It's confusing hearing all the things I like about macOS used as detractors. All the points the presenter makes against macos are basically "It doesn't work the way I currently work". He doesn't seem to make much attempt to research why it behaves the way it does nor consider the benefits.

For example, one of his primary complaints is that the user must click to focus before interacting with an application. This makes it a lot less likely to accidentally trigger an action and also makes moving focus a single, large hit target instead of a web of tiny hit targets. It also lets you focus the app without changing the focus within the app. This consistency is so much more valuable to me than the elimination of the extra click.

If you use the Apple ecosystem (Apple TV, iPhone and so forth) it all works together really nicely. And it's very reliable. I don't think the same is true of Linux with Android or Pine Phone or whatever. Also the devices tend to be supported and usable for a long time.

I could see making a case that Linux can cost less money, or is the same OS you're targeting on the server, or that you are very concerned with software freedom or "open source". If you want to modify the software you use every day, and be able to--maybe you like adding features to your Emacs setup, I get it. I've done that. Claiming that the Linux desktop experience is better than the Mac on the merits is just ridiculous to me though. Especially when you can run pretty much anything you would on Linux on the Mac, but not the other way around.

Apple's business model is all about being the best user experience for the most people (which does not mean Linux aficianados) and being in the world of software, services and devices that you pay for and are mostly closed source. There are more people who want Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop and so on than fans of LibreOffice, GIMP, et al.

They seem to be doing pretty well with this. I don't see them as getting there in an anticompetitive way, certainly compared to the M$ of the 80s and 90s. I guess people say it's a "walled garden" but they actually interoperate pretty well.

One comment I noticed is that the News app has ads. That may be true, but if you give them their 10$ a month (or less if you get the family plan, etc) you get access to all this content that otherwise is locked behind paywalls. It's kind of a good deal.

Apple is doing things I don't think are possible on Linux, like sharing the clipboard (and camera) between the phone and computer, playing videos on your Apple TV....Maybe someone will tell me "all you have to do is download this source repo and compile this....." -- with the Apple stuff it just works. <don flamesuit/>

Mostly, Apple stuff works very reliably and gets out your way. It does things you want to do, like maintain a photo / video library and share it with your family, keep track of your calendar on all your devices, etc.

The problem for me is less the Mac and more MacOS. It doesn't really feel that different from Windows to me now. Both are memory-bloated and shoving advertisements in your face for first-party services constantly. They both conspire to make their OSes weaker and curb-cut their services to the point of being mandatory. They both hide meaningful options in esoteric databases and force you to crawl through shitty settings menus to get what you want.

I feel terrible for consumers who have to use these systems now. Compared to the seclusive bliss of a Mac OS 7 machine, modern MacOS is an assault on the senses. MacOS has a lot of great things to show for itself, but I'm not convinced Apple can save it with the direction they're headed in.