Ask HN: Why do you use Apple products?

I think your questionnaire is from Apple hater perspective, it feels like propaganda. Questions are written from the perspective that appears to be "You actually want to get away from Apple but you are stuck or you don't know better" and that's not the case for me. You Ask me if I find Apple software restrictive and put a paragraph explaining to me why it is restrictive for example.

Anyway, IMHO you should simply accept that a lot of people simply have better things to do in life than fine tuning and managing computers. That's why no one of those care about the customisation options of Linux or Android. In fact, most people don't like computers and Apple is the best company out there that manages to make computers that don't feel like computers but tools to achieve your greater objectives.

Cooks may appreciate good knives but their main objective is to make great food and no good cook will be obsessing with the knives more than with the food they cook. They will be most happy with having one reliable knife that cuts good enough than having a set of knives perfectly tuned for every ingredient.

You can see the same pattern in photography, people who are good at taking good photos don't obsess over the photography gear as much as photo gadget nerds who never take good photos and writers don't obsess over pens as much as pen enthusiast.

LorenDB · 2 years ago

Well, please keep in mind that I am not intentionally trying for this to be propaganda. I'm instead trying to see how the Apple users themselves view some of the arguments that others use against Apple. To me, this is an important step because maybe the lack of customization or the high prices don't bother people as much as I expect it to, so I may have something to learn there.

thiht · 2 years ago

It is propaganda though, the answers are extremely biased to make people feel bad.

Take « How loyal do you consider yourself to be to the Apple brand? », why are there 2 answers saying "I’m fine with others using non-Apple products"? You’re projecting your childish flame war on everyone. Why can’t I answer "I prefer using Apple products but I’m fine if I have to use something else"? Of course I don’t care what other people use, why would I?

I prefer iPhones because Apple products are like automatic transmission: they just work.

However, I prefer (Windows) PC's because they are like manual transmission: I have more control. Of course, PC's seem to be more cost-effective (for a personal machine for someone who likes tinkering with computers). There seem to be more software options, too. There are a few MacOS programs I wish I could use though, like: TaskPaper and nvAlt.

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One of my friends wanted to use Linux for work, but had to use MacOS because it was impossible to get audio/video working for video chat. (I heard Linux audio/video support has gotten better recently.)

Apple products "just working" might be another reason they are popular tech worker daily drivers (although I've heard it's gone downhill recently). The extra cost may be justified by the time saved not having to fiddle with your laptop to get it working.

A tech worker probably costs more than $100/hr, so you would reach positive ROI within a few hours of not messing with the laptop.

mrtksn · 2 years ago

gregjor · 2 years ago

Mainly because I get paid to solve business problems with my devices as tools. I don't get paid to futz around with Linux, and my clients don't want to hear about why I can't use their document formats or get audio to work on a conference call.

Any time I spend futzing with my tools or solving incompatibilities amounts to unbillable hours.

I manage a bunch of Linux cloud servers. With no GUI or device driver issues Linux works great. I have used Unix since it came out (yes, that old) so it isn't as if I don't get the command line or can't figure things out. But to make a living I need a car that starts every morning, not a garage project.

I used Windows and Android for years but eventually abandoned those platforms because of malware and cross-vendor issues that I don't get with Apple. And my Apple hardware almost never breaks down -- I had a MacBook Air blow up once because of a bad power outlet in Thailand, but other than that it all just reliably works.

thyrox · 2 years ago

The company I work for absolutely must have everyone using it as it's supposed to be much safer to Windows. So I had to spend over $2k for a stupid laptop that won't even run half the apps without hacks like Rosetta. I also hate that there are 3 special keys and command and ctrl are separated.

I am myself a Linux user and using a Mac makes me appreciate Linux so much more. It could be the #1 reason I want to start my own business so I don't have to use a Mac anymore.

> I also hate that there are 3 special keys and command and ctrl are separated.

Having cmd and ctrl distinct keys is great in a terminal though, no more conflict between "copy" and "kill".

Also you should not "hate" stuff like this, just accept that there are differences between all OSes, they’re tools. There’s tons of things that annoy me in tools I use (including macOS which I still use voluntarily) but it’s just easier to embrace it and use it as intended that trying to mold it in something it’s not.

mattl · 2 years ago

Rosetta’s not a hack.

hakanderyal · 2 years ago

Point me to a laptop that goes to sleep properly when I close the lid and wakes up properly when I open it, every time, and I'll try switching, again.

keiferski · 2 years ago

There is simply no other major manufacturer that makes hardware to a comparable quality level. I’ve looked at them all and nothing holds up as well as Macs. Case in point: I have an old 2015 11” MacBook Air that still works completely fine.

On a personal note, my parents ran a Windows consulting/repair business when I was a kid. The sheer abundance and frequency of problems with Windows pretty much funded my childhood, so I grew up with a very negative view of everything to do with Windows and Microsoft. I imagine that people who remember the “old” Microsoft of the 90s also have a similar view, before Gates went on his PR campaign and they finally appointed a competent successor in Nadella.

Ergo I have been using Macs since my early 20s, and for the most part I’ve been happy with them. Although I do think they’ve lost a bit of their magic since Jobs died.

Linux seems interesting and I’d like to set up a cyberdeck running it at some point, but I simply don’t have the time or inclination to do so right now. Sometimes you just need your tools to work.

rsynnott · 2 years ago

If you wanted a unix-y laptop for non-silly money with working wifi and battery life measured in the hours in 2004, the G4 iBook was really the only game in town (cheaper PC laptops were available, but their power control barely worked on Windows, nevermind Linux, and they tended to use softmodems and cheapo wifi interfaces with no usable Linux drivers - laptops which worked well with Linux existed but were extremely expensive). From there, mostly habit (I suspect that laptop hooked a _lot_ of nerds; you used to see them all over the place).

Nothing I've seen about modern Windows makes me at all inclined to use it (my one experience actually attempting to use it in the last decade to test something was extremely painful, though it was in a VM, so maybe it just doesn't really work on VMs) and I'm extremely glad to have missed out on the whole Wayland debate on the Linux side.

romanhn · 2 years ago

I've been a Windows user since Win 3.1 and until Win 11. My phones have all been Android, and I can't stand the iPhone UX. Yet, when time came last year to replace my dead Intel-based laptop, I went with an M1 Pro and never looked back. Objectively, M-series laptops are the best ones and nothing else comes close. The combination of power capacity, capability, and form factor are just unbeatable - and I'm basing this on a device two generations behind. Got it refurbished (barely any prior use, looks new, still under warranty), so price was quite acceptable as well.

Leftium · 2 years ago