I’m talking here about their hardware (MacBook, iPhone, iPad, iWatch) and software (iCloud, Apple One, mail, passwords, wallet, other apps), in terms of owning all of that.
What’s your opinion on using everything that comes from Apple? Is there anything that you would throw away from the “basket” full of apples? If yes, then what would be that and why?
iCloud private relay is highly underrated for privacy imo. You won’t hear a lot of agreement with me here, but it’s the best form of a privacy vpn. When you use a third party vpn you still have to trust the vpn company to respect your privacy whereas private relay, by definition, does not allow Apple or anyone else to scrape your data.
100% agree here.
The design of this is much better than VPN. Apple doesn’t know what you’re asking for or the data, but does know your ip. The CDN doesn’t know your ip but does know what you’re asking for.
And neither Apple nor the CDN have any way of matching the ip to the data at all since it’s abstracted several times and encrypted.
Note: I’m not an iOS user but this feature does tempt me to switch.
What’s “CDN” in this context? I’m only familiar with it as “content distribution network” such as a system of caching image assets around the internet so they can be served to clients faster.
I’m as deep in the ecosystem as you can be. I have multiple everything: phone, iPad, Watch, TV, HomePod, many Macs (I’m an Apple developer, it’s all business-related!). Subscribe to Apple One Premier for the family. Apple Pay, Apple Card, etc., etc… I’ll be first in line for Vision Pro next year.
Basically, if there’s an Apple version of something, I will use it over the competition, regardless of any other consideration.
I’ve been a tech nerd for 40+ years, and honestly, I love it. I built my own PCs for years. I can program assembly language if need be. I’ve got a Linux box in the closet acting as my home server. It used to do a lot of the internet router stuff, but I moved that to an Airport Extreme many years ago.
I just don’t want to mess around with that stuff anymore. For the most part, “it just works” is true. Yes, there are bugs and glitches and frustrating limitations, but show me a hardware/software system that doesn’t have them.
Bonus points if that Linux box on your cupboard in intel Mac mini- I’ve been using them instead of raspberry pis and they’re amazing
Yes, but.
Overall, yes, leverage the Apple Ecosystem as far as you can - and you can quite far before “needing” alternatives. I have several Apple devices are various stripes and the integration between them is very good/nice. I have a PC (strictly for gaming) and I made some efforts to integrate it with my Apple devices, but as I don’t use it much except as a launch pad into Steam, it really doesn’t matter much.
- I use Apple Mail and probably always will. I have tried several options, but find Apple Mail works very well “for me”.
- I use Apple Calendar and probably always will. Works fine “for me”.
- I use Apple Notes for quick jots of generally disconnected information. I have tried many other Notes apps, and so many are just “too much” (Obsidian, for example, is an operating system masquerading as a note app :-) /s). I am happy that Bear recently upgraded to the long-awaited Version 2 and for my heavy-duty note lifting and writing, it’s now my go-to.
- I use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. I have used Keynote to build mid-5-figure and low-6-figure productions (I charged) for large events. It never broke on me during a run, it never crashed, and I made some good dough with it.
- I have used Final Cut Pro X and Motion to edit and release a feature length film. I actually migrated from pre-FCPX (8? 9?) to Adobe Premiere in 2010, used Adobe’s terrible products diligently for almost a decadebecause I thought I had to, but finally ditched that shit for alternatives (Final Cut Pro, Motion, Blender, Logic Pro, Affinity Suite, primarily). I just last month finally cut off our Adobe CC subs for the production company, although we kept the Adobe Stock sub.
- I use 1Password for cross-platform password management, but more-often-than-not I don’t actually use it and rely on iCloud passwords, which work perfectly fine “for me”, to the point that I am wondering if when the next rev of the OS comes out if I can ditch 1Password…
- I have iCloud+/AppleOne because 1. I wanted 2TB of iCloud storage 2. I wanted Hide My Email and VPN 3. I wanted unfettered access to AppleTV (which is great, and I am in the business anyway) and Apple Arcade (which is pretty good, awkually).
- I used to use Dropbox for professional file sharing, but after some privacy snafus on their part, I flirted with pCloud for a while (until I learned that you couldn’t “ln -s aName aNotherName” in the pCloud file system). We now have Sync.com as a non-US-based, zero-knowledge encrypted professional file sharing service and I couldn’t be happier with it. It is cheaper and more secure than Dropbox.
- I travel extensively and I use Apple Maps almost to exclusion. I also use apps like inRoute and Scenic (I ride motorcycle long-distances sometimes). I have Google Maps on my devices, but never use it (I have de-Googled myself in general, though incompletely).
- I use iMessage and FaceTime extensively and have never had a problem sending or receiving messages (that I am aware of). I especially like handing off phone calls to my other devices (for example, sitting at my laptop or desktop and my phone in the other room rings and I can call or answer on my computer).
- I use Nova (and its sister app, Transmit) for website creation (using Hugo+Bootstrap) and other low-level programming/text operations. I did use VSCode previously, but I am quite satisfied with Nova and happy to support small MacOS developers with $.
- I use Safari almost to exclusion, but Firefox in a pinch and exclusively on Windows.
I have used Linux (at one time I would build my own boxes), Windows (professionally), and macOS for decades relatively interchangeably, but in my dotage I am more and more becoming a MacOS-only user.
Used to love 1Password through version 7. When it was a standalone, Apple-first, single purchase program.
Now it’s an electron cross platform app, features come to the macOS version last, and it’s a subscription.
I’m just using keychain now. Screw those guys.
I haven’t used Nova but I’m going to check that out. I’ve been using RapidWeaver for small static site design.
I have made several sites (and maintain one) with RWC. However, I found that using Hugo (installed with Homebrew) for static sites was worth the effort learning Hugo. It’s just more fun to me to actually write HTML (et al) and watch Hugo compile everything into a site that sit so high and remote in RWC (plus, if I can pass the site off easily to anyone).
Hadn’t heard of Hugo. I’m going to grab it now. Sounds fun. For retro sites/vintage stuff I like firing up NetObjects Fusion on my old 90’s PowerMac and uploading to neocities.
Mostly cross-platform suggestions:
Apples to chuck:
- Apple Music ymmv, I have lots of mp3 with iTunes match that’s why I use it, but if you don’t, Spotify is clearly the better algorithmic music suggestion service
- Podcasts are probably better in Overcast etc.
- FaceTime / Messages is fine for apples to apples, but you’ll need other messaging apps obvs
- Carrot Weather is better than Apple Weather, shame about Dark Sky
- Calculator is bested by PCalc
- Arguments can definitely be made against Logic and Final Cut
- Apple News is pain
- On that note, even with the highest tier of iCloud, it’s probably not worth it to do Apple One until your are actually spending over that much on things you actually want. Apple TV for example is easy to binge through every few months.
- Kindle is cheaper than iBooks
- Fantastical is a great calendar replacement
- Obsidian is great if you’re a Notes power-user
Apples to keep:
- iCloud and keychain are probably the best if you’re all-Apple, but back up elsewhere or consider other cloud storage solutions and 1Password. Definitely sign up for lowest tier iCloud as it unlocks a lot of functionality.
- I prefer iWork (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) to ms office
- See Apple Music above if you have your own mp3s or old iTunes purchases
- iCloud Photo Library is getting better and is very convenient
- Find My is great if you have AirTags, use it all the time on my keys
That’s all I can think of rn! Personally I go for rational functionality over philosophy as I think that’s a trap! They’re just computers, don’t not use stuff based on principle if it works the best, but also don’t get sucked in by the hype, they make it as easy as possible to eat all your money!
I personally find the Apple One family plan to be an awesome deal. Music/Arcade/TV/Fitness/News. Out of all of these, news is pretty “meh”, though you do get access to popular magazines/newspapers. Everything else is great.
I am not an all Apple guy, since I am a PC gamer, but I use Apple products most of the time.
Since Reddit became unadulterated evil I’ve been using Apple News to fill my clickbait/doomscrolling quotient and it’s actually not too bad once you customize your following sources/topics list. I pay for News+ so I rarely run into a paywall. I’ve suppressed the sources that require additional subscription (sorry Washington Post). Did you know if you are reading a story in Safari that has a paywall, but that source is available in News+ you can click the share button and “Open in News” will take you to right to a version you can read?
I have a quibble with Fantastical. Ever since they went to a subscription model from one time purchase I’ve left them behind. I’m not renting software.
Obsidian is far and away my favorite of those you mentioned for personal use. Although notes is better for shared notes with others. Obsidian isn’t something your mom is just going to dive into.
I try to find cross platform options for any software. I moved from Android to iOS a few years ago and always think I may move back so it’s nice to keep options open. That being said though, the apple ecosystem works so well with everything within it I sometimes double pay for services just to also have the convenience that comes with the ecosystem.
