Are Apple Products Really Worth the Hype ?

If you've ever wondered why people love Apple, This is the article you should go through once. Since childhood, I always wondered why almost every other celebrity is using some kind of apple product and I am quite sure you must also have thought about this at some point or the other.

Today I will try to present my point of view on the basis of my experience & research.

So, let's talk about what makes Apple stand out as a brand and a strong competitor in the market.

1.Value: Yes, we have to pay a lot to own an Apple product. But, the price we pay is for the value we get from those products. And when it comes to Apple products, they offer a ton of value. So, people who are loyal customers of Apple have no problem with spending that much money.

iOS or Macintosh fans can expect a consistent user experience from device to device, whereas Users of other platforms will see greater diversity & flexibility. 

2. Performance: Apple offers spiffing performance with almost all product offering and it is one of the big reasons why it manages to survive the competitors. Currently, Apple's A13 Bionic Chip is the Fastest Processor in Smartphones History. It beats the Single core & Multi-Core Scores of Snapdragon's 865( Beebom's Article ).

             Since Apple has controlled the hardware & software bundles and model updates, so every Mac operates smoothly without worry about lagging, incompatibilities, and have a stable and expected performance for all types of creativity and productivity works.

                                          

3. Ecosystem: Apple has a wide range of products. There are Apple Smartphones (iPhones), Smart Watches (Apple Watches), Smart TV ( Apple TV), Smart Speakers (Homepod),  Laptops (Macbooks), Desktop (iMacs, Mac Minis & Mac Pros), Wireless Earphones (AirPods). The best thing is the tight integration across all the devices. It increases the overall potential of any standalone tech gadget when brought in the Ecosystem. You can ask Siri on your iPhone to add a reminder and it will instantly be added to the "Reminders" which can be accessed on your Mac or You can resume your web-browsing on your mac from exactly where you left on your iPhone seamlessly. (Know more about the Ecosystem)

Even from a Video Professional Perspective, it is easy to work with Final Cut Pro which is limited to macOS-only devices. But it is worth mentioning that there are better options than Final Cut Pro like Adobe Premiere Pro which is a multi-platform, feature-rich Video Editing Software, but the Optimisation of macOS and user-friendly workflow of Final Cut is the reason why it works so flawlessly. But, it should be noted that Adobe Premiere Pro is a much more powerful video-editing tool.

4. Consistent Updates: Apple pushes regular updates across all the devices which enhances the user experience much more than one can imagine. We might not notice them but  Apple's 6-year-old iPhone 6s runs on the latest iOS 13. Mac Mini (Late 2014) also has an update to the latest macOS Catalina which I currently use and there is no issue. This made the customers build a strong trust in the brand and it made a sense of Future-Proof Brand Although, in reality, the picture is a lot more complicated. NO Tech Gadget is Future- Proof. Features and tech pop up overnight. So, it is better to buy something that gets your job done for the longest period of time.

Android is published by Google, tweaked & modified by manufacturers like Samsung, and then further changed by carriers like Verizon. This process takes very long time and introduces a lot of inconsistencies between Android Smartphones, which causes updates to be slow and unprofitable for the companies involved and the users as well. On the other hand, Apple controls all aspects of its devices from manufacturing to the programming. This makes iPhones more secure against most of the modern cyber threats than Android.

 

5. Security: Macs have shown time and time again that they are less vulnerable to viruses. I didn't install any kind of Anti-Virus till now and it worked fine for me but it is always recommended to have anti-virus software. On the other hand, a study shows that most of the people ( around 70- 90% ) use Windows as their operating systems globally, which makes it easy for hackers and other cybercriminals to hack into the windows systems and steal important user data without the permission of the users.

 ( Wikipedia OS usage share ) 

Apple has always been with the Customers' Privacy and Security of personal data. You must have heard the FBI- Apple encryption dispute in the US. Although Apple has updated its Privacy policy, they still have the most secure platform for any individual. This is why most celebrity or any person who wants to have a secure platform chooses apple, even if it costs them an arm and leg.

 

Also, in Windows, a lot of people reported that their computer reboots unexpectedly due to repeated Software Updates causing loss of data and disrupted productivity. (Here's the ZDNet Article) This can be a big issue for many people who want a well-polished software experience.

So, Apple products are worth the cost for those who value the user experience and ecosystem. The ease of use and tight integration between devices and services is valued over the ability to customize for many of Apple's Loyal Customers.

But, it's not that there is no problem with Apple products. Here, are some issues that I face in my daily usage :

1. Compatibility: It happens quite often that I have to format a USB flash drive, but many times it remains unrecognizable in other Windows systems due to the fact that it has been formatted to a Mac-only file system. Then I have to use either a third-party app or a windows system to format the flash drive using Command Prompt.

2. Gaming:  Although I am not a "gamer", I enjoy playing games for fun and entertainment, but sadly this is not possible on my Mac-Mini (Late 2014). If you ever try to run or play Graphics intensive games on Mac you will probably end up blowing a fuse. So, if you want to have a machine that can run a CPU intensive game, you would screw up miserably with Macs. But, if you are a casual gamer, you can run lighter games at their lowest possible settings.

3. Relatively Small Application Library: If you buy a Mac, you may be excited to install your favorite software and applications, but as soon as you open the App Store, you will notice that you won't find all of your favorite applications. This is because many of the developers can't comply with the restrictions made by Apple itself which resulted in the discouragement of developers.

( For more info, Click Here ).

But, there is an alternative way to download such type of apps, but some apps are still not available for Mac. 

Earlier, I was using a Windows 7 laptop. I used a software called Microsoft Publisher (which comes bundled with Microsoft Office) for designing the letterhead of my father's company. But, after shifting to the Mac, I discovered that there is no perfect alternative for Publisher on mac, and some apps that are close to Publisher, can't really fulfill my requirements regarding it. So, it is exasperating sometimes to have a limited application library. 

So, to sum up, if your focus is on customizability, repairability, and a personally tailored user experience, choose other platforms. But, if you want the ease of use, consistent updates and enjoy not having to worry about possible software issues, go with Apple.

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