Saadia, a friend of mine, just posted a blog about how disinterested he is in the latest Apple products, even though he’s been an early adopter for years. He also mentioned that he’s “de‑smartifying” his house and his life. Reading that made me think about my own relationship with Apple.
I’ve been an Apple evangelist for about 20 years. I got my first job at 17 in a shop that sold Apple products. They wanted me to become the specialist on the product line. I protested because I loathed Apple at the time, but my manager told me he didn’t care and that I should get busy learning the language (The demo unit I had was an Emac G4).
Within a couple of months I was selling like a fanboy and never looked back.
What about now?
I still defend Apple and try to convert friends, mostly because it’s fun. In reality, I see technology as a tool kit and it’s important to use the right tool for the right job. Certain professions are better served by Windows or Linux, but for me the Apple ecosystem provides more overall value than any single product within it.
Saadia’s point about leaning into simplicity resonates with me. I’m already pursuing this in my own way to reduce distraction and improve my attention span:
- I intentionally confine devices to certain rooms and areas.
- I no longer keep any apps with algorithmic feeds on my phone. (My life is better without a little cocaine in my pocket.)
- I have intentionally long upgrade cycles; I’m still on an iPhone 12 and plan to upgrade later this year.
Where next?
Will I stop being an Apple enthusiast? Probably not anytime soon, but I think technology broadly has reached the plateau of being good enough. Upgrades now have diminishing returns. An iPhone 12 and an iPhone 17 will both connect you to the world in very meaningful ways but the increase in the quality of your life is much more incremental than revolutionary.
I think we are now seeing the beginnings of a swing towards analog and invisible technology supporting our lives and I believe this is what Apple is betting on. I’m excited about that trend because I think it will take us back to a place where we have the best of technology but also the best of the analog world.
Or at least I hope that’s where we’re going.
