You can say "Apple's machines are easier to work with because better integration". But I'd say that's only a small convenience which doesn't stack up against the huge downsides of this non-modular approach as seen from the societal/economy perspective. My mom and dad can work with a Windows laptop just fine.
Mine can’t. All I know is I spend many fewer hours, near zero, doing tech support for my parents on macOS/iOS than when they used Windows.
Yes - many things are harder, but on balance the Apple ecosystem delivers better end user results.
But your point is important - there is huge opportunity for something better.
Apple isn’t standing in the way of that.
The belief that Microsoft or Linux as they stand are somehow better is. (I think Linux is fundamental to what comes next, but only if we people stop pretending it is currently better for end users and stop trying to make it more like an Apple product)
I can’t believe Microsoft even opened a whole bunch of stores. They just keep quitting after a couple years. If they were willing to plow some money into it for a decade and keep supporting windows phone and clean Windows laptops, maybe we’d have some competition.
A modular system could be better, but Microsoft’s is not it.
Microsoft’s approach failed against Apple’s when it came to product innovation. That’s why Apple is now dominant.
The downsides from a societal perspective are imaginary. Things simply weren’t better in any way when Microsoft was dominant.
Having said that, I agree with you - modular could make things better.
This is what I mean by a network of companies.
We need a new model of modularity - not microsoft’s variety.
I do think a modular ecosystem might be better in the long run but that’s not windows.