uncleartraveler

The back button is not gone. Yet.

People savage Google yesterday for launching a censored search in China. Apple essentially gives iCloud to the Chinese government and the outrage levels don't seem to be the same.

I'm with you.

In my view, Google's services are just straight up better. This makes it exceedingly difficult to switch, because I'm not perceiving the choice as switching to a better product. I feel like I would be switching for non-concrete, emotional reasons. Not to mention, Google's record on security is top-tier.

To your point about iPhone, I feel the same. I would like to use an iPhone, but when I sit down and think about it, I'm certain I would be frustrated with the completely locked down nature of the product. I wish Apple would open up a little more and make it a palatable choice for usability. There are lots of aspects of Android I like just because Google _allows_ it. "OK Google, play xxx from Spotify" launches the app and plays music from Spotify. I use this all the time. Meanwhile, Apple explicitly forbids you from doing this and purposely cripples Siri. You can't even use Spotify on a HomePod. I can use all of Google's services on every machine I have with every OS.

When I go down the list, I feel like I come to the conclusion that nearly every service is just better. This makes it hard to leave, despite how icky one might feel about privacy. I'm not keen on emotional choices.