7 Ways To Break Out of the Apple Ecosystem

[@driver288]

I use this technique to separate work from personal life. I use all Apple for personal except for office, and all Microsoft 365 for work. iCloud notes mail browser storage iMessage and FaceTime for personal life and teams office OneDrive for work on the same device. Works great on a Mac

[@mbhambleton]

A well balanced, well informed view. Thank you (but I’m very happy to stick with Apple!)

[@-KingOfKhaos]

All of this is true. It works, and it works well so folks can absolutely work outside of the Apple ecosystem. That said, there is just inherent Apple Magic that happens when you stay inside the ecosystem and things just work better / quicker with all sorts of shortcuts and instantaneous transfers etc when staying inside the ecosystem. But if working with folks outside of Apple, then yes, these tips certainly work well. 👍🏻

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

I eventually gave up on my other browsers and went to Safari, for this reason. Automagic 2FA's, handoff between devices, automagic passwords remembered on EVERY device, and the most important thing of all, if you browse everything inside a TAB GROUP instead of your main profile tab, every single open tab you have is accessible on every single device you have WITHOUT even using handoff at all. Automagically it's just there without a SINGLE tap--that's right, ZERO clicks.

[@Dr.Dave.W]

Thank you for this video, Gary. It drives me crazy how much misinformation there is about Apple's products, and this is a big one. I can't tell you how many people have told me that they NEED a Windows computer in order to use MS Office and Outlook. WHAT?!? So, of course, I always show them how I have MS 360 installed on my Mac and everything works flawlessly. The Mac OS is such a better user experience, it seems insane to me that people still choose to buy Windows computers. I understand the hardcore PC gamers, but everyone else really would be better off with a Mac, particularly those who are not very tech savvy. Again, thank you for this video!

[@jimtipton8888]

I took a series of Udemy classes that Gary did on the Apple Works Suite (Numbers,Pages,Keynotes) and once I figured out how they work (Numbers specifically) I left MS Office and never looked back. Simpler, cleaner, and in some cases with better features. The added benefit is it’s native to the Mac. Working in a corporate environment that is MS Office 360 centric, I never miss a beat. Import and export .xl files with zero problems. Never going back to MS Office. I do like the new Echo browser though and use it as my work browser. It seems to play better with our corporate websites. The did a good job with that.

[@markmaz56]

Almost all Microsoft Office apps were originally written and released just for the Mac! They pre-date Windows!

[@thepurpleufo]

True fact.

[@Learner-lq3vu]

Garry is GOATED when it comes to information about apple and technology as a whole.

[@Stubchain]

Not used any MS Office programmes since I retired 10 years ago, never missed it.

[@oldcodger4672]

We prefer Outlook on our Mac, it loads much faster. Word and Excel are our default. On our iPads, Numbers and Notes are our default, and the syncing is very fast.

[@sweealamak628]

I would go so far as to say that Gary and the hundreds of KZbinrs covering everything Apple are part of the ecosystem too. Chances are there is someone out there that has deep enough knowledge of that particular topic to help you along the way. Once you're on the Mac, you're never going back.

[@loisskiathitis8926]

A very useful and informative video tutorial today! Thank you, Gary!👏🏻❤️

[@calfee62]

Thanks for keeping the discussion neutral and objective. The information was quite valuable and helped clear up a few of my questions about integrating my Apple life with my Windows life.

[@raycollington4310]

We bought our first iMac in 2015 and stuck with Pages & Numbers. Would you believe that Mac is still going nine years later. In our previous Windows life, we would now be at the end of the third Windows PC. Your recent video about replacing the 27 inch integrated Mac was perfectly timed for us and so informative. Thank you Gary.

[@Peter-mj6lz]

I have a thinkpad x230 from 2013. Some Microsoft pc’s are built to last. And it’s more repairable than a MacBook if it went wrong.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

@@Peter-mj6lz Older thinkpads from that era were a rare exception. Many 2013 Macs are still going too. While some models of PC have longevity and a few rare models of Mac do not, one can confidently state that Macs generally, by and large, have much greater longevity and support. A good example of this is that literally there were PCs released just months before the Windows 11 release, that are not supported for the Windows 11 update! So obsolete end-of-life in 2025 was built right in.

[@Peter-mj6lz]

@@Äpple-pie-5k Are they as repairable though as an old thinkpad?

[@m.c.5795]

I am the opposite. If Apple provides a default service, app, or feature, I stop using, disable and delete a third party version of the same thing. I got into Apple's "walled garden" with the iPhone 4S, and since then, with major and minor apps and services, I've gotten rid of third party apps one by one. The last hurdle, which I'm now in process of since I recently got my first MacBook, is getting rid of or to stop using all things Google: gmail, chrome, keep, etc. The only thing that may remain, is Google Voice, and only because I use my Google Voice number to give to businesses instead of my cell number; and unfortunately logging into KZbin.

[@MaiElizabeth]

Ever since I switched to Apple back in 2020, I wish I will never have to do with Windows or Android apps.

[@stevemcclure2879]

Thanks for the great video! I use Apple and Chromebooks. I mix up services as well and it's seamless.

[@mrktm65sx]

Hi Gary! Thanks for another helpful video. Question- do you prefer Lightroom or Photos? And why?

[@macmost]

Photos. I can do everything I need, and more with it. And it is integrated with the ecosystem and isn't an extra cost.

[@Dulcilady]

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing.

[@johannebaril945]

Thanks again for another great video.

[@RyderCragie]

Microsoft have web apps too. Very handy.

[@MirskyMan]

I bought the version of Microsoft Office that is a one-time payment four years ago and I'm still getting free updates. So I think it's a better deal compared to the subscription version. The only downside is I can only use Office on one computer.

[@MirskyMan]

I spoke too soon. Microsoft just ended updates to Office 2019 which I bought in October of that year.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

LOL. The real conversation to discuss here is, if during those 4 years you had been using the Apple suite, the 4 years of skills you would have acquired on that software that you wouldn't have lost. People tend to evaluate value based on how much they paid for how long the software works, but forget about the much more important "acquired skills" in using a software suite. With no tricky expirations or subscriptions or deprecations, skills learned on Apple products become refined areas of mastery that you can carry along with you into the future, without a periodic panic and uprooting transplantation drama every several years.

[@MirskyMan]

@@Äpple-pie-5k Apple's Pages is just not as full-featured as Word. It's also not fully compatible with Word docs. All Word docs open in Pages but some have missing elements; I've seen that happen numerous times. If you're someone who only uses word processing for yourself, then Pages is just fine. But if you're swapping docs with other people, especially for business and people who are using PCs, then Word is clearly better beause the compatibility is 100%. The situation with Excel and Numbers is similar, though I personally only use spreadsheets for basic tasks. I do think Keynote is better overall than PowerPoint, though. But Pages, Numbers and Keynote are certainly capable apps and may meet the needs of a lot of people.

[@sunshinejenny777]

Thank you! Love your videos. I am learning so much!!! The Gmail change over is so much better. Wow! How do I turn off the automatic download of photos into i-photo? I am just starting to use Lightroom and I do not want to loose my RAW files content in i-photo. Can you make some I-photo videos please?

[@macmost]

Not sure what you are asking. What is the situation you are describing when "automatic download" happens?

[@1955mlynch]

Thanks for the video. One caution, there is a problem with Yahoo mail accounts and apple Mail on Mac Studio's ONLY, that several of us have been told apple will not fix. Bottom line is you had or attempt to add an existing yahoo hosted mail account, and your inbox will report an error triangle and no incoming mails will arrive; which after years of use is a royal pain in the butt.

[@KazrBrekker]

I pay for MS 365 and with that I get Office apps, Outlook email client, To Do app, OneDrive 1 TB storage that I still haven't filled 30% and all the MS apps available cross platform so I can access them on my Windows computer too. I though use Apple One except the iCloud benefits

[@RyderCragie]

Google drive app for Mac also.

[@TimedOut...NoWayo]

Thank you for the Apple alternatives, Gary. With the increasing costs of Apple subscriptions as of November 2023, (Apple One, Apple TV+, Arcade, etc) may I ask for help cutting monthly costs? I don't want to use or pay for Apple Arcade, News, TV+. Yet these subscriptions are all tied to One in a bundle I no longer want. Even dropping Arcade, the price goes up. Just want iCloud storage and Apple Music. Please help as I only want the bare bones basics and what do I get for the money? Thank you.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

There's One and One+, as well as ability to individually subscribe only to what you want.

[@BiffaTW]

Im the opposite im looking to transition to using mac's eco system more by using pages, numbers etc. instead of microsoft office.

[@callmeNeno]

Amen to that

[@jimtipton8888]

I did, in a corporate setting that is MS centric, and have never missed a beat. Excel is a bloated, unattractive, overly complicated program that I used for years and since becoming comfortable with numbers would never go back.

[@arielspalter7425]

@@jimtipton8888you probably don’t do highly specialized data work with your spreadsheet app. There is nothing that can compare to the Power suite in Excel. For example, PowerQuery is crucial for many ETL tasks, the ability to create relational models in Power Pivot Tables etc. really powerful stuff.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Yeah. The notion of being "locked behind the walled garden" is a little bit erroneous in some areas. For example, with the Apple suite you can always import MS Office and export right back out to it. There's really no wall to "break out of" here. In fact, the only thing that gives people this notion of being trapped is they don't want to lose the superior features of the Apple system, so they use the false metaphor of being "trapped" in the walled garden. You can enter or leave the Apple ecosystem MORE EASILY than Microsoft and Google ecosystems, the only reason people feel more "trapped" is they don't want to lose all the superior features of the Apple ecosystem.

[@maikaimakena9424]

Can you compare the cost of Apple Music versus KZbin Music and just the different things that Google offers as an ecosystem play versus apples because I feel like apples getting so expensive and I’ve gotten to the point where I’m really frustrated having to rent my phone every month for all these services it’s really annoying I feel like I don’t have ownership of my phone because it cost me money to have it every month past the bill.

[@macmost]

Looks like they are both the same price.

[@MicrobyteAlan]

Thanks, good stuff

[@schadlarry]

Adobe is the one with the walled garden. Very difficult to switch from LR to something else and keep all your edits. I have to run High Sierra on a VM just so I can keep using my paid off LR. Sorry I'm not going to rent software.

[@peterc2248]

I have a Lightroom subscription but recently it just takes forever to load. I really must find a better alternative and no Photo's doesn't cut it yet - much preferred Aperture...

[@macmost]

What is missing in Photos for you?

[@transmaster]

And why would I want to leave the Apple Ecosystem? I am already in the Windows world and have been for 40 years, Apple is just another, smoother functioning data system.

[@DilpreetSingh0]

Just out of curiosity, Then why are you so keen in channels pertaining to apple products Just for learning?

[@KediNeedsFirstAid]

no, apple products are nothing but smooth and most of the time lacks off some options or features. and they are the important ones, not some small ones.

[@AlergicToSnow]

$$

[@richardbriscoe8563]

I’m looking for an alternative to iTunes/Music or whatever it’s called now that I can export from an older version of iTunes.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

There are many but it depends on your reason for wanting to leave. If you value lower price far more than quality, there's Spotify, or even Pandora. If you value lossless quality above all else, there's Tidal. If you want similar quality and similar massive library selection, at the cost of a worse UI, there's Amazon Music. If you want easiest ecosystem integration across all devices, large library, good UI, and good AI for finding new similar music, there's Apple Music. If you use a lot of other things like News, iCloud, Apple TV, then a bundle deal might make Apple Music more attractive still. KZbin Music is another option but I can't sincerely recommend it because of the frustrations and issues I've seen others experience.

[@charlie3851]

Anyone know how to keep the Apple Music from going to the dock and popping up all the time?

[@macmost]

Any app will be in the Dock when it is running.

[@luigibru8677]

Unfortunately Excel for Mac is always some steps behind Excel for PC... 😢

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

It's not the case if using 365. A lot depends what kinds of things you're doing. Numbers has many things Excel doesn't have, but might not easily be apparent to someone whose mind is saturated into the "Excel way of thinking."

[@luigibru8677]

@@Äpple-pie-5k i have 365. PQ is missing a lot of features... no BI...

[@peaceridge]

Is there any app that works like Microsoft Streets & Trips? The Apple Maps app doesn't have as many options (such as show all walmarts along route).

[@macmost]

Maps would be it. But any Maps app is going to have its own strengths and weaknesses. If you need something that is specific to that one app, keep using it.

[@peaceridge]

Thanks, but MS Streets is only available on Windows, so I'd have to set up parallels or something - was hoping not to have to do that!

[@macmost]

@@peaceridge So MS Streets is different than the Bing Maps website? How about Google Maps, does that do what you need?

[@peaceridge]

Thanks for the suggestions. But both pretty much require internet access, which as a full-time traveler is not always available to me. @@macmost

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

All of these Maps apps have more features than you think, but many of the features are hidden or hard to find. You almost need to do tutorials on each one to get the most out of them. Especially when you're using them live in navigation mode, knowing the right little shortcuts and "command phrases" to say, can be invaluable or even life saving! I usually use Apple Maps as I find it generally better for most things. But I keep the others around just to get a second opinion or some other features, sometimes. Looking up places on my Mac and charting my trip, then transferring automagically to my phone and watch, it trumps anything the others can do. I find myself going to Google Maps less and less often, as Apple Maps catches up in some features and surpasses them in others.

[@callmeNeno]

Why torture yourself lol loving its ecosystem

[@MrWanted000]

How to use other than siri as alternative?

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Google Assistant and the ChatGPT app (for Mac, PC, iPhone, and Android). None of these is any kind of walled thing to break out of though. Use them all each for what they're best at. Big upgrades are coming to Siri around the end of 2024.

[@NarutoHugsMikasa]

I need a Mac app that accepts codes from google authenticator. Any suggestions ?

[@macmost]

Not sure what you mean by "accepts." Do you mean you want to GENERATE the codes so you can log into sites? The native passwords functionality of macOS does that. Just add the password in System Settings, Passwords, and you can also set up one-time codes for that password too,

[@NarutoHugsMikasa]

can you share the video link for the tutorial on how to do that ?@@macmost

[@macmost]

@@NarutoHugsMikasa This one is when it was just available in Safari. You can now do it in System Settings, Passwords too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/baWoY3Smg66Xnq8

[@macmost]

@avkay12 You don't need to use Google's app. You can use an independent one, or you can just use the One-time code function built into macOS too. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/baWoY3Smg66Xnq8

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

On my Mac, my 2FA codes get automagically pasted for me right into wherever is asking for them. If you don't fully take advantage of the Apple ecosystem by messing around with other browsers, phones, or services, you run the risk of having a frustrating life where you didn't even know what a smooth, efficient, and peaceful life you are missing out on.

[@warrengibson7898]

The ultimate breakout would be replacing MacOS with Linux

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Or just run Linux in a separate window on your Mac while keeping ALL the automatically "it just works" services of Apple. Ecosystems by their nature provide amenities, services, and features that are so good that you become dependent on them. This leads to the metaphor of being "locked in". Trading that ecosystem for no ecosystem at all isn't as good as you think. Under the mis-metaphor, you think you're now "free" and no longer "locked in", so you think you upgraded. But in reality you no longer have all the services and features that are so damned good that most people feel they can't live without them. Is it POSSIBLE to use Arch Linux and root your Samsung to run Graphene, and carefully install and configure and code your own bridge services to emulate and even exceed the Apple ecosystem? Yes. The number of Linux and other users who do not have the time or capabilities to do this is 99.999% and that's not even an exaggeration. In fact there might be only 1 or 2 people in the entire world who have made Linux+Graphene work better for themselves, than the Apple ecosystem... to the point where the "freedom" and "superiority" of such a setup is more imaginary than real. At the end of the day, the months or years you spent setting up such a private system, has a value in money. That astronomical amount of time, when converted to money value, could have bought you a really nice handful of Apple devices and bundled in some Apple TV and Apple Music on top of it.

[@hrhtac]

Why would I do this?

[@TheDanEdwards]

Because you want to.

[@callmeNeno]

@@TheDanEdwardshaha I won’t torture myself.

[@hrhtac]

LOL. Not me; no thanks. @@TheDanEdwards

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

@@TheDanEdwards It's possible to think you want something you really don't. For example, children want to buy "Sea Monkeys" until they get them. This comes from thinking something is X when it's really Y. With all the platform wars and partisan loyalty for different ecosystems, there is a massive amount of exaggeration, misinformation, and political bias going on surrounding each ecosystem. Thus many people thinking they want what they don't really want--but they don't even know it. Look at all the YT vids with titles like "They forced me to use a Mac and I hated it...1 year later, I'M NEVER GOING BACK!"

[@unkown34x33]

There's only one thing from apple I use, and that's iTunes. The rest I got rid of everything. No more macs, no more iPhones and no more ipads. But I pretty broke out of his s** show. It felt forced, and! God damn... This message war is stupid on Apple's part, but I think people needs to be educated on that bubble.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

THERE ARE EDUCATORS! Here's lesson one. Apple ecosystem is far from perfect but they do slowly improve it. The "world out there", however, is a much worse s**t show. 19MB of private data uploaded to Google and being resold to a ring of data brokers daily, your gmail being used to train Artificial Intelligence, services deprecated and expired without warning, no automagic hand-off between devices and services without hunting down and installing some bridge service that later is no longer supported, UI/UX that takes 43% more clicks and interactions to do the same task, phones that don't get the newest update until months later, phones whose end-of-life on updates is much sooner, phones whose batteries swell up, catch fire, or explode; operating systems that automatically "update" without asking and now your favorite utility doesn't work or was literally uninstalled, or your OS settings got secretly reset, adware or spyware installed, viruses, and I have to end this list to avoid it being so long no one reads it, but I was only just getting started.

[@sunshinejenny777]

I hate Keychain!!!

[@macmost]

Why?

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

Hmm. Keychain never forces you to use it, so you must like something about it? Personally, I find it hard to find something to hate about the fact that all my passwords are ultra-strong and always pasted into anywhere asking for my password, while securely kept without me needing to have some paper notes that could be lost, stolen, or burn down in a fire.