Apple used to be the rebel. Now it's the establishment and tastemakers are switching.
After 22 years of loyalty, I’m stepping away — for now. It’s not about hating Apple. It’s about following the innovation, and I’m not alone.
I've always been that guy.
You know, the one whose friends text when new tech launches, wondering if I've tried it yet or have a hot take on it.
For better or worse, I'm an early adopter. I’ve always chased the thrill of innovation, the promise of emerging tech, and the feeling that I’m experiencing what’s next, not what’s safe. For most of my adult life, that meant Apple — but that’s been changing. Once a walled garden of wonders, the Apple ecosystem now feels more like a very nice hotel you’ve stayed at too many times. Comfortable? Sure. But the thrill of innovation? Not anymore.
From Windows to Mac and never looking back
It all started in 2002 when Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar dropped. Coming from DOS and Windows (shout out to fellow Windows 3.1 through XP survivors), something about those candy-colored iMacs and clamshell iBooks grabbed me. Macs were quirky, fun, and genuinely different—like an indie band that hadn’t quite blown up yet.
When OS X arrived, I was sold. I scraped together my savings and bought a sleek white "Snow" iBook. Sure, app support was sparse and compatibility was a headache, but I didn’t care. Apple made tech feel exciting. It had vision.
That feeling carried through the iPhone era. I went from a Palm Treo 650 to a couple of different Blackberry models — but when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone, I knew I had to switch. Canada didn’t get the original model, so I practiced typing on an iPod Touch until the 3G launched. I grabbed one on day one. At the time, I worked at Future Shop (Canada’s Best Buy) and endured all kinds of mocking from colleagues, calling it a toy and “not manly” (whatever that meant).
They all eventually switched.
As a tech journalist, I was fortunate to test new gadgets early: foldables, Google Glass, VR, AR, early Pixels, 2-in-1 laptops —all of it. And even when those products weren’t ready, they were trying something. Apple, meanwhile, perfected—but stopped pushing. The company that once defied expectations began leaning into safety.
People put up with it for a while. We gave Apple the benefit of the doubt, hoping something big was coming. But for many—including me—the breaking point was Apple's AI, or what they call 'Apple Intelligence.’ Or rather, the lack of it. While companies like Google and Microsoft are embedding genuinely useful AI features into their products, Apple’s AI vision felt reactive, vague, and—most importantly—nonexistent.
Over time, Apple stopped being the rebel. It became the establishment. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed.
The turning tides of tastemakers
Tech influencers have increasingly expressed frustration with Apple’s risk-averse strategy after years of championing the company — highlighting features like the foldable smartphones from Samsung and Google or touchscreen laptops from Microsoft, Asus or HP.
For example, Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), while still embedded in the Apple ecosystem, has spotlighted how Android phones are outpacing Apple in areas like AI and hardware experimentation. Content creator Nick Kendall posted a YouTube video about why he left the iPhone for Android after 10 years—and isn’t coming back. Among his reasons: better camera flexibility, customizability, genuinely useful AI tools, and more experimental hardware.
This disillusionment isn’t just anecdotal—it’s generational.
Essentially, (non-sponsored) tech voices like these are saying it’s up to the individual. Apple still works for millions, but they’re bored and want something exciting again. Many find it hard to leave the closed garden in the end, but recognize that struggle and talk about it publicly.
Even those who still rely on Apple’s products for work or habit are exploring outside its borders. Android isn’t just the cheap alternative anymore. And Windows—thanks to design shifts and better hardware partnerships—isn’t the clunky system it used to be.
Meanwhile, Reddit communities like r/Apple and r/iphone have become places where long-time users vent about the monotony of recent product cycles. Threads like “iPhones have reached their peak & are now a boring sequel year after year” or “Am I the only one that's becoming bored of Apple's stuff lately?” pop up more frequently now, signaling growing user fatigue and a collective curiosity for something different.
This disillusionment isn’t just anecdotal—it’s generational.
Gen Z—arguably the first generation raised entirely on iPhones—is increasingly open to experimenting with new products. According to a 2024 SAP Emarsys study, almost half of Gen Zers (43%) and 41% of Millennials have abandoned a brand they were once loyal to because they grew ‘bored’ of them.
Fair enough, team. Fair enough.
The Pixel pull and rediscovering Windows
I’ve long liked Google’s Pixel phones and reviewed them each year as a tech reporter, but they weren’t quite ready as a daily driver for me until the Pixel 7 Pro. By then, the software and hardware had matured, the stability was solid, and the innovations (night photography, voice-to-text, AI features) felt like genuine steps forward, not side grades. I made the switch and have continued to use the latest Pixel each year (including the Pixel Fold for a while and Pixel 9 Pro now.)
That shift became the gateway to another this year.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Microsoft’s hardware experiments—especially under Satya Nadella. I still used my MacBook Pro (and later, an M2 MacBook Air). Still, I kept glancing sideways at Surface devices, foldables, and other dual-screen concepts from Lenovo and Asus.
When the 2025 Asus ZenBook Duo went on its first sale earlier this month, I didn’t just glance. I jumped. The dual-screen setup, hardware quality, and yes—even the quirks of Windows—felt refreshingly new.
Open to Coming Back—If the Innovation Returns
I’ll share more about the ZenBook Duo soon in a full review. For now, though, I’m loving it. I haven’t been this excited about a new piece of tech in years.
None of this is to say Apple makes bad products. They’re polished, they work, and they’re the right choice for many people. But for folks like me—people who chase innovation, crave what’s next, and want to feel a little wonder in their tech again—the gravitational pull of Apple isn’t as strong anymore.
But let me be clear: this isn’t goodbye forever. If Apple finds its boldness again and becomes the company that makes me feel excited about tech the way it once did, I’ll be the first one to switch back.
I always follow the innovation—wherever it goes next.