Apple broke up my 10 year love affair with Android — but will I stay?

My current home setup

Working in Architecture, I’ve been a Mac user for over 10 years and couldn’t even look at a Windows PC without wanting to vomit. Phone-wise, I’d always been the opposite and had every version of Samsung phone going.

Last year, after 10 great years with my Macbook, I thought I’d try a Samsung Galaxy Book — running Microsoft Windows. I fancied a touch screen and have been a big fan of Samsung Notes. Syncing notes from my Samsung phone & tablet to my PC was a big selling point.

So my current working setup is as follows:-

  • Samsung Galaxy Book 360
  • Samsung S8+ Tablet
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • BenQ Main monitor and Samsung secondary monitor

After a few days of using Windows, the small annoyances had faded and there were several features that came flooding back which were actually of great use. I could CUT AND PASTE! I don’t know if Apple has since introduced cut and paste in its file management.) I also noted that Samsung has a link to windows which was a selling point. I can also screenshare with my S8 tablet. Tried it once but it’s not streamlined enough to warrant using.

Oddly, since swaying from Macbook to a Windows laptop, the Apple Marketing machine got a hold of me and I swapped my Samsung phone for an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone did (and still does) feel very premium in your hand and I quickly remembered how polished the visuals and the apps are on the iOS ecosystem.

So I’ve kind of flipped completely from being a Macbook user with Android Phone to now being a Windows PC user with Apple Phone. This radical swap has caused me some confusion on which way to go forward and I’m also annoyed at falling for the marketing of both ecosystems.

I have notes strewn across several Google accounts within Keep — and now I’m using Apple Notes too due to its ease and pleasure of use — not to mention the sharing functionality. (There’s so much you can learn on the potential of Apple Notes, Reminders etc — and Siri seems to have matured whereas Google Assistant — in our house anyway — has gone a little bit Biden!)

But I don’t regret making the swap as, for now, I have taken the following from the experience:-

  1. Despite being an avid Mac user, I realised I still knew my way around a Windows machine. Does you good to keep in touch with both sides.
  2. Mac or Windows — they’re just tools — they’ll all do what you want, just in different ways (and at different speeds!)
  3. Mac iOS is far more polished
  4. iOS on the iPhone takes time to get used to all the swiping and the limits on personalisation of app icons etc is a pain — roll on iOS 11
  5. I’m annoyed that Apple want me to pay for everything — if I subscribed to Apple Fitness, Apple Music, Apple TV, iCloud, etc then I’d be coughing up £30–40 extra on top of the SIM contract
  6. Apple relies on 3rd Part Apps to do a lot of things properly (particularly on the Apple Watch) — and all of these Apps charge extra also
  7. It’s refreshing to be able to access a wide range of software on Windows — more open source and alternatives to the bigger players (Eg. Adobe — particularly given their recent terms/ privacy fiasco)
  8. My last Macbook served consistently for 6 years without much notable performance loss. I doubt my Samsung Laptop will fair so well — already the fan sounds like a 747 on occasion, and regular restarts are now routine.
  9. Either platform works most effectively if you commit to one or the other — Google does make itself very accessible to both platforms (Gmail, Calendar etc) and it is refreshing to be able to access iCloud apps through the browser (albeit a lightweight version)

On that last point, the main let-down on my new Windows laptop is the graphics power. With Architectural Design, the power required for renderings and CAD work really lends itself to Mac. For this reason only, I’ll very likely transition back to my ideal working setup:

  1. MacBook Pro 14” (The bigger laptops are heavy!)
  2. iPad Pro 13”
  3. iPhone 15 Pro Max
  4. Keep current monitors but dream daily of a pair of Mac Studio displays

If I didn’t need to work remotely, I’d without doubt go for a Mac Studio.

The question is, with the quality and size of the iPhone 15 Pro Max screen — is an iPad even justifiable? Maybe a Macbook and the iPhone are all one needs!

I’ll always have a soft spot for the Samsung Note phones and S8/S9 tablets, but without dedicating myself to one platform only, I’ll suffer information overload with data stored in too many places.

Never mind a ‘second brain’, I currently have 4 or 5 brains and it is counterproductive!

What’s your setup and how does it support your line of work?

Am I the only one with a fascination of how others work? The Lifehacker series of the same subject back in 2019 was a great series — check it out here:

Lifehacker - This is how I work


 

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