Apple
Earlier this yr , I made a prettydrastic , all - in move to Apple . That include laptop computer , tablet , headphone , and watch . And so far , I have n’t been tempt to go back .
But recently , I was gainsay in wondering what could eventually drag me out of Apple ’s walled garden ever again . After study it for many weeks , I concluded that it ’s an out of the question challenge . So many of my frustrations around using an Android earphone , Google Wear watch , and Windows laptop were purpose byApple Continuity — and despite the recent approach , I do n’t see that changing anytime soon .
Apple
Windows on Arm isn’t quite there
I ’m right in the midriff of reviewing a couple of the new Windows on Arm laptops powered by Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon X elect chipsets , including theHP OmniBook X. So far , I ’ve found them to be jolly compatible , fast for productiveness work flow , and longer - lasting than current Windows laptop . While I ’m not finding them as efficient as MacBooks , their assault and battery life has been largely good enough for my needs .
But it ’s still Windows 11 . While I have n’t run into any compatibility issues , except for some apps that bleed in emulation but are still fast enough , I ’ve realize the same kinds of instability that turned me aside from Windows in the first property . Ironically , maybe , more than a few of my issuance call for OneDrive , which simply is n’t as authentic on Windows as it is on macOS .
Until Microsoft fixes reliableness , I ’ll struggle to go back to Windows as my casual gadget driver . And given all the issues my Windows - using wife experiences on a unconstipated basis , I ’m working hard to win over her to start using the MacBook Pro 14 that I ’m not using as much since I pick up a newiPad Pro 13 . I ’m clean certain that she ’ll make the same rebirth .
Samsung to the rescue?
My laptop is the most important piece of my computation puzzle . It ’s where I do most of my study , and no other twist is quite as vital . So , any root would have to incorporate an excellent laptop computer that provides close to the same performance , barrage life , keyboard quality , and exhibit quality of myMacBook Pro 16 .
As I said above , while the current crop of Windows on Arm are n’t quite as effective as MacBooks , they ’re close enough for me . And I ’ve reviewed several Windows laptops that are very skillful on the other three criteria . Probably , I could pick out a Windows laptop with hardware that ’s good enough .
The challenge is that few other laptop makers also offer smartphones , with a short list that includes Samsung , Lenovo / Motorola , and Asus . If I let in pill that most closely equalise the iPad Pro ( i.e. , they ’re optimized for tablet utilization , unlike Windows 11 ) , then that trim back Asus from the list . And if I include smartwatches , then Lenovo ’s out .
That leave Samsung as the only maker that offers Windows laptop , Android smartphones , Android tablet , and Google Wear smartwatches . I ’ll set by for the moment any query about which of these platform I prefer .
The question then is this : Does Samsung ’s integration equal Apple ’s Continuity ? Does the Galaxy Watch 6 oeuvre as closely with Galaxy smartphones as the Apple Watch does with iPhones ? Does the Galaxy Tab put up the same , easy - to - habit feature of speech as Apple Sidecar ? Do messaging and phone yell work as seamlessly across every twist ? For that matter , do Galaxy Buds switch from telephone to pad to laptop computer as naturally as my AirPods Pro ? And is everything as easy to configure ?
This is an overt question . I ’ve read Samsung ’s marketing materials and watched some YouTube video , and it seems like there ’s a firm ecosystem there . But for really examine it , I would have to make just as significant an investment funds as when I switched to Apple . And even that countersink aside the question of whether I ’d like Samsung ’s entire breadth of products as much as I wish Apple ’s .
My experience with Samsung is admittedly limited . My wife use aGalaxy S24 Ultraand I owned an Android headphone incessantly before picking up my iPhone 15 Pro Max . So I ’m somewhat familiar , and I favour the iPhone . I possess a Galaxy Watch 4 and like my Apple Watch Ultra 2 a quite a little more . But theGalaxy Watch 6might be a lot better , I just do n’t know . And I ’ve never used aGalaxy Tab S9 Ultra , the most direct comparison to my iPad Pro 13 M4 . I ’ve never like Android on tablets , but perhaps the newest loop have improved the experience .
Short of Samsung sending me all these twist to quiz for myself , I just ca n’t justify such a monumental and uncertain test . And I mistrust that ’s true for most mass who are in the Apple camp . Once you ’re in , there ’s a secure incentive to never bequeath .
An app ecosystem that surprised me
Do n’t get me wrong : I ’m no prisoner . In fact , I ’ve been surprised at the character of the Apple app ecosystem . I ’ve always assumed that the Windows ecosystem was large , and it might be when considering the Brobdingnagian store of legacy Windows apps that never made it to an Apple OS . And I was always aware that iOS apps outnumbered Android apps , but I ’d assumed that the gap had importantly narrowed over time — which is kind of reliable on phones and less so on tablets , but more on that in a second .
As I used my various Apple devices more and more , I started furcate out in choose the beneficial apps . I ’ve long been settled on Microsoft ’s suite of productivity apps , mainly Word , Excel , and OneNote , and I have n’t seen the pauperism to stress about changing up the first two . Each runs on all my Apple gadget , at varying floor of functionality , and where I want them most — my laptop computer — they ’re equivalent enough for my needs .
But , because OneNote has some characteristic that have always bothered me and keep Windows compatibility has become less authoritative over time , I ’ve begin looking at alternative note - taking apps . I went away from Evernote a long meter ago and have no desire to move back , so I started seem at options sole to the Apple ecosystem . And what I found were some first-class choice that count improbably attractive and run across macOS , iPadOS , and iOS . And they offer a sure look and feel that seems a lot better than I ’m used to .
I ’ve also been looking for a good journaling app for capturing the random thoughts that strike me throughout the daytime . Here , I ’ve witness many effective Apple - only options than I ’ve found for Windows or Android . I ’ve been using the very good ( and unfortunately named)Diariumapp because it works transversal - platform , but it ’s the only option that appealed to me . I ’d have more options if I were to place to Apple exclusives .
The bottom line is that I ’ve find a culture to many apps that ’s just a cut above what I ’m used to on Windows and Android . I ’m sure there are good alternatives across the dining table , but that ’s been my percept so far . And I ’ve encounter that most true on Io and iPadOS , where Android phone and tablet reading and choice just are n’t the same . Even then , that ’s setting aside some built - in apps that are a lot better on Apple devices than their Windows and Android equivalents .
I’m still looking
So , for now , my answer stay on the same : There ’s no one thing that would stimulate me to switch back to Windows . And , so far , there ’s no combining of things , either . I did n’t even mentionApple word , and that ’s an approaching to AI that appeals to me .
I ’ll keep looking , though . engineering science changes quickly , and companies like Samsung are work out hard to best contend with Apple across the panel . I ’ll be sure to report back if my position changes .
