Why I Switched

It’s been funny how predictably many of my peers have reacted to my rather sudden switch from an entirely Apple-run ecosystem to a mash-up of Apple, Microsoft, and Palm hardware and software. Why did I go from such a simple setup, running Mac OS X on my MacBook with accompanying iPhone 3G, to a MacBook running Windows 7 and a Palm smartphone running webOS?

Let’s get one thing straight: Apple makes the best hardware, period. I don’t even think anyone really comes close to the build quality of their products. For some reason they’ve figured it out and no one else has. I’m perfectly happy with the solid and beautiful build quality of my Pre, but when I pick up an iPhone 4 the difference is undeniable. Same with their laptops. I’m a proud Apple laptop owner, in fact! But I’m sick of playing their game. Apple’s business philosophy is brilliant; the secure, all-inclusive hardware/software partnership. Beyond that, however, they’ve ensured anyone who is a part of their ecosystem has a very difficult time expanding beyond their envelope and can only do things when they say it’s okay to do it, whether it’s for technical reasons or purely arbitrary (and unfortunately a majority of the time it’s the latter).

So why did I switch to Windows 7? Because the morons at Apple decided it’d be a good idea to artificially restrict their “average consumer” MacBook line to 32-bit computing, even though their MacBooks have long been capable of running up to 4 GB of RAM (an entirely pointless feature unless 64-bit computing is an option). I wanted to upgrade to 64-bit, but unbeknown to me, the powers that be in Cupertino deemed my upgrade contrary to their wishes. And when a software company starts dictating what their users can and cannot use, they’ve officially been given too much power. So I quit Mac OS X, and switched a platform that would allow me to use my hardware as I see fit. The fact that I have to switch operating systems in order to be able to do that is comically depressing. How silly is this, Apple? You’re losing customers because you’re actively blocking their endeavors, something that actually costs you valuable resources to do! In limiting MacBooks to 32-bit computing, you actually had to go out of your way to make sure the software couldn’t be fooled into installing a 64-bit version. Not only that, but when I installed glorious, beautiful Windows 7 64-bit, the Boot Camp software tried to shut me down! “You can’t install Boot Camp 64-bit on this machine.” So I said “Fuck you!” and manually installed the drivers, which work perfectly.

I’m unsure as to whether I’ll get another Mac in the distant future when this machine has run its course. A lot of that will depend on the direction Apple takes these next few years, but I can tell you one thing, if iOS ends up dominating their ecosystem then you can count my ass out. This brings me to my next point: my switch from iPhone to Palm Pre.

A lot of people were skeptical of my decision, mainly Droid owners who rightly believe that Google’s operating system is going places. And it is! Google’s done incredible things already at a breakneck speed, as opposed to Apple’s updates which come dribbling out slower than molasses once a year or Palm which has yet to release a major update to their webOS since its initial release two years ago. So why the hell did I go with Palm? The answer is simple: recommendations.

I know a lot of Android users, and most of them love their phones. My parents both own an Android phone, so I’ve had the pleasure of playing around with the HTC flavor, as well as the more mainstream Motorola Droid interface. But I couldn’t help feeling like Google basically took iOS and stamped their insignia on it. Increasingly they’re differentiating themselves with awesome software upgrades, but the basic structure of the operating system is the same. To my more tech-savvy friends, this is awesome, but for people like my parents who aren’t “tech stupid” (well, my dad isn’t–sorry mom!) but aren’t exactly “tech hobbyists” either, iOS seems like the more no-nonsense solution for them. This point could be easily contested, though, so I would simply say that at this point Android is a little too volatile for me to feel comfortable giving the next 2 years of my life to it.

It’s a different story with webOS. Everyone I know who owns a Palm Pre loves the hell out of it. And as a somewhat experienced owner now, I totally get it. WebOS simply “works,” and does so in a such a beautiful and seamless way that it makes me wonder how they haven’t gotten more attention from the tech world because of it. Multitasking is hands-down superior because it’s actual, real multitasking, as opposed to the “symbolic” multitasking you get on the others. I don’t need to see a list of my apps every time I turn on my phone, I need to see what I’m running. When you start up a desktop computer, you don’t start with a Program Files window. You start with a blank desktop that displays your open apps as you launch them. WebOS, in my view, is the perfect port of the desktop metaphor to a small touchscreen interface. You don’t have to “go home” every time you want to launch another app. You simply access your ever-present launcher and do it right then, and with a simple swipe of the finger you can switch between them quickly and use them instantly when you do.

WebOS is, quite simply, the best smartphone interface on the market today. Unfortunately, it’s backed by one of the most lackluster pieces of hardware in the market today. Hopefully that will change this Fall as we see new devices rolled out by HP and Palm, perhaps some of them with a real touch screen keyboard (that’s probably the one thing I miss about iOS). WebOS 2.0 promises to be an awesome upgrade, if 1.0 is any indication.

So bottom line here, I’ve switched over to hardware and software that suits my needs far better than the purist, Nazi-esque sanitized world of Apple software (Steve Jobs’ “defense” of HTML5 sounds more like a toddler talking about how pink things are too girly and therefore infested with cooties), and I think this is a point that will resonate with most people, whether or not they agree with my reasoning for the alternatives I’ve chosen. As John Lennon once said, “You may think I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Fellow dreamers, express your thoughts in the comments below!