Cooked: Why My Love Affair With Apple Is Coming to an End
I’ve lived inside the walled garden that is the Apple ecosystem since 2009, when I got my first iPhone. Coming from a first-gen Motorola Razr, the iPhone felt like something straight from a sci-fi movie. The iPhone was sleek, futuristic, and simply ahead of its time. It was truly love at first touch for me. The Steve Jobs-era Apple had a particular mystique, and I was transfixed, completely under its spell.
Then I bought my first MacBook in 2012. Ditching Windows, that I'd used since the early 1990's, required some adjustments. But Apple’s design and intuitive UI made it mostly seamless. Everything about the MacBook felt ultra premium, so much so that other laptops suddenly seemed clunky and basic.
When Apple rolled out the Watch in 2015, I was mesmerized all over again. I remember trying one on at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store in Chicago. Just like the iPhone before it, the Watch felt like a glimpse into some utopian future only there it was on my wrist. At first, I couldn’t justify the price, but the idea of what it could add to my life lingered rent free in my head. Two years later I handed Apple hundreds of my hard-earned collars and wasn’t disappointed.
Over the years, my Apple collection grew: AirPods, a HomePod Mini. The HomePod, in particular, brought back that old Apple magic. I couldn't get over how something the size of a tennis ball could produce such a rich, room-filling sound. Bravo, Apple engineers.
In reality the cracks in Apple’s facade started to show years ago, with the iPhone 6. A beautifully designed device, yes, but one that overheated in the sun and shut down in cold weather. In the case of the iPhone 6 Form had overtaken function.
Then came “Batterygate,” when Apple was caught throttling older iPhones with software updates, nudging users toward 2-3 year upgrade cycles. I’d suspected it for years, but seeing it proven in court was infuriating. And I can tell you firsthand: the throttling seems like it is still happening, albeit less aggressively.
Despite all this, I've stayed. I held out hope things would get better, and talking myself out of scaling the garden wall with excuses like:
Switching would be a hassle!
Android is too buggy.
Apple is more secure!
Meanwhile, my son got a Samsung Galaxy S phone in 2018. He used it without a hitch for six years, and by 2024, its battery still lasted a full day. My iPhone, barely two years old, needed charging three to five times daily. My take on his new Galaxy S24 is more capable than my iPhone 15 Pro in many ways—for about the same price.
Then I discovered a company called Nothing. I bought their wireless earbuds) a year and a half ago, and they’re still working flawlessly. This made me take them seriously. But when I watched one of their product launches, something happened: I felt that old excitement all over again. The kind of buzz that Jobs-era Apple products used to inspire in me.
Recently both VisionPro and Apple Intelligence have flopped. This was the final straw. It’s clear that Apple has lost its edge. The innovation, the risk-taking, the magic has officially vanished. Maybe Apple is a victim of their own success and has become too big to make the kind of pivots and take the risks they need to to keep pace with innovation?
How strange to think that a company called Nothing will be the proverbial ladder that finally gives me courage to climb out of Apple’s walled garden.
I can never imagine going back to a Windows PC but once my iPhone 15 Pro gets throttled into obsolescence, which will be probably in another year, I’ll be moving to the Nothing 3a Pro (or whatever their latest flagship is). My Apple Watch? The plan is to replace this with an Oura ring.
After well over a decade inside Apple’s walled garden, it’s time to poke my head out and see exactly how much the world has changed.
Are any of you other Apple users feeling the same way?
Be well, make the most of this day. Thank you for reading!
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I've often had the impression that Apple is like a religion for many fans. If you don't believe in Apple, then you're an unbeliever to them.
Yes, kind of like a cult in some respects.
And I have never used any products of Apple for. I just tried Iphone for a few days, but I somehow felt that I was not free when it came to apps or sharing media.
That's interesting to here! My last non-Apple mobile wasn't even a smart phone so I don't have any other experience to judge by.
I bought my first iPhone(the 15 PRO) in January 2024 after over a decade of using Android phones, mostly Samsungs. The reasonsn to do that were: best camera in a compact smartphone and the curioisty to try the apple eco system.
it's been a love-hate relationship in my one year experience with it. I love the design and built materials, but I hate the swipe gestures, especially for going back from any app you are in... If at some point I will quite using iPhones it will be because of that.
Battery wise I couldn't say Samsung is better. I had the S21 prior to that and after two years of usage it had aged a lot. The iphone has 90% health left after 277 cycles.
In regard to icon design and display quality Samsung is top notch. However, if I will no longer use either iphone or Samsung after I'm done with the current 15 pro I will probably get a Oneplus. Charging speed and every day use is top notch.
I am planning to replace the battery once it reaches 80% health and use it until it is no longer relevant in the world of smartphones. It lacks innovation a lot, though, especially when it comes to AI.
S25 Ultra has live phone call translation, and iPhone doesn't even have an AI search based on image... Never used a MacBook, though. Maybe in the future, who knows... I heard they're reliable.
At this point in mobile phone evolution I think the form factor is about as good as it can be. I just wish companies would make upgradeable and repairable phones that were more modular. If you needed a battery, RAM, or camera you could buy latest and greatest one and easily swap it. The first company that can do this and make a decent product could make real headway. Apple has fallen WAY behind the industry standard with Apple Intelligence. Siri somehow get even worse with this last update and it was already years behind. I feel like they needed to get that one right. My last few laptops have been MacBook Airs and they're pretty incredible. I think the only reason to upgrade to a Pro model would be if you needed it for video editing or heavy gaming.
By 2027 they will be forced to sell phones with replaceable batteries in the EU.
Hopefully this makes its way to America eventually.
same thing happened to usb c in iphones.
Apple really did use to have that wow factor, but now it’s just overpriced and underwhelming. The throttling thing is the worst, feels like they’re forcing upgrades. Maybe it’s time to break free too 🤔 the minute someone builds android with exact performance and advantage as iPhone but cheaper, it'll surpass
The Nothing 3a Pro comes very close to the iPhone 16e and is about half the price. I just got my mom the 16e because her four year old iPhone SE had been throttled to the point it was barely keeping a charge.
would you look at that
Time for you to explore out much more than what you have been used to for years
Excelente tema 👏
The only Apple product I've ever owned is a small MP3 player that had extraordinary sound.
In my country, Apple manufacturers have always had quite high prices.
When it comes to laptops and PCs, most people here lean toward Windows. This has a practical reason: we use unlicensed software, pirated copies that are very easy to obtain.
Thanks for sharing, dear @ericvancewalton . A big hug from Maracay.
I switched from Windows to Apple and a MacBook Pro back in 2012; it felt like magic. No more crashing. Slick keyboard. I was hooked. Then, the OS update bonanza began, and I knew I wasn't returning to Windows, so I switched to Linux. I have Linux running on two of my MacBook Pro machines, and I'm thrilled. Open-source all the way. Regarding phones, I've always stuck to Motorola due to their super-performing batteries that outlast any other brands I'm familiar with. I never used earbuds; cable is the way to go if you don't want to fry your brain 😀 Not a fan of smartwatches and other "smart" tech attached to my body; I use a Garmin Forerunner 55 only during my training for the upcoming marathon.
The punchline: I'm glad you ditched the "Apple belief" and are venturing into new realms.
Nothing is a hell of a lot cheaper than iphone. I have never been in the Apple camp. I was MS-DOS all the way. I did have an ipod mini once, and that was the only apple product I ever had, and that was only because Mrs T got it free with an order for her har salon.
Far too many things are made to be upgraded now. It is ridiculous the amount of new phones that come out and make you upgrade. All those exotic minerals being ripped from the ground is just shocking.