Bye Bye IPhone ... 🤓

[WillBrink]

My issue is, Apple services are supposed to be secure. Assume they are. None of the third party apps are, and harvest telemetry in addition to user input. Further, the app financial model requires this. The tighter a squeeze Apple puts on them for data, the more will go through services or one-time purchases, of which apple takes a cut. Apple hopes to cut off third party sign on. Privacy is good. But there's a financial motive as well. And it isn't sell more iPhones. It's to capitalize on the install base. There will be changes in how the app store monetizes developers, and maybe price structure changes for users. Quicker if Apple can cut off as much data as possible, and insert itself as a middle man for all user data.

Put it another way, they want the user to be their customer, not the third party service. Which is OK. As a user I can see the merit in that from a privacy standpoint. But the price will increase once they're in the middle. Whether it's on hardware premiums, service plans, or revenue takes.My issue with Apple is the premium, even before the privacy campaign, was for services that were substandard. Productivity tools that were incompatible with industry standard. cloud drives that couldn't do basic collaboration. Maps that, despite promises for years, were woefully unequal to the competition, and could not be exchanged as a default. a web browser that used an engine different than chromium - very good - but was consistently years behind in development, and would not work with enterprise web apps. Oh, and couldn't be changed as a default. A web portal for services that was high on visual polish, but very basic in its implementation. Hardware design decisions that sacrifice utility for aesthetic. Hardware design decisions based on furthering the purchase of other apple products, rather than user experience as an end in itself (ie dongles, earpods).

Now, on the other hand, their SCM is absolutely amazing. their customer support is fantastic. But that doesn't really make up - to me - for the price premium. If I'm buying services from Google, Microsoft, and AWS, why am I paying the premium for Apple's value adds that I don't use? If those services can track me, and other third-party apps can still track me, even though apple locks its own data down, what am I protecting, using an apple device?

For myself only, I have never assumed any of them are secure and never will. For myself, I think anyone who thinks their phones are secure is fooling themselves. For me, all those years of using Apple, the premium price was worth it. Now, it's debatable, and the juice not worth the squeeze any more for many. For me, that may stop with phones, but I'm now more open to the idea of jumping ship totally as my experience so far with this new OnePlus 7 pro, while early, has been quite good. Now that I'm getting used the new OS, I'm liking it a lot.

Will see if that impression lasts beyond the honeymoon phase.

[HMM]

I have no problem with the USB-C but one thing I loved about all my older mac's was the magnetic power cable. I rarely use my personal computer on a desk and that magnetic power cable has been pulled off by me, the dog, the kid and just about everything else one of us has had in our hands. They make an aftermarket plug that can be used as a magnetic attachment so at least there is that.

And I have changed out hard drives and/or added more ram to every laptop I've ever owned. I always bought the most available at the time but typically advancements happen and more becomes available at a way reduced price. I'm all for thin and light but having flexibility is worth it to me. I still have a 2008 brick of a mac that still works so I'm not sure a soldered connection would be any better than that lifespan. It's rarely used but it still works on the rare occasion I power it up.

[thei3ug]

I just meant for the sake of argument. They are not for a variety of reasons. They are pretty opaque about it as well.

The individual identifying data they aquire and retain is probably less than their competitors. It appears so but they're pretty opaque on that as well.

Keep posting. I'm a week in on Android/windows, and I'm frustrated. I didn't improve my experience just substituted one set of frustrations for another.

[WillBrink]

Update: so far I'm really liking this phone. The new OS learning curve was a few frustrating days and not everything perfectly transferred, but I'm more and more impressed with it as I use it. One can really configure an Android phone in ways I never saw on Iphones, and what Iphones had over others, such as camera, etc, either no longer or just not difference enough to justify the $ at this point. Will see if this phone, and my leaving the Mac click

[Adrenaline_6]

Update: so far I'm really liking this phone. The new OS learning curve was a few frustrating days and not everything perfectly transferred, but I'm more and more impressed with it as I use it. One can really configure an Android phone in ways I never saw on Iphones, and what Iphones had over others, such as camera, etc, either no longer or just not difference enough to justify the $ at this point. Will see if this phone, and my leaving the Mac click

Good to see it working out for you. The ones that say Apple is so much better have drowned in the kool aid. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The people who are fully invested in a bunch of devices that are integrated I fully understand the hesitation to switch. Other than that, you just like the kool aid, no different than some gun brands, knives, flashlights, motorcycle brands etc. In the end, you only limit yourself.