Considering releasing my Apple devices into the void (again, or, the yearly TheoM thread)

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TheoM

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#273347 18-Aug-2020 01:13

Alright, we've been through this once already, so let's go through it again!

The lineup in 2020:

- iPhone 11 Pro

- iPad Pro (2018)

- Series 5 Apple Watch (Cellular)

- AirPods

- MacBook Pro

- AMD Hac™ Pro

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The devices I plan on keeping:

- The MacBook Pro - it's very useful for development

- The AMD Hac™ Pro - for obvious reasons

- The AirPods

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This seems to be a yearly occurrence for me, and I'm not sure what to do. I have quite a few Apple devices as of now, but the note lineup is tempting me greatly. To be clear, the Apple ecosystem is great, I like the walled garden approach, but there's just something about what one can't have. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.

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There are a lot of creature comforts in iOS/iPadOS/macOS that I'm wanting to find out about. The big ones I want to know about for the other side are in no particular order:

- Universal Clipboard

- Universal Messaging (iMessage in the cloud)

- Apple Pay

- FaceID

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With that said, I'm looking for honest opinions of the Android ecosystem. What do you like, what don't you like?

As I've said above, I'd be missing a few comforts, but how many are acceptable to lose, I'm not sure (@michaelmurfy chimed in last time this happened, and I don't think I lasted particularly long on Android).

Deciding is hard

~ T

Hi! I'm TheoM, but you know that already. I run Linux mirrors in NZ together with 2degrees. Like a mirror added? PM me!

https://theom.co.nz | https://theom.nz | https://mirrorlist.mirrors.theom.nz | Providing Free Mirrors Since Ages Ago™

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Handle9

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#2544636 19-Aug-2020 17:14

Moving phones is no big deal really. Most major services are multi platform and if you pick the right Android phone you will be very happy for most real world use cases. Whatsapp is more useful than iMessage as you can communicate with the world, not just iPhones.

We're moving back towards iPhones after a few years on Android. The full integration is attractive and Android phones are as stupidly expensive as iPhones now.

I hop backwards and forwards between MacOs and Windows daily. I prefer MacOs (on VMs and hackintoshs) as a daily driver but to be honest they are generally fairly similar in functionality. I'm currently typing this on a Windows VM.

If you want a tablet do not change from iPad. Android tablets are a hot mess, especially the lack of proper tablet apps. Samsung are the only ones trying anymore. Just don't bother, the experience sucks.

Similarly non-Apple smart watches are fine for fitness tracking and notifications but really aren't comparable. I have a Huawei Watch GT which I really like (especially for the battery life) but it's not really a comparable device.

It's certainly possible to mix and match, just you won't have the seamless experience you do now.

geekiegeek

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#2544701 19-Aug-2020 19:38

I made the switch to Andriod a couple of years back and the lack of OS updates, double up of apps (Samsung and Google) plus the sorry state of both Android tablets and watches had me crawling back to Apple and doubling down by changing my PC to Mac.

If you want an ecosystem where everything works together seamlessly, its Apple all the way. If you want a hodge-podge of devices that kind of work together, go Android. I personally think a lot of the Apple haters out there have just never tried the full experience so don't actually know what they are missing.

And when I say all in, I mean - iPad Pro 12", iPad Mini, iPhone 11 Pro, Apple Watch, 2x Apple TVs, 3x Homepods a Hackintosh desktop and a Macbook Pro for work, Airpods Pro, Beats Studio and Powerbeats Pro. One Apple ID rules them all and everything follows my Apple ID - just think of the "magic" of adding Airpods to your phone and they are instantly set up on every other device and all you did was open the case next to your phone. Brilliant!