> Time Machine works fine until it doesn't. And it won't tell you that a backup is broken until you try to restore from it. The errors are going to be cryptic. There is going to be no support and the forums are not going to help.
and
> Time Machine uses the "fuck you user" approach
apply to every piece of software or service out there by Apple. Every single one!
iCloud? The only answer you’re ever going to get anywhere is - “No, your data is getting synced”. “Why don’t you enable and disable it”. Or “restart it”. My favourite is when Apple Support asks you to reinstall or reset the iOS or reinstall macOS entirely even if something as tiny as some sync problem occurs, with such confidence and matter of fact tone that you are forced to debate whether you are talking to some kafkasque and sadist bot.
This is the Apple playbook. Naming and shaming them on social media doesn't work. Emails don’t get answered. Your customer request gets stonewalled. Sometimes you feel maybe it’s Apple paying you to use their products and not the other way round.
An ex manager was thought to be crazy by us freshers when he would say that the moment he gets a Mac, for personal or work usage, the first thing he does is install Linux on that. We used to think he was some GNU/FOSS nut. He would smile and say - give it time, you’ll understand.
And I understand now how helplessly hostile the Apple ecosystem is. You literally feel like a hostage — you can use it with such stonewalling and infuriating limits and you start feeling this is the only way!
At this point I don’t think it’s anything other than self sabotage if anyone still says
- but I use Time Machine (or any XYZ Apple thing that involves data integrity and reliability) - it works, or is “good enough”
- or relies on something like iCloud for something like “data backup and integrity” in anyway.
Can’t wait for the day when file access is easier on iOS (of course aft explicit permissions - which is the case even today actually) etc, or Android sucks less - in this glorious duopoly. I meant when they’re forced to open up their platform, because they’re not going to do it themselves!