Apple ecosystem

Last updated

The Apple ecosystem is a term used to describe Apple Inc.'s digital ecosystem of products, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod etc. [1] It is often praised for its seamless integration and optimization between various networks of devices, software and services, [2] and is largely emphasized by Apple's focus on privacy, [3] [4] but criticized for its closed system and lack of consumer control. [5] [6]

Contents

Apple products often unlock extra features when paired with other Apple products, as opposed to alternatives. [7] Privacy is also considered a major perk of the ecosystem, as Apple markets its products with high standards of privacy, sometimes using it as a selling point over competitors. [8] [9] [10] [11]

"Walled garden"

Apple's ecosystem is often described as a walled garden. [12] [13] While peripherals such as AirPods, HomePods and AirTags integrate complementarily into the ecosystem, with products such as the iPhone, it does not function as well or with as many features with competitive devices such as Android smartphones. [7] Also, it is not easy to switch from the ecosystem once users have immersed themselves into it, as it is designed to keep users from leaving. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

iOS Mobile operating system by Apple

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its smartphones. It was unveiled in January 2007 for the first-generation iPhone, launched in June 2007.

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. and was first released as iPhone OS in June 2007, coinciding with the launch of the first generation iPhone. iPhone OS was renamed iOS following the release of the iPad, starting with iOS 4. With iOS 13, Apple began offering a separate operating system, iPadOS, for the iPad. iOS is also the foundation of the newer audioOS and tvOS, and shares some of its code with macOS. New iOS versions are released every year alongside new iPhone models. From its launch in 2007 until 2010, this occurred in June or July, since then, new major versions are released in September or October. Since the launch of the iPhone in June 2007, there have been 17 major releases of iOS. The current major version of iOS is iOS 17, released on September 18, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple headphones</span> Lineup of products manufactured by Apple, Inc.

Apple Inc. has produced and sold headphones since 2001, available for standalone purchase and bundled with iPhone and iPod products. Apple's current product line consists of EarPods, AirPods and AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siri</span> Software-based personal assistant from Apple Inc.

Siri is the digital assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, audioOS, and visionOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Internet services. With continued use, it adapts to users' individual language usages, searches, and preferences, returning individualized results.

iPadOS Mobile operating system of the iPad

iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its iPad line of tablet computers. It was given a name distinct from iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones to reflect the diverging features of the two product lines, such as multitasking. It was introduced as iPadOS 13 in 2019, reflecting its status as the successor to iOS 12 for the iPad, at the company's 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference.

iMessage Instant messaging service by Apple

iMessage is an instant messaging service developed by Apple Inc. and launched in 2011. iMessage functions exclusively on Apple platforms – including macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS – as part of Apple's broader strategy of vendor lock-in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messages (Apple)</span> Instant messaging software applications

Messages is an text messaging software application developed by Apple Inc. for its macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and visionOS operating systems.

iOS 6 2012 mobile operating system

iOS 6 is the sixth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc, being the successor to iOS 5. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11, 2012, and was released on September 19, 2012. It was succeeded by iOS 7 on September 18, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HomeKit</span> Software framework by Apple for home automation

HomeKit, also known as Apple Home, is a software framework and communication protocol developed by Apple Inc. that lets users configure, communicate with and control smart-home appliances using Apple devices. It provides users with a way to automatically discover such devices and configure them. By designing rooms, items and actions in HomeKit, users can enable automations in the home through a voice command to Siri or through the Home app. With HomeKit, developers are able to create complex applications in order to manage accessories at a high level.

iOS 12 2018 mobile operating system

iOS 12 is the twelfth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. Aesthetically similar to its predecessor, iOS 11, it focuses more on performance than on new features, quality improvements and security updates. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 4, 2018, iOS 12 was released to the public on September 17, 2018. It was succeeded for the iPhone and iPod Touch by iOS 13 on September 19, 2019, and for the iPad by iPadOS 13 on September 24, 2019. Security updates for iOS 12 continued for four years after the releases of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 for devices unable to run the newer versions. The last update, 12.5.7, was released on January 23, 2023.

iOS 13 2019 mobile operating system

iOS 13 is the thirteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for the iPhone, iPod Touch and HomePod. The successor to iOS 12, it was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 3, 2019, and released on September 19, 2019. It was succeeded by iOS 14, released on September 16, 2020.

iPadOS 13 2019 tablet operating system by Apple Inc.

iPadOS 13 is the first major release of the iPadOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for their iPad line of tablet computers. The successor to iOS 12 on those devices, it was announced at the company's 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 3, 2019, as a derivation from iOS, with a greater emphasis on multitasking and tablet-centric features. It was released on September 24, 2019. It was succeeded by iPadOS 14, released on September 16, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Find My</span> Asset tracking app

Find My is an asset tracking service made by Apple Inc. that enables users to track the location of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS devices, AirPods, AirTags and a number of supported third-party accessories through a connected iCloud account. Users can also share their GPS locations to others with Apple devices and view the location of others who choose to share their location. Find My was released alongside iOS 13 on September 19, 2019, merging the functions of the former Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single app. On watchOS, Find My is separated into three different applications: Find Devices, Find People and Find Items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AirPods Pro</span> Wireless earbuds produced by Apple

AirPods Pro are wireless Bluetooth in-ear headphones designed by Apple, initially introduced on October 30, 2019. They are Apple's mid-range wireless headphones, available alongside the base-level AirPods and the highest-end AirPods Max.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AirTag</span> Apple tracking device for finding lost items

AirTag is a tracking device developed by Apple. AirTag is designed to act as a key finder, which helps people find personal objects. To locate lost items, AirTags use Apple's crowdsourced Find My network, estimated in early 2021 to consist of approximately one billion devices worldwide that detect and anonymously report emitted Bluetooth signals. AirTags are compatible with any iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch device capable of running iOS/iPadOS 14.5 or later, including iPhone 6S or later. Using the built-in U1 chip on iPhone 11 or later, users can more precisely locate items using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. AirTag was announced on April 20, 2021, made available for pre-order on April 23, and released on April 30.

iOS 14 2020 mobile operating system

iOS 14 is the fourteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for the iPhone and iPod touch lines. Announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020 as the successor to iOS 13, it was released to the public on September 16, 2020. It was succeeded by iOS 15 on September 20, 2021.

iOS 15 2021 mobile operating system

iOS 15 is the fifteenth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple for its iPhone and iPod Touch lines of products. It was announced at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7, 2021, as the successor to iOS 14 and released to the public on September 20, 2021.

macOS Monterey 18th major version of the macOS operating system

macOS Monterey is the eighteenth major release of macOS, Apple's desktop operating system for Macintosh computers. The successor to macOS Big Sur, it was announced at WWDC 2021 on June 7, 2021, and released on October 25, 2021. macOS Monterey was succeeded by macOS Ventura, which was released on October 24, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "The Apple Ecosystem". AppleMagazine. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  2. ↑ Ricker, Thomas (2016-09-07). "Apple's greatest innovation is its ecosystem". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  3. ↑ "Apple's new privacy features may finally trigger a more transparent tech ecosystem". CityAM. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  4. ↑ ""It's the ecosystem, stupid"*". The Mac Security Blog. 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  5. 1 2 Alvarez, Paul (2019-10-30). "The Apple Ecosystem Trap". Medium. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  6. 1 2 Patel, Nilay (2018-02-06). "Apple HomePod review: locked in". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  7. 1 2 "HomePod review: If you're deep into the Apple ecosystem, this is the smart speaker for you". financialpost. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  8. ↑ Why Apple Takes Privacy Seriously , retrieved 2021-05-05
  9. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (2021-04-27). "Why Apple's new privacy feature is such a big deal". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  10. ↑ Samantha Murphy Kelly (26 April 2021). "Apple's major privacy change is here. What you need to know". CNN. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  11. ↑ Brookes, Tim (May 2021). "How Apple's AirTags Prevent Stalkers from Tracking You". How-To Geek. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  12. ↑ "Apple's app store goes on trial in threat to 'walled garden'". NBC News. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  13. ↑ Sherr, Ian. "Apple's 'walled garden' walls will get even higher with iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and MacOS Big Sur". CNET. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.