Let need explain. Windows user for 28 years. I decided to try macOS and got hooked (no more WSL). Moved from Android to iPhone because of tight integration with macOS. 1. Universal copy (copy from/to Mac) 2. Automatically fill OTP from phone to mac 3. Passwords app integration means I don’t have to fill 2FA manually (mac or iPhone) 4. I use Apple TV 4K and I can use my iPhone as a remote, use it for color calibration, use it as a dedicated camera for FaceTime on TV 5. I use Apple Watch to receive important calls/ notifications when my phone is not around. When you are using Watch, macOS does not ask you to enter system password for when you are changing system settings, installing/uninstalling apps etc.

These are the things at the top of my mind, I’m sure I can come up with much more.

Photo sync and iCloud are pretty easy to replace with Google Photos/G drive, so I’m not worried about that part.

It’s these small things that add up and make the whole experience better.

I worked for Apple Support over the phone for a while and had to deal with people's photos issues. And let me tell you that the way iCloud photo syncing works is basically only to lock people in. It's just convoluted enough that the average user won't have a good idea of where exactly their photos are stored. Especially when they run out of space on their phone (very easy to do when 128gb is still the base storage space). The UI makes it seem like the only option is to buy iCloud storage and once you're paying for storage then it really makes it unclear how you could access your photos on anything other than an Apple device.

That alone is enough to lock most users in to the ecosystem. The idea of figuring out how to transfer all your photos to an Android device is too much work for most people.

My gym app on my Apple Watch, the AirTag on my cat and my dog, the NotePlan app on my mac/iPhone...

I am personally migrating away from relying on iCloud and successfully so, but once you buy into an ecosystem, you end up entangled on so many levels that it's nearly impossible to move away with serious friction and habit-altering compromises. It becomes a serious cognitive load.