Leaving iOS: Simulated (Hardware Edition) 🖲️

Back in the day, your choice of a mobile operating system felt almost like a war of religion. "Oh, an iPhone user", the Android people would go. "Tell me, how does it feel to be locked-in with Apple?". "Well", the Apple people would say. "I'm very much aware and I'm actually quite happy about it",

The benefit of the lock-in was being part of an ecosystem that worked seamlessly. I was always aiming for my devices to work interoperable—Apple made this possible. Controlling playback on my Apple TV from my Apple Watch, outputting music from my iPhone onto my MacBook, streaming video from my MacBook to my Apple TV—and so much more. Android never provided an ecosystem in a similar fashion; since it didn't have a desktop OS equivalent, Google never even had the ambition to do so. Instead—especially since Android was born out of an Open Source community—its operating system excelled in terms of customisation.

Anyway, the Apple lock-in never bothered me. Until today: maybe.

In this episode of my Leaving iOS Simulation, I wanted to take a look at the implications of leaving this world would have on the hardware devices I own today.

Bye-bye, Apple TV?

Let's be honest: TV operating system of so-called "smart TVs" (oh how I hate this term), are absolute shite. Slow as fuck, ugly as shit and filled with vendor software that no one has asked for.

When I got a TV ten years ago, I got a Samsung TV without an operating system (do you even still get these today?) and I got an Apple TV (alias "streaming box") too. From then onwards, I've been a happy user. The Apple TV offers a snappy UI, an app store and neatly designed apps—on top of that, a lot of games that I got to enjoy playing with the Apple Remote.

I even could stream content from other Apple devices to the TV... well, sometimes; because AirPlay is one of the most unreliable and frustrating technologies of Apple.

I'd still be a happy Apple TV user to this day, but last year, my TV ceased to be. 😢 If I were to leave iOS, I'd definitely miss the Apple TV—that is, if I ever got a new TV/projector.

Bye-bye, Apple Watch

Going hand in hand with leaving iOS, would be to let go of the Apple Watch. As my watch stopped working a few months ago, I think this wouldn't be an issue though.

I've already accepted that I don't have the need for a smartwatch (that word again) any longer.

Bye-bye, HomePods

Honestly, this must be Apple's worst hardware. Part of the reason is—again—AirPlay. More often than not, streaming music from my devices to the speakers either doesn't work at all, or the sound is cut off. And then there's this popular quirk of the HomePods: how sometimes, when I talk to Siri, instead of following my command, it just randomly streams songs from Apple Music (most often Country music), and I'm not even using Apple Music. As it turns out, talking to Siri is useless anyway.

It's also quite cumbersome that I have to connect to the HomePods every single time I want to use them—feels like iOS should know of a more efficient way to connect. Sometimes, when I open Spotify and I'm connected to my WiFi, a popup appears, letting me connect to the speakers with a single tap. However, I'm using them mostly when I'm streaming video on my girlfriend's iPad, and there, I haven't seen the popup once.

I definitely won't miss the HomePods.

Bye-bye, AirTag

The AirTag was a nice add-on in an already Apple-centralistic lifestyle. When I spotted it in the store, I just thought "why not?". I have been storing it in my backpack ever since I got it, which is quite convenient whenever I travel. Obviously, the location of one's AirTagged devices are neatly shown in the FindMy app.

Will it kill me if I have no longer a use for my AirTag? Probably not.

Bye-bye, AirPods

My AirPods are by now over 3 years old. While they still do work, the right earphone occasionally plays a very high tone, which is somewhat unsettling (I'd like to hold on to my hearing a little longer, thank you). Noise cancellation isn't working the way that it used to and altogether I actually never found in-ear headphones particularly comfortable.

Opposed to most Apple devices, my AirPods actually do work on platforms other than Apple's, but I just don't very much enjoy them any longer. They come in handy during workouts, but apart from that, I've gotten used to using EarPods with my phone—regular headphones with a cord.

I believe it's time to get some proper Over-Ear headphones soon!

Bye-bye, Magic Mouse

Shit, I almost forgot that I got this one too. I haven't used a private MacBook in years and I'm actually not that fond of the Magic Mouse. Why did I even get that one? Must have been a similar store situation, I've found myself in when I got the AirTag. 🤷‍♂️

I'm quite happy with the CHERRY mouse I've been using for the last two years. No need for a Magic Mouse!

Bye-bye, Apple?

Well, not yet. But this experiment has shown that even if I make the jump, at least from the hardware-side, switching won't hurt all that much. The software-side will be yet another chapter. A chapter, in which letting go won't be all that straightforward.