I’m Stuck in the Apple Ecosystem
Most tech companies these days are very good at making consumers buy more and more of their products simply because they work well together. Samsung's Galaxy ecosystem consists of phones, watches, wireless earphones, and tablets. Google and Microsoft have extensive ranges of apps and online services such as Google’s Gmail and Microsoft’s Teams, as well as many devices such as the Google Pixel phone range and the Microsoft Surface laptop range. These companies all do a good job of integrating their products and providing a seamless experience to their users through features such as Google’s Chromecast which allows users to cast their screen or content such as YouTube onto supported TVs. These features mentioned all create a great user experience. However, a lot of people only really know about one tech company’s ecosystem in particular. The Apple ecosystem.
In fact, most recognize Apple’s ecosystem as the most “connected” experience compared to other brands. However, I think that’s somewhat incorrect. It comes down to a discussion of how Apple brands itself and the advertising it produces.
According to a report by statista.com, Apple was responsible for 52.5% of global smartwatch shipments in the second quarter of 2021 compared to Samsung’s 11%. This might come as a shock or it might not if you understand how truly popular the Apple Watch has become in recent years. To understand why the Apple Watch is so popular, let’s take a look at why somebody would buy one. A business-minded person may buy an Apple Watch purely for the convenience of answering calls and messages on their wrists. An athlete may want a medium for tracking their health and fitness-related activities. Then there’s the group that wants to tell the time in style, and the group that simply has an Apple Watch because… why not have one right? It just works so well with my phone, it’s just a logical purchase. The Apple Fitness app allows for tracking many health metrics and workout statistics, as well as the competition feature that allows you to compete with your friends and family. This is yet another reason why a person may be pushed towards buying an Apple watch over anything else.
AirPods have taken the world by storm since they were released in 2016. Why? Because if your friends have them and you don’t, you’re going to feel left out. This is a generalization that mostly applies to younger generations, but why do you think that fake AirPods are so abundant these days? It’s because AirPods are viewed as a status-raiser, especially by those who don’t own a pair. If an iPhone user is looking at buying a pair of wireless earphones, they are most likely not going to get the new Galaxy Buds Pro, but rather a pair of AirPods. Why? Because “AirPods just work”. This relates to Apple’s branding. They have managed to earn a good reputation that can often push users into only buying Apple products.
AirDropping files between your Apple devices, and your friends’ and families’ Apple devices makes sharing those holiday trip photos easier than ever. FaceTiming your friends and playing games on iMessage is a key part of many teenage relationships, forcing many teens to get iPhones if they want to be accepted and part of friend groups. The blue and green bubbles are a great example of Apple suggesting you buy their products.
Now, let me tell you what happened to me. It started with my first phone. A handed-down iPhone from my mother, a fellow iPhone user at the time. Then came the iCloud Family plan and the Apple Music subscription. Then came the Apple Watch to track my workouts and quickly jot down reminders at school. Then came the pair of AirPods to listen to Apple Music. Then came the iPad to take notes in class and sync them to my iPhone through iCloud. Then came the beautiful MacBook to replace the Acer laptop that wasn’t doing too well after its six years of good use.
It just made sense to get a MacBook so that I could more easily access the services I use on my other Apple devices such as iCloud photos, my contacts, Apple Music, and class notes. Being able to copy on my iPhone and iPad and paste on my MacBook and seamlessly AirDrop, sync with iCloud, and have that Apple reliability are all reasons my brain pushed in front of me when I asked myself which laptop I should buy. Also considering that you need a MacBook to use Xcode and Logic Pro X, both programs that I planned to use if ever I got a MacBook (update: I now use them since I have a MacBook). More recently I got a “smart switch” and set it up to work with Apple’s HomeKit so now I say “Hey Siri, turn off the bedroom lights” when I’ve finished reading before bed. Further integration into Apple’s ecosystem.
As you can tell, I love Apple products. But it’s gotten to the point where I’m not sure if I have a choice to love them or if it’s kind of just a given. I can’t exactly get an Android phone because my iCloud Family subscription would be wasted and all my photos wouldn’t be on my phone. My AirPods wouldn’t connect as seamlessly and beautifully as they do on my iPhone. I couldn’t AirDrop things with my other devices and with friends and family. I could carry on stating problems with messing with the Apple ecosystem but I think you get the point. Once you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem it's difficult and a pain to get out. I’m lucky that I happen to still love Apple after years of using their products because I don’t think I can get unstuck from the Apple ecosystem.
In conclusion, Apple is very smart with how they brand their products and get consumers to rope themselves further and further into the Apple ecosystem. To anyone looking at the Apple ecosystem from the outside, I must say I personally find it wonderful. Just make extra sure that it fits your lifestyle before getting drawn into an ecosystem with no reasonable way to escape.
Thanks for reading my story! It would really help me out if you could give me a clap and a follow. Please feel free to give me feedback in the comments!
