On June 1st 2025, I embarked on an experiment to live entirely without Apple devices. Details of said experiment:

Experiment: Ecosystem without Apple

Learning to live without, at least for a little while.

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After thoughts

Six weeks after successfully completing this experiment, an opportunity presented itself. I seriously considered if I should continue with this experiment, permanently embracing the Windows and Android lifestyle. This thought crossed my mind because of how well the experiment went and how seamless it is to use use Window and Android. There were paper-cuts along the way. As there were when I first dipped my toe in Apple waters. It took a few weeks to optimise my setup and have it work just as well as I would prefer it. Having a positive mindset and embracing multi-platform apps made the entire process effortless. In hindsight, I don't believe I would have been able to do anything like this 3 years ago when most of my daily apps were exclusive on the Apple platform.

Anyway, I pondered for a few moments but the decision was pretty straight forward. Yes, I can stay without Apple devices but, having a multi-platform ecosystem is more fun, more enjoyable and just offers the kind variety that I want in my personal commuting. I get bored pretty quickly considering I work on a computer all day as well, therefore, I want to keep things interesting. Apple has a fantastic ecosystem, but I wouldn't call it fun.

My approach to personal commuting is flexible enough not to be locked into anyone particular ecosystem. With that in mind, I reverted to my multi ecosystem setup.

There are other considerations. For example, it was clear that despite being able to do whatever I needed to be do on Windows; I prefer macOS. Perhaps this is because of over 10 years of using macOS. Regardless, I prefer macOS over Windows. This wasn't news to me but this experimented cemented that position.

Visually, macOS is pleasing to my eyes. Perhaps its also muscle memory where on macOS, the minimise/maximise buttons are on the top left while on Windows its on the top right. I also like the macOS menubar. Its the little things that make all the difference.

An important factor is that I do all my work work on Windows. Therefore, after using Windows for 8 hours, I prefer to use something else. This was the reason I moved away from Windows 15 years ago in the first place:

Why I moved away from Windows 15 years ago?

Since I can remember, I have always used Windows and never had a reason to switch away. Honestly, I didn’t even think that there may be viable alternatives. However, in 2010, I bought my very first Mac and that started an epic decade long journey where Apple became my favourite

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Shout out to apps that eased the transition:

• KDE Connect: sync clipboard between devices
• Blip: fastest and most reliable for sending files even within the Apple ecosystem. Better than Apple's AirDrop.
• Beeper: bringing OTP codes from Android and allowing me to paste it automatically. This works better than it does on Apple devices. Finally has a native Windows ARM app.
• Raycast and Fantastical on Windows
• Webcatalog: essentially making web apps like native apps, used this for Parcel, Apple Notes, Feedbin, etc

What about iPhone versus Android?

Honestly, I missed the iPhone the least. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold was better in every way except for the camera. Being a foldable, the cameras are not as good as traditional smartphones. Having said that, for taking everyday pictures, the Fold was more than sufficient. To the extent that even for my 5 day vacation in Queenstown (post experiment), I did not take the iPhone 16 Pro. The additional features such as using the rear cameras for selfies and the "add me" feature made the Pixel Fold a device that I always want to have around.

My wife mentioned on numerous occasions that she missed not being able to see where I am on Find My. My wife, my parents and my sisters are all on Apple devices and we are all part of the same Apple Family, therefore we can locate each other on Find My. Over the years, this has come in handy on many occasions

Towards the end of the experiment, in the last weeks, I lost my father-in-law in a car accident. We spent hours looking for the accident site and could not locate it because we had no ability to track his phone. He used a Samsung Flip 4 and we had not set up location sharing on his phone through Google Maps. We have since set it for my mother in law so we always will know where she is.

This is one of those situations where you do not realise how useful a feature is until something terrible happens. Even if I setup Google Maps location family sharing on each family member's device, it is likely that in high pressure situations, each family member will open Find My instead of any other app. Basically the familiar, the default app wins. The app that you know, is the app that you will use. The power of default cannot be understated. Anyway, because of this, I doubt, there will ever be a situation where I completely abandon the iPhone. My family needs to know where I am. It is for their peace of mind and thats important to me.

How does a widow rebuild her life after losing her husband of 50 years in a car accident?

This is the question I have been asking myself for the last couple of weeks. I lost my father-in-law in a tragic car accident a month ago. Thankfully, my mother-in-law survived the accident.

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Apple Watch verses Pixel Watch

The Apple watch app collection and the quality apps trumps the offering on the Pixel Watch. However, I prefer the circular watch so much more. The apps that are available on the Pixel Watch are delightful to use. It is difficult choosing which watch to keep. Then again, I do not have to choose so I keep them both. I am not crazy enough to wear two watches at the same time so a rotate every couple of days. This keeps things fresh.

The apps on the Apple Watch are not as sticky as their iPhone counterparts. I feel, I use the apps a lot less. I am predominately using the smart watch for notifications and health stuff. Both watches are pretty good at these tasks.

AirPods Pro 2 vs Pixel Buds 2

This one has a clear winner. The AirPods Pro 2 is better in every way possible. They are more comfortable, more feature-rich, better ANC, better battery life and better case compared to the Pixel Buds 2. The Pixel Buds 2 are not terrible, they just are not as great as the AirPods.

One of the annoying things about the Pixel Buds 2 case is that despite using it every single day, I still end up putting the right ear buds on the left and the left ear buds on the right. So frustrating.

Conclusion

I wrote over 2000 words in Notion documenting my journey in detail. I do not intend to publish that here but it is remains a good resource. As is the case with most things in life, it is the nuance that we fail to fully comprehend.

Bottom line though for me is that I can be happy and productive with either ecosystems but I prefer the to have both. Windows and Android ecosystem is pretty good, has good variety of options and a lot more open source software.