First of all, I love Apple, I also love their ecosystem, but can’t help feeling trapped in it sometimes.
I have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Macbook Pro and Apple TV, and it’s great how they work together, but the problem comes when you want to try something different.
Lately, I’ve been considering maybe switching to a Note 10 as my primary driver, but then realized it will be so hard to switch.
I have some purchases in iTunes that I will lose, all my contacts etc. are in iCloud, my Apple Watch will be useless and although my Apple TV will still work fine, I will not have the functionality it has with my iPhone.
The only device that will probably work fine is actually my Macbook Pro.
I understand this is probably exactly what Apple wants to do, so that you “get trapped” in the ecosystem through your own fault and then find it very difficult to imagine using anything else.
Do you feel trapped in the Apple ecosystem?
Have you ever asked someone why they have an iPhone? Is it the best all-round smartphone or is it just for convenience? Over time, Apple has created what some call the “Apple ecosystem”. An ecosystem is literally defined as a “community of interacting organisms and their physical environment,” and Apple created that but consists of their devices.
Most Mac users have an iPhone. I mean, why wouldn’t they? You can load your text messages, video calls, notes, web searches and more onto your computer and phone. The integration is seamless and your phone and computer start working as one device. This functionality is hard to beat. A new phone may come out with a better display, battery and camera, but iPhone users are still buying Apple products.
Now suppose the same Mac user wants to buy a smartwatch. Will they research Fitbits and Motorolas, or will they choose the Apple Watch? On an Apple Watch, they can easily send all their notifications to their watch, so the Apple Watch seems like the best option. Furthermore, they will go through the same thinking process if they want to buy a tablet, a speaker or a Bluetooth headsets. They can weigh their options and look at the quality of the devices from several other brands, but they will likely fit the Apple alternative no matter how it compares to the rest. Even if other products are really striking than the Apple version, it’s easier to just go with the product already integrated with the rest of your devices. Put it differently, the product that is part of the ecosystem.
Applehas created a guarded wall around the convenience of their products. Once you start using two or three of their devices, switching to a different platform may sound like a very bad idea. Other companies have their own versions of an ecosystem, but none are as monitored and difficult to deviate from as Apple’s. For instant, Google has many services and devices, including Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and Gmail to name a few. However, unlike Apple, you can access these services from anywhere. You don’t need a Google Pixel phone to use them. You can access these services from any computer or phone, making them much more accessible. Although Google has an ecosystem of their services, users may deviate from the ecosystem because fewer walls are built around their services.
Apple-specific software such as iMessage, FaceTime and iCloud discourages users from looking at other products, especially since Apple has an alternative to almost every device. Using a different device is now a hindrance because Apple has made their services so specific to their devices. For example, IMessage only exists on Apple devices, and Apple has made iMessages stand out from regular text messages. iPhone users know the infamous green text messages of Android users and often make people guilty of texting them with green messages. These green messages are just one of many ways that Apple differentiates their services from others.
In addition to only the specific software that Apple offers, Apple also has devices specific to their users. Apple’s smart speaker, the HomePod, can only be used when connected to an iPhone and Siri. To make matters worse, the HomePod will only play music from Apple Music and will not connect to Bluetooth or an extra cord. So to use the HomePod, you must be an iPhone user who also uses Apple Music. The HomePod may seem very specific and unnecessary, but the device is just another way for Apple to trap their customers. Once a user has purchased a HomePod speaker, they will never be able to switch from using an iPhone or using Apple Music again because it will make their speaker obsolete.
While Apple designs their products to the best of their ability, they also ensure that their products connect to their ecosystem. People keep buying from Apple because you can’t use their services on devices other than their own. This makes the Apple ecosystem unique compared to others. Not only how well the products work together, but also how difficult it is to deviate from them if you’ve already started using them. So you need to realize that you are trapped in the Apple ecosystem and learn to break out if necessary. Without acknowledging this, it can be easy to miss quality technology from other companies.
Having said that, breaking out of Apple ecosystem can be a tough thing to do, and you might not find some of the useful features from the Apple ecosystem anywhere else. Read also Does apple ecosystem lock in users? Here’s the truth
are you trapped in apple ecosystem? Do you find it hard to break free from apple ecosystem? Let us know in the comments section below.