
Have you ever wondered why Apple become the first trillion-dollar company? The answer is actually pretty simple: It’s the fact that users genuinely love Apple’s products. While some people are indeed buying Apple devices as a way to boost their social status, many working people love Apple because of the “ecosystem.” Others hate that the company often traps users inside that ecosystem.
In this article, I’ll look at exactly what the Apple ecosystem is why it is the most valuable thing that Apple made and why people either hate or love it. Let’s get started!
What Is the Apple Ecosystem?
To put it simply, the Apple ecosystem (and any technological ecosystem) is an integrated system that includes a variety of hardware, software, and services that work together to provide seamless experiences for users.
Apple’s ecosystem is made up of iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. It also includes the Mac devices. And of course, let’s not forget accessories like the Apple Watch, HomePods, Airpods, and Apple TV. Beats headphones and speakers are also included.

The Apple ecosystem basically includes every product they made. Plus, there are also other products like TVs and car infotainment systems that Apple licenses to be AirPlay and CarPlay compatible.

The Apple ecosystem is designed to make it easy for users to do things like access their photos, music, contacts, messages, and other information on any of their devices. This is made possible by iCloud, Apple’s own cloud storage service. But in some cases, like AirDrop, your devices can send files between each other through Wifi sharing.
To sum it up, the ecosystem consists of Apple’s hardware, software, applications, and services. And it’s essentially just a bunch of Apple devices or services talking to each other. It can make for a seamless experience but it is far from perfect. We’ll discuss why later on.
Why Do People Love It?
Suppose you often watch tech YouTubers like Marques Brownlee, UnboxTherapy, and LinusTechTips. Chances are, you have heard of the ecosystem. And you probably also know that most of the YouTubers I mentioned have a love/hate relationship with Apple and its ecosystem. Let’s start with why people love the Apple ecosystem.
The Ecosystem Makes Everything Seamless
The Apple ecosystem’s main benefit is seamless and effortless file access, file transfer, and cross-device communication between your devices.
For example, if I want to take a picture with my iPhone and send it to my MacBook, all I have to do is AirDrop the picture from my phone to my Mac (which will literally take around 10 seconds for a photo).

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If I just got out of an important meeting in which I took some notes that I need to access on my computer later, well I don’t have to worry. Every note, photo, message, email, and Pages and Keynote document I make, can be accessed using whichever Apple device you choose thanks to cloud storage. That is, of course, if you’re always connected to the internet.
That’s probably the main thing people genuinely love about Apple devices: Most features are designed to be seamless, which is fantastic for productivity. I mean, that’s undoubtedly the reason why I loved Apple devices. It was a game-changer for me.
When I started to work as a writer, I had to transfer photos and videos back and forth from my phone and laptop, and since I was using a USB drive and Google Drive, it was tedious enough to break my concentration.
Apple also makes device setup for accessories like the Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePods, and Apple Pencil seamless. You just need to scan a code (on the watch) or flick the case open (for the airpods) and it’ll pair automatically.

iMessage

According to a recent survey, a whopping 87% of American teens own an iPhone, and around 88% of teens expect to get an iPhone as their next phone. Now, this ubiquity of iPhones among teens means that many of them are using iMessage and FaceTime to communicate.
Here’s the thing: People love to socialize, which is why messaging apps like Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram are essential today. But the default messaging apps on most Android and other smart devices is honestly crap, and most of the good ones like Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger are owned by Facebook (now Meta), which has a track record of not handling your data and privacy too well.
People loved Apple’s iMessage since it’s easy to use, secure, and most importantly, it’s built-in and almost ubiquitous. I mean, compare that to an Android device where you manually install the messaging app while manually inputting or sending all your contact lists over to a new device.
Everything Just Works
It’s not just iMessage. Most of the features found on the Apple ecosystem are all built-in, secure, and easy to use to the point that everything just works.
I think this is one of the benefits of Apple making both its hardware and software. It can fine-tune the experience for everyone by programming its OS and apps with the hardware in mind. And since there are only a handful of Apple devices compared to Androids and Windows devices, Apple can optimize each OS, each App, each ecosystem feature to work flawlessly on every Apple device it currently supports.
In the end, if you move on to a newer Apple device, moving all your data will still take some time, but you really wouldn’t need to tap a lot of buttons to get it done, and it also mostly runs in the background, out of sight, out of mind.
Why Do People Hate It?
Of course, the ecosystem isn’t perfect. While the garden inside Apple’s walls is luscious and beautiful, most of the problems are for the Androids and Windows users outside the walls.
The Walls Are Too High
Like basically every tech writer or YouTuber says, the Apple ecosystem is like a walled garden. It’s a walled garden where everything is beautiful, everything works well, and everything works with each other. But, it has walls to keep you in, and those walls are incredibly high.
I previously said that every feature that the Apple ecosystem has is built-in, secure, and easy to use. But I left out one detail: Most Apple ecosystem features are exclusive to Apple products. Some features, like Facetime and Apple Music are now available on other devices, but the experience is typically worse than using it on an Apple device.
When you combine that exclusivity with the fact that Apple devices are getting more expensive, it can lead to being trapped in that expensive walled garden.
Some features and parts inside its devices can be lacking, given how much they cost. But most Apple users shrug and still buy the new devices despite being worse in some points than the previous version of that Apple device. Why? They are essentially forced into buying their new devices within the Apple ecosystem to maintain that seamless functionality.
Remember when the headphone jack was removed from iPhones? Or when iPhone chargers were no longer included in the box? At this point, whatever Apple does, people will keep buying. People will buy the solution to whatever problem it creates (hello dongles!). Because even though they don’t like the feature, they don’t have much of a choice.
Remember when I said every Apple ecosystem feature is easy to use? That’s true, except when it comes to features you need to leave the ecosystem. Moving contacts, app data, and iCloud Drive contents to non-Apple devices, for example, is often tedious and frustrating to do. I mean, it’s not much different than what you would do when moving data from Android to Android, but still frustrating when you get used to Apple’s quick and seamless data transfers.
Green Bubble Discrimination
If you’re an iPhone user and most of your friends use iMessage, you know how frustrating it can get when messaging with someone else who is a “green bubble” or, in other words, someone who’s not using an iPhone.
The source of this frustration is that you won’t have a lot of features when texting with a green bubble compared to texting a blue bubble. High-resolution photos? Nope. Sending money through Apple Pay? Nope. It’s literally going back to SMS and MMS with Green Bubbles.
I mean, sure, it’s frustrating and all. It might even be an inconvenience if you’re a business owner who uses iMessage for all their employees, all except one employee who uses an Android.
But, discriminating against green bubbles is just plain wrong. It’s a source of depression and anxiety for many since some iPhone users just won’t reply to green bubbles.

Remember how I said that 87% of American teens own an iPhone. Imagine being one of those 13% of teenagers who don’t.
I think all of us pretty much know that our teenage years are the years where we’re most vulnerable to insecurities, anxiety, and depression.
So a device that makes it that easy to discriminate between the haves and have nots of the Apple world can put a lot of pressure on teens who don’t have an iPhone.
While I’m not generalizing all iPhone users, some certainly do discriminate against green bubbles.
To fix this, Apple could at least make an iMessage app for Android. But, I think we all know that won’t happen anytime soon. Some Apple executives even said that the company was capable of developing iMessage for Android since 2013 but scrapped the project because “iMessage is the biggest factor in keeping people in Apple’s ecosystem.” Basically, the company is intentionally keeping that wall up to force its users into staying inside the ecosystem.
Why Is the Apple Ecosystem So Valuable?
The answer to that is quite simple: The ecosystem is what makes users stay loyal to Apple and keep buying its products. A study by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners found that 79% of iPhone users also own a tablet, and 84% of those people own an iPad.
Now, what does that say about the ecosystem? That’s right. The walled garden has done its work and prevented most iPhone users from buying gadgets from other brands.
How? Setting up and sharing data across Apple devices is nearly effortless. Even your tech-phobic grandma can probably do it. That means that setting up an iPad would also be much faster than setting up a new tablet from Samsung. Setting up an Apple Watch will be much quicker than setting up other smartwatches.
Most of the Apple ecosystem’s features also only work with other Apple devices. And that means that most Apple users will buy another Apple device in order to get the most value out of their current Apple devices. Because why would you buy a device that can’t talk with your existing ones?
And that’s just it. The ecosystem is a precious tool to Apple since it basically forces users to keep buying the latest version of its products, and to opt for Apple products when they’re shopping for new tech.
Conclusion
Overall, I think it’s important to look at the entire Apple ecosystem if you’re planning to get any Apple device because many people get sucked and trapped into the Apple ecosystem without knowing it.
If you like the features Apple offers and are willing to pay the higher price tags, the smooth integration that a well-crafted ecosystem offers might make sense for you. If you don’t have a lot of money or you just prefer the freedom of being able to mix and match different devices without worrying about its ability to integrate with your existing devices, I’d recommend sticking with Android devices instead.
Interesting read! The Apple ecosystem undoubtedly has its pros and cons, but its undeniable value lies in seamless integration and user experience. The convenience of syncing devices, apps, and services is a game-changer. Whether you’re a fan or not, Apple’s ecosystem undeniably revolutionizes the way we interact with technology.
I would like to point out that getting into the ecosystem and staying there doesn’t have to be expensive. Buying products that are a year or two behind getting refurbished items and even taking free gadgets from family when they upgrade has allowed me to easily keep up with only minimal investment