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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.
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.YouTube/HP
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.Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
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.
The smartwatch.Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
If you have an Apple Watch, the bad news is that it's not compatible with anything else apart from Apple products.
If you must have a smartwatch, go for Samsung's Gear S3 Classic or Frontier. They work with most recent Android smartphones, and they're very good as far as smartwatches go. And if you get a Samsung smartphone, you can use Samsung Pay with the Gear S3, too, which works in pretty much any store that has a credit card reader.
Unfortunately, however, you won't find the useful Auto Unlock feature from the Apple ecosystem, which unlocks your Mac computer when you're wearing your Apple Watch.
2. Now, you'll need a new account to transfer contacts, photos, videos, and calendars from the iPhone you're trying to escape from.
To move away from the Apple ecosystem means you'll need to adopt a new ecosystem: In this case, it's almost certainly going to be Google. Even if you're using a Microsoft device, you'll still probably going to want to use many of Google's useful services on that Microsoft Windows machine.
If you don't already have a Google account, get one. It's the best way to transfer your contacts, photos, videos, and calendars, in my opinion.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- 5 things Google's Pixel phone can do that the iPhone can't
- Early photos of life at Apple with Steve Jobs, from the company's first few employees
- This $15 Apple Watch stand is clearly the best you can buy, end of discussion
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