How to break free from the Apple ecosystem (AAPL)

macbook pro iphone byebye

The iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch make for a great team, as they work with each other to streamline common tasks and make them easier to do.

However, there are several reasons you might want to explore other options, like Android phones and Windows computers.

The main reason that comes to mind is Apple's ecosystem is getting increasingly expensive to stay in. Just take the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro laptops. They're well over $1,000 even for the base model, whereas you could get a MacBook Pro for under $1,000 back in the day.

Whatever your reason might be, leaving the Apple ecosystem can be a tough thing to do, and you might not find some of the useful features from the Apple ecosystem anywhere else.

To make the transition easier, though, here are a few tips to start with:

1. First, you'll need new, non-Apple devices.

The computer.

If you use software that isn't your web browser, your best bet is going to be a Windows 10 laptop. There are several Windows 10 laptops out there you might like at different price ranges. Here are five Windows 10 laptops that outprice the new MacBooks Pros, as well as out-speccing them.

Those laptops I suggest in the link above are pretty powerful, but while they're also pricey, they're still less expensive than the new MacBook Pros. There are a bunch of great Windows 10 laptops in the $700 range that aren't as powerful; those could fit your needs, too.

If 99% of the things you do on your Mac are based in a web browser, you could consider Chromebooks. They run Chrome OS, which is essentially the Chrome web browser, and they can cost a lot less than a Windows 10 laptop.

The phone.

There are a bunch of great Android phones, but if I had to pick one, it would be Google's own Pixel or Pixel XL.

It's the purest expression of what Google thinks a smartphone should be, and you'll get the latest Android and security updates directly from Google as they're released, not several months later like the majority of Android smartphones.

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