I’ve been using Apple devices for years, but lately, something feels off. The attention to detail that once set Apple apart doesn’t seem as strong anymore, and I’ve started thinking of shifting my tech ecosystem elsewhere.
5
iOS Has Become Surprisingly Unreliable
iOS used to be rock solid—so much so that even older iPhones remained smooth for years. I still remember my iPhone 6s running iOS 15, a full six years after launch, and it still felt just as good as when I originally bought it.
But lately, that just isn’t the case. Even my iPhone 13, which isn’t that old, actually stutters and lags on iOS 18. That’s something iPhones were never known for. And it’s not just performance—core ecosystem features like AirDrop have become frustratingly inconsistent. The sheer number of bugs these days makes iOS feel far less refined than it used to be.
Even the iOS 18 Photos app feels like a complete mess, trying to prioritize form over function—but somehow failing at both.
What Apple really needs is another iOS 12-style update—one that prioritizes stability over new features and gets iOS back to the smooth, polished experience it once was. But for now, I am sure I’ll be switching to Android soon enough if this trend keeps on continuing.
4
Apple Intelligence Has Been Extremely Underwhelming
Although I’ve written before about how lackluster I find Apple Intelligence, it also has to be one of the messiest Apple launches I’ve ever seen. A staggered rollout was expected, but now, major features—like the revamped Siri—are reportedly delayed until May, as per Bloomberg, meaning it could take nearly a year from announcement to release.
Even if Apple manages to pull things together, it’s hard to ignore how far behind it is. Google and Samsung already offer more AI-powered features, and there aren’t any unique features in Apple Intelligence that truly set it apart. And when Apple does implement the same AI features as its competitors, its results are usually the worst.
The only real advantage Apple Intelligence has is on-device processing, which is undeniably impressive. But beyond that, Apple is playing catch-up in AI, and so far, it hasn’t done much to prove it can compete.
3
visionOS Still Feels Years Away From Mass Adoption
Apple’s next big bet is visionOS and the ecosystem of devices built around it. However, despite being announced in June 2023, we’ve only seen one product so far—the Vision Pro. Many blame its steep $3,500 price tag for lackluster sales, but I don’t think that’s the biggest issue.
Even if Apple releases more affordable headsets, the real question remains: do you actually need one? The Vision Pro still lacks a “killer” feature that makes it a must-buy, and there aren’t any apps that truly transform how you live or work.
It’s undeniably fun for the first couple of weeks, but from what I’ve seen, most Vision Pro owners used it daily for a month or two—only for it to end up collecting dust on a shelf.
2
Competitors Have Caught Up in Hardware
One of the things that used to make iPhones stand out was how far ahead Apple’s chips were. The A-series processors often outclassed Qualcomm’s by a generation or even two. But over the past few years, that gap has been shrinking.
In everyday use, there’s really no noticeable difference in speed between an iPhone and a flagship Android phone. And now that Samsung and Google are offering 7 years of software updates, the argument for choosing an iPhone just for longevity isn’t as strong as it used to be.
1
Its Product Lineups Are a Complete Mess
Do you remember when choosing an iPhone was simple? There were only three or four models being sold at a time, and the differences between them were clear, with features scaling logically across different price points.
But now, it’s more complicated than ever. A great example is the newly announced iPhone 16e, which starts at $599 and comes with the latest A18 chip, enabling Apple Intelligence. Yet, at the same time, Apple is also selling the iPhone 15, which costs more at $699 but has the older A16 chip. That kind of pricing and feature overlap makes it harder than ever to understand which model offers the best value.
And this isn’t just limited to iPhones. Take the AirPods Max, Apple’s most premium and expensive headphones, which were recently refreshed but still use the older H1 chip. Meanwhile, the much cheaper AirPods 4 get the newer H2 chip, which makes absolutely no sense.
The iPad lineup is another example of this growing confusion. There are now so many models to choose from that even I—someone who extensively writes about Apple—find it difficult to recommend the right iPad when someone asks me.
In the end, I just feel like the simplicity that Apple once offered has slowly faded away, and it’s going to take some big changes to get that “Apple magic” again.
