A True Testament to Usefulness

While Apple frequently makes a big deal about paying attention to the small details, they miss some of the bigger ones.

Last night, or technically very early this morning, I friend of mine in California was setting up a new laptop and asked for help. I simply had him open the Quick Assist App. I began a session and he joined it with the code that was produced. I was then able to help him directly on his system get things set up the way he wanted and in a way that would help streamline his use of the technology.

Apple has nothing like this without having to pay for special software AND be on the same network.

The more time I spend delving into Windows, the more I find how useful it really is, and how walled off Apple is, even from its own users.

I sold my iPad Pro and instead bought a Surface Go 2. The machine, keyboard, and Surface Pen all cost significantly less than what I'd paid for the iPad Pro and the Magic Keyboard cover and was covered by the sale of my 2 year old iPad Pro.

It is not faster than the iPad Pro, but it does provide more real options for usefulness. For example, I can put multiple accounts on it, keeping my work and personal life separate. In addition, I have full versions of the software I use regularly, like MS Office.

Now, the Surface Go 2 (and I would assume the 3 as well) ship with the S version of Windows, meaning it's pretty locked down and, much like Apple, won't accept any software that isn't sold through their App Store. What Microsoft does that Apple doesn't do is allow its users to shut off S mode and have a fully functional Operating System available to them.

My Surface Go 2, this thin little device, can also run a full 4K display in native resolution. I'm not going to be playing games on it, mind you, but in terms of running MS Office, multiple browsers with multiple tabs, and multiple desktops, it actually holds its own very well.

Something else that I honestly didn't expect from the Surface Go 2 experience is that using the pen is a much more natural experience than on the iPad with the Apple Pencil. It's an absolute delight to put that Surface Pen onto the display and start writing or drawing (in my case, doodling). There is some latency that you don't see with the iPad, but at the same time it's not a huge issue. The writing that comes out of also has a more natural look to it. I'm not certain how else to put it.

The important apps are all available on the Surface Go 2 (and 3), so I'm able to make use of everything I need to and even play casual games (Like Solitaire...) without any worry.

What this all this boils down to for me is that Microsoft has obviously spent a great deal of time creating an interface that works for you, is flexible, and provides you with a more personal experience over all. I've also found that OneDrive is a much more flexible option for cloud storage than iCloud, allowing a smoother experience across device types (including the iPad, iPhone, and macOS).

Does Apple generally provide a more stable user experience? Yes. I've suffered more crashes on my Razer Blade 15 Advance than I ever did on any of my Mac Products (meaning three or four) before I figured out the culprit, which was a driver issue that I fixed with an update to that specific driver.

I will say that the Built In Photos app that Apple has in macOS and their iPad and iPhones does provide a more refined, and smarter approach to photography, as well offer more robust built in tools for photo editing and sharing, as well as Plugin Support from software such as Affinity and Pixelmator.

I will greatly miss those features, but nearly everything that I'd created a workflow for with my Apple Photos, can be done with the Photographer Plan from Adobe using Lightroom and Photoshop.

Windows 11 is a true game changer in the OS world. It has adopted many of that I liked about macOS and iPad OS while shedding many of the things I didn't like much about Windows to create a user experience that's seamless, where the technology just kind of falls away while you worry about getting shit done.

I don't think I'll be going back to Apple this time.