac G5
iMac G4
iMac G3
Macintosh LC w/ Apple IIe Card
Non-Apple Product
SuperMac C500 with G3 upgrade
Edit on 8 Sep 25: I forgot to list the AppleDesign Powered Speakers that unfortunately died several years ago.
Just to reiterate, folks, I’m sure many people have a lot of hardware from other manufacturers kicking around, perhaps even in use for a non-trivial amount of time. But it’s impossible to design polls that can take into account all the nuances and yield manageable results.
We may indeed have to do a followup poll on Apple services since there are so many.
That would be a vote for Other.
I use Apple devices for most purposes - Mac Studio, Studio Display, three varieties of iPad (one used as a display for my weather station) and a couple others. I use a Sennheiser 650n headphone which I like better than Apple’s equivalent - but there’s very little advantage to sticking with Apple here and using a wired headphone lets me play my keyboard together with a recording on my Mac with very little delay whereas a wireless headphone doesn’t work very well - important for trying to figure out chords for a fiddle tune. I have an Apple Studio Display which is by far my best monitor, but I also have a good Dell and a good BenQ display - and for some purposes involving spreadsheets, fiddle tunes and web page design I use all three and wish I had more space.
So while I use some other equipment the Apple equipment is generally gets a strong preference explicitly because it works together so nicely.
Peter Yarensky
The heart of my computing world has been Macs since the 512 K I bought in 1985, and everything I bought from then to now has to be Mac compatible. However, I have chosen non-Mac products over Apple since I replaced the dot-matrix Imagewriter with an affordable non-Mac laser printer rather than an expensive LaserWriter. I don’t remember Apple ever offering an ergonomic keyboard, but I needed one to avoid wrist and finger pain, and Apple has had some very uncomfortable keyboards. Apple displays cost more than they’re worth. I started word processing with MacWrite, but Apple didn’t keep up with what I need for writing and sending for publishers. I bought an iPod to listen to music when driving, but I don’t do that much any more. I never was interested in tablets; I use keyboards for writing. I bought a cheap dumb phone around 2000 to keep in touch when traveling, and only switched to an iPhone last year because my old dumb phone died and my wife had a spare iPhone. (Otherwise I would have bought another feature phone – small screens are not comfortable for my eyes.) So although I have been a Mac user for 40 years, I’m far from exclusive, so overall I’m an other, although I wouldn’t know what to do with Windows or Android, and the only Google feature I use regularly is their maps.
Two things.
I’m not admitting to anything, but I’d like to point out that your form should allow for us to put the number of each type of device that we have. :D
Apparently I cannot submit without a google login - I am all in on Apple except for the display (HP right now). I do not have a smart speaker or VR headset. Also and Apple Premier Plus subscriber in terms of services. My friends call me Angus MacBigot of the Clan MacBigot.
I’m pretty much all in. The only ones I didn’t check were speakers (I’m a long-time Sonos user, way before Apple got in the game) and don’t have a VR headset. The only reason I wear a watch is because the Apple watch is part of the ecosystem. Having said that, I’m looking for a way out. The integration seems forced, and the continual changes, especially on the macOS side, are driving me nuts. “%&%&ing Apple” is heard around my house constantly. I’m going to take a close look at different Linux systems, and if I find there are good replacements for the Mac apps I use most I won’t think twice about letting the other devices go, too.
I use an 11 year old iPhone 8+ which Apple no longer supports for my few calls. If it dies I’m not sure I’d have any phone. BTW, I already turned off push notifications. Too many people were abusing the “right to call” especially the medical community.
I use an iPod Mini to watch some of my collection of recorded video.
My computer monitors are HD TVs via HDMI. I like watching movies from my collection large screen using VLC and often speed up over the slow bits. The movies were recorded using not Apple tech (no longer available)
I looked at Swinsian a while ago as a replacement for Apple’s extremely buggy Music app for MacOS. At the time it was abandonware, with no updates since June 2021. Lo and behold, two days ago it was resurrected with version 3 that, among other things, natively supports Apple silicon.
Besides the risk of it returning to abandonware, I have other concerns. Perhaps you can enlighten me about these issues. What I understand from the web site is that Swinsian moves the music files to its own library, is that true? And are the moved files still visible in the Finder, or are they locked in a database? Also, Swinsian cannot copy files to the iPhone, hence the warning that you must maintain the Music app as well if you want to do that. Is that still true? Finally, I have rated a lot of my tracks, and since ratings are not kept in the files as metadate, I would undoubtedly lose them, which is a problem. (I do not use any of Apple’s music-related cloud services.) Thank you for any information you can provide.
I have two iPhones. A 13 Pro is my main phone, and a 12 mini is my backup. Why a backup? I live alone, and when I ditched my landline, I didn’t want to be without communication if my primary phone is lost or damaged or has to be repaired or if service goes out. I bought the mini on eBay about a year ago, refurbished by the vendor with a new battery. The phone is everything that was promised.
I set it up with Tello, an MVNO, with minimum service for $10/month. I don’t know which cellular service is their provider. I only shared the number with family and a couple of close friends, so it gets no junk calls. I have it logged in to my Apple Account, primarily so its contact list stays updated, and so I get all the junk iMessages that have to be deleted separately on that device.
It gives me some added peace of mind.
Yes, because the options are basically Apple and non-Apple. There are way too many non-Apple possibilities to encompass in a question.
Yes, precisely. Every TidBITS article has comments here.
Try again—it doesn’t require a Google login. I can load it fine in an incognito window.
Sorry, but no—that would induce madness. How many you’ve ever bought? How many you still have? How many still work? How many you still use? Etc…
This is a comment about the poll that doesn’t really call for a change to the poll but for a change to Apple. :-)
There is no option on the “tablet” category for “growf, growf, I use an x because Apple doesn’t make a real tablet computer.” :-) In my case, what I have is an old Microsoft Surface Go which has cellular internet and is an actual computer. All my other devices are Apple. I’d love a genuine Apple tablet computer, but that means Apple has to either:
Obvious conclusion: Apple has too many product lines. :-)
(As an aside, the Surface Go cannot be transitioned to Windows 11, so it can’t last much longer. And Microsoft no longer has a proper replacement, either. Apparently “true tablet computer” is not a market niche anyone wants to fill.)
Like others here I’ve moved, over a lifetime, from the computers to everything else.
First machine a IIe, followed by a Mac Plus, followed by a Mac IIci & an SE/30. (Loved those last two…)
Followed by a line of laptops, with iMacs for my kids… (and an office supplied Dell laptop, a truly gruesome thing). But none of these equal to the M’s – Apple has finally become Apple!
I’m on an M4 Air now, having passed an M1 & M3 to Windows friends, who have simply gone “wow”!!
Since the first iPad, one has never been out of reach – currently on an 11” Gen 3 iPad Pro. I’ve moved from clamshell Samsung phones to an awful Motorola G to a Mini iPhone 12, finally seeing the error of my ways. Though that’s basically support for a Watch 7, which I’m just in love with…
AirPod Pro 2s complete my hardware – a powered OWC dock runs a Phillips monitor (though I want an ALogic – my only deviation from being a complete Apple fanboy). Of course I’ve an iCloud+ sub, though that’s my one service…
All of these devices have been life changing, I’m just so thankful that Apple exists!
One mans madness is another mans etc etc etc :D
I have been in the Apple ecosystem for home use for a long time now. I was in the Windows ecosystem for work also for a long time. I never had issues moving from one ecosystem to the other, although I did install VMware to enable me to work from home from time to time.
Now for home and work I am in the Apple ecosystem. I like the interpretability, reliability and security of the Apple devices and the software. But my external drives, mouses, cables, pods and other stuff are not Apple either because Apple does not sell them, or have design or quality issues.
I tend to have the latest Apple hardware. But the prices have risen considerably and I consider Apple is price gouging. I have a Mac Studio, but I am about to buy a second monitor and that will not be another Mac Studio because of its high cost.
Thank you for these polls. I look forward to the results of this one and for a poll on usage of Apple services.
I’m pretty much ‘all in’. I started with the Mac SE in '88 and haven’t looked back. There’s been a long string of Apple products since.
Currently I have a M1 16" MBP as my primary tool, it’s probably much more ‘power’ than I ever use but I do need the portability and I sure like the screen ‘real estate’. I spend way to much time with it. I’m a couple generations behind in upgrading my OS 'cause Brother hasn’t updated the drivers for my printer. (Shame on Brother!!!)
Also have an iPad, iPhone (my 3rd, one quit working), Apple Watch, Home Pods (2), and Apple TV. I do read a fair amount from the iPhone (but prefer the big screen of the MBP), and listen to a good bit of news and music from the Home Pod. Occasionally use the iPad; the Apple TV, not so much.
I’ve begun to play with ChatGPT; probably haven’t challenged it much, thus far it has been useful.
Now a late stage ‘octogenarian’, I find the ‘Health’ information provided by the Watch-iPhone combination of increasing importance.
BTW, living alone, the app ‘Snug Safe’ provides a little peace of mind.
It was all Apple. I use Windows on a MacBook Air. No Vision Pro though - they are yet not sold in Sweden…
Swinsian can access your Music library, so you could use it that way if you wished. As for its own library management, it can organise tracks into folders by album & compilation, and by default all editing is saved to the track files.
Fair point, though, on it potentially becoming abandonware again. I’ll admit that I was considering possible candidates to replace it at some point, particularly as version 2 was Intel-only and the clock is now ticking on Rosetta2 support. Version 3 at least gives me relief from the latter.
If the Music app is working okay for you then I wouldn’t suggest jumping ship. Personally, I was fine with most of the app’s features — my problems stemmed from how it ‘managed’ my library when connected to the Apple Music service, and even after cutting that cord it still had issues due to the sheer number of tracks I’d acquired over the years.
Well, these days, there really are only two. iPad and those running Android.
I suppose you could also count a Windows-based tablet. Those have really fallen by the wayside, but Windows 10 had a tablet mode and Windows 11 has features that can be enabled to produce (mostly) the same thing. But that’s really meant for “convertible” laptops, where you can fold a touch screen completely around to the other side of the keyboard and use the device (more or less) as a tablet.
I use my Apple Vision Pro almost exclusively for streaming. It is a much better experience than looking at a TV or monitor.
You only need to login to a Google account if you would like to edit or review your answers after submitting them.
You can hit the submit button without logging in.
Likedd the Mac in 1984, and its error-reduction Graphic User Interface Learned of its User-Centered Human Interface Guidelines. iPhone replaced Palm and Treo. Recently iWatch replaced emotionally gifted analog watch. Do use a bit of Google Calendar when having to give/get data on sites set up by others.
That’s exactly my point, if you’d read the rest of my post. I have a Windows tablet, which is satisfactory except that it can’t be upgraded to Windows 11 and so will cease to be secure in the fairly near future. And the Windows world seems to have stopped developing true tablet computers. iOS and Android are not robust enough to be answers; they are tablets first and hardly computers at all. The Surface Go was actually a very good compromise: Entirely competent as a tablet and at least usable as an actual computer.
I suppose what that proves is that there isn’t enough market for true tablet computers. Of course, that makes it the perfect place for Apple to define a segment. But they’d need to start doing something original again, which they seem to have lost the ability to do.
I read your post. And I understand your opinion. But the fact is that Windows tablets were never very popular and they aren’t made at all today (not counting convertible laptops).
Whether or not that is significant enough to get a separate line item in the survey is up to @ace. I assume he omitted it because it hadn’t occurred to him and nobody mentioned it in the pre-survey discussion.
“true” is a matter of opinions. But a tablet with the power of a PC laptop is really expensive and I think does have only a niche market. Hence the convertible laptops - so you can flip the screen around and use it in whichever configuration is appropriate at the time.
But (and this is another matter of opinion), I would count such a device as a computer, not a tablet.
My main two devices are a Macbook Air (2020, M1) and a 3rd-gen iPhone SE. I also have a 9th-gen iPad and a 2021 Apple TV. No Apple watches, speakers or earphones. Watches: they are what I call “smart enough”. One’s an old Timex analog watch, the other is a Casio LCD digital watch. They do what I need and refuse to die. They have no connectivity to the Apple or any other digital “ecosystem.” Have a couple of non-Apple Bluetooth speakers and non-Apple Bluetooth earbuds. I have no plans to get an Apple watch.
Primary is iMac, also Macbook Air, iPhone, iPad. Started with Apple 11c in 1986.
John Henderson
I thought my responses would indicate my clear metropolitan liberalism, but alas, it appears I am completely delusional, and I am in fact all in with the Apple ecosystem. This probably makes for a very boring response. Well, except that I would never buy Apple Vision Pro, but that’s hardly unexpected, even for someone who’s not blind (Meta is certainly getting our attention, though, sad to say).
But where Apple are concerned, I think it’s the hardware and the lock-in, in the end—you just run virtual machines every time you need the utility (or utilitarianism) of other OSs, and you get to keep a nice *NIX platform running on wicked-fast and low-power hardware, and a nice ecosystem of software to make it broadly useful most of the rest of the time. I do think the transition to Apple Silicon has thrown a wrench into the works, but I doubt it’s insurmountable; ARM Windows already runs two of the major screen readers for working around VoiceOver bugs, and the main weakness has been driver support for Braille displays. And my existing inventory of Macs can certainly run other operating systems natively, albeit less well than generic x86 hardware. Even so, I relish competition from AMD, because I’m irritated by macOS’s direction of travel and Apple’s prices do make it harder to justify for anything but their laptops, so I don’t really know where I’m headed after my Intel iMac dies—whether I move to an all-in-one-laptop workflow, or divide my workload up between a more balanced platform line-up. Actually, I can well imagine just doing the sensible thing and buying some mini PCs to run server duties on, which could easily include a VM host for x86, and aside from the issue of headless management (including the firmware), that would honestly be good enough. I’d prefer desktop hardware on my desktop, but I could make it work.
What is a
loyal TidBITSer? I guess I’ve been reading TidBITS fairly avidly since the days ofsetext. Does that count?I run Linux on my main machine but use an iPhone. If I can find an elegant Linux phone I’m switching. if I worked in media production I can imagine being tied to Mac though.
The huge delight of Linux is running it on great laptops that last years and one can upgrade oneself. I’ve just upgraded my Lenovo ThinkPad t470s (which I bought second hand in as-new condition for $450 or so 4 or 5 years ago) to 16GB of RAM and 1TB nvme storage. Also I’ve had the same desktop – exactly – for more than 10 years. That’s not stopping me running last week’s Debian Trixie though; easy-peasy upgrade.
I support others in the family using Apple devices. I personally don’t like the walled garden very much, and I think the OS and physical design are going downhill. The idea that nvme disks on Apple laptops are hardware-keyed from being user-upgraded is simply ridiculous, and seems part of a plot to get one to rent one’s data back from iCloud(!).
Conspiracy theories aside, it would be interesting to think what great software we’d have if kids were brought up on the command line rather than clicking stuff. Terminal inputs are the beginning phrases of programs, perhaps.
In any event the
TidBITSercommunity seems full of thoughtful, interesting people, trying to get the most out of technology. Maybe Apple isn’t the best route to doing that anymore?I answered ‘Other’ for ‘Streaming Device’. Like @Simon I don’t have a TV, so all my streaming is done on my Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Sometimes I will Airplay or Cast what I’m/we’re watching to a projector (usually from my iPhone).
I started with an Apple //e in '82, but that was the last desktop Apple that I owned. I’ve been laptop pretty much since, now with a MBP M4. iPhone SE 3rd gen (everything else is too big!). And instead of headphones, I have Oticon hearing aids (which work great with my iPhone but not with the laptop).
What did you do between 1982 and 1991, when the first PowerBook was released? Or did you have a Macintosh Portable?
Apple //c debuted in 1984. Of course it didn’t include the monitor as modern ‘laptops’ do.
True, but Apple dealers always offered bundles including a monitor and other accessories.
When I got mine, back in the day, the dealer bundled the 9" green Apple Monitor //c, an external floppy drive and an Apple Scribe printer.
Other common options were the Color Composite Monitor //c (the color composite monitor IIe and //c were the same display, but with a different enclosure/stand to coordinate with the computer) and the ImageWriter printer.
Maybe the dealer put the bundle together, but there were definitely discounts for buying all the pieces at once.
I didn’t count my hearing aid as “ear buds” because I thought of ear buds as an auxiliary to the computer, but I can see your point.
My story is similar. It was in October/November 1984 at the Army & Air Force Exchange Post Exchange in Robin son Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany where I was deciding between a Macintosh and an Apple IIc The prices were similar but I went with the IIc because it included a printer, the Scribe. A week later I went back to the PX, and bought the external 5.25" drive. I still have the IIc items I bought, along with upgrades, except the Scribe printer.
He probable used the Apple IIe, of course! Remember he bought it IN 1982.