Apple or Google: If You Don't Choose Soon It Will Be Too Hard to Switch
What is an Ecosystem?
CNET’s Molly Wood describes the term “ecosystem” like this:
In a way, it’s a dream: it’s the term that refers to a perfectly integrated gadget experience, one that combines the device and its OS with deeply integrated content (streaming movies and TV, music, books, and magazines) and services (media stores, cloud storage, app stores).
The vision is that no matter what gadget you are using, you will be able to accomplish the same tasks and access the same content because everything will be connected. It’s what Steve Jobs dubbed the “digital hub” back in 2001. People want to have all of their content at their fingertips, so a mobile ecosystem that they can access anywhere at any time is very interesting to both consumers and app developers.
With Apple and Google continuing to expand their ecosystems, it'll soon be too hard to switch from one to the other. Here, we'll take a deep dive.
The debate between Android and iOS has been going on for years. But now the choice is much harder–you have to pick an ecosystem. Google and Apple both have some pretty comprehensive ecosystems, and they're only set to improve and expand in the coming years.
Ecosystems have been considered “walled gardens” and, while pessimistic, this is a fairly appropriate analogy. With the walls only getting higher, the time to pick an ecosystem is now. Soon, it'll be too hard to switch from one to the other. Here, we'll take an in-depth look into why this is.
Why It's Hard to Switch From Apple and Google's Ecosystems Now
Recently, I was switching from an iPhone to a Galaxy Z Flip 3 review unit. I've used Android before, and I still use lots of Google's tools, so I'm not completely unplugged from the ecosystem. But it was a major inconvenience, and it took forever.
Passwords saved to iCloud Keychain don't sync to the Android device. The device doesn't know which apps to download without an additional tool. Cards for mobile payments can't be switched over. And the list goes on. It just takes such a long time, and is a major inconvenience to switch between the ecosystems. But why?
Why Is It Hard to Switch Ecosystems?
Currently, it's so hard to switch ecosystems due to the lack of cross-platform compatibility. Each company makes its own software, and these aren't compatible with the other. For example, if you use iCloud Keychain you can't natively access this on Android, and if you use Google's Password Manager, you can't natively access it on iOS.
The lack of cross-platform compatibility isn't necessarily a downside. It allows the companies to make a much better product of its own operating system. Besides, not that many people switch ecosystems, and it's another convenience factor to keep customers using your product. That's what businesses do.
At this point, you can become so entrenched in one ecosystem that it becomes hard to switch over to the other. If you've got all your passwords in iCloud Keychain, all your files in iCloud Drive, an Apple Watch, AirPods, and an Apple Card, it's nigh on impossible to switch to Google's ecosystem.
Your AirPods and Apple Watch wouldn't function properly with an Android device, so you'd need to buy new accessories. You'd have to manually download and re-upload gigabytes worth of storage. And you wouldn't be able to manage your credit card.
Of course, the same applies to Google and Android products. It would be just as difficult to use a Wear OS watch and Pixel Buds on an iPhone, and just as inconvenient to move your passwords from Chrome Passwords, and files from Google Drive.
What's more, it comes down to the little features as well. If you're used to AirDropping files between your iPhone and Mac, you can't take this to the Google ecosystem. The way you send friends money changes, you have to re-add all your cards for mobile payments, and even the way you text fundamentally changes.
Google’s attempt to replicate Apple’s ecosystem is good news for all of us
Apple’s ecosystem is perhaps the most valuable asset the company possesses, after its brand, so eyebrows were raised when Google yesterday announced plans to replicate many of the key elements of that ecosystem.
While some Apple fans were outraged at what they saw as blatant copying of Apple features, my view is that this is good news for Android and iPhone users alike …
As reported by our colleagues over at 9to5Google, Google has features to rival Spatial Audio, AirDrop, AirPods-like fast pairing, Apple Watch Unlock, and much more […]
First off, the company has announced that it will expand its AirDrop-like “Nearby Share” feature to Windows PCs, allowing Android users to easily and wirelessly share photos, videos, and files from Android phones to PCs. This is, of course, incredibly similar to using AirDrop between an iPhone and Mac.
In the audio space, Google has announced that it will bring its Fast Pair feature to Windows PCs, Google TV, Android TV, and Matter-compatible smart home products. This means that Fast Pair-compatible headphones will be able to seamlessly connect to these devices, just like AirPods can effortlessly pair with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
Google went on to describe its plans to allow Wear OS smartwatches to unlock Chromebooks, and to adopt Spatial Audio.
Of course, Apple has borrowed from Android just as Google has borrowed from Apple, so neither company can be too surprised or aggrieved when this sort of thing happens. All the same, the extent of this replication is unarguably aggressive on Google’s part. If I were in Tim Cook’s place, I might feel at least a little peeved.
As an Apple customer, however, I’m delighted. The Apple ecosystem is my number-one reason for choosing the company’s devices, and it’s one of the main reasons for switchers to move from Android – but we all know that things don’t always work perfectly
I still use Dropbox rather than iCloud because it syncs faster. I still sometimes have to copy, paste, and email text to myself when I want to instantly switch devices and Handoff is still waiting to, er, handoff. My Apple Watch generally unlocks my Mac, but there are times when it says it’s unlocking and then fails, and other times when my Mac doesn’t even acknowledge the existence of my Watch. I could go on, as I’m sure we all could.
So when Google starts offering the same benefits in the Android/Chromebook ecosystem, that puts a lot of pressure on Apple to do two things: add new ecosystem benefits to stay ahead, and improve the performance and reliability of existing ones. That’s a win for everyone; bring it on.
What Products and Services Do the Ecosystems Currently Consist Of?
Apple's ecosystem consists of all its hardware products, and each of its software products too. This includes some of the fairly obvious products, such as the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Xcode, all the way to some software that might not immediately spring to mind such as iCloud Keychain and Apple Card.
Google's ecosystem works in much the same way; it consists of each of its hardware and software products. As Android is owned by Google, this includes all Android devices, as well as Drive, Chrome Passwords, and Google Pay.
Both companies offer email, document, and cloud storage solutions, namely: iCloud, Gmail, Docs, Pages, Google Drive, and iCloud Drive. While these are definitely part of the ecosystem, they are cross-platform compatible. You can access both cloud storage drives from a device in the other ecosystem. However, switching from each service in one ecosystem to the other's proves very challenging.
Why It Will Be Harder to Switch From Apple and Google's Ecosystems Soon
As we've seen, it's already pretty hard to switch from one ecosystem to the other. Bad news–it's only going to get harder. When it comes to what the ecosystems will consist of in the future, the truth is that we don't know. Nobody does, except maybe Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai.
But we can be sure that the ecosystems are continuing to expand. Any time one of the companies launches a new product or service, it becomes part of the ecosystem. It's one more device you have to physically replace, or manually move your data from.
We know both companies are exploring further payment solutions in the credit and current account areas, and Apple already has its own credit card. Both companies are working on cars, be it self-driving or electric. Both companies either already have, or are working on AR or VR products. And Apple's even looking into its own search engine.
At the point when you're driving an Apple Car, using an iPhone, tracking workouts on your Apple Watch, working from your MacBook, paying using your Apple Card, managing said card with your Apple Current Account, searching with the Apple Search Engine, storing passwords, 2FA codes, and files in iCloud, and playing on your Apple Glasses; it becomes far too hard to switch. Or replace Apple with Google, and you're in Google's future ecosystem.
Of course, the above example is speculative and perhaps slightly hyperbolic, but you get the point. When Apple and Google both offer such extensive ecosystems you become entrenched in, it will be extremely hard to leave one for the other.
How to Choose Which Ecosystem to Use
When it comes to choosing which ecosystem to use, you've got a pretty easy decision ahead of you. Quite simply, you should choose the ecosystem you already use the most.
Everyone ends up naturally falling into an ecosystem, one way or another. If you find yourself primarily using Apple products, stick with Apple's ecosystem. And vice versa for Google's ecosystem.
If you are considering switching, there are a couple of points to consider. Primarily, you should pick an ecosystem based on which products and services you like the best. If you prefer iOS to Android, go with Apple. You'd hate to be stuck using an ecosystem you don't like.
Another important point to consider is the fact Google's ecosystem offers a lot more choice when it comes to hardware. Google's ecosystem consists of all Android and Wear OS devices, made by any manufacturer. So naturally, you've got many more options to pick from when it comes to devices.
If you're using a combination, I wouldn't panic. Productivity software like Docs, Pages, and the Drives are unlikely to stop being cross-platform any time soon, just like the music apps. These services are independent money-makers, so it only makes sense to keep them open to as many people as possible.
The Ecosystem You Use Is About to Be Your Biggest Decision
As Apple and Google's ecosystems continue to expand and technology becomes more intertwined with our day-to-day lives, picking which ecosystem you use is going to change how you live your life.
It could soon be the biggest decision you have to make, up there with whom you vote for. Pick wisely because it'll be too hard to switch.
Apple v. Google v. Microsoft: May the Best Tech Ecosystem Win
Not too long ago, the idea that you could seamlessly connect and integrate all of your technological devices — TV, smartphone, computer, tablet — would have sounded like a detail from an episode of “The Jetsons.” Now the concept is well on its way to becoming a reality, with the three major players of the tech industry — Apple, Google and Microsoft — competing to create the ideal connected device ecosystem.
The Leaders in the Quest for the Tech Ecosystem
The Apple Ecosystem
The Apple brand is well on its way to creating a connected device ecosystem with its products, including the iPhone, the iPad, iBooks, Apple TV and MacBook computers. All are connected by the iTunes Store and App Store, which simplifies the process of using multiple devices. One advantage for Apple is that its users are famously loyal to the brand (there is even a dating site designed specifically for them) and its products.
The Google Ecosystem
Google is proving a worthy competitor for Apple. It created Google Play, where users can access music, books, movies, apps and games from the web or any Android device. It also offers Google TV, Google books, Android phones and tablets and an integrated system of all their cloud services (Google docs, Gmail, Google Reader, etc.)
The Windows Ecosystem
Microsoft is planning a big comeback in the next few years, and if it succeeds, it will be a formidable opponent in the fight for the best mobile ecosystem. Its plans rely on three main elements: Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox; much depends on the success of the Windows 8 operating system, set to launch this fall, which has received positive early reviews.
Who will emerge the winner?
The victor in this race will be the company that can build the most thriving, sustainable connected device ecosystem. It will have to create a consumer experience that is easy and accessible, but it will also need to build a platform that is attractive and practical for the app developers who will be using it. Right now, Apple apps are the most profitable on the market, but that could change once Google and Microsoft start to make progress on their respective ecosystems.
In addition to app developers, the tech players must also woo the publishing giants who have the power to grant their ecosystem access to consumer’s favorite media.
Apple’s singular vision for the future should be a wake up call for Google
If ecosystems are the next battleground, Google needs to start properly arming itself for the war.
Apple’s annual WWDC Conference is its time to showcase the next year of its smartphone, tablet, and Mac operating systems. As with everything Apple does, it is always a pretty big deal in the tech world.
This year’s event, held back in June, was a historic one — and not just because it was held entirely online. It’s barely been a hot minute since WWDC and already Apple has changed the conversation around tech in more ways than one.
Amongst the expected and not-so-expected updates, there was one major takeaway: by transitioning full-blown MacBooks to Apple’s own silicon, we can finally see the culmination of a decade’s work to synergize an ecosystem that other companies can only dream of.
I’ve been a Mac user for over a decade and have always been impressed by how well Apple’s products integrate with the operating system, going all the way back to the venerable iPod. Seeing the company continue to put the same level of care into every product in its ecosystem only exposes how dire the situation is elsewhere. I’m talking about Google, of course.
Apple's singular vision is driving it forward in ways Google just can't compete with at the moment.
Google’s approach towards hardware has at best been lackadaisical and at worst lacked any overarching vision or direction. The result has been individually brilliant products that don’t always work together in any meaningful way. In the face of Apple’s latest power play and with several new Made by Google products seemingly on the horizon, that needs to change.
It’s all about the ecosystem and customer lock-in
It is no secret that Apple has been building towards a completely unified ecosystem; a broader gamut of products that are aimed to reduce friction for a consumer. It irks Android die-hards and has flamed many a fan war, but there is no doubt that Apple’s heavy-handed focus on a consumer-first experience has resulted in a walled garden of apps, services, and products that just work and, crucially, work together.
There is no first-party equivalent for the synergy between Apple's different product lines.
Features like Continuity ensure a seamless transition between Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Sidecar increases productivity by making the iPad a powerful second screen. The ability to quickly scribble a signature on your iPad and immediately insert it into a document on your Mac is the kind of stuff that simply isn’t possible across Google’s products. This year the iPad will even get the extremely powerful Spotlight search feature from macOS.
Tablets are another telling point of comparison. The iPad app store is full of high-quality apps that often have no equivalent at all on Android. From music creation to games to code editors, the reality is that the iPad is powerful and versatile enough to become a true laptop replacement for a large customer subset.
Meanwhile, Google’s efforts to support the Android tablet market are non-existent. The number of tablet-optimized apps on the Play Store is woeful and more often than not users are left with blown-up phone apps. Samsung has tried its best finagle the most it can out of Android on its Galaxy Tab series, but it is still a sub-optimal experience and not one that is consistent across the broader portfolio of Samsung devices.
The lack of cohesion between Android tablets and the broader Google-designed ecosystem is reflected across other products too. Wear OS has languished in more ways than one. Be it the lack of general refinement, minimal enhancements, woeful battery life even on the latest hardware, or simply the lack of a flagship product from Google itself, Wear OS pales in comparison to the feature-set of Watch OS for the Apple Watch or even Samsung’s Tizen-based Galaxy Watch lineup.
The same can be said for the iPhone and even the AirPods. While Fast Pairing is making strides to improve the Bluetooth pairing experience, it is still not a reality on most modern headphones. Meanwhile, with the latest version of Apple’s software, AirPods can detect exactly where audio is being piped in from and switch between sources. This is something that can only be done with the kind of vertical integration Apple has built over the years.
After WWDC, we now have the final piece of the puzzle. With the transition away from Intel, Apple is finally in a position to bring the Mac into that same fold. The ability to run iPhone and iPad apps is a tremendous opportunity for customers and developers. Yes, Chromebooks have been able to run Android apps for a while now. However, Chrome OS devices suffer from the same app optimization issues that have plagued Android tablets. The Mac, however, will be able to bypass this by taking advantage of the enviable iPad app ecosystem.
It’s not just apps and software, though. To take an obvious example, there’s little about the Pixelbook that actually ties it to Pixel phones aside from branding. As Android Authority’s Oliver Cragg put it, you can count the ways Pixel phones integrate with Chromebooks on one hand. That’s telling of just how fragmented Google’s hardware efforts are.
Google is its own worst enemy
It could be argued that by licensing out its software and operating system Google is just an enabler for a broader ecosystem running on its platform, and that’s fair enough but you don’t invest a fortune, buy two smartphone companies, and a wearable manufacturer without having serious hardware ambitions. Between the Chrome OS running Pixelbooks, the Pixel series of phones, and Nest hardware, Google has been trying to create a semblance of an alternative to Apple’s hegemony, and with it comes the responsibility to do it right.
However, operating in silos with each product acting as a distinct vertical just hasn’t worked to Google’s advantage. This lack of a unified focus and unwillingness to listen to what the market demands was epitomized by the launch of the flawed Pixel 4 and the subsequent departure of key executives. This is all the more astonishing in a time when even the notoriously stubborn Apple is willing to budge and add widgets to iPhones and iPad.
Look, I get that Google can’t or doesn’t want to miff its partner relations. That doesn’t mean gimping your own hardware is acceptable, however.
It isn’t just Google’s own ecosystem that suffers either. The Mountain View company’s lack of focus has forced many manufacturers to create their own mini-fiefdoms — some more successfully than others — that may or may not play well with Google’s pure and secure version of platforms.
Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi are just some of the Android-associated brands that have moved to create their own brand-specific ecosystems, further diluting Google’s own vision of a unified experience across diverse hardware.
To return to wearables example again, instead of pushing Wear OS as a platform that can truly rival the Apple Watch with a flagship Google wearable, it is instead chugging along on the back of fashion brands launching derivative hardware. Samsung, for one, has so little faith in the platform that it ended up making its own, dare I say, superior smartwatch OS based on Tizen.
Google has the ability to create incredible products, but if it wants to be taken as a credible alternative to Apple’s ecosystem it should start treating its hardware as first-class citizens rather than a conduit to onboard users to its cloud and platform services.
Arguably the brightest star in Google’s hardware portfolio has been the Google Nest ecosystem of products that has been carrying the torch forward. Yet even there, Google hasn’t really committed to expanding use cases. You just have to take a quick look at the diversity of Amazon’s first-party portfolio of Alexa-powered products to see just how far behind Google is in establishing itself as a leading-edge hardware player.
It’s encouraging that there is at least a degree of cohesion between the Pixel and Nest teams. There’s a semblance of uniformity to design languages and Google building-in direct access controls for smart home equipment on Android 11 shows that the company is willing to create synergy between its verticals.
Nearby Sharing is shaping up to be a viable alternative to Apple’s Airdrop which would finally allow you to easily share files between any platform running the Chrome browser and an Android phone. Of course, it remains to be seen if it eventually ends up in the Google Graveyard just like Android Beam before it.
Apple’s ecosystem play has developed slowly, all the while maintaining a clear, linear focus. At WWDC, Apple demonstrated what the next 10 years of computing across devices might be like, and it has me excited and concerned about what lies ahead for Google’s ecosystem ambitions.
As we rush headlong into the post-PC world, Google needs to double down on its platform and ecosystem play, be it through first-party hardware or enabling partner ecosystems, or it simply risks being left too far behind. Thankfully, there are early signs that Google may feel the same.
Rumors suggest that Google is getting ready to introduce a new dongle — with a remote, finally — that unifies the convenience of the Chromecast’s dongle design while running the superior Android TV operating system (that actually also supports Chromecast anyway). This would objectively a better consumer experience that moves the ecosystem forward.
Another positive sign is Google’s continued investment and support for Google Assistant, which now forms the backbone of so many interesting Google services — including the upcoming Google Home successor. From powering searches on the Nest Hub to loading up your favorite movie on Android TV, Google Assistant showcases the very best of Google’s cross-product software chops. But calling up videos from your smart speaker to the TV just isn’t enough. How about sending and replying to text messages from a Nest Mini? Or getting call notifications in my Chrome browser window? This is the kind of integration that sells Apple’s ecosystem and its high time Google followed through.
There are great products in the Google ecosystem, but the lack of a singular vision is holding it back.
Now is not the time to throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks. As these individual product lines mature, Google needs to think long and hard about how it brings together a collective vision for the future of seamless computing between different product categories. Four generations of phones, three generations of laptops, and umpteen experiments later, the company now needs to recognize what works and make sure it champions the Google vision of a connected future.
When Apple commits to something, it goes the whole hog. Google could stand to learn a lesson or two from the Cupertino brand.
Google will spend 2022 trying to match Apple’s ecosystem integrations
It won’t be easy
Google is announcing no fewer than 13 different new software features at CES 2022, ranging from AirPods-like fast switching to promised software that will mirror your Android text apps on a Chromebook. It’s part of an initiative that Google calls “Better Together” but that the rest of the industry is more likely to refer to as “catching up to Apple’s ecosystem.”
The biggest updates come to Google’s “Fast Pair” framework, an Android UI designed to make pairing Bluetooth headphones easier. This year, Google will extend it to support auto-switching between devices, faster pairing to Android TV and Google TV, and more. It will also adopt the Fast Pair framework for installing new smart home devices using the upcoming Matter standard, which should mean that getting a new smart lightbulb or door lock going will be a lot easier.
Google will also enable smartwatches running Wear OS 3 to unlock paired Android phones or Chromebooks, much in the same way an Apple Watch can unlock an iPhone. That feature will arrive “in the coming months,” and hopefully, there will be more Wear OS 3 watches available when it launches. Right now, the only major smartwatch running the new OS is Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4.
Wear OS 3 will have on-wrist detection, so if the watch is unlocked, it can be used to unlock an Android phone. Google
All of the features Google is announcing today are planned to arrive later this year, in timespans ranging from “in the coming weeks” to “in the coming months” to “later this year.” They will hit Android phones via software updates (that may not require full OS updates), Chromebooks, Android TV, Bluetooth headphones, and even some Windows laptops from Acer and HP.
That last detail may turn out to be one of the more important announcements from Google: HP, Acer, and Intel are partnering with Google to support some of its Better Together features on their laptops. Users will be able to use Fast Pair, sync text messages, and use Android’s Nearby Share feature to share files to their upcoming Windows PCs. Alongside Google’s announced plans to bring Google Play games to Windows, it’s another sign that the company won’t cede Android integrations on Windows entirely to Microsoft’s software and partnerships.
The Windows integrations are notable, but there are, of course, more planned features for Chromebooks beyond Fast Pair. Google says it will create a system so that any messaging app on your phone can be mirrored on a Chromebook, allowing users to directly use their messaging apps. It will also add a feature called “Camera Roll on Phone Hub” that will make it easier to move photos from your phone to your Chromebook.
Chromebooks will also be getting a new setup flow if you have an Android phone — pair them during setup, and some settings and account information will be transferred over automatically. They’ll also be unlockable via Wear OS watches.
Android will use Google’s Fast Pair UI to speed up smart home gadget setup. Google
Finally, there are a few smaller announcements. On the audio side, Bose speakers and soundbars will begin supporting Chromecast in the coming weeks, and spatial audio with head tracking is coming for Android.
Google is also still working on adding support for unlocking cars via UWB (currently available on Samsung phones and the Pixel 6 Pro), and as always with these car locking announcements, the first partner will be BMW. Volvo, which uses Android Auto as its native system for running the dashboard computer, will integrate with the Google Assistant so you can use your smart speaker for functions like remote start.
Stepping back and looking at the features as a whole, it’s difficult not to draw nearly one-to-one parallels to Apple ecosystem features. Headphones are extending Bluetooth to support auto-switching and head-tracking spatial audio, just like AirPods. iPhone users with Mac have long had their default texting experience fully synced. Nearby Share is very similar to AirDrop. Unlocking with a smartwatch is also a big Apple ecosystem benefit.
Normally at CES, Google has emphasized the power of the Google Assistant. This year, it’s hoping to get you to believe that Android can work better with your other devices. The challenge for Google is to actually get lots of different devices and manufacturers to support all of these features. That will be no easy task — and it’s likely one of the main reasons there are no firm dates or even specific hardware products attached to any of these announcements.
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