How many of you own an Apple product? My guess would be a lot of you, be it a phone, laptop, or some other device. I myself tend to stay away from Apple products, since I don’t believe them to be very good. Their devices, especially laptops and computers, seem to be poorly made and designed in a very odd manner. I’m singling out their laptops and computers mostly because their mobile devices aren’t half bad and are (in my opinion) the only Apple devices that can keep up with their competition. 

First, let’s talk about what makes Apple’s computers not that great. First of all, they feel like they’re built to die. A lot of Apple laptops, especially the older ones, are built in a very counterintuitive manner. As someone who has built a computer, I’m pretty sure they were only considering how compact they could make it rather than what would ensure a long lifespan for all the parts involved, especially the CPU. The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is essentially the brain of your computer. However, CPU’s tend to do this thing where they get really warm while they are running, which is the reason for fans, or some other type of cooling system, in your computer. Usually, the fans are right on top of the CPU, allowing for it to last a good long while and still have optimal performance over time. But hypothetically, if a fan were not on top of the CPU, and it were halfway across the case of the laptop instead, then it wouldn’t be able to keep the CPU cool. Most Apple laptops do this, and it annoys me. Have you ever wondered why your Apple laptop gets really, really hot when you use it? I know I’ve experienced this, and a lot of the time, I’ve been using the laptop on my lap, where it feels like it’s burning my legs with how warm it gets. This also damages the lifespan on the CPU, since it’s essentially slowly frying itself. Apple is getting a lot better at this, especially with their new M-Series chips that are a lot more efficient than what they had before, but the design still isn’t great. 

Even though Apple products are poorly built, they are incredibly overpriced as well. A new 13-inch macbook pro costs around 1500 dollars, which is a good bit for a laptop of its specs. When I looked up laptops with the exact same specs that were not made by Apple, I found that they tended to be anywhere from 300-1000 dollars cheaper. How is Apple able to get away with price points like this? 

I think the answer lies in their user base. A lot of Apple fans like their products because of the connectivity to other Apple devices, or the easy-to-use interface, or the design of the computers, or all of the above. The truth is that a lot of Apple users are dragged in by this and then become oblivious to other options, unwilling to give anything new a try. Most other computers and operating systems look nice, are just as easy to use, and also have ways to connect multiple different types of devices. Plus, they cost a heck of a lot less than most Apple products do. If I was given the option to choose between a mediocre product at a really high price, or a high performing, long lasting product at a lower price, then the choice is quite simple for me. Stop wasting your money and try something new.