I’ll admit I’m happy with Apple

[CyberDavis]

Ok, I confess I’m happy with my Apple products.

• Mac Studio (M1) - photo editing and general use
• MacBook Pro (M2) - work/engineering and VM
• iPad Pro 11” (M4) - daily use
• iPhone 15 Pro - daily use
• Apple Watch Ultra - daily use and exercise
• HomePod mini - multiple for audio and TV
• Apple TV 4K - daily use
• AirPods (various) - daily use

I moved to Apple years ago after getting fed up constantly updating PC and trying to resolve issues.
From the iMac I originally got to Mac Studio + Studio Display I’ve got now I’ve been very happy with my Mac’s.
The iPad is the only device I’ve ever queued up for on release day and I’ve been using it ever since.
The iPhone was just a natural progression, and the Apple Watch Ultra replaced a Garmin I used to use for exercise and became my daily wear.
The Apple TV is my main streaming device at home and is paired with HomePod minis.

Do I think it is all perfect? No, absolutely not. But I’m equally sure no eco system is perfect.
For me it all interacts and shares data in a way that suits me.
And yes I’ve had a few hiccups when updating devices, I’m not ignoring the occasional issue.
Are they expensive? Yes, obviously. But to be fair each Mac has lasted 8-9 years before needing to be replaced.

The main thing that irritates me is that my HomeKit devices will be working rock solid for weeks, and then decide to throw a wobble and get erratic. I’ve never fully identified if the issue is the devices or HomeKit, but I’ll keep working on it.
But any issues with this are not a reason to condemn anything else as far as I’m concerned.

But, on the whole I’m happy with my products.
For now I can’t see myself changing as I like all the devices and they work for me.
Anyway, sorry for a slightly self indulgent happy post, but I felt the need to post some positivity.
Hope you all have a great day, and if you disagree with me that is fine, we can all have differing opinions.
😀👍

 

[TSE]

I am happy that you are happy with your Apple products.

 

[martin2345uk]

I am happy that you are happy with your Apple products.

I am happy that you are happy that he is happy with his Apple products.

 

[drrich2]

HomePod mini - multiple for audio and TV

The main thing that irritates me is that my HomeKit devices will be working rock solid for weeks, and then decide to throw a wobble and get erratic. I’ve never fully identified if the issue is the devices or HomeKit, but I’ll keep working on it.
But any issues with this are not a reason to condemn anything else as far as I’m concerned.

We use a decent range of Apple products and are generally pleased (granted, I don't buy ones I don't expect to be pleased with, so this is not a whole-hearted endorsement of their entire product line). You do use some things I don't have experience with.

I've never personally gotten into the 'home hub' type thing, other than our daughter's 3rd gen. 8" Amazon Echo Show, and the only linked items are a pair of lightbulbs in her ceiling light so she can tell Alexa to turns lights on or off, dim and adjust color via voice commands. I wanted her accustomed to voice-driven interaction with a device so she wouldn't grow up reacting to such like some people initially reacted to phone answering machines, finding it off-putting, weird and maybe offensive.

Amazon's Alexa ecosystem seems extensive. From what I gather, HomeKit is Apple's product with the same intended function, but Apple is a more niche player.

Do you believe a HomePod product and using the HomeKit system gives you as an Apple product user advantages over Amazon's ecosystem?

It's like asking about the advisability of buying a Mac when Windows PCs dominate.

Apple TV 4K - daily use

A lot of t.v.s today are 'smart t.v.s,' and already have functionality similar to Amazon Fire or Roku. Way back I used a free trial of Apple T.V. and was not impressed; the interface didn't seem as straight forward for browsing free to stream content as Netflix and the original content didn't look compelling. Maybe I just didn't invest enough effort in developing familiarity, but again, I didn't have to with the Netflix interface.

What advantages do you find with using that Apple T.V. 4K over just relying on your t.v.'s built-in smart features? Do you subscribe to the Apple T.V. service, and if so, what content justifies the cost to you?

I've got a decent handle on the value of Macs, iPhones, iPads and Air Pod (Pros) (all of which I use). Not so sure how compelling a buy the HomePod or Apple T.V. are.

 

[CyberDavis]

Do you believe a HomePod product and using the HomeKit system gives you as an Apple product user advantages over Amazon's ecosystem?

For me I guess it’s not about an advantage over another eco system, more about making best use of the ecosystem I have.
I’ll happily admit other systems have their strengths and benefits. No single system is ever going to be perfect.🤷🏽
But as I’m invested in the Apple ecosystem it seems right to try and maximise that as far as possible.👍

What advantages do you find with using that Apple T.V. 4K over just relying on your t.v.'s built-in smart features? Do you subscribe to the Apple T.V. service, and if so, what content justifies the cost to you?

I've got a decent handle on the value of Macs, iPhones, iPads and Air Pod (Pros) (all of which I use). Not so sure how compelling a buy the HomePod or Apple T.V. are.

Initially I had an Apple TV before smart TVs were as widespread.
And I used to a Sonos sound bar, and some Sonos speakers. But the user experience for me wasn’t great.
I ended up selling my Sonos stuff and got some HomePod minis as stereo pair speakers for a few rooms and to use as speakers for my TV via the Apple TV.
And I use an Apple TV as the hub for my HomeKit setup, I’d rather stick with that as it means preferred hub is connected via cable rather than WiFi.

In addition my family have been much happier using the HomePods to play music using Siri, they never really liked to Sonos and wouldn’t really use it if I wasn’t there.
Even my granddaughter (4) will use Siri to play music when she is round.

Going back to the Apple TV, personally I have not always found smart TVs to be a responsive and the user interfaces can be a bit irritating.
But I’m going to contradict myself by saying that when I finish redecorating our spare room and get a new TV to put on the wall I’ll probably get a smart TV rather than a TV + Apple TV. Mostly as it won’t be used as much, but also to minimise setup in that room.

 

[ignatius345]

Apple is definitely not perfect, but from what I've experienced they're striking the best balance of simplicity, intuitive UI, interoperability and regard for privacy. I still have some daily friction (Siri) but for the most part everything works quite smoothly.