Tech Infidelity
After years inside the Apple ecosystem, I strayed by testing Pixels, Galaxies, foldables, and more. Each device had its charms, but something always felt off. Maybe it’s the seamless sync. Maybe it’s the familiarity. Or maybe… it’s the guilt.
For a couple of years now, I’ve been hiding a secret. Despite my effusive praise and public stance against ever going against it, I have dabbled in ecosystems that are not part of Apple.
I’ve been an iPhone user for the better part of a decade now. My first was the iPhone 5. And really, I’ve only been firmly entrenched in Apple’s ecosystem for a couple of years. And that seems to be where this whole thing started. As I began streamlining my devices—adding a MacBook, an Apple Watch, AirPods—I started to get curious about what life looked like outside the walled garden.
To be clear, in the US that really only means two other companies: Google & Samsung.
It began to feel as if I were subconsciously having a moment of doubt or a crisis of confidence. For the ordinary consumer, Apple’s devices are not inexpensive. It can be a significant investment. Especially if you’re starting from nothing. What if, after pouring thousands of dollars into a seamless setup, I didn’t even like it?
The first time I strayed, it was with a Google Pixel 7a.
I won’t lie, the first time I booted it up and saw that colorful ‘G’ logo light up the screen, I felt a little rush. It was exciting. I couldn’t help but wonder: what can this thing do that my iPhone can’t?
I was drawn in. The performance was much better than I’d expected and the camera far exceeded my, admittedly low, expectations. And that camera bar? In pictures, it seemed ridiculous. But while holding the phone? Different story. The whole thing felt like something new.
In terms of an ecosystem? Well, at this point there really wasn’t much of one because I not only had an iPhone but an Apple Watch, as well. So I took the next logical step. I bought a Pixel Watch. I was ready to roll.
This would be a good time to mention that I genuinely like the Pixel Watch from a design standpoint. It’s a beautifully designed piece of hardware. The form factor is versatile enough to wear in almost any setting—formal, casual, or at the gym. It felt more like a watch—the kind people who actually wear watches would wear.
But the original Pixel Watch had more flaws than I was willing to overlook.
First, it was far too small. And to call the battery life terrible would be far too generous. I actually had it die on my wrist in the middle of the workday after charging it to 100% overnight. People love to deride the Apple Watch for needing a daily top-off, but it’s not original Pixel Watch bad.
When it comes to tight integration, what the Pixel Watch is to the Pixel phone is fundamentally the same as what the Apple Watch is to the iPhone. On paper, they’re doing the same thing—acting as an extension of your phone, tracking your sleep, logging your activity, and occasionally nudging you to stand up.
But it’s the feeling that’s different.
The notifications felt off—not because they were worse, but because they weren’t mine. I hadn’t spent months fine-tuning which apps were allowed to tap me on the wrist (I live my life in Silent Mode). It always felt like I was adjusting something: a setting here, a permission there. The watch faces looked more cartoonish than utilitarian. Nothing was broken—but nothing felt right, either.
It never felt like I’d get used to the nuance of a slightly different watch/phone relationship. It just didn’t feel like home.
I didn’t last a week.
In the time since, I’ve experimented with more than a fair share of different hardware combinations outside of Apple. Off the top of my head, I’ve used:
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 & 7
- Google Pixel 7
- Google Pixel 8 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Galaxy Watch 6
- Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
- Pixel Watch 3
- OnePlus 13R
- One Plus Watch 3
Each of these devices has its merits. In whatever combination I used them, they all did what they were supposed to do because similar to how well the Apple Watch works with the iPhone, Android watches work well with Android phones. Usually.
Honestly, there isn’t a single device on that list that I didn’t like. They were all impressive in their own way. But they just weren’t for me. The whole experience always felt slightly off.
Whether I switched for a few days, a few weeks, or even a couple of months, I always felt like I was abandoning something—or worse, someone. Like your favorite relative suddenly moving 800 miles away without saying goodbye.
Maybe guilt is the real ecosystem lock-in.
I started vibe coding as a thought experiment or maybe as a proof of concept. I had spent weeks being peppered by news that AI was getting “really good” at coding, so I was curious. I decided I wanted to see if I could give it a shot. Worst-case scenario? I’d fail.
I downloaded Xcode to my Mac and watched an “Xcode for Newbies” tutorial on YouTube. Then I immediately ditched all that instruction and leaned heavily on Gemini—and later, ChatGPT. I didn’t know where to start, so I just told my AI chatbot what kind of app I wanted to build. And before I knew it, I actually had a working prototype.
Turns out what I was doing already had a name: vibe coding. Sure, maybe it’s evolved in the eight months or so since I started, but in essence, that’s exactly what I was doing.
The app itself was pretty basic. It was just a timer that showed how many hours were left in the day. I have no programming experience, so I didn’t want to get too far over my head. I incorporated a dynamic background to spruce things up. At least what I thought was a dynamic background. In hindsight, it was pretty obnoxious.
I went through seven or eight names before landing on Simple Countdowner. Simple Countdown was taken, and I really wanted to make it clear that this was a simple app, with a simple structure, doing a simple task.
I never intended to publish the app, but once again, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give it a shot.
Turns out the publishing process is way more complex than I thought. There’s a lot more to it than just pressing a “Publish” button. Just a few things you need to account for:
• App icons (correct size for both platform and thumbnail)
• Descriptions and promotional text
• Age ratings
• Pricing (mine was free, so that part was easy)
• Algorithm disclosures
• Data collection disclosures
• Region-specific compliance
That’s a lot for someone who had never done this before, didn’t know what he was doing, and had no guidance. Just red error messages every time I hit Publish.
I will say though: it was kind of a rush when I finally got the app uploaded and waiting for review. For a minute, I felt like a real dev.
That feeling didn’t last long.
Waiting for approval (or denial) made me incredibly anxious; as I’m sure it does for a lot of first-timers.
When Simple Countdowner got approved, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a dumb app, honestly. It serves little or no purpose. But I was so excited, I wanted to tell anyone who would listen.
If more people had listened, I probably would’ve found out sooner that I wasn’t breaking new ground. I was just following in the footsteps of people on Reddit, X, and other social platforms who had already figured this out.
I was late to the game. Again.
And that was… kind of discouraging.
Until I started vibe coding my second app.