The Apple Ecosystem
I would write a love letter to Apple about how they have cultured this society within all of their products. Back in first grade, I had already fallen in love with Apple’s designs when I played with my parents’ iPhone 5. The sleek squared edges and the rose gold ring around the old home button fascinated my younger self. Back then my family didn’t really have iPads or any sort of tablets to play with so I only watched television. My very first personal phone was a passed down iPhone 6+ from my mom. I was obsessed with how the applications looked, the settings on the camera, the iMessage bubbles that appeared when you were texting. Now I have come a long way and I personally own 7 Apple products that I use daily. My dad likes to say I have fallen in the Apple black hole and I cannot disagree. If I were to write a love letter to Apple, I would express my appreciation for the ecosystem they have built for all of their products.
What really is the Apple ecosystem? The term has been going around regarding Apple products because they have a completely different operating system than windows or android. It all starts with an Apple ID and as you compile more Apple products, it becomes this ecosystem. Every piece of technology suddenly works together to deliver its functions to the fullest. For example, I got used to the way that I could copy and paste across devices and share any type of file through airdrop that is exclusive to Apple devices. I could have 3 different Apple displays in front of me and my Airpods can seamlessly transfer from device to device as I play audio from a separate device. I love how my notifications and messages are available on all the devices. I love how the edge of every device has the same rounded angle if you ever decided to stack them on top of each other. I love how my photos, files, and apps are always accessible if I have one device. Apple has really made an effort to push their products in a way that you feel pressured to “collect them all.”
Everyone usually starts with the iPhone before all the other devices. It might not draw you into buying more of their products but it secretly makes you want to just stick with Apple since you already have the iPhone. You start to think about other Apple offers like Airpods, Macbook for a laptop, and an Apple watch to track your health. Once you have stepped your foot into a single device, it’s hard to consider going out of the circle for something different. And Apple only functions under its own Apple OS system, completely different from the android system. This is a major difference that I think allows the company to draw people in. Once people start to get used to where things are and how they work, they don’t want to stray away from that. I got accustomed to the way my device functions together and I think that is why I fell in love with the Apple ecosystem.
At the end of the day, I think the way Apple devices are designed has ultimately helped me to work more efficiently. Not only do I like how they are designed, I’m glad that the functionality isn’t sacrificed. When all of my devices share an interconnected network, I don’t have to worry about organization as much. I am able to take notes on any device and they are all synced across devices without any manual transfer. I am thankful of all the engineers and designers behind Apple that made all of this possible and I really hope other Apple users can appreciate the many integrated functions of the Apple ecosystem.
Edit suggestions:
Does the ending seem too abrupt?
Does it follow the main idea throughout the entire essay?
Hi Helen! As a kid who grew up with Android phones and Windows computers, I am not very familiar with Apple products. But, your descriptions make it easy to visualize the interconnectedness of the Apple Ecosystem that you enjoy. As a structural suggestion to consider, you could totally just format this as a letter or an ode of direct appreciation. Your essay could also benefit from a couple more personal anecdotes. Is there a specific notable memory tied to one of your other Apple devices? I think the ending works; it doesn’t seem too abrupt like what you were concerned about. Overall, nice job!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's just my own pre-existing biases, but your word choice (pressured, secretly, the general vibe of this ecosystem sounding like a spider's web throughout) also seems to recognize a sinister vibe with this notion of the Apple ecosystem under the surface level selling points of convenience and efficiency. Once again, this may just be my distaste for a corporation pushing the appeals of product uniformity, but I feel like you could have used more reflection with this essay. As of now, it doesn't go very far into what this 'ecosystem' might mean for you or other consumers ('Is there a danger to everyone buying all their tech products under one company?,' 'Is our society facing a consumer culture crisis?, 'How does the existence of a product ecosystem influence our lives?' (these questions are, of course, biased and leading cause of my own beliefs, but you could consider some that paint the system in a positive light as well, I'm sure)) as there are a lot of implications.
ReplyDeleteOn its merits as a personal essay, you slightly lean into reflection in the last paragraph, where you say 'I don't have to worry about organization as much,' which I think is a genuine positive of the system that you can go into talking about with more personal examples (how was your organization before/after? how has this technology influenced you as a person/student?), but I feel like this essay could really benefit from more of this self reflection.
I think the core of a personal essay is if a personality shines through it, and while it's not entirely lacking in personality, the essay does feel like a lot of different people could have written it. As it is now, it reads less like a personal essay and more like a corporate sponsorship/advertisement.
I enjoyed reading this essay! You emphasize how much you appreciate apple products. It was interesting to read why you liked apple products. I think your narration and reflection is good as well.
ReplyDeleteI think you can include the negative aspects of owning apple products. Maybe add things you don't like about them. Also, maybe add more varied paragraphs. They are a bit similar in length.
I think your conclusion shows how much you appreciate apple products which supports your main idea. Good job!
The Apple Ecosystem is so real. I also find myself collecting various Apple products. I just love how everything connects. I also love how my airpods can connect to whichever device I want, or how I can just use my computer to text people. I think you did a great job following your main idea. From the start, you express this fondness towards Apple products. Maybe in some parts, you can add more reflection to make it more personal. Why do you want everything to be an Apple device? How has this affected how you work and communicate? Are there drawbacks? I think the ending is also good. You ended with a broad idea that people can relate to. Maybe for the last sentence, you can somehow wrap it all up and add a bit more of your voice into it. Overall, great job!!
ReplyDeleteI've always had a windows laptop and an iPhone, so the benefit of transferring data across devices seamlessly is kinda lost on me, but I still think this is a good essay. The writing is to the point, and serves to demonstrate why you enjoy these products. However, if I (big emphasis on I, as it's just my personal opinion and you can feel free to disagree) wrote a love letter essay, I think I'd use a bit more flowery language. I'd include more emotion, more personal ties into the essay, rather than just simply stating facts. As it is, the essay gets its points across (benefits of apple ecosystem), but your writing doesn't really show the sentiment traditionally associated with 'love' and other feelings. Good post!
ReplyDelete