Sometimes I Wish I Wanted Apple Tech

Apple’s products are pretty great. They’re well made, nice to look at, feel good to use and generally perform really well. Despite popular perception, Apple’s products are even fairly well priced for what you get. Greatest of all, they integrate with each other beautifully.

Yet it’s that last point that means I’ll never, ever use Apple’s stuff, and that makes me a little sad. Not that sad, I admit, because it’s a decision I am very comfortable with. Integration is cool, and it’s undeniable that having all of your gadgets operate in harmony is pretty handy. The way an iPhone operates alongside a MacBook expands both their functionality tremendously – AirDrop, iMessage and Universal Clipboard, for example – but this is where the issue begins. If you have any of these devices on their own, you might as well not bother. An iPad without other Apple devices is just a Netflix screen & social media portal because you’re missing out on the headline features.

Why not buy in, then? It’s simple.

Choice.

I really like computers, and that means I like them to work in the way I want them to. I have specific requirements for my hardware. While MacBooks and iMacs perform well, and options exist for more RAM or storage, it’s no comparison for the variety available for a Windows desktop or laptop. Want a 14″ laptop? Sorry, Apple don’t do those (yet). Touchscreen laptop? No. Want an AMD Ryzen processor with all their lovely cores? Sorry, no. Want the ability to upgrade your device in the future? Absolutely not. Want an HDMI port? Buy another £30 dongle. The list goes on. I play games, and I like my workstation to be a custom design to help support that.

What about my phone? Well, I don’t want to be locked in to a single storefront, or a single manufacturer, or have to put up with whatever disconcerting, revolutionary change Apple implements next. Why am I not allowed a USB-C charging port on a phone, yet I’m allowed nothing but USB-C ports on a MacBook?

Integration is appealing, but I’ll sacrifice a bit of that efficiency for comfortable flexibility. It’s not like Tim needs my money anyway.