I recently picked up a new laptop for myself! My last one still works except for the battery, which doesn’t last very long and isn’t easily replaceable. For the last decade or more I’ve been a Linux-only user. I won’t go into the Windows vs Linux vs Mac because I honestly don’t care anymore! I’ve reached the point in my life where I just want things to work. I still deal with Linux for my day job and most of the time it’s a broken Linux server that I deal with so dealing with broken technology in my off time is not as fun as it used to be.
In addition to being a Linux user, I’ve been an Android phone user for as long as Android has been around. That all changed back in May of 2021. It was part “I want to try something different” and part “I’m tired of Google discontinuing all the products I like” and also “I’m tired of Android” so, I switched over to Apple fully for my phone and tablet usage. One month later I also purchased an Apple Watch which has been one of the best pieces of tech I’ve ever owned! I’d looked at Android watches but they didn’t seem to have the functionality and stability of the Apple Watch. The impact the Apple Watch, in particular, has had on my overall health and wellness is pretty immense. I interact with Apple Fitness daily and track all of my workouts. I love data and having that data easily within reach and being recorded with just a touch of a button knocked down a barrier for me. I can see the progress I’ve made over the last 10 months and it’s empowering and motivating! I would warn against putting too much emphasis on “closing your rings”. The Apple Watch can get rather pushy about closing the rings and there’s currently no way to allow for a rest day or a sick day. I would also avoid the big Apple Watch groups on Facebook as it’s just people stressing because they can’t close their rings because of whatever sickness/injury they’ve overtrained((https://www.healthline.com/health/signs-of-overtraining#signs-and-symptoms)) themselves into.
Earlier this week I completed my assimilation into the Apple ecosystem by getting a MacBook Air 13 inch with 256GB SSD and 16GB of ram. It also has the new(-ish) Apple M1 chip. I’m very impressed at the fit/finish and overall use of it. I didn’t expect to have any learning curves since I’ve been using my iPhone and iPad daily for 10-ish months now but there was a learning curve. I’m able to do all the things I did with my Linux laptop and I’m exploring some Apple-specific things like Homebrew to add something new to the mix. If I told me 10 years ago that I’d be fully in the Apple ecosystem he would’ve laughed and told me to f-off!! No regrets so far. If I’m going to be locked in an ecosystem I’m going to make the most of it and enjoy it!
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